Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, the son of an illiterate Slovak coachman and a German-speaking cook, played a significant role in the creation of modern Czechoslovakia. As its first long-term president, he was a passionate advocate for democracy, despite often acting against the beliefs of his fellow citizens. In the 30th episode of Czechostacja, Karolina Ćwiek-Rogalska, together with the host, Jakub Medek, explores Masaryk’s impact on the formation of Czechoslovakia and his lasting legacy as a leader.
We are happy to announce that a new article by Michal Korhel was published in the Environment & History journal.
The 1960 landslide in Handlová, a town previously dominated by Germans before World War Two, caused significant destruction, displacing almost 1,000 people and damaging critical infrastructure. This event, occurring more than 15 years after the war, raised questions about the connection between the natural disaster and the forced displacement of residents during the war. Through previous research and interviews with local narrators, Michal Korhel attempts to understand this link and its implications. The findings aim to shed light on the complex relationship between historical events and their long-term effects on communities.
We are happy to announce that a new article by Karina Hoření was published in the journal Český lid (Czech Ethnological Journal).
The article delves into the ways in which residents of Liberec, a town in north Bohemia, are managing the property they acquired following the displacement of the German-speaking minority after World War II. It examines the narratives of this historical event within Czech public discourse and explores how these stories are echoed in family histories. The study is centered on three family histories gathered through ethnographic fieldwork and employs an analytical framework rooted in memory studies and hauntology theories.
The article is available in open access on the web page of Český lid and our website. We’d like to encourage you to check the whole issue of the journal as well.
On June 12–15, 2024, Magdalena Bubík, the PhD candidate working in our project, participated in the international conference “Remembrance, Religion, and Secularity in Central and Eastern Europe and Beyond”, organized by the Visegrad Fund, which brings together scholars from Central and Eastern Europe. The event, held in Warsaw, began with a masterclass, i.e. a block devoted to presentations of doctoral projects.
Magdalena, in the panel entitled “Religious Materiality”, presented her research, illustrating it with the example of an altar painting of Jesus from a formerly German Protestant church in Liberec (German Reichenberg) in northern Bohemia. She showed what the picture can tell us about the past and present inhabitants of this post-displacement region, based on the afterlife of this particular object, tracing its fate after the church was blown up in 1976. The presentation was followed by a commentary by a specialist, which in Magdalena’s case was mgr. Barbora Spálová, Ph.D, a Czech ethnologist and social anthropologist, working at the Institute of Sociological Studies at Charles University in Prague, Czechia. Later, the young researchers had the opportunity to reflect together and discuss how they could improve their research.
All doctoral students were also invited to participate in the second part of the event, the conference of the same name. Researchers from different parts of the world came together to discuss topics related to memory, religion, and secularization. Magdalena especially cherished the possibility of comparing the results of the research between the different European countries, as well as taking part in a post-secular memory walk on the streets of Warsaw.
Magdalena Bubík during presentation, photo by Alexandra Lebriez
What does the landscape tell us about the former noble families of the borderland who had both Polish and German identities? This time our PI, Karolina Ćwiek-Rogalska, became for a while a tourist guide and helped to reveal the multi-layered history of one Pomeranian family to the participants of the bicycle tour, organized by the Wałcz Land Museum.
For hundreds of years, many villages in Wałcz County were divided among different branches of the complicated family tree of von der Goltz family. So, to see some of their properties, the 30-kilometer journey was organized on July 15th by the Museum. Thanks to the idea of the originator of the trip, Natalia Borek, it was a fascinating exploration of the historical landmarks associated with von der Goltzes.
photo by Michał Rogalski
The route included three stops – Kłębowiec (formerly German Klausdorf), Karsibór (Keßburg) and Golce (Goltz), during which various guides talked about particular places. Karolina shared the rich history of von der Goltz family during the exploration of the ruins of the palace complex in Kłębowiec. Although one is not allowed to enter the ruins, it was possible to see the former entrance to the garden, the Evangelical chapel, and the front of the palace, where a cartouche with a coat of arms has been preserved. At each point, the group discussed another aspect of the Goltz family’s history, such as their involvement with the Reformation and what stories are inscribed in their coat of arms. Karolina also talked about the destruction of the palace after the war.
The next point of the trip was Karsibór, where the group had the opportunity to visit the new church which incorporated elements from the old one, standing nearby, and founded by von der Goltz family. It is a good example of how the prewar heritage is entangled with the new one, in this case, it was a church altar. Final stop in Golce finished on the steps of another temple, a timber-framed church that has just been renovated. Additionally, the group were given a special tour of the mill at Młyńska Dolina by its owner, getting a glimpse into its history and plans for the future.
Spectral Recycling team tries not only to pursue with the scientific aspects of our project, but also to engage in local projects and bring closer the fascinating, often hidden history of formerly German things left behind to the local communities. We hope to share with you other examples of such cooperations soon.
On June 11th, 2024, Karina Hoření held a public lecture for a wider audience at the café Boršov in Prague, in Czech Republic. Her presentation was entitled “Myths, Ghosts, and Treasures of Czech Borderlands – Hauntological Perspective” and invited guests to re-think established narratives about Czech borderlands and the expulsion of ethnic Germans.
Karina was invited by the Center for the Study of Popular Culture, a Prague-based group of scholars interested in popular culture topics as an important factor for societal imagination, to close this year’s series of lectures called “The Magic Year”. Despite the sunny weather, this lecture attracted a wide audience who learned about Karina’s findings from her field research in the Northern Bohemian city of Liberec (formerly German Reichenberg). She enclosed, for example, how villas of the German-speaking industrialists were repurposed as sanatoriums for the masses during the communist period and why, now abandoned, they could be interpreted as ghosts of former utopias.
Within the lecture, Karina also presented stories of several objects owned by expelled Germans and what the current inhabitants of the town think of them.
According to the active discussion, the lecture proved highly successful. Members of the audience shared their own family stories but also discussed the current peripheral status of the Czech borderlands. The debate showed that the topic of expulsion is relevant also outside the post-displacement regions.
Karina Hoření during presentation, picture: Matěj Kliman
Karina Hoření during presentation, picture: Matěj Kliman
250 years ago, Czech was not widely spoken or respected. It was considered a language of the lower class, an ethnographic curiosity. German was the language of choice for those seeking success and social advancement in the Habsburg Empire. However, the national revival movement in the late 18th and early 19th centuries changed the status of the Czech language. This cultural and political movement sought to revive not only the language, but subsequently also culture and as a result, to create Czech national identity. This was the topic of the new episode of the Czechostacja podcast. Host, Jakub Medek, together with our PI, Karolina Ćwiek-Rogalska, delve into the various stages of the revival, with a focus on Czech history and culture. They explore the lesser-known issues of linguistic formation, as well as the mystification of the manuscripts and the disputes about defining the Czech identity. The question of the Czech-German relations is present as well throughout the episode. By examining these topics, the podcast provides listeners with a deeper understanding of the complexities and nuances of Czech history and culture.
Photography as hauntological art carries the idea of capturing and preserving fleeting moments, memories and emotions that haunt the present. During her fieldwork, Karolina Ćwiek-Rogalska stumbled upon a photograph in a family archive that depicted a sense of longing, absence and nostalgia. This sparked her interest in exploring the role of photography in post-displacement heritage. Link to the blog post about her thoughts you can find here.
The Goleniowskie Fotohistorie project, which our team collaborates with, delves into the use of photography as means of reconstructing and preserving the memory of displaced communities, shedding light on their history and cultural identity. If you want to find out more about the project, visit their web page.
Karolina Ćwiek-Rogalska has been appointed to the Council of the Wałcz Land Museum by the Wałcz City Council. The primary purpose of the council is to ensure that the museum fulfills its obligations to the community and its mission. Karolina will work alongside other council members, including dr Henryk Paweł Dąbrowski, Piotr Wojtanek, ks. bp dr Arkadiusz Trochanowski, Adam Biernacki, and Paweł Łakomy.
Karolina’s cooperation with the museum includes her involvement in the “Wałcz DNA” project, which aims to gather stories about the postwar history of Wałcz and collect memorabilia of the first settlers. More information about her work with the museum and the project can be found here and on the museum’s website.
We are pleased to share that on Wednesday, May 28th, we convened a seminar to delve into Magdalena’s doctoral research project. As a member of our team, Magdalena is also pursuing her PhD at the Anthropos Doctoral School in Warsaw, which emphasizes the presentation of research proposals to a committee in the first year of study. The committee, consisted of esteemed academics such as Prof. Dr. Magdalena Zowczak, who provided valuable theoretical insights to refine the project, Dr. Anna Engelking, Prof. IS PAN, who contributed her expertise on the ethnographic aspects, and Dr. Izabela Mrzygłód, who offered her historical perspective to enhance Magdalena’s project. The collective expertise facilitated a thorough review and constructive feedback for Magdalena to consider. We are thankful for the enriching dialogue and the guidance offered to Magdalena by the committee members.
