We are hit by extreme heatwaves more and more often. Well, the climate is getting warmer. But exceptionally hot summers have already happened in Poland - a good few centuries ago! Centuries ago, of course, there were no thermometers. Thus, chroniclers could not notice that in such and such a year
Treasury fees have always aroused opposition from the public. But did the peasant or the burgher really have anything to complain about? The tax was invented even before the money was in circulation. In addition to the fee in the form of livestock or agricultural produce, peasants in the early sta
Roman law allowed divorce. It wasnt until the Middle Ages that they were strictly banned - with a few exceptions. Why? But when was it possible to part? There were several serious consequences in making marriage sacramental. Polygamy and cohabitation have become unacceptable for Christians. Finall
The villages, mansions and towns were full of disguises. Dances, tournaments, sleigh rides and masquerades were organized. And most of all, they were eaten - before the fasting started. The word carnival probably comes from the Italian carnavale - meaning goodbye to meat. Indeed, this was the poin
The question of who can marry and have sex with whom has always been a pressing issue. But the answers were different. What was considered incest in the Middle Ages? Endogamy and the inevitably accompanying incest have been taboo since the dawn of time. People almost always got married or got marr
Babylonian adepts of secret knowledge - magicians and astrologers - were respected in their time. Their knowledge of celestial bodies was spectacular. The ancient Babylonians were well aware of the great power of magic. To protect themselves from the action of evil forces, they used a whole range
The upbringing of the heir to the Russian throne was a matter of state importance. Tsarist children were provided with the best teachers and the education was surprisingly progressive! In the history of tsarist Russia, the first monarch who began to pay due attention to the preparation of the heir
They attracted up to 250,000 viewers at one time. They were a favorite pastime of the ancient Romans. Nero himself took part in them. I am talking about chariot racing. I am very amazed that so many thousands of adult men are overwhelmed by the childhood passion of seeing galloping horses and men
Diseases? Charms? Bad luck? Eastern Europeans had many opportunities. They could seek help from both their Slavic and Jewish neighbors. Neither origin nor religion stood in the way of supernatural powers. A force enchanted in language Even 100, 200 years ago, was not in the slightest doubt th
The author of the Ukrainian national anthem Szcze ne wmerła Ukraina is Pawło Czubynski (1839-1884). Few, however, remember that he came from a Polish landowning family and was exiled for his social activities. Czubynski was an ethnographer and folklorist. During his lifetime, he made many research
They lived in Persia and the Crimea. They went down in the history of our country as brave soldiers. Today Karaims are the smallest minority in Poland. The history of Karaites dates back to the 8th century AD. She is associated with the figure of Basra Anana ben Dawid, a Jewish leader and scholar
Polishness is and will remain a hostile element - emphasized Eugen von Puttkamer, president of the Poznań province. Beat the Poles. There is nothing left for us to do but exterminate them, ”echoed Otto von Bismarck. How big of a Germanization campaign did they implement? Germanization is a policy
The art, architecture and funeral writings of the Pharaohs state still amaze and fascinate researchers. This culture was permeated with the cult of death and life on the other side. For him, it was worth building tombs the size of huge buildings, which, in addition, were fully equipped - like a livi
They fell victim to two forced evictions, including the infamous Operation Vistula. However, they survived those years and the difficult times of the Peoples Republic of Poland. Who exactly are the Lemkos? Where did this ethnic group come from? It is difficult to say unequivocally. Various theorie
At the end of 1920, Poland accepted approx. 30 thousand. soldiers and officers from the army of the Ukrainian Peoples Republic, Polish ally in the fight against the Bolsheviks. Together with the Ukrainians, 6,000 soldiers in the group of General Bułak-Bałachowicz, 2,000 Cossacks and almost 6,000 s
500 years ago a Polish princess married a Bavarian prince. Their fairy-tale wedding is celebrated to this day, although the bride and groom were not destined to live happily ever after. Every four years, Bavarias Landshut hosts one of the largest medieval festivals on the continent. Thousands of p
History doesnt always have to be serious. Sometimes he has the right to extraordinary, even magical events. Do you know the fairy tale about Cinderella? It really happened in Silesia. Joanna Gryzik, known as the Silesian Cinderella, was born in 1842 in a poor family. Her father worked in a zinc mi
In 1986, CBS decided to take the soap opera Capitol off the antenna and look for a production site that would attract a larger audience with its plot. To this end, a script competition was announced between the couple William and Lee Bell. The couples script was called Rags, and it covered both be
Although ancient civilizations still keep many secrets from us, our knowledge of the past grows significantly each year. It is possible thanks to the hard work of scientists representing various fields of knowledge. Research on antiquity at the University of Warsaw is carried out by researchers an
The gallows was considered an unclean place. Honest people avoided her from a distance. However, it did need repair from time to time. And here the trouble started ... The genesis of the notoriety of the gallows goes deep into the past. Already in the Middle Ages, accidental contact with the place
Syracuse built by Archimedes in the 3rd century BC she was a real miracle of technology. What happened to the greatest ship of antiquity? The richest people on Earth compete in ordering bigger and more expensive yachts. Some of the ships sailing on the oceans today could easily be compared to sma
Next to the Christmas tree, they are an inseparable element of every Christmas. It seems to us that Christmas carols are so old that they have always existed. But is it really? Interestingly, initially, Christmas carols had little to do with Christmas. They were simply happy New Years songs, deriv
A deadly absurdity hangs over the city - recalled one of the inhabitants of Warsaw. The death penalty has become as common as before the war street fines for incorrect sidewalk-to-sidewalk transition. What was the risk of being shot? And has the master race ever shown human reflexes? One of the
Local historians write directly about what happened in May 1940:invasion. Later there were 13 months of occupation. Illegal, unprovoked. And in the performance of alleged defenders of freedom. In the morning of May 10, 1940, the inhabitants of the capital of Iceland, Reykjawík, were awakened by