Opowieźci Mojej ˝Ony Tales Told by My Wife
OpowieÊci mojej ˝ony Tales Told by My Wife by Miros∏aw ˚u∏awski A glossed reader for the intermediate to advanced learner of Polish Edited by Oscar E. Swan A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CITY OF PRZEMYÂL The city of PrzemyÊl is situated on the San River next to the contemporary Polish-Ukrainian border, about 90 kilometers from Lwów (Lviv) in the east and from Rzeszów to the west. The oldest historical mention of PrzemyÊl is from 981. A natural passage between the Carpatians and the Sandomierz Lowlands, called the “PrzemyÊl Gate,” has for centuries connected cities in Eastern and Western Europe. PrzemyÊl’s location in a border zone between three countries caused the rulers of Poland, Ruthenia, and Hungary to try to gain control over it from the 10th century on. The town has always been inhabited by a population of many nationalities, denominations, and cultures: Poles, Ruthenians, Germans, Czechs, Armenians, and Jews. By the 17th and 18th centuries, most minorities were assimilated, leaving Poles, Ruthenians, and Jews as the dominant ethnic groups in PrzemyÊl and its surroundings. In 1772, following the first partition of Poland, PrzemyÊl was incorporated into Austria. Its development became possible again only after 1880, when the Polish territories under Austrian rule (Galicia) were allowed a significant degree of autonomy. This development was connected to the town’s strategic location near the border of the Russian Empire. A system of fortifications was expanded to make up the PrzemyÊl Fortress, one of the largest fortresses in Europe at the time. Economic recovery was also fostered by the construction of the railway line which connected Cracow to Lwów, with a branch leading to Hungary.
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