Summary

A collection of materials from the scientific session which was held on 12 September 2006 at the State Archives in Suwałki and was titled „Communists Against Feedom – the Faces of Power. The History of Suwalszczyzna in the Times of the Polish People’s Republic” opens the sixth volume of the „Augustowsko-Suwalski Yearbook”. There were six papers at the session but the follwing ones have not been published: the paper by Paweł Kalisz titled The Management of the Provincial Headquarters of the Civic Militia and Provincial Security Service Office in the years 1975–1989, and the paper by Jarosław Schabieński titled People’s Town Council at the End of 1970s and the Beginning of the 1980s, whose changed version appeared in volume III of „The Yearbook”.

Tadeusz Radziwonowicz, in his article The Catholic Church Structure and Local Administration in the Years 1956–1975 in Northern Counties of Białostockie Province, discussed the policy of the communist state and activities of the administrative authorities which carried the policy out. The activities aimed at taking control over the Roman-Catholic Church and gradual elimination of its influence on social life. He indicated the authorities’ areas of interest, such as the organisational condition of church structures and their financial standing, supervision of ministry, attitudes and activity of priests and laypersons engaged in parish life, the course of church celebrations and holidays. He presented the difficulties which were piled up by authorities and were connected with organization of new parishes, building and renovation of temples, and religious education of children and youth. At the same time he showed a progressing mobilization of the clergy and the faithful, contrary to authorities’ activities, and, as a result, the process of strengthening of the Roman-Catholic Church structures.

The article by Krzysztof Sychowicz Provincial Committee of the Polish United Workers’ Party in Suwałki in the Years 1980–1983 presents the structures and activities of the Provincial Committee of PUWP in Suwałki. In the discussed period the institution decided not only about political life, but also controlled economy, personnel policy, influenced the educational system and work of social organizations, and also had an impact on upbringing and moulding of young generation attitudes. The authord devoted a lot of attention to reactions of the PUWP officials to establishment and work of „Solidarity” movement, Region „Pojezierze” and events connected with introduction of martial law.

Operational Protection of Peregrination of the Picture of Our Lady of Częstochowa in the Decanates of Suwalki North and South and Sejny (15 August – 9 September 1986) in the Light of Security Service Documents – this is the title of an article in which Waldemar Franciszek Wilczewski showed little known aspects of Security Service activities, undertaken to prevent the development of religious life. The material presented by the author exposes, first of all, the range of interests and bulk of operational activities undertaken at that time, involvement of masses of functionaries of Security Service, Civic Militia, spy network and administration.

The repressions of the communist authority apparatus against the members of „Solidarity” of Region „Pojezierze” after martial law had been introduced were discussed by Marcin Zwolski. The author mentioned, among other things, attempts to uncover Solidarity operationally and activites of spy network among the union’s activists before 13 December 1981. He broadly discussed the structure of local authorities involved in fighting „Solidarity” after the introduction of martial law, the role of the Provincial Defence Committee, the management of Provincial Committee of the Polish United Workers’ Party and security service. He presented restrictions and direct repressions connected with proclaiming of martial law: detention of 93 activists from the Region „Pojezierze”, arrests and guilty verdicts with prison sentences, layoffs, harassment of families, and, finally, attempts at blackmail and enlisting people from the opposition in the secret service.

The section of „Studies” begins with the article by Tomasz Krzywicki A Review of Research Problems of Upper Pleistocene and Development of Research on Ranges of Scandinavian Continental Glaciers in the Northern Part of the Podlaska Lowland, which deals with the issues of North-Eastern Poland’s geological past.

Tadeusz Radziwonowicz, in his material On Establishment and Activities of the First State Archives in Suwałki (1921–1926), discusses in detail the history of the institution, which came into being in extremely difficult conditions (in 1926 it handed over the collected materials to the archives in Grodno), but contributed to the saving of many precious archive records made in Suwałki in the period of Partitions.

Krzysztof Sychowicz, in his text titled The Catholic Church and „People’s” Rule in the Counties of Augustów and Suwałki in the Years 1945–1956 raised the subject connected with relations between the communist state and the Catholic church, which had already been discussed in this volume. The author remarked that although in the first years of the period discussed the attention of the communist authorities concentrated on the strengthening of influence and fighting the pro-independence underground, the Catholic Church, identified as a determined opponent of the new political structure, was already the object of numerous repressions. In the presented material the author quoted many examples showing the range, form and methods of repressions used by the security apparatus and authorities towards individual priests and church structures, the culmination of which, stopped for a short time by events of 1956, took place at the beginning of the 1950s.

Jarosław Szlaszyński presented the history of the 1st Krechowiecki Lancers Regiment, in the period of their peaceful service in Augustów. In his extensive study he discussed, among other things, the organization and composition of the regiment, the course of training, educational work, accommodation conditions, the most important events and participation of the regiment in the town’s life. He devoted a lot of attention to non-commissioned officers and officers and supplemented the text with biographical entries of subsequent commanders of the regiment.

Relationships Between Colonel Adam Koc and Suwalszczyzna is the title of the text by Janusz Mierzwa, which opens the section of „Announcements”.

In the next item titled An Unknown Episode from the Sejny Uprising in 1919 in the Light of Documents of the Border Guards Police, Artur Ochał discussed materials concening the investigation conducted at the beginning of 1930s against a Jew residing in Sejny, accused of participation in fights against Polish troops and supporting Lithuanian army during the Sejny Uprising.

Jarosław Schabieński in his announcement titled The Secret Police in the PTTK Hotel in Augustów presented activities conducted by the secret police and spy network among the hotel staff from the beginning of the 1970, aiming at surveillance of the guests staying at the hotel.

Migrations of People in Suwalszczyzna after World War II in the Light of Materials from the State Archives in Suwałki is the title of the text by Marek Sidor, in which the author discussed archive materials concerning the processes connected with people’s migrations resulting from the change of borders and political agreements after WW II.

Krzysztof Skłodowski brought up the subject of attempts at communist campaigning, which were undertaken among the troops of Suwałki garrison in the interwar period.

Krzysztof Snarski in the material titled Disintegration and Reintegration of the Old-believers Communities mentioned the subject of individual and collective identity.

And the last of the announcements published, called The Kingdom of Poland Files of the Central Religious Authorities, as a source useful for research on religious relationships in Suwalszczyzna and the Niemen region in the years 1815–1866, written by Jerzy Szumski, points out to study possibilities and discusses in detail the contents of the 19th century files from offices managing religious affairs, which are stored at the Chief Archives of Old Files in Warsaw.

In the section called „Materials”, two documents fundamental for the Suwałki history were published: the Wigry Camaldolite Privilege from 1715 and the King’s Privilege confirming it from 1720. Their edition was preceded by an introduction and commentary prepared by Sławomir Filipowicz.

Two reviews by prof. Adam Czesław Dobroñski are found in the final part of the volume. One is a review of a biographical essey by Andrzej Matusiewicz and Krzysztof Skłodowski >titled Walery Roman 1877–1952. An Honorary Citizen of Suwałki, and the other one is a review of a monograph by Tomasz Naruszewicz titled Bakałarzewo. The History of the Town and Land.

The chronicle of actvities conducted in 2005 by the Augustowsko-Suwalskie Scientific Society, the Regional Museum in Suwałki and the State Archives in Suwałki closes the volume.

Tłumaczyła: Elżbieta Rzemieniewska