Metadata: Collection of documents of the history seminar of the Faculty of Humanities of Kaunas Vytautas Magnus University
Collection
- Country:
- Lithuania
- Holding institution:
- Vilnius University Library
- Holding institution (official language):
- Vilniaus universiteto biblioteka
- Postal address:
- Universiteto g. 3, 01513, Vilnius
- Phone number:
- +370 5 268 7100
- Web address:
- https://biblioteka.vu.lt
- Email:
- mb@mb.vu.lt
- Reference number:
- F214
- Title:
- Collection of documents of the history seminar of the Faculty of Humanities of Kaunas Vytautas Magnus University
- Title (official language):
- Kauno Vytauto Didžiojo universiteto Humanitarinių mokslų fakulteto istorijos seminaro dokumentų kolekcija
- Creator/accumulator:
- Vilnius University Library
- Date(s):
- 1522/1942
- Language:
- Polish
- Russian
- Latin
- Lithuanian
- German
- Hebrew
- Extent:
- 478 pages of archived items
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
-
The collection contains documents that were used in Lithuanian history seminars at Kaunas Vytautas Magnus University during the interwar period. The collection contains various types of documents that relate to the history of Lithuania, most of which are from regional courts or were issued by local administrators during the 16th-20th centuries. Some of these documents are directly related to the history seminar, including photocopies of manuscripts from foreign archives, summaries of the lectures, photocopies of the books, etc. Most of the documents relate to the history of Lithuania and to certain Lithuanian noble families from the 16th to the beginning of the 20th century.
The collection also consists of several registers, lists that contain information about the personal composition of certain institutions/structures, schools, monasteries, or towns. The collection encompasses a wide array of sources, including some written in Hebrew [F214-40; F214-12]. Most Jewish-related documents are from the 18th and 19th centuries and are mostly related to the Jewish communities of Vilnius (Wilno) and Panevėžys (Poniewież).
The earliest Jewish-related file is from 1648-1663. It contains a register of paid tax, including the sums that each Jewish community had pay in order to be economically active and for the poll tax (poglówne żydowskie) [F214-40]. The file from the 17th-18th century contains a manuscript with a fragment of the Shema Yisrael prayer [F214-12].
The file from 1705 contains a debt list, according to which Dawida Markiewicza and Golda Markiewiczowa, spouses from the town of Wasiliszki, confirm the loan of 15 tallers from the Wasiliski Dominican monastery [F214-127]. The file from the beginning of the 19th century consists of a decree by the Vilnius city police master written in Hebrew, in which Jews and their children are forbidden to gather, speak and play in Vokiečių (Niemiecka; Немецкая) street in order to guarantee traffic flow in this street. [F214-39]. The file from 1740 contains a fragment of the investigation into the murder of Lukasz Zabela, in which an unnamed Jew testifies that he did not kill the Christian whose body was found in the Klimonowskie marsh [F214-69]. The file from 1754 contains a decree of the castle court of Brest (Belarus), which orders the Wohyń and Radzyń Jewish communities to settle their disputes in their communal court [F214-318]. The manuscript from the middle of the 18th century contains the legend of Walentyn Potocki (Abraham ben Abraham – Ger Tzedek) a Lithuanian noble who converted to Judaism and, according to the legend, was burned at the stake [F214-40].
The file from 1783 contains the immovable property sale agreement by which Rafal Kuczan and Maciej Żebrowski sell two parts of Dawidaniow folwark, located in Ukmergės (pol. Wilkomierz) district. The sale agreement contains additional information about the past legal disputes with Josel Leybowicz [F214-120]. The file from 1908-1914 contains personal identification documents that were issued by the Russian Empire local administration. The majority of passports belonged to residents from the Panevėžys district [F214-287]. The file from 1915-1918 contains temporary personal identity documents that were issued during World War One, mostly by the German authorities, allowing certain individuals to travel from town to town. The majority of documents are from 1918 and contain information about people from Kaunas (Kowno), Vilnius (Wilna), Panevėžys (Ponewież), Šeduva, Kėdainiai, and Baisiogala. Some identity documents contain information about the person's age, physical appearance, occupation, place of birth, mother tongue language, religion, etc. [F214-288]. The file from the beginning of the 20th century contains homework in English and German belonging to a Jewish girl from Šiauliai who studied at a Jewish gymnasium [F214-323].
- Archival history:
- The collection was created by Vilnius University Library, Department of Manuscripts.
- Access points: persons/families:
- Leybowicz, Josel
- Markiewicza, Dawida
- Markiewiczowa, Golda
- Potocki, Walentyn
- Finding aids:
- The main aid is the computerised catalogue of the Vilnius University library. The full catalogue is accessible in the Vilnius University library, Department of Manuscripts reading room. Some of the documents are available online
- Links to finding aids:
- https://biblioteka.vu.lt/en/
- Yerusha Network member:
- Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People
