Metadata: Variae civitates et villae – a collection of remnants of the archival fonds: Rzeszów
Collection
- Country:
- Poland
- Holding institution:
- National Archives in Krakow
- Holding institution (official language):
- Archiwum Narodowe w Krakowie
- Postal address:
- ul. Sienna 16, 30–960 Kraków
- Phone number:
- (+48 12) 422 40 94; (+48 12) 4212790; (+48 12) 421 68 81
- Web address:
- http://ank.gov.pl/
- Email:
- sekretariat@ank.gov.pl
- Reference number:
- PL 29/121.64
- Title:
- Variae civitates et villae – a collection of remnants of the archival fonds: Rzeszów
- Title (official language):
- Variae civitates et villae – zbiór szczątków zespołów: Rzeszów
- Creator/accumulator:
- Municipality of Rzeszów
- Date(s):
- 1674/1805
- Language:
- Latin
- Polish
- German
- Extent:
- 0.12 linear metres
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
-
The collection’s Jewish-related elements consist of various types of documents, more than 40% of which concern the purchase/sale of real estate and acknowledgement of counterparty. Financial operations are represented in numerous ways: debt/bill-of-exchange acknowledgement, debt repayment, capital investment, lien fee, application for debt payoff or for consent for sale of pledge (15%). Noted in the files were contracts with estate proprietors who were in charge of granting leaseholds, investing capital, drawing loans or granting them (including to the kahal elders). There are a few complaints against the rabbi or the synagogue, and a voucher from the kahal to its cashier. Specific to this particular fonds are interferences of the owners who treated the residents, including Jewish dwellers, as their subjects. There was an option to receive a land allotment and a tax exemption for a few years upon settlement. Otherwise, consent was required to leave the city and to travel a longer distance. Those getting married in another town were required to assure that the newlyweds would settle down in Rzeszów. A few ordinances referred to the launch of a kosher butchery. There are two instances of disclaimer of a house as the owner had no money to pay for the renovation.
Both manuscripts in the fond contain some Jewish-related items:
(i) Ref. no. 185 (formerly, ref. no. 240): Assessors’ book of Rzeszów, 1756–89, 1226 pp., 16 empty pages (pp. 90-99 missing), plus seven (unnumbered) cards pasted in.
(ii) Ref. no. 186 (formerly, ref. no. 240): Public and private records (deeds, files) related to Rzeszów, 1614–1805, 66 pp. (29 blank).
The collection is valuable as it significantly complements the city’s municipal registers/books kept at the State Archives in Rzeszów.
- Archival history:
- One volume of Rzeszów’s municipal registers was probably removed to Krakow before World War 1 from a public institution. Another, the oldest, volume has made its way to the collection of the Polish Academy of Sciences/ Polish Academy of Arts & Sciences [PAU/PAN] Library in Krakow.
- Administrative/biographical history:
-
Situated 168 km west of Krakow, Rzeszów was a private city, in the Kingdom of Poland (‘the Crown’) until 1772 and subsequently, 1772 to 1918, under the rule of Austria. The city was the seat of a precinct (cyrkuł) since 1773. In 1638 to 1845, Rzeszów was owned by the Lubomirski family.
Jews began settling there before 1616; the local Jewish population was soon to expand, reaching above 50% of the city’s population as of 1674.
Since 1354, Rzeszów’s administrative system was based on self-government and consisted of a municipal administration body, called the magistrat, a city council and a Bench. The city’s proprietor appointed three to four councillors annually, one being elected by the commonalty. The councillors held the office of lord mayor (burmistrz) in turns. The council’s court and the wójt‘s (mayor’s/vogt’s) court handled minor, order- and police-related affairs, whilst criminal cases were adjudicated by the court of assessors. The Bench was at times joined by city councillors (rajcas) and guild masters; members of the commonage were admitted to handle arson affairs, considered as endangering the entire community.
- Access points: locations:
- Rzeszow
- Access, restrictions:
- If a copy (microfilm, scan, photocopy) of a document exists, this is what will be made available. Access to the originals requires the consent of the Director.
- Finding aids:
-
Inventory available online.
An inventory in Polish is available in the reading room at the archive.
About 130 records are available in the database of the Jagiellonian University: http://www.uj.edu.pl/web/judaiki under the heading "Variae civitates et villae – zbiór szczątków zespołów" (ref. 185, 186)
- Yerusha Network member:
- Emanuel Ringelblum Jewish Historical Institute
- Author of the description:
- Janusz S. Dąbrowski; Kraków; 2015
