Brody as a Border Town
Börries Kuzmany
University of Vienna / Paris-SorbonneMarch 31, 2009
Library, Center for Urban History
Börries Kuzmany (Vienna) gave a presentation on the history of Brody during the Habsburg period.
The presentation evolved around three characteristic actors and features of 19th century Brody as a border town: Polish insurgents of the year 1863, Jewish refugees from the pogroms of 1881/82 and the city as a hub for smuggling. During the whole 19th century Brody was not only one of the most important official border crossing points between Austro-Hungary and Russia but also came to play a vital role in all aspects of non-official border traffic, not the least due to its close interaction with the neighbouring town of Radzivilov. Time and again Brody was a place of refuge for persecuted Poles and Jews from czarist Russia but also one for deserters and smugglers. Brody continued to be known for its border traffic, both legal and illegal, even during the period of decline in population and steady economic downfall.
Börries Kuzmany
studied history and Russian in Vienna, Paris and Moscow and is defending his PhD at the universities of Vienna and Paris-Sorbonne. During the last years he took part in research programs funded by the Austrian Science Foundation, on “Multicultural Border Towns on the Peripheries of the Habsburg Monarchy and the Russian Empire” (2004-2006) and “Imperial Peripheries: Religion, War and Szlachta” (2007-2008).
Credits
Сover Image: Rynok Square, Brody, 1910. Brody Museum of History and Ethnography / Urban media archive