Abseits der Aufklärungszentren. Die Volksbildungssituation in der gemischtsprachigen Provinz Westpreußen um 1800

Abstract

The 18th-century movement of Popular Enlightenment and popular education extended in a significant way to Poland and to the Polish region of “Royal Prussia” (from 1772 part of the Kingdom of Prussia as the province of West Prussia), with its three important cities of Danzig, Thorn and Elbing (today Gdańsk, Toruń and Elbląg). A very suitable environment for the growth of Popular Enlightenment thinking was provided by the earliest scientific societies, which appeared in Danzig in 1720 and 1742, in Elbing in 1721 and in Thorn in 1752, but also by the Collegium Nobilium, an elite secondary school in Warsaw for sons of the Polish nobility, established in 1740, and the Załuski Library founded in Warsaw in 1747 which influenced the Prussian elites as well. The dynamic development of these societies and institutions not only encouraged the study of the natural and human sciences but also ensured that their members and users became the principal bearers of Enlightenment ideas. One should not expect to find an especially large amount of Popular Enlightenment publications within the field of reform and education in Royal Prussia, though this does not mean that such material was not published. In comparison with the aristocratic Republic of Poland, however, the amount was small. Literary production of this kind in the Republic was notable particularly in Warsaw, Cracow, Vilna (Vilnius) and Lemberg (Lwow), and was closely linked to Catholicism, since it was in these places that Roman Catholic clergy were concerned with this reform movement which touched all areas of life. In the second half of the 18th century this derived above all from the activities of the Commission for National Education, and from the Society for Elementary Books, established on 10 February 1775, which encouraged the publication of textbooks (hitherto relatively scarce) and provided expertise and inspiration for all the institutions of educational reform. However. Popular Enlightenment in Royal Prussia also deserves to be mentioned. In Danzig, Thorn and Elbing, as well as in smaller towns of less political importance, such as Marienwerder or Kulm, texts with Popular Enlightenment ideas were produced or translated into Polish, medical handbooks for the common man were published, and articles on practical subjects were reprinted in weekly newspapers. All Enlightenment efforts had to encounter many obstacles in their fulfillment. On the one hand it depended on the religious and linguistic differences of cities and the countryside, and for that reason the new Enlightenment ideas which were provided by German speaking Lutherans could not reach fossilized conservative Polish speaking Catholic countryside. On the other hand Royal Prussia was rather a cultural autonomous and closed region where no meaningful changes like those in Western Europe should be expected. Nevertheless the intellectual elites of Royal Prussia managed to spread the ideas of law-abiding citizen, patriot and thorough householder in the country. The paper demonstrates general socio-humanistic conditions and achievements in Royal Prussia, which made the movement of Popular Enlightenment possible, and indicates basis thoughts on school system and education in this region. Its main part reviews the most significant publications which were produced or translated from other languages into German or Polish and concerned medical, ethical, economical and pedagogical essences and their meaning. The emphasis is put on comparison of popular newspaper articles and other handbooks which provided the common man with diverse Enlightenment ideas. In the end the researchers get at their disposal many old print collections and manuscripts in libraries and archives in Danzig, Thorn and Elbing as well as in smaller towns of this region. They are still waiting for a comprehensive analysis which will take into consideration not only single parts of this material, but also the whole Popular Enlightenment phenomenon in Royal Prussia.