PIOTR PASZKIEWICZ, POD BERŁEM ROMANOWÓW. SZTUKA ROSYJSKA W WARSZAWIE 1815–1915

TOMASZ WIŚNIEWSKI

A thesis by Piotr Paszkiewicz published in 1991 remains the only complete study on the Russian art in the tsarist Warsaw. As the years go there hasn’t been any position on the polish market that treats about this subject in a more detailed way in over 20 years. Besides thesis of authors strongly connected with Polish Orthodox Church, there is a study about the Orthodox architecture written in the context of russification published by Paulina Cynewska-Kuczma and mentioned above Piotr Paszkiewicz.

The thesis has been divided in two fundamental parts and the criterion of the division is based on chronogical framework which is marked by the January Uprising. It seems like a justified choice in view due to intensification of the russification in the after-uprising period. First and a very important advantage of the discussed work is a solid introduction to the subject of Russification policy of tsarism along with its architectural reflection. Warsaw’s urban development is presented with regard to political motivations resulting from the will of “punishing” the city for the November Uprising. Besides a description of the military infrastructure’s development (barracks, citadel) the author pays attention to the legal rules from 1864 forcing institutes to place (their) signs in Russian. A history of Russians and Orthodox christians living in Warsaw along with its statistical approach ends the author’s preliminary reflections.