Centrum – prowincja? Notatki na temat oświecenia w regionie krakowskim

CENTER – OUTSKIRTS? NOTES ON THE SUBJECT OF ENLIGHTENMENT IN THE KRAKÓW REGION

In recent decades, enlightenment researchers have moved away from the understanding of this period in a unifying manner and started emphasizing its diversity in different coun-tries. Similarly, the differences in the course of the enlightenment processes in individual regions  of  the  countries  began  to  be  noticed.  The  situation  of  Krakow  and  the  Krakow  region is particularly interesting due to the unique place of this city of great cultural heri-tage in the 15th and 16th centuries. The article presents the cultural situation of Kraków in the second half of the 18th century, taking into account the activities of important socio-cultural institutions; the nature of social groups with a primary cultural role and the extent of their impact; cultural initiatives and their inspirational role; specific manifestations of the  activities  of  the  literary  community;  contacts,  cultural  exchange  with  other  regions,  “exporting” prominent people to the center, the role and situation of newcomers; the way of reacting to cultural inspirations from other regions. The observation of these phenomena leads to the conclusion that Krakow was not so much an “enlightened” province but rather a  place  for  reflection  of  confronting  the  basic  ideals  of  enlightenment  with  the  needs  of  the region. It was open towards the center, but treated it with a certain distance and criti-cism, while the center saw the phenomena occurring in the region’s culture as important. The enlightenment had specific features in the Kraków region, but to see its full picture it  is  necessary  to  trace  its  “local  time”,  rhythm  and  stages  of  development  of  new  trends  and observe the strength and ways of city’s influence on the region. What also should be investigated are the transmission pathways of ideas between the center and the region, the role of institutional activities and specific people in the bilateral exchange of ideas, ensur-ing – on the one hand – their continuity and durability, and on the other – adapting them to local needs and requirements.