tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65934680440318648312024-03-13T14:04:08.417+01:00Anabase Jaroslava HaškaA journey undertaken in memory of Czech author Jaroslav Hašek, creator of the satirical masterpiece "The Good Soldier Švejk".
This famous novel, which has been translated into 58 languages, is a biting satire, replete with historical, literary and geographical references, a textbook in a number of subjects. It is most of all a stinging attack on human stupidity in the guise of political, military, or clerical authority.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593468044031864831.post-61531454061540912182010-08-01T06:47:00.000+02:002012-12-08T19:49:56.213+01:00Barking up the wrong tree<div style="font-style: italic; text-align: justify;">
This blog entry is a travel letter, so dedicated haškologs
may want to skip it. It is the story of how a "famous Norwegian švejkolog" got infamously stuck in the
Pripyat marshes, swatting insects, and chasing shadows.</div>
<h2>
Being a geo-nerd</h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IjvqSQlZbXY/TFfJmRL5GwI/AAAAAAAAmrA/meIeShfX8gY/s1600/P1000907.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IjvqSQlZbXY/TFfJmRL5GwI/AAAAAAAAmrA/meIeShfX8gY/s320/P1000907.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarny voksal</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On a steaming hot July morning in 2010 I found my way to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiev_Passenger_Railway_Station">Київ-Пасажирський</a>, the mother of all Ukrainian railway
stations. Not only is it huge but also extremely ornate, no doubt a legacy of the Soviet Union and possibly even
the tsar. My train was heading west, to an obscure town called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarny">Sarny</a> in north western Ukraine, near the border with
Belarus.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
The reason for going there was that I had perceived that <i>Jaroslav Hašek</i> spent some time in <i>Sarny</i> in 1916. <a href="http://radkopytlik.sweb.cz/">Radko Pytlik</a> mentions the place, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecil_Parrott">Cecil Parrott</a> also indicates some connection. Parrott's "The Bad Bohemian"
even states that Hašek had been to a place called <i>Berezno</i> in Belarus, located nearby (the information was
first published by <i>Jaroslav Křížek</i> in 1957). In Oslo, before I set off on the journey, I located the place.
Then I discovered that I needed a visa to go to that (presumably) marshy hole by the river <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horyn_River">Horyn</a>. I had
backed off: common sense had prevailed and trumped my geo-nerdish fundamentalist inclinations. Former <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sovkhoz">sovkhoz</a> director Lukachenko and his loyal subjects in <i>Berezno</i> must have me excused.</div>
<h2>
Sarny</h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bIZwytLhRu4/TFfKFPsum_I/AAAAAAAAmvc/crYJ7QMp-Sc/s1600/P1000947.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bIZwytLhRu4/TFfKFPsum_I/AAAAAAAAmvc/crYJ7QMp-Sc/s320/P1000947.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hotel Sluč</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>Sarny</i> and its railway station at first sight appeared forlorn. A helpful gentleman directed me to <i>Hotel Sluč</i>, the only
hotel in town. Located not far from the station, it was extremely cheap and likewise uninviting. Still the Russian speaking staff
were quite welcoming, although their attention to documents and diligence in stamping them indicated that their
souls were still lingering in the Soviet Union. My Norwegian passport caused a great deal of concern - such
a document may not have been stamped too often this side of the river Pripyat. To call the room spartan may
perhaps be an insult to the ancient heroes of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peloponnese">Peloponnese</a>, and it was hot enough inside to be
appreciated by any Greek, be it ancient or modern.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3jOuIuGw4rE/TFfJocGJnaI/AAAAAAAAmrQ/ZcCPVbdE90g/s1600/P1000909.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3jOuIuGw4rE/TFfJocGJnaI/AAAAAAAAmrQ/ZcCPVbdE90g/s320/P1000909.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chernobyl: "to the dead, the living and those not yet born"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The town itself appeared very small, but I was deceived by the location of the railway
station. It is at the very end of urban area, and Sarny appears smaller than it is because it is so narrow.
On the other hand it is very long. Still long, wide or narrow; the lasting impression was the drabness -
there is not even a sign of a landmark - probably the result of destruction in WW2. The masses of Soviet
style pre-fabricated buildings indicates post-war reconstruction. Another tragedy happened in 1986: the
Chernobyl disaster hit this region particularly hard.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
On the streets Russian was heard a lot more than in <i>Lviv</i>. Sarny had been part of the Russian Empire but was in
the interwar period part of Poland. The Polish past is commemorated by a placard near the railway station and on a
few occasions I was even asked if I was a Pole. Nearby there is also a plaque commemorating the victims of
<i>Chernobyl</i>.</div>
<h2>
The elusive Regiment HQ</h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PuiAJ1c4v3g/TFfJuWezf1I/AAAAAAAAmsQ/f_lmVtrR2N0/s1600/P1000926.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PuiAJ1c4v3g/TFfJuWezf1I/AAAAAAAAmsQ/f_lmVtrR2N0/s320/P1000926.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Approaching Polyany</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As mentioned at the start of this letter I had chosen to ignore Berezno, the HQ of the First Czechoslovak Rifle
Regiment at the time when Jaroslav Hašek was assigned to the unit. During the trip I came across an on-line version
of <a href="http://www.pamatnik.valka.cz/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22%3Adenik-legionae-josefa-holuba&catid=12&Itemid=10&lang=fr">Deník legionáře Josefa Holuba</a> (The diary of legionnaire Josef Holub). I quickly browsed it, and the contents
filled the heart of this geo-nerd with joy and enthusiasm. <i>Berezno </i>was NOT in Belarus, <i>Cecil Parrott</i> was barking
up the wrong tree (no doubt he barked in a refined manner, befitting a former British diplomat).
I triumphantly concluded that <i>Berezno</i> must be <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berezne">Berezne</a> (names often change around here), and it was located SOUTH of Sarny, within easy reach and without the need
to cross any borders. I had always regarded Parrott solid on geography; his translation of Švejk has very few
blips in this respect. But now Sir Cecil Parrott, the British diplomat and scholar, was lost in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinsk_Marshes">Pripyat marshes</a>
and Jomar Hønsi; an unassuming, shy and shabbily dressed švejkolog of humble origins was on <i>terra firma</i>.</div>
<h2>
Kafe Neptun</h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-55U3gC_hD6k/TFfJ5dWav6I/AAAAAAAAmtk/wgHLLCpNLW8/s1600/P1000928.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-55U3gC_hD6k/TFfJ5dWav6I/AAAAAAAAmtk/wgHLLCpNLW8/s320/P1000928.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Between Polyany and Berezne</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In an upbeat mood I set off in the direction of Berezne. I took a maršrutka to Malynsk, walked 6 km to <i>Polyany</i>
where I was suddenly overwhelmed by an incredible thirst. In <i>Kafe Neptun</i> I sat down, ordered a cold <a href="http://www.lvivske.com/index.php/intro_uk.html">Lvivske pyvo</a>,
and couldn't care less about the swarm of flies that took interest in my person. No wonder they did, as I was
dripping with sweat in the hot weather. At the table in front of
me sat an old man in dirty green wellingtons. He stared at me so intensely that I became self-concious;
checked that there was no drop under
my nose, and no bird-shit in my hair, and no horse-dung on my sandals. In the end it was only curiosity. He asked
where I was from, concluded that where I was from was very cold and then asked if we had <i>картопля </i>and <i>капуста </i>(potatoes and cabbage). I reassured him that we are very well off on both accounts. Then he told me about his
family, they were eight people living in his house. He also asked me how old my father was and if he was healthy.
Very well I said. Father is 88 and healthy and I was asked to pass on a greeting. He himself was only 78 and also
healthy. Small encounters like this are amongst the most rewarding aspects of travelling, but unfortunately
language barriers limit the possibilities.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vdsQzKHwXag/TFfJ8ajDnBI/AAAAAAAAmuE/Mq59wm3EDSY/s1600/P1000932.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vdsQzKHwXag/TFfJ8ajDnBI/AAAAAAAAmuE/Mq59wm3EDSY/s320/P1000932.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Church near Berezne</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The old man left and I decided on another beer. Unfortunately a truck-load of goods had just arrived, and
the waitress prioritised counting melons and doing paperwork ahead of serving customers. I got mightily
irritated and cursed the communist notions of customer service (or lack of it), which in this case was
still apparent. I had visions before my eyes of grumpy employees of the "service sector" who demonstratively
tended their nails in front of the customer, and doing so with the most unfriendly expression on their faces.
This girl was not unfriendly though; it was just that it hadn't entered her head the customers come to
<i>Kafe Neptun</i> in Polyany for other reasons than watching her counting melons. After she had got the bloody melons
out of the way she even sat down for a chat, and presumably I told her in a friendly way that, yes: we don't
have melons in our country but are self-sufficient in cabbage and potatoes.</div>
<h2>
Confusion</h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-B6tpbHm0asQ/TFfJ6NpU3oI/AAAAAAAAmts/lWxUodNtt_g/s1600/P1000929.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-B6tpbHm0asQ/TFfJ6NpU3oI/AAAAAAAAmts/lWxUodNtt_g/s320/P1000929.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A bus-stop on the road to Berezne</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I continued onwards <i>Berezne</i> and it seemed to confirm that I was in the right place: there was a small
lake and a small mansion, just as <i>Josef Holub </i>had said. Mission accomplished, I thought...<br />
<br />
But: two years later I
discovered that it was ME who had been barking up the wrong tree, not <i>Cecil Parrott</i> and <i>Jaroslav Křížek</i>! His Berezno in Belarus was
indeed where the <i>1st Czechoslovak Rifle Regiment </i>was located. To add to the confusion: they were also located
at <i>Berezna</i> in 1917, but this was another place, near Zhitomir, and his was this place <i>Holub</i> wrote about!
I admit I was totally off track, but I am not the only one. Haškologs in general are on thin ice;
even the reliable <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/dokumenty/bibliografie/">Bibliografie Jaroslava Haška</a> gets mixed up. The accounts given by Křížek, Pytlík and Parrott are suspiciously close to a description <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/dokumenty/misc/zborov_bachmac.html">Adam Kříž</a> gave of Hašek and the regiment's stay in <i>Berezna</i> in 1917, after the battle of Zborów. It seems to me that there were quite a few dogs around, and they were barking up awfully many trees (and I was the last to join their ranks).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
Later I discovered the details of Hašek's connection
with Sarny. His regiment was stationed at <i>Remczyca</i> (15 km to the north) in May 1917, and this is the place
where he appeared before a court of honour because of his infamous <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/dokumenty/hasek/pickwick.html">Czech Pickwick Klub</a>. I was blissfully
unaware of this connection and could easily have visited Remczyca (now Remchytsi).
That is: if I had known about it! Amen!
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1Sarny, Rivne oblast, Ukraina51.3372222 26.605833351.2975422 26.5268693 51.376902199999996 26.6847973tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593468044031864831.post-67018379474962558252010-07-31T19:05:00.000+02:002014-07-24T00:09:04.203+02:00Thinking loudly<div style="font-style: italic; text-align: justify;">
The theme of this blog entry is Jaroslav Hašek and his activities in
the aftermath of the Russian February Revolution. The information is mostly taken from
Cecil Parrott's "The Bad Bohemian" and Jaroslav Křížek's "<a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/dokumenty/krizek/">Jaroslav Hašek v revolučním Rusko</a>".
"Za svobodu" vol. I (Vaněk,Holeček,Medek) and Radlo Pytlík's "<a href="http://svejkmuseum.cz/toulave_house.htm#ceske_vojsko">Toulavé house</a>" have also
been consulted. Material from PNP (fond B. Hůla) has also been consulted.</div>
<div style="font-style: italic;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It is possible to think aloud, but some times it can have grave consequences. Jaroslav Hašek was prone
to think very loudly and he didn't care at all who listened. He repeatedly bit the hand that fed, and
he was also an expert on shooting himself in the foot. With the infamous satire "<a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/dokumenty/hasek/pickwick.html">The Czech Pickwick Club</a>"
he achieved all three ...</div>
<h2>
The black hand</h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B1LgxVkvyEc/UIF71zYGISI/AAAAAAABEAg/e1inKE7vCXc/s1600/IMG_0015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B1LgxVkvyEc/UIF71zYGISI/AAAAAAABEAg/e1inKE7vCXc/s320/IMG_0015.jpg" height="230" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first issue of "Revolution" contained<br />
"The Czech Pickwick Club"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
From 1916 the <a href="http://www.karelvasatko.cz/zivotopisy-legionaru/ruske-legie-/cermak-bohumil">Czechoslovak Union</a> started to recruit professionals and intellectuals from the ranks of
volunteers and prisoners. Many of these were former k.u.k officers and other resourceful people.
At the end of 1916 they organised themselves in the so-called "Klub spolupracovníků Svazu čs. spolků na
Rusi" (The club of co-workers of the union of Czechoslovak organisations in Russia). Hašek was among
those who joined the club. In the dispute between the the pan-slavist and conservative "Union" in Kiev
and the western-oriented group in Petrograd, most of the co-workers club supported Petrograd (this group was loyal to Masaryk's National Council). An exception was a small group: 12 of the 72 members stood by the conservative and pan-slavist leadership of the "Union"
(Za svobodu I). After the revolution in March they lost their footing, but were still in opposition
to the Petrograd "západníky" (westerners) who now controlled the Czech revolutionary movement.
This minority was jokingly called "Černá ruka" (Black hand), a name inspired by the Serb terrorist
group who carried out the assassination of Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo. The names of some of the members can be found in the archives of PNP. These are:<i> Ladislav Grund, Jaroslav Hašek, Ivan Hájek, Čáska, Svoboda, Kadlec, Žd'árský, Pavlík, Matička, Dr. Skuthan.</i><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o0HM5a8xinE/UQBWpTaCNYI/AAAAAAABGHg/7NR8z8SCXho/s1600/klub20Aprl17.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o0HM5a8xinE/UQBWpTaCNYI/AAAAAAABGHg/7NR8z8SCXho/s640/klub20Aprl17.png" height="179" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the archive of PNP (fond Bretislav Hůla): Hašek and Hájek ordered to report to their regiments.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The group eventually founded their own "independent political weekly" called "Revoluce". Hašek had in previous
pre-revolutionary articles in "Čechoslovan" attacked some "westerners" as "provincial petit bourgeois politicians" but without mentioning names. This was at the height of the struggle between the Petrograd
liberals and the Kiev conservatives. The slanging match took place in their respective weeklies "Čechoslovák" and
"Čechoslovan" and Hašek had thrown his weight in behind the Kiev group. After the revolution (15 March)
Hašek adapted somewhat to the new reality and even published an article critical of the old regime.
In the article "Dark force", he directly attacked the corrupting influence of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grigori_Rasputin">Rasputin</a>. But somehow he hadn't quite put his old allegiances behind him.<br />
<br />
During January and February he had been involved in a couple of episodes that reflected badly on the whole "Club of co-workers" (see the previous blog entry). On 20 April Hašek and another "Black Hand" member (<i>Ivan Hájek</i>) were ordered to report to their regiment within a week. Hašek was told by that this was only due to his association with "Black Hand", to which he retorted that he was victimised by the second group in the club, which he termed the "Dirty Hand". On 3 May he handed in a hand-written manuscript to "Revoluce" and together with Hájek left for the front. <i>Jaroslav Křížek </i>claims that the two men were sent away from Kiev on request from the Čs. Brigade to prevent them from attending the upcoming 3rd meeting of the "Union of Czechoslovak Association in Russia", but he leaves is in the dark as to why these two particular members of "Black Hand" were singled out.<br />
<h2>
Klub Českých Pickwicků</h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7piqCPx6wHU/UIF83ggDQmI/AAAAAAABEAo/b-v3Qa7VIxk/s1600/patejdl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7piqCPx6wHU/UIF83ggDQmI/AAAAAAABEAo/b-v3Qa7VIxk/s320/patejdl.jpg" height="320" width="232" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Josef Patejdl became a prominent figure<br />
in Czechoslovakia and ended his life<br />
in Dachau.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On 6 May 6 (23 April old Russian calendar) "Revoluce" was published for the first time, and what a start! Hašek's story was called "The Czech Pickwick Club" and he ridiculed members of the "Club of
co-workers" and other leading western-oriented political activists. In contrast to earlier they were
attacked and insulted with full names, and some of them were eventually to attain leading positions in the Czech revolutionary movement and in post war Czechoslovakia. Those on the receiving end were: <a href="http://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohdan_Pavl%C5%AF">Bohdan Pavlů</a>, editor of
"Czechoslovák" and <i>Vladimír Chalupa</i>, chairman of the Club of Associates. Hašek also lashed out at
<a href="http://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josef_Patejdl">Josef Patejdl</a> (vice chairman), <i>Josef Kudela</i>, <i>Jaroslav Papoušek</i>, <i>Josef Fišer </i>and a certain <i>Šeba</i>. We must assume that Hašek wrote the story as revenge for being sent to the front, but for the time being he burnt all the bridges back to Kiev.<br />
<h2>
Arrest and trial</h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The reaction was swift: Hašek was arrested, and at the 1st regiment HQ at <i>Remczyca</i> he appeared
before a honorary court on May 16. Here he was forced to issue an apology. He read it out loud to the court members, and apparently did it with such an innocent and sincere face that the
court members broke out in laughter. Still Bohdan Pavlů, editor of "Czechoslovák", and one of the insulted
party, refused to print the apology. The article had also made him unpopular amongst other Czech volunteers.
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A9t9VW8qbbg/UIGEw8Y4amI/AAAAAAABEBM/9bBNm_TQNgw/s1600/remczyca.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A9t9VW8qbbg/UIGEw8Y4amI/AAAAAAABEBM/9bBNm_TQNgw/s320/remczyca.jpg" height="210" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Remczyca</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Writing "The Czech Pickwick Club" was the culmination of a troubled start to 1917. As we have seen Hašek was stripped of his
journalistic and recruiting duties, and demoted to an ordinary soldier. He was also ousted from the
"Club of co-workers" and thereby lost fixed income. A soldier is what he had wanted to become in
June the previous year, but was declared unfit. Now he was apparently fit enough. He was moved around from
post to post during May until he was finally assigned to the <i>1st regiments </i>machine gun detachment. It was in
this capacity he was sent to the front in June in preparation for the so-called <i>Kerensky offensive</i>.
<br />
<h2>
Consequences</h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xs1MfUb0jYc/UIGC2iR1sCI/AAAAAAABEBE/0r_LHopMSn0/s1600/zborov1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xs1MfUb0jYc/UIGC2iR1sCI/AAAAAAABEBE/0r_LHopMSn0/s320/zborov1.jpg" height="218" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fortunately Hašek didn't share the fate of some of<br />
his fellow brothers. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The fall-out with his colleagues could have proved fatal for Hašek. By that we should not assume that there was any danger that Hašek would have executed by the "brothers" (the Czech volunteers referred to each others as brothers) in the Czechoslovak Army. But now he was
a common soldier which in itself was a perilous occupation.
At the end of June, during and after the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerensky_Offensive">Kerensky offensive</a>, fighting in Eastern Galicia flared up again
and more than 100 brothers lost their lives in the ensuing battles that lasted until the end of
July.
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
Fortunately Hašek survived this time, but regrettably didn't live long enough to tell us his version
of events around the Pickwick Club. It is easy to imagine Marek sitting down to tell Švejk and others
about his ordeal in front of the honorary court at <i>Remczyca</i>. It would surely have been as hilarious as
any other episode in the novel ...
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Kiev, Kyiv city, Ukraina50.4501 30.523450.12657 29.891686 50.77363 31.155113999999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593468044031864831.post-13341042565526641322010-07-31T00:00:00.003+02:002023-01-22T13:42:23.434+01:00The unknown Švejk<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>This blog entry is focused on a few particular literary items, and of little interest to
anyone looking for a travel letter. I have drawn extensively on Cecil Parrott's "A study of Švejk and the short
stories" and Radko Pytlík's: "Kniha o Švejkovi"</i>.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<h2>
Introduction</h2>
Many admirers of Švejk may not be aware of the fact that their hero actually appeared in three different versions. Our man first saw light of day in 1911; in five short stories published by the magazines "Karikatury" and "Dobrá kopa". These were published in books form in 1911 (banned, reissued in 1912) as "Dobrý voják Švejk a jiné podivné historky" (The good soldier Švejk and other strange stories). The first of those stories appeared in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josef_Lada" target="_blank">Josef Lada</a>'s magazine "
Karikatury" on 22 May 1911, thus marking Švejk's official birthday.<br />
<br />
The second version was written when Hašek was a recruiter, agitator and editor, working for the Czechoslovak Brigade
in Russia in 1916/17. It is called "<a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/dokumenty/hasek/zajeti.html" target="_blank">Dobrý voják Švejk v zajetí</a>" (The good soldier Švejk in captivity) and is a
short, satirical novel. Here the outbursts against Austria-Hungary and her henchmen are far more direct than in the more humorous novel.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<h2>
An early predecessor</h2>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/63/600_Norwegian_Lion_King_Oscar_II.jpg/424px-600_Norwegian_Lion_King_Oscar_II.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/63/600_Norwegian_Lion_King_Oscar_II.jpg/424px-600_Norwegian_Lion_King_Oscar_II.jpg" height="320" width="226"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">King Oscar II of Sweden was well served</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Even before Švejk entered this world Hašek had written stories with an army backdrop.
The first of those appeared as early as 28 February 1902 in <i>Národní listy</i>, signed Jan Hašek.
At the time the budding author was only 19 and still a student at the <i>Czechoslavonic commercial academy</i> in Prague.
A few more stories revolving around the same theme appeared over the next five years.<br />
<br />
Then on 30 January 1907 the anarchist paper
"Nová Omladina" published a story which would have struck a cord with future readers of Švejk:
<i><a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/dokumenty/hasek/svedsky_vojak.html" target="_blank">Povídka o hodném švědském vojákovi</a> (The story of a kind Swedish soldier).</i> In this grotesque tale a
Swedish soldier who is on guard duty in 25 degrees below zero. He mutilates himself to avoid falling asleep and
freezing to death. Still death holds no fear for him as he will after all perish honourably for the sake of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_II_of_Sweden" target="_blank">king Oscar</a> and his dear fatherland. He also cherishes army property more than his own miserable life and is loyally dedicated
to his officer. Although this unknown soldier has no name and does not utter a single word before he with a joyful
heart dies for king Oscar, he is clearly a familiar figure to readers of Švejk. One important distinction
though: this soldier died abjectly whereas Švejk survived by his wits ...
</div>
<h2>
Five short-stories</h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AQg44jEfC5o/UGSk5FG9SfI/AAAAAAABD8w/YpIm72Qhi-w/s1600/osel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AQg44jEfC5o/UGSk5FG9SfI/AAAAAAABD8w/YpIm72Qhi-w/s320/osel.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Švejk captures and Italian donkey and a machine gun.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This 1911 incarnation of Švejk appears to be a rather dumb and good-natured figure (Forrest Gump springs to mind)
and just as eager to serve his sovereign as his Swedish colleague was four years earlier. Although he has certain traits in common with the famous character from the novel, he lacks the sting and subtlety of the latter
(any intended sting would presumably have been snuffed out by Austrian censorship). The stories are also quite
different; there are no anecdotes for instance. The scene is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trento" target="_blank">Trento</a> (Trient) in South Tirol where the
Dual Monarchy built a huge <a href="http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festung_Trient" target="_blank">border fortress</a> to forestall any Italian attack up the Adige Valley.
Švejk, just as in the novel, creates havoc by carrying out orders to the letter. It must be assumed that Hašek
already at that stage lets his soldier harbour subversive intentions, although those are far less obvious than in the novel.
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In the <a href="http://svejkmuseum.cz/povidky.htm#Dobry_vojak_Svejk" target="_blank">first story</a> (<i>Karikatury, 22.5 1911</i>) Švejk forays across the border into Italy where he captures a donkey and a machine-gun. Before that he is locked up several times. His standard phrase <i>Poslušně hlásím</i>
(I dutifully report) is already in place, so is the use of spoken Czech in dialogues.
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The <a href="http://svejkmuseum.cz/povidky.htm#Dobry_vojak_svejk_opatruje_mesni_vino" target="_blank">second story</a> (<i>Karikatury, 19.6 1911</i>) starts with the author's musing on the institution of
military clerics. Then, similarly to in the novel, Švejk is "headhunted" by a field chaplain, in this case <i>Augustinus Kleinschrodt</i>.
Švejk receives his marching order from his <i>feldkurát; </i> he sets out from the camp in
Castel-Nuovo *), to buy wine from "Vöslava" (pres. <a href="http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_V%C3%B6slau" target="_blank">Bad Vöslau</a>) in Lower Austria. Švejk carries out the order to the letter, and travels
by the train up the Agide Valley and through many a tunnel to fulfil his duty. What now follows is an anabasis by
train all the way to Lower Austria and back via Graz, Zagreb, Trieste and Trento. On the way he is arrested and
brought to the garrison in Korneuburg.<br />
<br />
<div style="font-size: small;">
<i>*) Parrott (p.100) identifies Castel-Nuovo as Hercegnovi (now in Montenegro). <a href="http://www.hplqr.de/" target="_blank">Hans-Peter Laqueur</a> however points out that this can <b>not </b></i><i style="text-align: start;">be the place Hašek had in mind as the story in the same breath makes references to places near Trento (Adige Valley, Merano), and that there is a Castelnuovo in Valsugana, east of Trento. There was also a railway line in this valley, which underpins the assumption that this was the place in question. It could also of course be an entirely different place near Trento, assuming that the author got the name
wrong.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3B5D7frTDTY/UGS3jwUOLXI/AAAAAAABD9Q/gutzjtIHmOc/s1600/libya.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3B5D7frTDTY/UGS3jwUOLXI/AAAAAAABD9Q/gutzjtIHmOc/s320/libya.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Švejk in Tripoli</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In the third story (<i>Karikatury, 17.7 1911</i>) Švejk diligently resists attempts to <i>superarbitrate</i> him,
a theme carried over into the first passages of the novel.
<br />
<br />
In story <a href="http://svejkmuseum.cz/povidky.htm#Dobry_vojak_svejk_se_strelnou_bavlnou" target="_blank">number four</a> (<i>Dobrá kopa, 21.7 1911</i>) Švejk blows up a powder magazine by smoking his familiar pipe. He is the
only survivor.<br />
<br />
Finally, in the <a href="http://svejkmuseum.cz/povidky.htm#Dobry_vojak_svejk_u_aeroplanu" target="_blank">fifth story</a> (<i>Dobrá kopa, 28.7 1911</i>), Švejk joins the budding k.u.k air force and flies off
to Libya by accident, with his officer on board. Before getting this far he crashed his plane into the Danube. According to the
story, the entire Austrian air force consists of 18 airships (that are impossible to operate) and five aeroplanes. </div>
<h2>
Hašek and Trento</h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7QZ-iNSjVDg/UGS-Gn9asjI/AAAAAAABD9g/e0uAx3Zham4/s1600/Milit%C3%A4risch+-+Trient+2.11.1914.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
Trento is a place that is mentioned in all three versions of Švejk so it is obvious that the author had
some knowledge of it. Still it is unclear what circumstances inspired Hašek to locate the stories to this city.
<i>Václav Menger</i> (1935) claims that Hašek was called up and served a few weeks here in 1906 with the 28th regiment before being
"superarbitrated". Menger also wrote that he (Hašek) met Mussolini in Trento and that Hašek inspired the latter to write a book about the Hussite movement. Mussolini actually
did write such a book, but there is a snag: the dictator-in-waiting was never in Trento at the time Hašek is supposed
to have been there. In 1946 Menger published a revised version of his book from 1935 and now the references to Mussolini had been removed. It should be observed that Menger already in 1935 noted that the stories of meeting Mussolini a.o. were stories that Hašek himself told. Menger presumably came to the conclusion that it was nonsense and removed it.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7QZ-iNSjVDg/UGS-Gn9asjI/AAAAAAABD9g/e0uAx3Zham4/s1600/Milit%C3%A4risch+-+Trient+2.11.1914.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7QZ-iNSjVDg/UGS-Gn9asjI/AAAAAAABD9g/e0uAx3Zham4/s320/Milit%C3%A4risch+-+Trient+2.11.1914.jpg" width="320" /></a>Significantly there is no mention of any pre-war military service in his "Grundbuchsblatt" and other documents state that he was passed fit for military services as late as 1914. His wife Jarmila has no recollection of him having been called up, although Josef Lada claims he was (but adds that Hašek was declared unfit for service and sent home from Trento).<br />
<br />
Radko Pytlík in
<i>Kniha o Švejkovi </i>suggests a more plausible explanation: that Hašek drew inspiration from his friend
<i>Josef Mach</i> who server in Trento, and probably from other army veterans as well.</div>
<h2>
Švejk in captivity</h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The five short stories have been translated to several foreign languages (the English translation can be found in
Cecil Parrott's "The red commissar") and are relatively well known. This can not be said of "Dobrý voják Švejk v
zajeti", a novel of slightly more than 100 pages that was published in Kiev in 1917 and also appeared as a serial in
"Čechoslovan". Judging by a reference to Austrian emperor Karl I (Franz Jospeph died on November 21 1916),
the bulk of the novel must have been written from December 1916 onwards.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This novel does move Švejk closer towards the ultimate version, but there are still major differences.
The style is similar to the propaganda pieces he wrote for "Čechoslovan" at the time and there are few dialogues
in comparison to the novel. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecil_Parrott" target="_blank">Cecil Parrott</a> even wondered if the story was written by Hašek at all, so far removed is it
in style from his peacetime writing.</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8huKVWzONyI/UGS_BdxFnsI/AAAAAAABD9w/wv6BHDfA1gY/s1600/thalerhof.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8huKVWzONyI/UGS_BdxFnsI/AAAAAAABD9w/wv6BHDfA1gY/s1600/thalerhof.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thalerhof, one of three prisoner camps for "Zivilisten"<br />
in Austria-Hungary.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Švejk himself has a comparatively low-key role, he tells no anecdotes, and is still decidedly not as subtle and clever
as his counterpart in the novel. His biographical details are somewhat different. He owns a cobblers shop in <i>Vinohrady</i>, and his
assistant <i>Bohuslav</i> wheels him off to the draft commission, thus taking the place of Mrs Müllerová. From then on he is
subjected to much the same ordeal as we know from the novel: arrested, led to police HQ and a lunatic asylum.
However, here he is first sent to the concentration camp at <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-1-10&lang=en#Steinhof" target="_blank">Thalerhof</a> by Graz (like many Czechs actually were),
then to an unnamed institution for the mentally ill in Vienna (probably Steinhof), and later to a well known asylum in Hall in Tirol.
Only after this does he join the army in <i>České Budějovice</i> (the stay here plays an insignificant role), and is from then
on largely on track with the novel, moving to Bruck an der Leitha/Királyhida before being dispatched to the front in
Galicia.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Elements from Hašek's own time in the k.u.k army are now introduced and are quite similar to the description in the
novel. The observant reader would still notice that the persons are changed about. Lukáš and Ságner play a minor role; instead <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=4-2-2&lang=nn#Konrad_Dauerling" target="_blank">Dauerling</a> takes
on part of the role that Lukáš has in the novel. A few other junior Austrian officers also feature more prominently - <i>Sondernummer</i>
and <i>Althof</i> being amongst them. <i>Marek</i>, <i>Jurajda</i>, <i>Baloun</i>, <i>Vaněk </i>and <i>Dub </i>don't figure at all. The affair with <i>Kakonyi</i> is
already in place, but without Vodička, and otherwise slightly altered. Kakonyi now lives in Poszoni utca 13
(not Soproni utca 16) and owns a stationary shop, not an ironmongers as he does in the novel. The dog theft was originally in Bruck, not in Prague (and the beneficiary is Dauerling, not Lukáš). Colonel Schröder's place is taken by <i>Schlager</i>, but the latter is far less prominent.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
The details from Királyhida seem more authentic and verifiable than in the novel, which is only natural as
Bruck/Királyhida would have been fresher in the author's mind. The trip to the front is only briefly described,
but interestingly it diverges completely somewhere in the Carpathians. <i>Sanok</i> is not mentioned at all, and the march
battalion travel by train even beyond <i>Sambor</i> and gets involved in fighting near a place called <i>Kamenec </i>
(not yet identified). As far as we know, Hašek's unit was only involved in minor skirmishes before Sokal on 25 July 1915,
so where the inspiration for this story comes from is unclear. We are told there is a river, perhaps the Bug?
Perhaps Kamenec is <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-4-3&lang=en#Kamionka_Strumi%C5%82owa" target="_blank">Kamionka Strumiłowa</a>? At the front Dauerling asks to be shot in the arm but Švejk misfires (or did he?) and dispatches him to the eternal trenches. Finally the good soldier lets himself get captured by the Russians.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-88hffPtP2Gk/UGTERDSofII/AAAAAAABD-A/uIEK3oFawIU/s1600/abb10.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-88hffPtP2Gk/UGTERDSofII/AAAAAAABD-A/uIEK3oFawIU/s1600/abb10.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hauptwache, Brucker Lager.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The geographical details apart, the attacks on Austrian officials are more personal and direct. An example: Prague police commissioners Klima and Slavíček are both given thinly disguised death threats. These attacks were understandingly toned down in the novel; instead of being strung up, the above-mentioned officials continued to serve state security also in Czechoslovakia. Hašek was at the time (1921) under investigation for bigamy and was also deeply resented in wide circles because he abandoned the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czechoslovak_Legions#In_Russia" target="_blank">Czechoslovak army corps</a> in 1918, effectively being branded a traitor. In this situation the last thing he needed was a libel suit (or worse).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
The good soldier Švejk in captivity may not be be the greatest piece of literature; propaganda is a more fitting description. Still it was popular amongst his readers, but it is always easier to address a congregation that is already converted to some cause, in this case the fight for Czech and Slovak nationhood. But this is no denigration
of Hašek's work. At the time he was ardently committed to his cause and put his effort into that rather than in entertaining the
masses.<br />
<br />
<i>As far as know the novel has only been translated once; to Russian in 1959 (Гашек, Ярослав. Бравый солдат Швейк в плену. Page 9–102)</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<h2>
For švejkologs only</h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LWZsFlg10bY/UGS-W6vKa5I/AAAAAAABD9o/oLprn356sPY/s1600/obalka.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LWZsFlg10bY/UGS-W6vKa5I/AAAAAAABD9o/oLprn356sPY/s320/obalka.jpg" width="188" /></a></div>
Despite their limited value to the general reading public, the first and second version of our anti-hero are
of great value to "švejkologs". They give insight into the way Hašek worked, how he used snippets of facts
from an incredible array of sources (and he remembered the facts quite accurately), and masterfully put it all
together.<br />
<br />
In this respect "Captivity" is even more impressive than the novel, the short stories less so.
Particularly meticulous is his description of psychiatric institutions and personalities, but all
the factual descriptions are generally solid, more so than in the novel. The number of places and real persons
mentioned is as high (per page) as in the novel, but the fictive figures are somewhat fewer due to the lack of
monologues.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
The five short stories I find mildly amusing, but bland. Švejk in captivity is not even amusing, but compensates by being far more educational. Unfortunately it soon becomes tedious in its tirade against the Central Powers. Here I ought to add that I knew the novel Švejk very well before I read any of the predecessors, so I was somehow destined to be disappointed.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Another interesting subject for "švejkologs" are the themes that are common to both "Captivity" and the novel. There are many of these, and some of them appear in slightly different versions. Here is just a few examples: Gyula Kakonyi's address changed between the versions and so did the route to the front. This shows that we should take apparent "facts" in the novel with a pinch of salt. In some instances "Captivity" provides additional information that the novel lacks; thanks to the former it is for instance possible to locate the hotel in <i>Kutná Hora</i> where captain Wenzl (later major Wenzl) got into trouble and called <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=4-2-2&lang=en#Z%C3%ADtko" target="_blank">Kadettstellvertreter Zítko</a> "Czech rabble". There are also examples of nearly word for word reproductions, the "CV" of Konrad Dauerling is an example.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Despite it's shortcomings (I hardly smiled once when I read it), the little novel "The good soldier Švejk in captivity" is a vital stepping stone on the road to the novel that was to become famous throughout the world. For researchers it is a must, as it highlights aspects of Hašek's creative methods; the huge and varied number of details, and his reuse of items used in his previous publishing. The character Švejk evolves, an evolution that continues also into the novel. Hašek also introduces fragments from his own experiences, a method that he was to develop to great effect in his upcoming magnum opus. </div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Trento, Italia46.0696924 11.121088646.0256274 11.042124600000001 46.113757400000004 11.2000526tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593468044031864831.post-4618073906206804462010-07-28T15:59:00.249+02:002014-01-25T14:24:47.832+01:00Tourist in Kyiv<div style="font-style: italic; text-align: justify;">
My reason for visiting Kyiv was of course Hašek, but this letter is largely written from a tourist's perspective. And Kyiv deserves far more visitors than it gets. Perhaps EURO 2012 football tournament will serve as an eye-opener for "westerners"? The Ukrainian capital is a vibrant and welcoming metropolis, with many fine churches and monuments. It also has an attractive location on the banks of the river <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dnieper_River" target="_blank">Dnieper</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lks16nSGIx8/TE8YKYXmVyI/AAAAAAAAmh8/ys2H3OJoqAA/s1600/IMG_8404.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0px;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lks16nSGIx8/TE8YKYXmVyI/AAAAAAAAmh8/ys2H3OJoqAA/s640/IMG_8404.JPG" height="425" width="100%" /></a></div>
</div>
<h2>
Arrival</h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The practical arrangement was easy: everything was organised by <i>Halja Karpenko</i>, the Mother Theresa of Lviv. She had contacted a friend of hers, <i>Tamara Cheradze</i>, who had arranged accommodation for me on the western outskirts of the city. I was picked up on the platform on the impressive <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiev_Passenger_Railway_Station" target="_blank">Kyiv-Pasazhyrskyi</a> by Tamara and her husband, and even driven to the hotel. The hospitality was impeccable but I never saw my benefactors again, so had little chance to express my gratitude. The hotel was clean and functional although the location was not ideal (but at least I became a seasoned metro-traveller).</div>
<h2>
Digression: Georgia 1987</h2>
<div class="quote" style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pRjfeSQMXJs/UE0ESNquKTI/AAAAAAABDjE/Hv9Qt9gWVkI/s1600/IMG_0029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pRjfeSQMXJs/UE0ESNquKTI/AAAAAAABDjE/Hv9Qt9gWVkI/s320/IMG_0029.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stalin guarding the railway<br />
station entrance in Gori (1987).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It struck me that this was the first time in many years that I had met a "grusin" (Georgian). The previous time was in 2002 when a waiter on a Greek island declared that Stalin was "our father". I found it futile to argue and oppose this paternal reverence, although I let the word mass-murderer slip. I had visited <i>Tblisi</i> already in 1987 as member of a travel group. At the time travelling in a group was the only practical option for tourists who wanted to visit the Soviet Union.<br />
<br />
One day in <i>Tblisi</i> two of us departed from the group, and set off for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gori,_Georgia" target="_blank">Gori</a>, the birthplace of a certain dictator. Here one of the few remaining museum and memorial of the mentioned dictator could be found. The rest had been removed during <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikita_Khrushchev" target="_blank">Khrushchev's </a>de-stalinisation. When I asked our Danish-speaking guide if we had the "KGB's approval to go there", he said with a grin: "Ja. Fordi jeg er KGB" (Yes, because I am the KGB). At Gori station a portrait of Stalin welcomed us, and on the city square stood a huge statue. There was also a museum, located in the house where he was born. Around the house was erected Greek columns, and the whole thing looked decidedly ridiculous. The price item on exhibition was a railway carriage (inherited from the Romanovs) where Stalin met Churchill and Roosevelt at Yalta in 1945. Inheriting a railway carriage from the Romanovs remind me of motives from George Orwell's "Animal Farm". The <a href="http://www.rferl.org/content/article/1078153.html" target="_blank">museum </a>is still operating, but the statue was removed from the square in 2010. </div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Apart from this it was pleasant enough to be a tourist in Georgia, with friendly people, good weather and good food. An engineer who found out I shared his profession wanted me to get hold of Intel microprocessors for him, an undertaking I politely declined.</div>
<h2>
Kyiv city centre</h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PXKKcISVFYw/TE8XydMfD-I/AAAAAAAAmeo/QxJA_pBAjcs/s1600/IMG_8369.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PXKKcISVFYw/TE8XydMfD-I/AAAAAAAAmeo/QxJA_pBAjcs/s320/IMG_8369.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Former Hotel Praha, where Hašek (at times) worked as<br />
editor of "Čechoslovan" from July 1916 to February 1918.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Back to post-soviet Kyiv. The metro is efficient but very crowded. Built in the 1960s it seems to be modelled on the Moscow metro, at least with respect to decoration. It is by far the most convenient way of getting around. Buses are often ramshackle and even more crowded. I spent most of the time in Kiev in the city centre, admiring the fine churches and other landmarks. Still I dedicated time to places associated with Hašek, i.e. the few I was aware of back in 2010.<br />
<br />
The focal point of the former POW's activities in the city was <i>Hotel Praha</i> on Volodomyrska 30 (now 36), which housed the offices of "Čechoslovan". The building is now closed, but the plaque with Hašek's name is still there. The location is in the centre, not far from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Sophia_Cathedral_in_Kiev" target="_blank">St. Sophia cathedral</a> (Собор Святої Софії) and the monument to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohdan_Khmelnytsky" target="_blank">Bohdan Khemlnytsky</a> and other places of interest nearby. Close to it is also the university where the reserve units of the Czech volunteers had their barracks. This is surely the spot where Hašek was "superarbitrated" in 1916 (again I wasn't aware of these circumstances in 2010).<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cATr2we3yu8/UFAIc4MOR4I/AAAAAAABDmQ/QTkg0YrtTBE/s1600/kiev_podvalska2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cATr2we3yu8/UFAIc4MOR4I/AAAAAAABDmQ/QTkg0YrtTBE/s320/kiev_podvalska2.png" height="209" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Podvalnyi prospekt on a map from 1914.<br />
The clock tower of Saint Sophia to the right.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I also spent time trying to locate other places associated with Hašek, without much luck. Amongst the once I missed was "Cafe Podvalská" where an incident between the author and a Russian officer allegedly took place (Radko Pytlik). In Hašek's satire <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/dokumenty/hasek/pickwick.html" target="_blank">The Czech Pickwick club</a> a cafe in <i>Podvalná ulice 1</i> is mentioned, and presumably is the same place. For some reason the name <i>Podvalná</i> has been change to <i>Podvalská </i>in a subsequent version of the story, but the older version printed in Jaroslav Křížek's "Jaroslav Hašek v revolučním Rusko" must be the correct one. Some times "corrections" achieve the exact opposite effect.<br />
<br />
I even spent our looking for "Cafe Podolskoje" which Pavel Gan claims was the stage of the mentioned incident and was located by the boat landing stage at <i>Poštova ploša</i>. Hašek's <i>Podvalná ulice</i> can't be located but <i>Podvalnyi prospekt</i> is close enough *). It was located not far from the offices of "Čechoslovan". The small street has since passed into history: this area of Kyiv seems to have been completely rebuilt.<br />
<br />
It is still unclear where the incident between Hašek and the officer took place as neither Pytlík nor Gan indicate their sources.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*) Thanks to <a href="http://svejkmuseum.cz/" target="_blank">Jaroslav Šerák</a> for helping me to locate it.</span><br />
<br /></div>
<h2>
Darnytsia</h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dlHW2oTRMqI/TE8YMR81v5I/AAAAAAAAmiM/DhOBGWK3S9Q/s1600/IMG_8407.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dlHW2oTRMqI/TE8YMR81v5I/AAAAAAAAmiM/DhOBGWK3S9Q/s320/IMG_8407.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Kyiv across towards Darnitsya. On March 1<br />
1918 the Czechoslovak Army Corps and the Bolsheviks<br />
retreated across the the bridge ahead of the advancing<br />
Germans.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On the eastern bank of the river Dniepr is <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-1-14&lang=en#Darnica" target="_blank">Darnytsia</a>, a sprawling suburb of high-rise flats, in parts improbably ugly. I walked through most of it, looking for the site of the transit-camp where Hašek spent a few days after his capture in 1915. He surely also visited the camp as a recruiter for the Czechoslovak Brigade in 1916. The camp was right by the railway station, located in the pine forest. Now there is obviously no trace of it, in it's place there is a large and quite modern railway station.</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Another exceptionally ugly spot is <i>Vulitsja Jaroslava Hasheka</i>. I spent ages finding it, and in the end what I found a wide space of litter-strewn wasteland. Houses on both sides, yes. But this "street" is some of the strangest urban sights I've ever come across. I was quite happy to jump on the train back to the agreeable centre of Kyiv.</div>
<h2>
Boryspil, a downpour and a Big Mac</h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7xO3bgRAz68/TFfJU1HwbKI/AAAAAAAAmoc/WUh6E6Ff-Zo/s1600/P1000886.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7xO3bgRAz68/TFfJU1HwbKI/AAAAAAAAmoc/WUh6E6Ff-Zo/s320/P1000886.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boryspil: this is where my "reserch trip" ended.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Another half day out was to Boryspil (rus. Borispol) where our hero was locked away in spring 1917 after having insulted the Imperial Russian army gravely by juxtaposing <u>their</u> incompetence and <u>his own</u> back side. Here he was apparently quite well off, "enjoying the wine sent him by the ladies of Kiev".<br />
<br />
My own trip there again went via Darnytsia, jumping off the metro to take a bus. There were direct trains but I was incapable of locating the platform at the enormous Kyiv Passasjyrski. Presumably it left from "primiski voksal" (sub-urban station) next door.</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It was still a smooth ride but when I arrived the gates of heaven opened. In the torrential rain I sat down in a cafe, wrote on the blog, and coincidently got slightly sozzled. It is is situations like this a computer is a mans best friend. Otherwise I would have been bored to death, waiting for the rain to stop. That was all there was to my "research trip" to Boryspil. I took the bus back, had a Big Mac in <i>Darnytsia</i> and then jumped on the metro back to Kyiv. I never got to know exactly where my hero was locked up in 1917, and I'm still none the wiser. What I have learnt since is that the <i>Czechoslovak Army Corps</i> had some barracks here, so this might have been the place where Hašek was put behind bars.</div>
<h2>
Turning west</h2>
I was not going to emulate Hašek's journey step by step. The reasons were obvious: we don't know all the details of where he went. Secondly: doing a return trip to the southern Ural to follow him to the POW-camp and back would be too time-consuming. Instead I will cover Totskoye when I reach that region. For now I was happy with Kyiv, an attractive city which I could easily be persuaded to return to. After Kyiv I would attempt to follow in Hašek's steps in the second half of 1916. Therefore the next stop was to be <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarny" target="_blank">Sarny</a>, a six hour journey westwards on the Kyiv-Berlin express.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Kiev, Kyiv city, Ukraina50.4501 30.523450.12657 29.891686 50.77363 31.155113999999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593468044031864831.post-18891480294782825012010-07-27T17:25:00.453+02:002015-12-16T20:20:45.248+01:00Český patriot<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>This letter is about Jaroslav Hašek's release from Totskoye prisoner camp and his activities in the Czechoslovak revolutionary movement in Russia until the collapse of the Romanov dynasty in March 1917. The content is based on publications by Jaroslav Křížek, Radko Pytlík, Cecill Parrott, Rudolf Medek, František Langer, Georg Wurzer, Elsa Brändström, Pavel Gan a.o. The dates quoted should be read with a sceptical eye: few of the sources indicate whether the reference is to the Gregorian or the Julian (Orthodox) calendar (the Gregorian calendar was 13 days ahead).</i></div>
<h2>
Released</h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KE3LKnzit6c/UEOMN-rVXEI/AAAAAAABDIw/cG-_K7PY_6g/s1600/csvojsko.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KE3LKnzit6c/UEOMN-rVXEI/AAAAAAABDIw/cG-_K7PY_6g/s1600/csvojsko.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hašek enlisted in the Czechoslovak Army,<br />
1st regiment, 7th company, June 29 1916.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In the spring of 1916 emissaries from the newly formed <i>Czecholovak Rifle Brigade</i> (former <i>Česká družina</i>) provided Hašek with a way out of the prisoner camp in <i>Totskoye</i>. He escaped from hell. During the winter 17,000 out of the 25,000 inmates died from typhus (according to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsa_Br%C3%A4ndstr%C3%B6m" target="_blank">Elsa Brändström</a>, - Brusilov estimates 6,000 out of 16,000). Hašek had himself contracted the disease but otherwise he seemed to have had a relatively comfortable existence, even working as a secretary for the camp commander. The official Russian policy was to give Slavs preferential treatment, and Hašek may have benefited from this. On 21 April 1916 a decree was issued by the tsar that in principle would allow the release of all Czech prisoners but this was never fully implemented, partly due to inertia or downright sabotage in the Russian chain of command. It should also be added that the preferential treatment given to the Slavs (and principally the Czechs) was never consistently carried out, often for the very reasons quoted above. Many Russians were distrustful of the Czechs ("once a traitor, always a traitor") and many a camp commander had little sympathy for the their cause. Some of them were even of German origin, for instance colonel <i>Fleichner </i>at Totskoye.<br />
<br />
Czech recruiters were active in the camps and their paper <i>Čechoslovák </i>was widely distributed. Still there was no great rush to get out. Very few Czechs let themselves be persuaded to join the volunteers at the front, but many more took the opportunity to work in factories. As soon as the typhus was out of the way they obviously (and understandably) envisaged life in the camp as preferable to life at the front, and a shell factory was also a better deal. The recruitment approach was often heavy-handed and Czechs who refused to join were subjected to harsh treatment (Wurzer, Brändström).</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hašek was one of the few exceptions to the general reluctance to go back to the front: he volunteered for service and seemingly had to pay a “price” by converting to the Russian-Orthodox church (Gan). He was released from Totskoye (date not known), travelled via Kiněl, Samara, Penza and Tambov to Kiev. On 29 June 1916 he was assigned to the <i>1st Czechoslovak Rifle Regiment, 7th company</i> (1. československý střelecký pluk, 7. rota) but was declared unfit for regular service (this also happened to him in the k.u.k army). In effect he was “superarbitrated”, just like his literary hero although he formally remained on the regiments books until April 1918. The 1st regiment was the direct descendant of <i>Česká Družina, </i> the original Czech unit of volunteers. Thus he was part of a select group, at the time the number of volunteers hardly exceeded 1,500.</div>
<h2>
Recruiter and writer</h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
According to <i>Jaroslav Křížek</i> he was sent to the regiment HQ at <i>Bereżna</i> (now in Belarus) in the Pripyat marshes to work as a clerk for his regiment. He can not have stayed here long because already on 12 July (25) he was assigned to the <i>Union of Czechoslovak associations in Russia</i> as a recruitment agent, and had started to write again.<br />
<br />
He was based in Kiev and from there he visited nearby camps, trying to persuade prisoners to join the armed struggle against Austria-Hungary and Germany. The transit camp at Darnica which Hašek knew from his ordeal the year before, was an important recruitment post. Here Slav prisoners were separated from Germans and Hungarians and subjected to targeted propaganda. His friend and later biographer <i>František Langer</i> testifies to Hašek's effectiveness as a recruiter. He remarks that Hašek now for the first time seemed to fight FOR something, whereas he before the war he was always fighting AGAINST something. He had in Langer's words turned into a solid Czech patriot.</div>
<h2>
A most disagreeable tom-cat</h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Pwu0zZXzshk/UEOJOxgMM7I/AAAAAAABDIg/T1fr5jkuo0c/s1600/kocur.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Pwu0zZXzshk/UEOJOxgMM7I/AAAAAAABDIg/T1fr5jkuo0c/s320/kocur.png" width="320" /></a></div>
On 10 (23) July the short story “Osudy pana Hurta” (The fate of Mr. Hurt) appeared in “Čechoslovan”, a Kiev-based weekly to which he was to become a key contributor in the next 18 months. In this first short story he ridicules a Czech who refused to join his countrymen in the fight Austria-Hungary. At the time only a trickle of Czech and Slovak prisoners wished to return to the front, so Mr Hurt was in the majority. Unlike Hašek most of the prisoners were more interested in seeing out the war than destroy Austria-Hungary, but the writer had little sympathy for them.<br />
<br />
On 17 (30) July the famous "Povídka o obráze císaře Františka Josefa" (The story of the picture of emperor Franz Joseph) published. The story alerted Vienna and led to him being charged with high treason <i>in absentia</i>. In this story a tom-cat soils unsellable pictures of the emperor, a theme that reoccurs (somewhat transformed) in the opening chapter of Švejk, and even in Bruck an der Leitha where colonel Schröder puts his finger in the mess that a cat has left on the map of the battlefield.</div>
<h2>
Supporting the Romanovs</h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/Jind%C5%99ich_Jind%C5%99i%C5%A1ek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/Jind%C5%99ich_Jind%C5%99i%C5%A1ek.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: justify;">Jindříšek - his factory produced<br />
musical instruments</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Hašek became popular both as a writer, speaker and recruiter and his standing in Kiev grew steadily. At this time he advocated the official policies of the group who now dominated the "Union of Czechoslovak associations in Russia": loyalty to the tsar and the installation of a Romanov prince as a future Czech king! (Again a theme touched upon in Švejk). The leaders of the Kiev group were the rich industrialist Václav Vondrák and Jindřich Jindříšek, both arch-conservative. This speaks volume about Hašek's political “flexibility”. The former anarchist (and future Bolshevik) lent his support to an archaic conservative regime, in a Central European context it could even be classed as reactionary. The logic behind it may be at first be hard to grasp, but is understandable seen in perspective of Hašek’s dislike of the Habsburg monarchy (probably the only consistent political stance he held during his lifetime). He would seemingly support anyone who fought the despised Dual Empire. Other considerations were of secondary importance. Hašek viewed the Kiev leadership of the "Union" as the group most capable to achieving this goals, a stance he clearly spelled out and explained in the article "What we owe the Russian Czechs". Another explanatory factor was that the Hašek already held pan-slavist and a russophile views.</div>
<h2>
At the front</h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RrsTk-sLF6I/UEr-cTSOYPI/AAAAAAABDJg/tCr0FV7El2U/s1600/IMG_0002+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fiLIrXZUXpI/UEsJpNjc_XI/AAAAAAABDJs/CkR3U-YKfC0/s1600/Jaroslav+Ha%C5%A1ek+ve+v%C3%A1lce+-+Google+Maps.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fiLIrXZUXpI/UEsJpNjc_XI/AAAAAAABDJs/CkR3U-YKfC0/s320/Jaroslav+Ha%C5%A1ek+ve+v%C3%A1lce+-+Google+Maps.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Units from the 1st Czechoslovak Rifle Regiment served<br />
in these places in 1916. Hašek surely visited.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Until September Hašek split his time between recruitment trips to camps around Kiev and writing for “Čechoslovan”. He published his own stories in the paper but also wrote serious articles, signed <i>Dr. V. Stanko</i>. His contribution was first and foremost anti-Austrian agitation, and his numerous short-stories served the same purpose.<br />
<br />
From September 1916 to February 1917 he split his time between the front and Kiev. From the section of the front that was held by his own regiment, he wrote several <i>Letters from the front</i> (Dopisy z fronty), describing life at the front interspersed with propaganda. He also claimed to be writing the history of the 1. rifle regiment, but this document can not be traced. However, after the war, a history of the regiment of the regiment WAS published, edited by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franti%C5%A1ek_Langer" target="_blank">František Langer.</a> Apart from that he wrote a number of other items, some of them criticising the Petrograd opposition to the Kiev-based leadership of the "Union of Czechoslovak associations in Russia".</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In these stories he reveals a detailed knowledge of history and he also appears a Czech nationalist and patriot to the bone. In one of the letters he mentioned <i>Xenophon</i> and his <i>anabasis</i>, another theme that would occur in Švejk some five years later. This is one of many examples of reuse of motives from his earlier writing, transformed and exposed to the world through the novel Švejk. Most companies of the <i>1st rifle regiment</i> held positions by the river Stochod, their HQ was from 15 (28) August moved from Bereżna to Okonsk. The Czechs were mostly on reconnaissance duties, but took some losses in skirmishes with the Germans. When the Brusilov offensive petered out in October 1916, the front stabilised and there was little activity until the summer next year. Hašek's unit remained at the front until the end of the year when they were relocated to <i>Remczyca</i> north of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarny" target="_blank">Sarny</a>.</div>
<h2>
Troubles brewing</h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Gurko_VI_(general).jpg/387px-Gurko_VI_(general).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Gurko_VI_(general).jpg/387px-Gurko_VI_(general).jpg" height="320" width="206" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Васи́лий Гу́рко, head of Stavka from<br />
November 1916. Incompetent despite<br />
NOT having his hand up his backside?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The editorial offices of <i>Čechoslovan </i> were located in <i>Hotel Praha</i> where Hašek also spent most of his time when he was in Kiev. His alcohol intake was now reduced to a manageable level (compared to before the war) and he was very diligent and productive. He did visit cafes though, amongst his favourites was "Česká koruna" opposite the opera.<br />
<br />
But Hašek wouldn't have been Hašek if he had kept totally sober and out of trouble. On at least two instances he insulted Russian officers and it was also reported that he was very indiscreet in his talk and was quoted: "even with one hand up my arse I could conduct this war better than the entire <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stavka#Stavka_of_the_Commander-in-chief_during_World_War_I" target="_blank">Russian staff</a>". In February 1917 he was punished and imprisoned in Borispol (east of Kyiv by the airport). Here he spent a couple of weeks and put the finishing touches on his short novel "The good soldier Švejk in captivity". By his own admission he didn't suffer any great hardships, but still insisted he was there "in the name of truth".<br />
<br />
Hašek had at this time put his eggs in one basket, that of the arch-conservative resident Czechs in Russia. Little did they know what was in store, that the Romanov dynasty that had been in power for more than 300 years was about to be toppled. The revolution of March 1917 turned the situation upside down. It still appears that most Czech soldiers welcomed the changes, although most of their political leaders in Kiev now lost their footing. A chapter was closed, and an a new and equally dramatic was to open ...</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Kiev, Kyiv city, Ukraine50.4501 30.52340000000003850.261337499999996 30.230149500000039 50.6388625 30.816650500000037tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593468044031864831.post-14778517281493945002010-07-26T22:09:00.037+02:002015-12-16T20:18:46.312+01:00On a sinking ship<i>This letter is an attempt at describing the complex political and military situation in Russia at the time of Jaroslav Hašek’s release from captivity in June 1916 .</i><br />
<h2>
RUSSIA 1914</h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pravoslavnacirkev.cz/uploads/c83462075b030395c6fa5826d884fcc6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://pravoslavnacirkev.cz/uploads/c83462075b030395c6fa5826d884fcc6.jpg" height="320" width="216" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jaroslav Hejduk, the standard bearer of Družina.</td></tr>
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The Russian Empire of 1914 counted around 100,000 Czechs and Slovaks residents, the overwhelming majority of them Czechs. Most of them were Russian subjects, but there was also a number of Austrian citizens. The outbreak of war caused consternation in their ranks as they were as citizens of an enemy power subjected to confiscation of property and even deportation. It became paramount to prove themselves as loyal citizens, and after meetings with higher authorities (even the tsar), they were allowed to create <a href="http://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%8Cesk%C3%A1_dru%C5%BEina" target="_blank">Česká Družina</a>, a unit of volunteers that was to operate within the Russian Third army.</div>
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Initially their headcount was a mere 750, split across three companies. The creation of the unit was formally approved on 20 August 1914, and it became operative during October. They were sent to the Carpathians, mainly to carry out reconnaissance, propaganda and infiltration activities. In the beginning officers were Russians, with Czechs gradually entering amongst the lower ranks. Still as late as 1917 all regimental commanders were Russians.</div>
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At the end of 1914 prisoners of war were allowed to joine, provided that the applied immediately after the capture. There was initially concern about allowing them into the Russian army as this was regulated by the Geneva convention. In the first group of 300 prisoners that enlisted in December 1914, there was a very prominent person. <a href="http://libri.cz/databaze/kdo20/search.php?name=PAVL%D9+BOHDAN" target="_blank">Bohdan Pavlů</a> was a young Slovak intellectual and from 1915 he became editor of <i>Czechoslovák</i> in Petrograd, and take up an important role in the Czechoslovak movement in Russia. After the war he held positions in the diplomatic service.<br />
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<i>Družina</i> was on 2 February 1916 formally renamed the <i>Czechoslovak Rifle Regiment</i> and on 17 April the <i>Czecholovak Rifle Brigade </i>and was split into two regiments. In June 1916 the number of volunteers was still only 1500, but in August 1916 a new influx of volunteers from the prisoners ranks were added, and the regiments now counted 8 companies each. The unit was later to form the core of the <i>Czechoslovak Army Corps </i>(after the war generally known as the Czechoslovak Legion). </div>
<h2>
CZECH/SLOVAK POLITICAL ORGANISATION</h2>
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Meanwhile Czechs and Slovaks in Russia started to organise themselves politically. The <i>Union of Czechoslovak associations in Russia</i> (<a href="http://www.cojeco.cz/index.php?s_term=&s_lang=2&detail=1&id_desc=92917" target="_blank">Svaz Čs. spolků na Rusi</a>) was founded in Moscow in March 1915. The political leadership located in Petrograd, and this is also where they founded and published their own weekly <i>Čechoslovák</i>.<br />
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The term " <i>Čechoslovák</i> " itself is worth study in its own right. It was used already early in the war, although almost all the leaders and members of these organisations were Czechs. The Czechs made up more than 95 per cent of the total headcount. Of the original 750 members of <i>Družina,</i> only 7 were Slovaks. In the Slovak language the word "<i>Čechoslovák"</i> is generally hyphenated, giving the impression that the Slovaks were more on equal terms than they really were. Politics and language will forever remain inseparable...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://csol-mb.net/images/fotoclanky/durych.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://csol-mb.net/images/fotoclanky/durych.jpg" height="320" width="202" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Josef Dürich: betting on the<br />
loosing horse</td></tr>
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Other large Czech communities in Russia were found in Moscow, Warsaw and Kiev. The latter group was particularly numerous and was the one closest to the centre of military operations. The leadership of <i>Družina</i> was thus based in Kiev. The Kiev group was controlled by resident Czechs, which were mainly conservative and loyal to the tsar. The Petrograd group on the other hand, consisted of many former POW's, amongst them <i>Bohdan Pavlů, </i>leant towards western democratic ideas. From February 1916 these were aligned with the newly created "Czechoslovak National Council" (<a href="http://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%8Ceskoslovensk%C3%A1_n%C3%A1rodn%C3%AD_rada" target="_blank">Českosloveská Národni Rada</a>).<br />
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The council, based in Paris, was headed by <i>Tomáš Masaryk</i>, the architect and undisputed leader of the Czec/Slovak independence movement. Masaryk had gone into exile in 1914 and immediately started to organize the Czech and Slovak resistance abroad. He was himself of mixed origin, a Czechoslovak in the true meaning of the word. He had until 1914 <b>not </b>advocated the break-up of Austria-Hungary, advocating a federal solution giving the Slavs parity with Austro-Germans and Hungarians, but the new situation made him change his mind.</div>
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In the spring of 1916 there was an acrimonious split amongst the Czechs in Russia. The Kiev group took control of the "Union", the Petrograd group was marginalised, and the influence of the <i>National Council</i> reduced. The Kiev faction started to publish "Čechoslovan" (the first issue was on 2 April), a weekly that had gone out of business at the beginning of the war, but until then had been the only Czech-language periodical in Russia. From Paris the <i>National Council</i> dispatched <a href="http://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josef_D%C3%BCrich" target="_blank">Josef Dürich</a> to reassert their authority, but instead he aligned himself with the Kiev group, advocating a Romanov prince on the throne of a future Czech/Slovak kingdom. The leadership of the "Union" was transferred to Kiev. It should be added that the squabbling was not only about political direction; many were dissatisfied with the relative lack of success in recruiting new volunteers. There was also disappointment that despite promises to release the Slav prisoners, this dragged on and on, and even general Brusilov voiced his concern in support for the Slavs. It has been alleged that the arch-conservative prime minister <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boris_St%C3%BCrmer" target="_blank">Boris Stürmer</a> deliberately sabotaged the release of the prisoners. He was on good terms with Dürich and this obviously reflected badly on the latter in the eyes of many Czechs. </div>
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Ironically it was this group that <i>Jaroslav Hašek</i> aligned with before Russian February revolution. But the fall of the Romanovs (tsar Nicholas II abdicated on 15 March 1917) removed their political support and put the Petrograd group firmly in the driving seat. Masaryk and other Czech and Slovak politicians also had very good connections with members of the new Russian provisional government, whose liberal democratic attitudes they often shared. <i>Josef Dürich</i> and the Kiev conservatives were thus politically dead; and their dream of seeing a Romanov prince on future Czech throne became a historical absurdity.</div>
<h2>
THE BRUSILOV OFFENSIVE</h2>
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The military situation also took a dramatic turn at the time Hašek approached the end of his stay in the Totskoye POW camp. On 4 June the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brusilov_Offensive" target="_blank">Brusilov offensive</a> had started. It was brought forward to alleviate the precarious situation of the French at Verdun and take pressure off Italy at the Isonzo front. Unusually the attack was not concentrated on a certain point; the Russians advanced along the whole Austrian section of the front. Nor were the Russians significantly superior in numbers, but they still managed to break through quickly and push about 60 km westwards. Dubno, Brody, Czernowitz, and Lutsk were again on Russian hands. Brusilov introduced some novel concepts: aerial reconnaissance and the use of shock troops (Norman Stone).</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.kaiserscross.com/mediac/400_0/media/DIR_105401/brusi1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.kaiserscross.com/mediac/400_0/media/DIR_105401/brusi1.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The result of Russian "human wave" tactics</td></tr>
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His fellow generals were slow and hesitant in the follow-up and the Russian army soon reverted to the "human wave" tactic with catastrophic losses. During the summer and autumn, the offencive petered out; Germany moved in reinforcements from the West to stiffen up the wobbling Austrians and the front was stabilised. The Dual Monarchy was saved for now, but the cost was frightening. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers were killed, captured and “missing”. No doubt many of the missing later joined the <i>Czechoslovak Army Corps</i>. Russia lost a staggering one million men in dead, wounded and captured. These losses on top of the disasters of 1915 seriously undermined morale and eventually contributed to the collapse and revolutions of 1917. In other areas the Brusilov offensive was also important; it may have saved the allies in France and Italy and also persuaded Romania to enter the war.</div>
<h2>
THE END OF THE ROMANOV DYNASTY</h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/%D0%94%D0%B5%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%BD%D1%81%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%86%D0%B8%D1%8F_%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B1%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%86_%D0%9F%D1%83%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%BE_%D0%B7%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%B0_%D0%B2_%D0%BF%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B2%D1%8B%D0%B9_%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%8C_%D0%A4%D0%B5%D0%B2%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B9_%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%BB%D1%8E%D1%86%D0%B8%D0%B8_1917.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/%D0%94%D0%B5%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%BD%D1%81%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%86%D0%B8%D1%8F_%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B1%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%86_%D0%9F%D1%83%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%BE_%D0%B7%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%B0_%D0%B2_%D0%BF%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B2%D1%8B%D0%B9_%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%8C_%D0%A4%D0%B5%D0%B2%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B9_%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%BB%D1%8E%D1%86%D0%B8%D0%B8_1917.jpg" height="202" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Petrograd in turmoil, March 1917</td></tr>
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The winter of 1916-1917 was relatively quiet on the Eastern front, as none of the exhausted parties took any major initiatives. The front was established along the <a href="http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stochid" target="_blank">Stochod</a> river down to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vatra_Dornei" target="_blank">Dorna Vatra</a> in the Romanian Carpathians. Territorially Russia was better off than a year before but the internal fabric was crumbling with protests, hunger marches and strikes commonplace. On 8 March*) 1917 the revolution started and a within a week Nicholas II was forced to resign (here is his <a href="http://www.dur.ac.uk/a.k.harrington/abdicatn.html" target="_blank">letter of resignation</a>). Russia was the first of the four large autocratic WW1 belligerents to collapse, and it was to have far reaching consequences, not only for the immediate future, but also for the rest of the 20th century.</div>
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<i>*) Called the February Revolution, as it started on 23 February according to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_calendar" target="_blank">Julian calendar</a>.</i><br />
<h2>
SOURCES</h2>
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The information contained in this entry is largely based on "Za svobodu", a four-volume illustrated history of the <i>Czechoslovak Revolutionary Movement in Russia</i> from 1914 to 1920. Further, books by <i>František Langer</i>, <i>Victor M. Fic</i> and <i>Jaroslav Křížek. </i>To a lesser degree <i>Norman Stone, Radko Pytlík</i> and <i>Cecil Parrott, </i>have been consulted. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593468044031864831.post-65885954173587598702010-07-26T08:44:00.003+02:002018-07-23T23:15:10.749+02:00Zhytomyr<em>This letter is a tourist’s tale from a Ukrainian city, of spurious relevance to the theme of this blog.</em><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-urei98K5fnc/T5eikfeh6aI/AAAAAAABBEo/UNFG5wg2DAY/s1600/IMG_0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-urei98K5fnc/T5eikfeh6aI/AAAAAAABBEo/UNFG5wg2DAY/s320/IMG_0002.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhytomyr" target="_blank">Zhytomyr</a> (Жито́мир) may have been one of the places on the whole trip that I have been aware of the longest. I was a kid of perhaps 7-8 years when I opened an illustrated history book “<i>Verden i bilder 1919-1955</i>” (The world in pictures). Volume III dealt with WW2, and a couple of horror pictures have been imprinted on my mind ever since. One title was: “<i>Kampene om byen Sjitomir var kort med hard</i>. <i>Slik så byen ut etter at russerne trakk seg ut</i>”. I don’t think it’s necessary to translate, the picture says it all. The city was overrun by <em>Wehrmacht</em> in July 1941 and almost totally destroyed.</div>
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The connection between <i>Jaroslav Hašek</i> and <i>Zhytomyr</i> is vague. <em>Václav Menger </em>mentions it in his book <i>Jaroslav Hašek, zajatec číslo 294217</i>, and claims the column of prisoners that were driven from <i>Khorupan</i> into the Russian interior in 1915, had a break here. Although Menger is an unreliable source it is perfectly logical that the sea of worn-out Austrian prisoners in dirty <em>Felduniformen </em>passed this spot. [JH, <i>Nov 26 2012: this information is now confirmed - Jaroslav Kejla, 1972].</i> <i>Zhytomyr</i> is on the main road from <i>Dubno</i> to <i>Kiev</i>.<br />
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There is also no dbout that Hašek paid the city one or more visists during his stay in the Ukraine in 1916 and 1917. Menger also mentions that they visited the Jewish quarter. To judge by the description he knew the city well. The Jewish quarter has obviously passed into history, and so has the considerable Polish influence. Both groups were victims of pre-meditated genocide in the dark years of 1941-44, and the Poles had also suffered terribly from Stalin’s reign of terror in the years leading up to WW2. The area also had a sizeable German minority who obviously also had a hard time under Stalin, particularly after 1944.</div>
<h5>
Václav Menger</h5>
<div class="quote">
K večeru došli do Žitomíru. Když procházeli židovskou čtvrtí, vyhrnula se jim vstříc celá židovská obec, vítající je křikem dětí, devotní úslužností starých a dvojsmyslnými pohledy mladých Židovek. Židovští kluci nabízeli jim rozmanité zboží a starší výměnu peněz. Než došli na náměstí, byl každý lehčí o několik grošů, a Hašek téměř o celý rubl, za který nakoupil tabák a cukr. Na konci města pohltila je mamutí budova. Byla to pověstná ťjurma (věznice), kterou ruská vláda, věčně ve strachu žijící, vybudovala, aby vystavila na odiv svou humánnost a spravedlnost. Nebýti těžkých mříží a vysokých zdí, ničím by toto monstrósní stavení nepřipomínalo vězení.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mykhailivska vulitsa</td></tr>
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In 2010 times are fortunately better despite all the troubles that Ukraine has experienced both during and after Soviet times. The bus ride from Dubno (via Rivne) was comfortable and quick, and the roads were quite good. From <i>Rivne</i> to <i>Kiev</i> we travelled on the main artery from Lviv. It has seen some investment ahead of Euro 2012. To call it a motorway would be to push it, but the traffic flow was smooth and the pot-holes few and far between.<br />
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The bus station at <i>Zhytomyr</i> is 3 km out of town, but with plenty of time to spare I afforded myself a walk into the centre. Finding a place to sleep was less straight-forward, <i>Zhytomyr</i> is no tourist metropolis. Helpful locals in the end pointed me to a couple of high-rise monstrosities that Breshnev would have been proud of (and surely they belonged to Intourist in the past). But a bed is a bed, even at <a href="http://www.doroga.ua/hotel/Zhitomirskaya/Zhitomir/Ukraina/2247" target="_blank">Hotel Ukraina</a> and one doesn’t always have to sleep in pleasant surroundings to enjoy life. The hotel restaurant was very welcoming, and I was even back in the world of Wi-Fi (in <i>Dubno</i> I was confined to a computer shop who took pity on me and let me use their network for a few <i>hryvni</i>).</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Владимир Ильич Ульянов </td></tr>
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I also had an early and expected encounter, that of <i>Lenin</i> on a square. I had foreseen several meetings with him, but not this early. In western Ukraine the Lenins and other symbols of the Soviet Union have been removed, and I didn’t expect them to appear this side of the Dniepr. There was also more Russian heard on the streets than further west. Still all street signs and other official signs were in Ukrainian. The more Russian feel in this city will also have historical reasons. <i>Volyn</i> became part of Russia after the second partition of Poland (1793). In the inter-war period western <i>Volyn</i> with <i>Lutsk</i>, <i>Dubno</i>, <i>Rivne</i> (Rovno) and <i>Sarny</i> rejoined the resurrected Poland, whereas eastern Volyn with <i>Zhytomyr</i> remained under Russian (read Soviet) control.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tourist in the Schulz brewery</td></tr>
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Back to 2010 and happier times. The city offered the microbrewery Schulz, who served very decent beers in their impressive cellar vaults. Located on the central square, the entrance was easy to overlook and I almost walked past it. I was given a tour of the microscopic brewery by the friendly staff who obviously were not used to visitors from that far away.<br />
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A few hundred meters away, <i>Vulica Mykhailivska </i>is a pleasant pedestrian street in the centre, but I discovered it too late to be able to enjoy a morning coffee in the sun.<br />
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I had decided to take the train to Kiev, but at the station the prospects looked grim. Such a slow-moving queue is hard to imagine, and in the end I jumped on the train without a ticket. The fierce lady who checked the tickets was not impressed and I was in no uncertain terms told that this was not the way to travel on Ukrainian Railways. But, importantly: she let me off the hook and I got away with paying the normal fare (I think). </div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ok6ttLKaLwE/TE8XsSshJDI/AAAAAAAAmdw/S00GKeTMMB8/s1600/P1000870.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ok6ttLKaLwE/TE8XsSshJDI/AAAAAAAAmdw/S00GKeTMMB8/s320/P1000870.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vychid na kyivsku platformu - exit to the Kyiv platform</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koziatyn" target="_blank">Koziatyn</a> there was a change of trains, and here I stumbled across another Lenin, this time inside the station building. By a wooden table outside the station I witnessed an animated political conversation, regarding Lenin's legacy, the post-communist situation in the Ukraine. One of those participating in the debate knocked his glass over, but I will never know if this was the result of his frustration with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viktor_Yanukovych" target="_blank">Yanukovich</a> or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viktor_Yushchenko" target="_blank">Yushenko</a> (or whoever) or copious quantities of vodka. It is very likely that both elements played a part.<br />
<br />
The break was short and I was soon on the way to Kiev, the main point of interest for any <i>haškolog </i>travelling in the Ukraine ...</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593468044031864831.post-5636226410549783042010-07-26T00:01:00.460+02:002012-12-10T08:38:12.322+01:00Prisoner of war<div align="justify">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Byrap5xHbLA/TfRPOM8Bl4I/AAAAAAAA7f8/RGjps-zpu4s/s1600/lada_55_0050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Byrap5xHbLA/TfRPOM8Bl4I/AAAAAAAA7f8/RGjps-zpu4s/s320/lada_55_0050.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For this "Putzfleck" it was a long way<br />
from Dubno to Darnitsa.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
From September 24 1915 all traces of Jaroslav Hašek temporarily disappeared. Two of the people who were captured the same day also seem to have lost track of him: <i>František Strašlipka</i> and <i>Jaroslav Kejla</i>. The latter, who later became a general in the Czechoslovak air force, wrote an account about the capture, but to my knowledge little about what happened after. What IS beyond doubt is that Hašek appeared in the transit camp at Darnitsa by Kiev some time later, which he indicates also in Švejk. This is in the story about the officer servant who dragged his superior's luggage with him all the way from <i>Dubno </i>to <i>Darnitsa</i> beyond Kiev, a distance of 350 km!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<h4>
Did Hašek visit Dubno and Zdolbunov in 1915?</h4>
The web site of <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-1-14&lang=en#Dubno" target="_blank">Dubno</a> council and the museum in the castle both claim that Hašek was there after his capture. This claim sounds somewhat dubious: Dubno was abandoned by the Russians on September 8 and I have so far found no evidence that they reconquered it before the Brusilov offensive in June 1916. It may possibly have changed hands again during the Russian counter-offensive in mid-September, but why would the Russian march their prisoners to a place which was at best right in the front-line? Perhaps Hašek is taken too literally (he might have meant Dubno region) or a there has been a hasty conclusion drawn from Jaroslav Křížek's statement that "the distance between Dubno and Darnice is 350 km"? Note that Křížek never says that Hašek ever <i>was</i> in Dubno, he merely states something about the distance between two points... It should however be added that he <i>could</i> have visited Dubno in the period <i>before</i> his capture. IR91 was positioned in the area north of Dubno from September 9 1915.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XDVv3LUaDNw/T32FrIENJEI/AAAAAAABA6k/tQCEEbXTuDM/s1600/Darnytsya+station,+Kiev,+Kyiv+city,+Ukraine+-+Google+Maps.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="206" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XDVv3LUaDNw/T32FrIENJEI/AAAAAAABA6k/tQCEEbXTuDM/s320/Darnytsya+station,+Kiev,+Kyiv+city,+Ukraine+-+Google+Maps.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Khorupan, Zdolbuniv, Zhytomyr, Darnitsa<br />
a distance of 350 km. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The likelihood that the prisoners were taken <b>away </b>from the front is much greater: i.e. in the direction of Zdolbunov or Rovno. <i>Alexandr Drbal</i> later told me that Hašek had worked at the <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=4-2-1&lang=en#V%C3%A1clav_Zeman" target="_blank">Zeman brewery</a> in <a href="http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwasi%C5%82%C3%B3w" target="_blank">Kvasyliv</a>, a few kilometres north of Zdolbuniv, and <i>Pavel Gan</i> devotes a section in his book to a recruitment meeting that is supposed to have taken place in the nearby Zeman brewery. But none of them have mentioned any first hand source, and curiously <i>Jaroslav</i> <i>Křížek</i> and <i>Radko Pytlík</i> don't mention Zdolbunov at all. Still all logic dictates the the convoy of prisoners must have gone past this spot. Perhaps they waited for railway transport at this important junction?</div>
<div class="quote" style="margin: 10px 0px 10px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<h4>
Cecil Parrott, "The bad bohemian", page 155</h4>
Bitter disillusionment lay in store for all those Czechs and Slovaks who had sighed with relief when they found themselves in Russian captivity and hoped that their tribulations were at an end. The fate which awaited them was far worse than anything they had yet experienced. First, their expectations of a warm and brotherly welcome were sadly disappointed: the Russians received them coldly and eyed them with suspicion and jealousy. As fellow Slavs they had hoped to enjoy most favoured treatment: in the event it was no better than that accorded to Germans, Austrians and Hungarians, in some respects indeed even worse, because the Russians deliberately burdened them with the hardest labour in the confident belief that they would be too loyal to complain. But their crowning grievance was the reluctance of the Russians to allow them to fight for the Allied cause. There were soon to be two hundred thousand Czechs and Slovaks languishing in camps and longing to help the war effort, and only a trickle of them were being freed.</div>
<div align="justify">
<h4>
Rude awakening</h4>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://img.csfd.cz/photos/herci/28100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://img.csfd.cz/photos/herci/28100.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Václav Menger, actor and <br />
film director</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The quote above shows the the prisoners were in for a rude awakening. Most biographers even note that they had to <u>walk</u> all the way to Darnitsa. <i>Křížek </i>is one of them, but he was not the first. In <a href="http://svejkmuseum.cz/nap_ce.htm#menger" target="_blank">Václav Menger's</a><i> </i>book "Jaroslav Hašek zajatec číslo 294217" from 1934 the same claim can be found. This source should however be taken with a pinch of salt. Menger's book is a novel and not necessarily a factual account. There are very few places and dates mentioned, and probably contains a lot of mystification. Still it should be recognised that Menger and Hašek met in Russia, so Menger has surely used some first-hand information. Menger also went through the same ordeal: taken prisoner, spending time in POW camps, then to become a member of the Czechoslovak Volunteer units.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Perhaps the claim about "walking all the way" even stems from Hašek's novel, or rather from the fact that people tend to forget that Švejk is a novel, and not a historical document? It should however be noted that several legionnaires did walk from the front to Darnitsa, that is evident from the copious amount of literature that appeared in post-WW1 Czechoslovakia. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecil_Parrott" target="_blank">Cecil Parrott</a> in the "The bad bohemian" adds to the confusion by stating that the prisoners had to walk 100 kilometres, without saying that this would carry them less than a third of the way. It turns out that this piece of information is directly copied from Pytlík's "Toulavé house", so Parrott has simply translated it without giving it much thought, never mind bothered to check the map (Parrot's book contains several cases of direct translations from Pytlík). Another curious piece of information from Pytlík and Parrott is that the prisoners walked through "burnt down villages" on the way to Darnitsa. This could hardly have been the case: the front had at this stage only extended to the right bank of the river <i>Ikva</i> so presumably there was little or no war damage beyond this line at this stage of the war. Aerial bombing was only in its infancy in 1915.<br />
<h4>
A long walk</h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8wOjB5V72uw/T32DVRhq4UI/AAAAAAABA6c/AiF0tbM-Ju4/s1600/Znal+jsem+Ha%C5%A1ka+-+-+Antikvari%C3%A1t+Dl%C3%A1%C5%BEden%C3%A1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8wOjB5V72uw/T32DVRhq4UI/AAAAAAABA6c/AiF0tbM-Ju4/s200/Znal+jsem+Ha%C5%A1ka+-+-+Antikvari%C3%A1t+Dl%C3%A1%C5%BEden%C3%A1.png" width="200" /></a></div>
To get an further idea how long it would have taken to walk the 350 km distance, we can compare with a account by <i>Josef Pospíšil’s</i> in his book “Znal jsem Haška” (1977). The author of this book was on June 10 1916 <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/AmsJeH7vC7oB1Ya_A9b2f9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink" target="_blank">captured by Dubno</a> and walked to Rovno, a march that took four days. The distance is around 50 km. From here they were transported by rail to Darnitsa. To judge by this pace, the prisoners march to Kiev could have taken around a month. <i>Pospíšil</i> also remembers talking to former prisoner <i>Kamenský</i> who claimed he had met Hašek at the beginning of October the previous year. Hašek was in a very bad state and that the 350 km trek was a lot for him. It would have been a lot for anyone: suffering from thirst, hunger, lice, disease and exhaustion.<br />
<br />
That they walked all the way is of course possible, but I think Pavel Gan’s conclusion is correct: we don’t really know if they went by train or were herded on foot. Surely they walked at least the first part, at least to Zdolbunov or Rovno. The problem is verifying these events is not only the lack of reliable eyewitness accounts, but also that the time of arrival in Darnitsa is unknown. One person who would have known is <i>Jaroslav Kejla</i>. He was captured the same day as Hašek and if he wasn't in the same transport, he would surely have been transported by the same means. Unfortunately I have not read his *)„Jak to bylo v bitvě u Chorupan, kde se dal Jaroslav Hašek zajmout“ but if he had mentioned the transport, I am sure <i>haškologs</i> would have noticed it.<br />
<br />
*) <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">On November 26, 2012 I finally got hold of this document and Kejla's account renders my scepticism unfounded. The prisoners <u>did </u>walk to Kiev, and were then transported by train across the Dniepr to Darnitsa where they spent three days before being dispatched to other camps. Kejla does not say how long the journey took. He also dispels any myth that Hašek could have been in Dubno during the transport..</span></i></div>
<div align="justify">
<h4>
Transit camp horror</h4>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ea4EtZzBDD4/TWxCTaYD1SI/AAAAAAAA2Ss/Q2c7G2LdpGU/s1600/darnice1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ea4EtZzBDD4/TWxCTaYD1SI/AAAAAAAA2Ss/Q2c7G2LdpGU/s320/darnice1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darnitsa (Czech Darnice), the transit camp by Kiev</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-1-14&lang=en#Darnica" target="_blank">Darnitsa</a> is on the other hand a well-documented entity, and a scary one as well. This transit camp on the eastern bank of the river <i>Dniepr</i> by Kiev lacked the most basic facilities. The prisoners even had to build their own huts. The sanitary conditions were terrible and prisoners died in droves from disease, hunger and frost. The mortality rates were probably higher here than at the front, so letting oneself get captured was not necessary a life-preserving decision. Hašek probably only spent a few days at Darnitsa before he was sent by rail to a camp in <i>Totskoye</i> in the Orenburg oblast in Southern Ural. On the way he was lucky: he was in a wagon which carried tobacco leaves, and could barter these for food.</div>
<div align="justify">
<h4>
Surviving typhus</h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jdY5QNCvdLw/UEskOehZkRI/AAAAAAABDPA/nmiokWBIqBM/s1600/krigsfangar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jdY5QNCvdLw/UEskOehZkRI/AAAAAAABDPA/nmiokWBIqBM/s320/krigsfangar.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Totskoye" target="_blank">Totskoye</a> (То́цкое) was another grim place. Hašek must have arrived there some time before November 8 1915; a letter to an editor in Prague is dated that day. It was sent through the Red Cross. Here he greets people back home, saying he is alive and well. It was to become worse though: during the winter typhus hit and two thirds of the 16,000 prisoners died (Radko Pytlík, "Toulavé house", Elsa Brandström quotes even higher numbers). Hašek was also hit by the feared disease but thereafter his fortunes took a turn to the better:. Some time in the spring he volunteered for service with the Czechoslovak Brigade and was given the post as secretary for the commander of the IV. prisoner battalion and had a relatively comfortable existence from then on. He remained in Totskoye until at least mid June 1916. By June 29 he was back in the Ukraine, and on July 10 an article by him appeared in <i>Čechoslovan</i> in Kiev. A dramatic chapter in <i>Jaroslav Hašek's</i> unusual life was now closed, and yet another one was to begin ...</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593468044031864831.post-87177349286194183782010-07-25T14:22:00.010+02:002022-02-19T10:35:08.223+01:00Russen ohne Gewehre<div align="justify">
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uAwe4qTv0uw/T3lulW_D1UI/AAAAAAABA6U/3h1UO9XD-YY/s1600/hasek_prebehnuti.jpg+(865%C3%971322).png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="138" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uAwe4qTv0uw/T3lulW_D1UI/AAAAAAABA6U/3h1UO9XD-YY/s320/hasek_prebehnuti.jpg+(865%C3%971322).png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Extract from Hašek's Vormerkblatt which<br />
reports him as missing in action.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>This blog entry is partly historical and partly a travel letter. It revolves around Jaroslav Hašek's final farewell to the <a href="http://honsi.org/svejk/?page=6-1-1&lang=en#K.u.k._Heer" target="_blank">k.u.k. Heer</a> on 24 September 1915 and the region where it all happened; Volyn in current Ukraine. But I will start with a few notes about some very important documents that have decidedly influenced the contents of the last 3-4 letters.</i><br />
<br />
The reader may by now wonder how I could have produced two detailed historical blog entries about the history of the k.u.k 91st infantry regiment in just a few days in late July 2010, while still travelling and with limited access to internet. The simple answer is: in fact I didn’t. The blog is now 18 months behind and I go on “cheating” by back-dating the entries to the approximate stage of the trip the letter deals with. The delay is not only for the bad though. Although my experiences from the road are less fresh in my memory in April 2012, I have in the meantime got my hand on valuable historical material that I hadn’t read at the time or even was totally unaware of. Without this, the previous two blogs would not have been possible.</div>
<div align="justify">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify">
<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-aqlN1-34RsY/T3hAQuW-BoI/AAAAAAABA50/biajxgnR368/s1600-h/obalka%25255B2%25255D.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="obalka" border="0" height="244" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-AhXN_trFikg/T3hARupOjDI/AAAAAAABA54/5K0m_DgoRPs/obalka_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="obalka" width="174" /></a>Three of the new discoveries have been on particular value. The first is a book I was aware of in 2010 but hadn’t read: <em>Jaroslav Křížek’s</em> solid but ideology-infested “<em>Jaroslav Hašek v revolučním Rusku</em>” which <a href="http://anabase-en.blogspot.com/2010/06/kudejologs-in-olomouc.html" target="_blank">Michal Giacintov</a> kindly gave me after my return to the Czech Republic in October 2010. The author was associated with the army and had privileged access to the <a href="http://www.vuapraha.cz/" target="_blank">Central War Archive</a> in Prague (VÚA). This book was published in 1957 and contained a wealth of hitherto unknown material. His account about Hašek’s period in the Austro-Hungarian army is by far the most detailed I have seen in any book. It is well researched, and when the reader has filtered away the ideological varnish, what remains is an extremely valuable piece of work. I wrote in an early blog that Pavel Gan’s book was “<a href="http://anabase-en.blogspot.com/2010/06/more-important-than-lonely-planet.html" target="_blank">more important than Lonely Planet</a>”. Křížek’s book is much more than that: it is a must for any <em>haškolog </em>and I really wish I had read it before I set off.</div>
<div align="justify">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify">
Nor should “Österreich-Ungarns letzter Krieg” be forgotten. It is a mammoth seven-volume account published in Vienna in the inter-war period, extremely detailed and with excellent maps as <em>Beilage</em>. Nowadays these sell for 250 Euro per volume! I managed to get my hands on volume II which covers 1915 until the fall of Brest-Litovsk (August 25), and the rest I downloaded. The 91st regiment is not explicitly mentioned but the book gives a good overview of the events that determined the movements of its parent units: the 17th infantry brigade which was part of the Prague based 9th infantry division.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O6Cjk0GI4F4/TtenukFbS_I/AAAAAAAA_OA/zKvVUp9diek/s1600/P1040276.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O6Cjk0GI4F4/TtenukFbS_I/AAAAAAAA_OA/zKvVUp9diek/s320/P1040276.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Page one of the IR91 chronicle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div align="justify">
The third discovery is not a book, but a nearly finished manuscript. I visited VÚA (Central War Archive) in Prague for two days in November 2011 and photographed almost 250 pages detailing the history of IR91 from May to November 1915. The title is <i>Das Infanterieregiment Nr. 91 am Vormarsch in Galizien. </i>The author seems to have been an officer in the regiment, it was written in German in <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-2-2&lang=en#České_Budějovice" target="_blank">České Budějovice</a> around 1927, probably intended for publication but somehow it didn’t materialise. The story is typed on paper from a 1927 Czech calendar, and the typewriter must have been German as Czech diacritics were added by hand afterwards. It gives an unusually detailed account, with dates, places, order of battle, lists of personnel etc. There are even some unique photos, but unfortunately few of them can be related directly to the text. If I had seen these documents before I set off, the route through the Ukraine would definitely have been different, more detailed but it would have taken longer. </div>
<div align="justify">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div align="justify">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xa_3Y0QcvYk/TElZDzt1kQI/AAAAAAAAmNM/CUnYZ4yjzKE/s1600/P1000827.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xa_3Y0QcvYk/TElZDzt1kQI/AAAAAAAAmNM/CUnYZ4yjzKE/s320/P1000827.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the bus from Lutsk to Dubno</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As it was I took a short-cut, more due to ignorance than by intent. I was already aware of Żdżary but didn’t bother to go there this time. The village was destroyed by UPA in 1943 and is not to be traced on contemporary maps. Instead I set off from Sokal on July 20 after bidding farewell to my hosts <i>Ivan and Maria Strilets</i>. I was determined to go to <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-1-14&lang=en#Dubno" target="_blank">Dubno</a>, but still hadn’t decided which route to take, so I jumped on a mini-bus to <i>Červenohrad</i> to wait for the first and best. I took the first but not necessarily the best option. It was a customary minibus marked <em>Lutsk</em>. The packed and steaming hot vehicle moved at snails pace along the borders of <i>Lvivski oblast</i> and <i>Volyn</i>, the driver skilfully manoeuvring between the thousands of pot-holes as if he had been doing nothing else all his life. He probably hadn’t. The bus even went back through Sokal!<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7Cy86EHwic4/TA3iuQSNKqI/AAAAAAABA6I/NuQ3EnBiRbQ/s1600/IMG_7137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7Cy86EHwic4/TA3iuQSNKqI/AAAAAAABA6I/NuQ3EnBiRbQ/s320/IMG_7137.JPG" width="198" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Map of Khorupan: <br />
Russen ohne Gewehre</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When crossing to <i>Volyn </i>the bus started to empty and the journey became almost tolerable. I didn’t stop long in Lutsk and jumped on the first bus to Dubno. This was a much more comfortable journey but it was still a relief to arrive at the comfortable hotel on the square. The room was huge, affordable, but basic necessities (for me, that is) like Wi-Fi was missing. Never mind the unimportant luxuries like 6 towels and variations of soap. The reason for choosing Dubno as my base for the next three days was two-fold: its proximity to <i>Chorupan</i>where Jaroslav Hašek was captured and to Zdolbunov where the author in his novel refers to a certain Czech brewer Zeman. <i>Pavel Gan</i> also deals with Zeman’s brewery in his book, although there to my knowledge exist no historical evidence that Hašek ever was there.</div>
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<div align="justify">
The next day I was on a pivotal mission: a visit to <i>Chorupan</i> where <em>Jaroslav Hašek’s</em> life took a dramatic turn in the early hours of 24 September 1915. I regarded myself well equipped for the trip: <em>Pavel Gan</em> had even given me a detailed map of the spot, even indicated where the author was captured and where Lukas and Wenzel fled. I was given two versions of the map: one in German and one in Czech. There was a text snippet on the map that is still imprinted on my mind: <em>Russen ohne Gewehre</em> and on the Czech one <em>rusové bez pušek; </em>in other words <em>Russians without rifles!</em> It made me shiver; these young men were sent to die for their incompetent tsar and his family without any means of self defence. I can understand that morale was low in the k.u.k army, but it must have been even worse on the Russian side. It is no wonder that Russian soldiers surrounded in droves as early as 1915 and by 1917 simply refused to fight on.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SnCG7Lw4Dbs/TElZi0cucQI/AAAAAAAAmQM/yv_-giCamxM/s1600/IMG_8268.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SnCG7Lw4Dbs/TElZi0cucQI/AAAAAAAAmQM/yv_-giCamxM/s320/IMG_8268.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Somewhere here Hašek and Strašlipka were captured<br />
on September 24 1915</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Chorupan (Хорупань) is located 15 km north of Dubno but there were no buses going there. So I set out in foot, at a brisk pace. So brisk that I took the wrong turning and soon found myself by the river Ikva by <em>Ivanne</em>, way off track. Without being aware of it, I was almost at <em>Pogorelcy</em> where IR91 was positioned from 9 to 17 September 1915. That was before they withdrew back across the river to Chorupan due to their exposed positions.<br />
<br />
I corrected my poor navigation by crossing the fields, through the marshes towards Chorupan, pestered by insects along the way. I found the village but was totally confused by Pavel Gan’s map. I just couldn’t make it fit the terrain and there was no Khorupan where the map indicated. Nor was <em>Mlynov</em> where it was supposed to be or the road to <i>Rovno</i> (Rivne) for that matter. I took photos of the place all over, but was never sure what was where. Later on I found out that the map was based on an account by <em>Jaroslav Kejla</em> who was captured the same day. However, he might be excused for confusing the tourist with the location of Chorupan. Polish historical maps confirm that the village <u>was</u> where Gan put it, but there is wild confusion with regards to directions. My guess is that Chorupan suffered the same grim fate as <em>Żdżary</em> and many other villages in Volyn: a victim of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massacres_of_Poles_in_Volhynia_and_Eastern_Galicia" target="_blank">UPA’s campaign of genocide against Poles</a> in 1943-44.<br />
<br />
<i>NB! <b>Хорупань</b> is spelt <b>Chorupan</b> in Polish and Czech, and this is also how it appears on the <a href="http://lazarus.elte.hu/hun/digkonyv/topo/3felmeres.htm" target="_blank">Austro-Hungarian Military Survey</a> map from 1910. This spelling is also used in the "IR91 Chronicle" and in Österreich-Ungarns Letzter Krieg who both used Polish spelling for place names in Galicia and Volyn.</i></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L3ik1FhjXIc/TElZmiWhjVI/AAAAAAAAmQo/sYZO0QiqcW4/s1600/IMG_8271.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L3ik1FhjXIc/TElZmiWhjVI/AAAAAAAAmQo/sYZO0QiqcW4/s320/IMG_8271.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The smallest "mahasin" in the world is in Хорупань</td></tr>
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It turned out to be a very long and hot day. The current village of <i>Khorupan</i> is drawn out on a ridge above the former village. It was obvious that they had not seen many tourists there so I received a lot of attention. I had a beer by the smallest shop in the world, another few in the cafe on the miserable square where I was invited by cafe-owner Viktor. Despite the friendliness and hospitality the visit made me sad. The village epitomised post Soviet rural decay: derelict buildings, awful roads and poverty. The walk back was long and exhausting, accompanied by cows, muck, dust and swarms of biting insects. To my left was the river <i>Ikva</i> where the Russians attacked on that misty morning of September 24 1915. I should not complain about the insects. There were people who suffered worse on this forlorn spot in Volyn: hundreds of young Russians and Central Europeans fought the last battle of their lives here 95 years ago.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nlPfQurd0MY/TElaKBcNTiI/AAAAAAAAmVA/f_Yjx44dY5c/s1600/P1000847.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nlPfQurd0MY/TElaKBcNTiI/AAAAAAAAmVA/f_Yjx44dY5c/s320/P1000847.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">The railway station at Zdolbuniv,<br />
an important hub.</td></tr>
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On my final day in Dubno I took the train east to <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-2-1&lang=en#Zdolbunov" target="_blank">Zdolbuniv</a> (ru/cz Zdolbunov), an important railway junction south of Rivne (ru/cz Rovno). The prisoners were presumably driven here on foot and that they spent some time here is plausible; they may well have been waiting for rail transport onwards. I had a look around the town, and even went to the town museum and asked for the Zeman brewery. The ladies there were friendly but looked as me as if I had just landed from another planet. I guess it is not a daily occurrence in Zdolbuniv that a Norwegian tourist asks about the whereabouts of a long dead Czech brewer.<br />
<br />
Only later did I discover that there was a mix-up, and that it all started with Hašek. There existed indeed a Zeman brewery but not in Zdolbuniv; it was in Kvasyliv 5 km further north. The Zeman family had also “branched off”: in Lutsk <em><a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=4-2-1&lang=en#Václav_Zeman" target="_blank">Václav Zeman</a></em> ran a very successful operation that was in business until 1939. The exact connection between the Kvasiliv and Lutsk brewery was the family, but I have not established exactly who the brewer Zeman in Kvasyliv was. It could even be that both breweries were owned by Václav Zeman. The brewery was re-established in 2004, so i DID have a reason to stop in Lutsk after all. But that must be on the next trip. Needless to say the ladies at the town museum were unable to enlighten me on the Zeman brewery.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593468044031864831.post-53846710043103043632010-07-23T07:42:00.119+02:002023-07-09T21:07:24.494+02:00Volhynia and captivity<div align="justify">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X4-2K_rv1rI/T3IVq_00vtI/AAAAAAABA4g/e1oQAUs-5us/s1600/hasek_fronta3.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="209" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X4-2K_rv1rI/T3IVq_00vtI/AAAAAAABA4g/e1oQAUs-5us/s320/hasek_fronta3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jaroslav Hašek, presumably somewhere in Volyn</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On 2 August 1915 the 91st regiments terrible ordeal at <i>Sokal</i> came to an end. Having lost almost half of their man-power they were transferred to new position 15 km to the north, by the village of <i>Żdżary </i>where they arrived early the next morning. There were disturbing reports of disloyalty in the 11th and 73rd regiment (both Czech): soldiers had thrown their guns away during the fighting, and officers were instructed to execute on the spot anyone caught. The <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/100575989297388254163/2011KriegsgeschichteIR91II?authuser=0&feat=directlink" target="_blank">IR91 chronicle</a> also reveals that the village was ridden by cholera and the troops were strictly forbidden to drink the water or eat fruit.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TAVFBdNhQA4/T3IOLySWsjI/AAAAAAABA4I/pVHbkDn5jMs/s1600/2011+-+Kriegsgeschichte+IR91+II+-+Jomar+H%C3%B8nsi+-+Picasa+Web+Albums.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TAVFBdNhQA4/T3IOLySWsjI/AAAAAAABA4I/pVHbkDn5jMs/s320/2011+-+Kriegsgeschichte+IR91+II+-+Jomar+H%C3%B8nsi+-+Picasa+Web+Albums.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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IR91 now joined the reserves along a section of the now relatively quiet front, which went east of the Bug. On 6 August the 3rd battalion was moved east of the river for guard duty by the <i>Romosz</i> farm. On 15 August the 13th march battalion arrived and were greeted by the regimental band. It may seem insignificant, but on the list of names a certain <i>Leutnant Michalek</i> is found. He is by many believed to be partly role model for the moronic lieutenant Dub, Švejk's utterly repulsive counterpart. It is also revealed that <i>Feldkurat Eybl</i> that day held a glorious field mass, a parallel to <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=4-3-1&lang=en#Ibl" target="_blank">field chaplain Ibl</a> in Švejk. About Hašek’s own undertakings, little is known from this period. A few of his poems have been preserved - “In the reserve” and “About lice”. It is also evident from official records that he was decorated for bravery on 18 August. On this day a huge celebration took place to commemorate the Emperor’s birthday, and dignitaries from the army turned up. Hašek himself was decorated by <i>Oberstleutnant Kieswetter</i>.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G-xTT3jJZzM/T3IHrOKES0I/AAAAAAABA3k/PYmBuynWdqQ/s1600/2011+-+Kriegsgeschichte+IR91+II+-+Jomar+H%C3%B8nsi+-+Picasa+Web+Albums.png" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G-xTT3jJZzM/T3IHrOKES0I/AAAAAAABA3k/PYmBuynWdqQ/s320/2011+-+Kriegsgeschichte+IR91+II+-+Jomar+H%C3%B8nsi+-+Picasa+Web+Albums.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Windmill on fire in the honour of Franz Joseph I</td></tr>
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The celebration also had an unsavoury twist to it that no doubt would have received the author’s attention if the novel had continued this far: the soldiers had the previous night set fire to a windmill to honour the Emperor and King. No doubt the local population was so grateful for the liberation that a destroyed livelihood would be a minor and just sacrifice in honour of the Emperor and his family who had sacrificed so much for <i>them</i>. In reality the Ukrainian/Rusyn population was amongst the least loyal of all His Majesty’s subjects, and upon “liberation” in 1915 thousands of them were executed or sent to the concentration camp at <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-1-10&lang=en#Steinhof" target="_blank">Thalerhof</a> by Graz.<br />
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In the meantime <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=4-2-2&lang=en#Franz_Conrad_von_Hötzendorf" target="_blank">Conrad von Hötzendorf</a> and his staff at <b>Armeeoberkommando</b> at <i>Teschen</i> (now Cieszyn/Český Těšín) were busy planning a new offensive. The aim was to push deep into Russian territory before the winter set in and cut the important north-south railway connections between <i>Sarny</i>, <i>Rovno</i> (Rivne) and <i>Tarnopol</i> (Ternopil), and perhaps even reach <i>Kiev</i>. <br />
<br />
<div align="justify" class="quote">
Historian <b style="font-style: italic;">Norman Stone</b> observes:</div><div align="justify" class="quote"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div align="justify" class="quote"><span style="text-align: left;">Further south, the campaign ended as it had begun with an Austro-Hungarian embarrassment that, again, showed how right Falkenhayn* had been. Conrad had sought to accompany Ludendorff’s Vilna offensive with one of his own, and dreamt of a double envelopment of the twenty-five divisions of Ivanov’s front, from north and south. This took no account at all of the terrain, or the declining quality of Austrian troops. On the contrary, it was billed as ‘Black-Yellow Offensive’ it would carry the Austrians to Rovno, maybe Kiev. As Hoffmann rightly said, the Austrian high command would see sense ‘only when the knife is at their throat’. Ivanov appealed for reinforcements - sending even an eleven-page letter to the Tsar (which he did not read until March) explaining that Kiev mattered a great deal, ‘on account of the increasing numbers of pilgrims going there before the war’. But he was given only trivial reinforcement, and Conrad supposed a great victory was to be had. His troops attacked in eastern Galicia, on the Sereth, and in Volhynia. At first they made reasonable progress, taking Lutsk on 31st August. But the sick-lists rose alarmingly; transport through the marshy valleys was sometimes so slow as to be barely perceptible. Six Austro-Hungarian divisions were also removed to take part in the new Serbian offensive. In Galicia, there was a sudden reverse, with an extraordinarily high number of prisoners taken by the Russians. In Volhynia, IV Army (Archduke Joseph Ferdinand) blundered forward from Lutsk, exposing its left flank. Russians concealed themselves in the reeds and marshes, and attacked this flank between Lutsk and Rovno. By 22nd September 70,000 prisoners had been taken by the Russians, and Brusilov re-entered Lutsk. Falkenhayn had to divert to Galicia two of the Austrian divisions meant for Serbia - they had already reached Budapest - and German troops were turned south to restore the position at Lutsk. In the last days of September, Brusilov retired from Lutsk, and a line was established between it and Rovno. Conrad grumbled, after his strategic genius had once more, in his view, been betrayed: ‘We can do absolutely nothing with troops like this. Something so simple, so easy as what we planned has not been seen in the entire war, and yet we were let down’. Falkenhayn had a different verdict on these Austrian extra-tours: they were an object-lesson for Central European soldiers who thought they could defeat Russia. Austro-Hungarian losses were astonishingly high: between 1st and 25th September their force in the East fell from 500,000 to 200,000, and the proportions of loss were also remarkable - in IV Army, 30,000 ‘missing’, 10,000 wounded, 7,000 sick, 2,000 killed. It was already notable that, in the Austro-Hungarian army, twice as many officers reported sick as were wounded. In the German army, this proportion was reversed. It was good evidence of the different quality of the allied armies. Falkenhayn, not surprisingly, was glad to be relieved of the need to co-operate with Austria-Hungary on the eastern front.</span></div>
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*) <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_von_Falkenhayn" target="_blank">Erich von Falkenhayn</a>: Chief of the German General Staff 1914-1916<br />
<br />
At <i>Żdżary </i>news about the planned offensive arrived on 24 Augus. The attack duly started on 27 August and the IR91 chronicle reports that they crossed the border 6:45 in the morning. In the beginning the 1st army, which the 9th infantry division was now assigned to, made good progress. We can from the <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/100575989297388254163/2011KriegsgeschichteIR91II?authuser=0&feat=directlink" target="_blank">IR91 chronicle</a>, “<i>Das Infanterieregiment Nr. 91 am Vormarsch in Galizien</i>” easily follow Jaroslav Hašek’s route eastwards, as the movements and whereabouts of his 3rd field battalion is frequently mentioned. The battalion was still commanded by <i>Vinzenz Sagner</i> with <i>Rudolf Lukas</i> in charge of the 11th field company. Interestingly the commander of fourth field battalion, major <i>Kremžar, </i>had on September 4 <i>sich marod gemeldet (</i>reported sick<i>). </i>Compare the observations above from <i>Norman Stone</i> on the astounding number of sick officers in the k.u.k army<i> ...</i></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TyroAhVAAmo/T3ODG_aRG_I/AAAAAAABA5U/xennsItxFak/s1600/IR91.png" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="195" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TyroAhVAAmo/T3ODG_aRG_I/AAAAAAABA5U/xennsItxFak/s320/IR91.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The front on the Ikva and the 91st regiment. <br />
Map by Jaroslav Šerák.</td></tr>
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The Russians retreated quickly and by 2 September a line on the river <i>Ikva</i> was reached. The 91st regiment took up positions by <i>Pogorelcy </i>on 9 September. <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-1-14&lang=en#Dubno" target="_blank">Dubno</a> and its fortress had been abandoned by the Russsians on 8 September, an event reported even in official news bulletins from <i>Vienna</i>. On the way the regiment passed villages like <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-4-1&lang=en#Milatyn" target="_blank">Milatyn</a>, <i>Ulgowka, Torgowica</i> and <i>Mlynów</i> and was involved in several <i>Gefechte</i> on the way. The offensive however soon ground to a halt and the Russians seized the initiative. On 14 September they attacked and the positions at <a href="http://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9F%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B2%D1%96%D0%BB%D1%8C%D0%BD%D0%B5_(%D0%94%D1%83%D0%B1%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%81%D1%8C%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B9%D0%BE%D0%BD)" target="_blank">Pogorelcy </a>east of the Ikva had to be abandoned. The withdrawal took place in the night between the 17th and 18th. That night Jaroslav Hašek apparently led the whole battalion across the river Ikva, after he had used his language skill to certify where the ford was. For this deed the three years sentence he carried for desertion in <i>Királyhida</i> was allegedly quashed (<i>Radko Pytlík</i>, <a href="http://www.svejkmuseum.cz/toulave_house.htm#Sarajevo" target="_blank">Toulavé house</a>, based on information from Jan Morávek, 1924). The 91st regiment and other units from the 9th division now started to dig themselves in by <i>Chorupan</i> west of the river.</div>
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Early in the morning on 24 September the Russians attacked the new and still unfinished positions, and again the 91st regiment suffered disastrous losses. Although the Russians were pushed back behind the <i>Ikva</i> that same day, many were killed, wounded or missing. Among the missing were two soldiers from Prague: <i>Jaroslav Hašek</i> and <i>František Strašlipka</i>, friends from the time in the training camp in <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-2-3&lang=nn#Királyhida" target="_blank">Királyhida</a>. According to eyewitness accounts from <i>Rudolf Lukas</i> and <i>Jan Vaněk</i> Hašek was in no hurry to get away, and it is assumed that he simply let himself get captured. From that date traces of him temporarily disappeared, more on this in upcoming blogs.<img kronika="" /></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aeO35KRh8Fg/T3IkmAbjJEI/AAAAAAABA5I/U1lVI-Ega6Q/s1600/hasek_np_15nov15.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="63" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aeO35KRh8Fg/T3IkmAbjJEI/AAAAAAABA5I/U1lVI-Ega6Q/s400/hasek_np_15nov15.jpg" width="400" /></a>The Austro-Hungarian offensive in <i>Volyn</i> and Eastern Galicia ended in failure and again the losses were huge. This was the last large operation that the <i>Dual Monarchy</i> undertook independently, from now on their forces were placed under German command. With the eastern front now stabilising for the winter, the 91st regiment was deemed surplus to requirements and transferred to the <i>Isonzo-front</i> in Italy. In the meantime Jaroslav Hašek was “safely” interned in a miserable prisoner camp in <i>Orenburg oblast</i>, southern Ural. On 15 November 1915 there was finally a report on his fate, in his favourite newspaper <i>Narodní politika</i>. Here it was reported that <i>author Jaroslav Hašek, the well-known Czech belletrist fell in captivity at the end of September. Through this, according to "Právo lidu", all rumours about his death are disproved.</i></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593468044031864831.post-82977364855081335802010-07-22T22:52:00.008+02:002018-02-18T13:17:22.073+01:00Carnage by Sokal<div align="justify">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LwOQgNrFudY/TuEj33ahIjI/AAAAAAAA_Dc/U-jcYtz69A8/s1600/20111006114204%2521Gsur_Abwehrkampf_einer_MG_Abteilung.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="453" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LwOQgNrFudY/TuEj33ahIjI/AAAAAAAA_Dc/U-jcYtz69A8/s640/20111006114204%2521Gsur_Abwehrkampf_einer_MG_Abteilung.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;">
Abwehrkampf einer MG-Abteilung. Maschinengewehrabteilung II des Infanterieregiments Nr. 4<br />
"Hoch- und Deutschmeister" auf der Höhe Gora Sokal am Bug, 20. Juli 1915.<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19px;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19px;"><b>Karl Friedrich Gsur</b>.</span></div>
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<b>Sokal </b>is the first place where Švejk would have seen any fighting if he had ever got that far. In <i>Karel Steklý´s</i> film he actually arrives at the front and k.u.k forces are being shelled by the Russians. In this film which has been twisted towards comedy and slap-stick, Lieutenant Dub hides from the shells in a wooden shit-house. This scene has nothing to do with the novel, although some inspiration might have been drawn from <i>Karel Vaněk´s</i> continuation. So, with Švejk now finished, let us therefore return to what the author himself took part in and surely would have found place for in the novel. It is a tale of horror ...<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wti2B9l1rrY/Tv2nRQkn0MI/AAAAAAAA_Qw/sjQ62St6i_U/s1600/lonie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wti2B9l1rrY/Tv2nRQkn0MI/AAAAAAAA_Qw/sjQ62St6i_U/s320/lonie.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From VÚA (Central War Archives), Prague. History of<br />
the 91st regiment (author unknown).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Hašek and the <i>12th march batallion</i> had arrived in <i>Łonie</i> near <i>Gologory</i> on 11 July. They had left <i>Királyhida</i> on 30 June and were at arrival commanded by <i>Oberstleutnant Wenzel</i>. Until Sambor the transport was by train. How they moved onward from Sambor to Lonie is less obvious, but we must assume that it was on foot.<br />
<br />
In <i>Łonie</i> the march battalion offset the losses the 91st regiment had suffered during their advance in Galicia from early May onwards. The troops of the march battalion complemented field battalions II, III and IV of the regiment. Hašek was assigned to FBaon III, 11th company. The 91st regiment consisted of 4 battalions of which number II, III and IV were fighting on the Galician front. The 3rd field battalion was commanded by <i>Oberleutnant Sagner</i> and the 11th <i>Feldkompanie</i> by <i>Oberleutnant Lukas</i>.<br />
<br />
Note the similarities with Švejk, but also how the author freely moved formations, ranks, and people around to create his plot. In the novel the number of Švejk's march battalion is unclear, and Švejk's 11th march company seems to have its number and even some of its staff borrowed from Hašek's 11th field company, <i>post Gologory</i>. IR 91 was part of the 17th infantry brigade (IBrig 17) which again belonged to the 9th infantry division (ID 9). To complete the army S<i>chematismus: </i>this division belonged to the <i>Armeekorps XVIII </i>which in turn was part of the k.u.k Second Army, the so-called <i>Heeresgruppe Böhm-Ermolli</i>.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yfc11jLPA1c/Tt7mIHaxAKI/AAAAAAAA_DY/TiR4-udvQ1w/s1600/front1507.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yfc11jLPA1c/Tt7mIHaxAKI/AAAAAAAA_DY/TiR4-udvQ1w/s320/front1507.jpg" width="217" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
Situation by the Bug on July 15 1915.<br />
(from Österreich-Ungarns letzter Krieg).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After capturing <i>Lemberg</i> (now Lviv) on 22 June, <i>Verbündete</i> forces soon soon reached the river Bug where they consolidated their positions. But by mid-July High Command had ordered a new offensive. The objective was to cross the river Bug, recapture the parts of Galicia that were still on Russian hands and push into enemy territory before the winter set in. <i>Böhm-Ermolli</i> ordered the 9th infantry division (they had been fighting by <i>Gologory</i>) to move north behind the lines into positions by <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-4-3&lang=en#Kamionka_Strumi%C5%82owa">Kamionka Strumiłowa</a> where he planned an attack across the river Bug towards <i>Radziechów</i> (now <a href="http://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A0%D0%B0%D0%B4%D0%B5%D1%85%D1%96%D0%B2">Radekhiv</a>).<br />
<br />
The division reached the area on 17 July after breaking up from <i>Łonie</i> on the 13th. It was during this march they on 16 July passed <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-4-3&lang=en#%C5%BB%C3%B3%C5%82ta%C5%84ce">Żółtańce</a> and had a two hour <i>Rast </i>north of town, near the railway station. This break was however too short to provide material for the final chapter of Švejk, so it is likely that the author simply picked this spot from the map and filled in with facts (and fiction) from elsewhere. Otherwise his description of the fighting along the Bug is remarkably precise. After a few more stops the regiment arrived by <i>Obydów</i> on 19 July and it was from this spot they were to cross the Bug. They even started to build a bridge but were hampered by heavy rain. The attack was planned for 21 July.<br />
<br />
<div class="quote">
In documents in the Central War Archives (Prague) Hašek is listed as <i>Zugsordonnanz,</i>where his duty as a messenger was to connect the squads within his company and to other units as well. This is a function he also assigned to Švejk, but at a much earlier stage. Here we have one of several indications that the author mixed a number of facts, people and experiences from this time in the <i>11th Field Company</i> into Švejk's time in the <i>11th March Company</i>. The 11th march company never existed, the 12th march battalion consisted of four march companies, numbered I, II, III and IV (according to <i>Bohumil Vlček, Jaroslav Kejla</i>).</div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-viJ4owRFf5Q/Tv2tqfBxopI/AAAAAAAA_RI/wRc0N8Foox8/s1600/sokal2007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-viJ4owRFf5Q/Tv2tqfBxopI/AAAAAAAA_RI/wRc0N8Foox8/s320/sokal2007.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Description of the situation by Sokal on July 20.<br />
(from Österreich-Ungarns letzter Krieg). </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Further north by <i>Sokal</i>, units from the First Army had in the meantime crossed the Bug and a bridgehead was established on the eastern bank of the river. <i>Amtliche Berichte </i>from Vienna show that the battle by Sokal had been raging at least since 16 July when the <i>Bernardine monastery</i> on the western shore of the river had fallen. On 18 July German and Austrian troops crossed the river, occupied Sokal as well as the strategically important <i>Gora Sokal</i> and dug themselves in around the town.<br />
<br />
Russian commander <i>Brusilov</i> however soon recognized the vulnerability of the enemy bridgehead and ordered counter-attacks to destroy it. Gora Sokal (<i>trigonometrie </i>234, 237 and 254) was recaptured by the Russians on July 20, and <i>Paul Puhallo, </i>commander of the First Army,<i> </i>realized how serious the situation was and asked for assistance that same day. This was to provide decisive for the fate of IR91. With the the rest of the 9th infantry division (IR11, IR73, IR102) they were ordered northwards to strengthen the bridgehead and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eduard_von_B%C3%B6hm-Ermolli" target="_blank">General Böhm-Ermolli</a> had to abandon his plans for an offensive towards <i>Radziechów</i>. Instead the Second Army was left to "clean up" the area west of the river Bug.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HAuJsY02ifo/TwMO0G5oRlI/AAAAAAAA_SI/w8hmG61ZU7M/s1600/sokal2307.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HAuJsY02ifo/TwMO0G5oRlI/AAAAAAAA_SI/w8hmG61ZU7M/s320/sokal2307.jpg" width="275" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The situation in Sokal on July 23,<br />
the day the 91st regiment arrived.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
At 4:30 in the morning of 21 July the 91st regiment left their quarters near <i>Obydów</i> where they had spent the last two days. Another two days of arduous marching awaited them. They marched through <i>Mosty Wielkie</i> where they met <i>Reichsdeutsche</i> units, an event which might have inspired Hašek's description of German troops in Švejk. The weather was very warm those days after weeks of heavy rain. In the evening of the 22nd they arrived in the Sokal area and on 23 July Hašek's III. battalion was amongst those who replaced German troops south of Sokal by <i>Poturcyza</i>.<br />
<br />
With the newly arrived reinforcements, a renewed attempt to capture <i>Gora Sokal</i> was planned, and it duly started in the afternoon of 25 July. Heavy fighting continued for the next few days and the losses were terrible on both sides. In name lists, around half the names on the 11th Field Company have been ticket off as either <i>verwundet, vermisst or gefallen.</i> Amongst the casualties were three out of the four company squad leaders (Zugsführer), only <i>Kadett Hans Bigler</i> came through it unhurt. The 91st regiment managed to reach Kote 234 on the 26th, but Russian counter-attacks pushed them back and 28 and 29 July were black days. The numerical superiority of the enemy started to count. IR 4 (Hoch und Deutschmeister) had to give up <i>Kote 254</i> and IR 91 had to withdraw to a new line of defence further north by <i>Babiniec.</i> The k.u.k forces were in a desperate situation. Losses were huge, half the 91st regiment were either killed, wounded or missing. Fortunately for them the Russians unexpectedly started to withdraw on 31 July.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BofvCCufryA/TqLm7BhAMwI/AAAAAAAA9q4/4XtT9yaKbuM/s1600/sokal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BofvCCufryA/TqLm7BhAMwI/AAAAAAAA9q4/4XtT9yaKbuM/s320/sokal.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sokal and surroundings on a k.u.k military map from<br />
1910. The contested <i>Kote is 254</i> clearly visible.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The Russian pull-out had little to do with the achievements of the Austro-Hungarian forces by Sokal. The foe was still controlling <i>Kote 254</i>, but events further north dictated the outcome. German forces had broken through (general Linsingen), and the Russians decided to withdraw to the river <i>Ługa</i> for fear of being outflanked.<br />
<br />
Several of the officers who later lent their names to characters in Švejk were present at Sokal: <i>Oberleutnant</i> Rudolf Lukas, <i>Stabsfeldwebel</i> Jan Vaněk, <i>Kadett</i> Hans Bigler, <i>Oberstleutnant </i>Franz Wenzel, <i>Hauptmann </i>Vinzenz Sagner. Some of them had striking similarities with their counter-parts in the novel, and they may or may not have been pleased when their names appeared in Švejk! Another vaguely obscured real-life model was <i>Feldkurat </i>Jan Evangelista Eybl, called Ibl in the novel.<br />
<br />
According to "Gefechtsberichte" in Vienna's Kriegsarchiv, <i>Oblt. Wenzel</i> during the battle on July 27 disappeared and "took up position" in the reserve by the 4th batallion. This left the 2nd batallion without a commander, and Oberleutnant <i>Peregrin Baudisch</i> was left with the task. Sagner and Baudisch were both given credit in the same battle report that was issued a few weeks later. There was even talk of taking Wenzel and the IR91 commander, <i>Oberst Steinsberg</i>, to court after the battle. Their behaviour could at best be deemed incompetent, but cowardice is an expression that might be apt under these circumstances.</div>
<div align="justify">
<br />
In the evening of 2 August IR 91 moved to Żdżary 15km to the north and spent nearly four weeks in the reserve there. Hašek was from 1 August promoted to <i>Gefreiter</i> (lance corporal). On August 18 he and many others were decorated for bravery demonstrated during the battle by Sokal. According to Jan Morávek (<i>Večerní České Slovo</i>, September 1924) he had together with Vaněk captured 300 Russians. These were men who were glad to leave the war behind anyway, so at best Hašek “guided” them into captivity.<br />
<br />
<i>This story has later proved to be rather unsolid. His "Belohnungsantrag" was investigated in 2014 and tells a different story. He was decorated for his effort in delivering orders and reports, as well as having voluntarily undertaken risky reconnaisance duties. Moreover his encouraging of fellow soldiers is mentioned. This happened on 25 July by Poturzyce. It should also be noted that the diary of Vaněk doesn't mention the deed (which he was supposed to have taken part in).</i><br />
<div>
<br />
Sources:<br />
<ul>
<li><i>Österreich-Ungarns letzter Krieg, Band II, Teil I</i></li>
<li><i>Das Infanterieregiment Nr. 91 am Vormarsch in Galizien</i>. Type-written document from the Central War Archives (VÚA). Prague.</li>
<li><i>Jaroslav Hašek v revolučním Rusku. </i>Jaroslav Křížek.</li>
<li>ÖSTA</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div align="justify">
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Sokal', L'vivs'ka oblast, Ukraine, 8000150.4833333 24.28333329999998150.460487799999996 24.268838299999981 50.5061788 24.297828299999981tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593468044031864831.post-2439308248410849082010-07-20T20:54:00.148+02:002018-02-18T12:55:55.067+01:00Marching on without Švejk<div align="justify" class="quote">
“With the <i>Bezirkshauptmann</i> we always used to say: Patriotism, fidelity to duty, overcoming one’s self, those are the real weapons in war! I am reminding myself of it especially today when our military troops will in foreseeable time cross the borders.” </div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QcgujpzBhow/TfSbpBRKHxI/AAAAAAAA7Wg/qSsMT2UgQU8/s1600/lada_55_0117.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QcgujpzBhow/TfSbpBRKHxI/AAAAAAAA7Wg/qSsMT2UgQU8/s320/lada_55_0117.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
In an abandoned vicarage in <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-4-3&lang=en#K%C5%82odno">Klimontów</a>, these final passages of the <i>Švejk</i> novel were uttered by the perennially moronic <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=4-3-1&lang=en#Dub">Lieutenant Dub</a>, a caricature of a Czech monarchist, albeit one with a certain position in society. His final words makes one think of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Johnson">Samuel Johnson’s</a> famous sound-bite: “patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel”. Whether Hašek here was building up to a Johnson-like ridicule of patriotism in general we will never know. The likelihood is that it was the Austrian patriot in particular he mocked, not the dis-united patriots of (the rest of) the world. Hašek was himself a Czech patriot but was not adverse to shitting in the nest of other patriots (or in anybody's nest for that matter).<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
After this abrupt and tragic end of Švejk it was time to wonder: What is the likely direction the novel would have taken if the author had lived on? Hašek did leave some clues. The advertising posters for the first instalment of Švejk reveals that the plot was also to take place in Russia during the civil war, so we can safely assume that Švejk would continue to follow his creator’s journey, more or less accurately. Another important indication is the farewell scene in <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-2-3&lang=nn#Kir%C3%A1lyhida" target="_blank">Királyhida</a> between Švejk and Vodička. Here it is clear that the author intends his hero to return home safely. An even more direct statement is found in the introduction to Book One. Here Hašek writes that “<i>Nowadays, you can run into a shabby man in the streets of Prague who himself has no idea of the significance he actually has in the history of the great new era</i>”. So Švejk <b>had </b>obviously returned. But where apart from <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-1-0&lang=en#Praha">Prague</a> did the author intend his hero to appear? There is only one other place that is mentioned explicitly: <i>Sokal</i>. This is stated both in the chapter header “From <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-2-3&lang=nn#Bruck_an_der_Leitha" target="_blank">Bruck an der Leitha</a> to Sokal” and also later when the soldiers are skinning the “unskinnable” cow in <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-4&lang=nn#Liskowate">Liskowiec </a>(chapter<i> Marschieren Marsch</i>). This is, however, only part of the story; the pure geographical direction the plot. Just as important (or even more so) is: Who would have been at the receiving end of the authors biting satire hereafter? He had almost left his <i>bête noire</i> Austria-Hungary and there were still nearly three more volumes planned ...</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify">
Naturally <a href="http://www.honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-1-14&lang=en#Sokal">Sokal</a> was to become my next stop although I didn´t follow Hašek´s route in detail. That would have meant quite a cumbersome detour via <i>Holohory </i>to <a href="http://www.honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-4-3&lang=en#Kamionka_Strumi%C5%82owa">Kamianka-Buzka</a> and several smaller places the soldiers stopped at when walking from <i>Holohory</i> to <i>Sokal</i> between 11 July and 22 July 1915. The battle by Sokal raged from 15 to 31 July and Hašek's regiment arrived in the region on the 22nd (more on the battle itself in the next blog entry). The route is described in some detail in Jaroslav Křížek´s <i>Jaroslav Hašek</i> <i>v revolučnim Rusku</i>, but I didn't have the information available at the time.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YpmSi7K9EeI/TElY_wjUn7I/AAAAAAAAmMs/lTx5rXQpaek/s1600/P1000821.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YpmSi7K9EeI/TElY_wjUn7I/AAAAAAAAmMs/lTx5rXQpaek/s320/P1000821.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ivan and Maria Strilets.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Instead of trying to retrace too much of the author's chequered journey, I did a short-cut. From Lviv´s <i>Автостанція 2. </i>I took the by now familiar mini-bus route 80 km north to Sokal. Along the roads there were signs to a few places which readers of Svejk might recognise: <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-1-13&lang=en#Rawa_Ruska">Rava-Ruska</a>, <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-4&lang=en#Mosty_Wielkie">Velyki Mosty</a>, <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-4-3&lang=en#Kamionka_Strumi%C5%82owa">Kamianka-Buzka</a> and <i>Sokal </i>itself.<br />
<br />
When I arrived in Sokal that baking hot afternoon I even managed to jump off at the wrong bus-stop. But with remote assistance from Munich (and a huge phone bill), I found my destination in the end. It was <i>Petruševska 47</i> and the good people receiving the visitor there were <i>Ivan </i>and <i>Maria Strilets</i>.<br />
<br />
This was my third visit to their home. The first was in 2004 on my make-shift Švejk-trip. Their house is on the southern outskirts of town, right by <i>Sokal Hora</i> where some of the fiercest fighting took place in July 1915. I even had a room with a view across to the former battlefield. Although the name suggests a mountain, it is actually a low hill which reaches 254 metres above sea level. The fact that I was staying in this particular house had everything to to do with <i>Pavel Gan</i> who I had visited in Munich back in early May (see <a href="http://anabase-en.blogspot.com/2010/06/more-important-than-lonely-planet.html">More important than Lonely Planet</a>). Maria and Ivan are in fact his parents in-law. The lady in Munich who had guided me there by phone was their daughter <i>Larissa</i>.</div>
<div align="justify">
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fXy0gGJU_OA/TElY2PPHmvI/AAAAAAAAmLU/0lmmiSF7ZmU/s1600/P1000804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fXy0gGJU_OA/TElY2PPHmvI/AAAAAAAAmLU/0lmmiSF7ZmU/s320/P1000804.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sokal hora</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Sitting there watching cooling rain-showers sweep across Sokal Hora, it was time to ponder the improbable chain of events that led me to this spot on earth in the first place. These are important events as they also (partly) explain why I’m doing this six-month trip at all.<br />
<br />
I don't remember exactly when I got it into my head to do a Švejk-trip, but I recollect how I was inspired by maps in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecil_Parrott">Cecil Parrott</a>’s translation of Švejk. Preparing for the trip in 2004 I set about locating the spots I found on Parrott’s map. This proved to be an enormous challenge, particularly in Galicia. I was at the time unaware of the misspellings in the novel, and I knew little about name changes that had taken place since. Places in the Ukraine (names written in Cyrillic) further complicated the issue.<br />
<br />
I started off by Googling, but without much luck. Still, the omnipresent search-engine led me to the web-sites of <i>Zenny Sadlon</i> (<a href="http://zenny.com/">zenny.com</a> and <a href="http://svejkcentral.com/">svejkcentral.com</a>). I sent Sadlon an e-mail and although his geo-awareness didn’t extend to Galicia of 1915 he kindly forwarded what was to prove an immensely useful e-mail address; that of <i>Pavel Gan</i>. I wrote to Pavel and although I didn't get the specific geographical information I asked for, I got a lot more: photos, the story of his own research on Hašek and an invitation to visit his wife and in-laws in Sokal during the course of the journey. So I did, and this invitation indeed had a lot to do with my stay at <i>Petruševska 47</i> now in July 2010. It was also from Larissa and Pavel I heard that the Hašek family had taken over <a href="http://www.hasektour.cz/">Česká koruna</a> at Lipnice. On hearing that I decided to pay the venerable hostelry a visit. Without that visit I would never have been invited to the 2008 Hašek-conference, and would never had got the inspiration to carry out this journey. The circle was complete.</div>
<div align="justify">
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xKLmB1qE0UQ/TqLhW41MAdI/AAAAAAAA9qw/pZavCYWP5TM/s1600/gan_sokal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="2" height="209" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xKLmB1qE0UQ/TqLhW41MAdI/AAAAAAAA9qw/pZavCYWP5TM/s320/gan_sokal.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pavel Gan by Sokal hora, a few years back</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Pavel Gan also has another connection to Sokal. The following information is extracted from his book “<i>Osudy humoristy Jaroslava Haška v říši carů a komisařů</i>”, (epilogue) where he explains how he got so captivated by Jaroslav Hašek.<br />
<br />
Gan’s father was born in nearby <i>Borjatyn</i> and was a serving soldier in the k.u.k Army. Just like Hašek he was a one-year volunteer, but apart from that his career took a different course. He was loyal to the <i>Dual Monarchy</i> to the very end, and Gan puts in a good word for Austria-Hungary in this section. According to Gan his father and his fellow Ukrainians were far better off than in Imperial Russia where a decree from prime minister <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyotr_Stolypin">Stolypin</a> (1910) stated that no Ukraine or Ukrainians existed. Instead there were was the interesting entity "Little Russia", which was incidentally inhabited by “Little Russians”. <i>It should be noted that the term Little Russia was commonly used at the time, even by Ukrainians (JH). </i><br />
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Gan also describes the Dual Empire’s enlightened rule of law which compared favourably to both contemporary and future regimes in the region. After the war, Gan’s father emigrated to Czechoslovakia, where Pavel was born in 1933. Due to their Jewish roots, the family had to move several times from 1938 to 1945. Gan’s interest for Hašek started in the fifties during his studies in Brno. One of his main themes is how the communist authorities filtered information about the author to make him fit the image of a good communist. Gan has himself dug out a lot of information that contradicts this view. This is evident both in his book and also in the papers he has published.</div>
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The two days in <i>Sokal </i>were spent walking around town and not the least eating! I felt I never had the slightest chance to even get slightly hungry. Maria complained I was too skinny and when I was starting to get full I heard the the words “ješč” and “davaj” and I understood that I was supposed to be hungry still, and had to make it good by another portion of <i>vareniky</i>, <i>salat </i>and <i>kura</i>. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gL9a8ujL7Tg/TElY-aVTSiI/AAAAAAAAmMc/Sm7YrFMYi00/s1600/P1000817.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gL9a8ujL7Tg/TElY-aVTSiI/AAAAAAAAmMc/Sm7YrFMYi00/s320/P1000817.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ruined synagogue</td></tr>
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<br />
I had plenty of time to visit the former synagogue where IR 91 had their HQ in July 1915 (<i>not confirmed, JH 2012</i>). Nowadays it is a sad sight and another chilling testimony to the Holocaust.<br />
<br />
Of interest is also the <i>Bernardine Monasterry</i> which now serves as a prison. On 16 July 1915 k.u.k forces captured the monastery, an event which was reported even in official <i>Berichte</i> from Vienna. <i>Kote</i> 254, the summit of <i>Sokal Hora</i>, is still there of course. The hill is mainly scrub-land and was a very peaceful spot early that July morning in 2010.<br />
<br />
It was hard to imagine that this was hell on earth exactly 95 years ago, a carnage which killed and maimed thousands of young men, mainly from Vienna (IR.4 "Hoch- und Deutschmeister") and Bohemia (IR91 "Papageienregiment"), not to mention the Russian 8th Army. <i>Jaroslav Hašek</i> was amongst the lucky ones who survived, but unfortunately he didn't lived long enough to tell his story.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593468044031864831.post-27867894142795451932010-07-18T21:10:00.006+02:002022-02-19T09:16:56.865+01:00Meta-text about a meta-text<div align="justify">
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Every major literary creation produces secondary literature which in sheer volume often surpasses the original text many times over. These <em>meta-texts</em> (text about the text) can roughly be separated in two categories: interpretation and fact-finding. The first discipline is generally carried out by literary experts whereas the second is more the domain of historians, both professional and amateurs. I consider myself belonging to the latter group and I have spent endless hours digging out historical and geographical facts and <em>pseudo-facts</em> on which backdrop Jaroslav Hašek created his epic satire. The result is a web-project which is far from finished. The database will in the end contain over 800 geographical entries and nearly 600 biographies on real as well as fictive persons. Švejk also contains other items that could be categorised: literary references, food and drink, ethnic groups, military terms, obsolete terms, historical events, just to name some of the possibilities.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Literary historian Antonín Měšt'an</td></tr>
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One of the most important sources for my web-based “factography” on the Švejk novel was written by <a href="http://www.slovnikceskeliteratury.cz/showContent.jsp?docId=512" target="_blank">Antonín Měšt’an</a><em></em> of <i>Universität Freiburg</i> in 1983 in connection with the 100th anniversary the of author's birth. It is an impressive study titled: <em>Realien und Pseudo-realien in Hašek's Švejk</em>. It filled out many of the holes in my own data, and also gave valuable insight into the novel's misspellings, and how it could be fruitful to start working from the facts given about a certain item, rather than using the written name as the starting point.<br />
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<em><a href="http://www.hplqr.de/" target="_blank">Hans-Peter Laqueur</a></em> had then already made me aware of another of Měštan’s studies, <em>Ještě jednou o Švejkovi</em>. in: <em>Proměny (Washington) 19 (1982) Nr. 1, 25-28.</em> With this paper Antonín Měšt’an provides a detailed study on the chronology of The Good Soldier Švejk. Although the paper also covers other themes, I will spend the rest of this blog entry commenting on Měšt'an's analysis of time-related aspects of the novel. I hope this can serve as a complement to Měšt'an's study.</div>
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Accuracy of quotes</h5>
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As much as I had appreciated <em>Realien und Pseudo-realien</em>, the bigger was my disappointment with <em>Ještě jednou o Švejkovi</em>. It starts off worryingly as early as the summary of the plot: at times it seems that Měšt'an hasn’t read the book properly. There are a surprising number of mis-quotes, for instance that Bretschneider led Švejk directly to the Salmova ulice police station, and that the regiment walked all the way from <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-3&lang=en#Palota" target="_blank">Palota</a> to the front. A further problem is that many historical facts of significance have been overlooked, leading to the erroneous conclusion that the plot in Švejk is chronologically consistent with historical events. </div>
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From Sarejevo to Mödling via Střelecký Ostrov</h5>
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<span style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Měšt'an's </span>analysis works its way from the few dates quoted in the novel: 20 December 1914 and 23 May 1915 and also draws on cited and verifiable historical events that run parallel to the plot. Amongst these are 28 June 1914 (Sarajevo assasination) and 29 July 1914 (declararation of war on Serbia). Up to December 1914 the study is convincing. Still it could have been noted that <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=4-1-7&lang=nn#Dr_Bautze" target="_blank">Dr Bautze</a> had already served 10 weeks when Švejk appeared at <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-1-7&lang=en#St%C5%99eleck%C3%BD_ostrov" target="_blank">Střelecký ostrov</a>, and we could from that assume that he was called up in October 1914. Another odd timing discrepancy occurs (unrelated to the plot): <em>Obrlajtnant</em> <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=4-1-11&lang=en#Witinger" target="_blank">Witinger</a> ran 40 km Vienna-Mödling in 1 hours 48 minutes, a pseudo-marathon record that has yet to be broken.</div>
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Wendler and <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=4-1-14&lang=en#Jind%C5%99ich_Luk%C3%A1%C5%A1" target="_blank">Lukáš</a></h5>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sE57JhAV3JU/Tf-9v_qt5zI/AAAAAAAA8nk/iGEK7KMUtk4/s1600/Kloosterhoek+panorama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sE57JhAV3JU/Tf-9v_qt5zI/AAAAAAAA8nk/iGEK7KMUtk4/s320/Kloosterhoek+panorama.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hašek moved the events at Klosterhoek back at least<br />
four months.</td></tr>
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The next quoted date is 20 December 1914 when Lukáš and hop-trader Wendler have their conversation which involves an impressive array of references to places, breweries, battles and real historical events. Lukáš informs Wendler that <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=4-1-14&lang=en#Otto_Liman_von_Sanders" target="_blank">Liman von Sanders</a> has been appointed commander of the <em>Dardanneles</em> army. This only happened later, in March 1915. Wendler then reels off the names of places related to battles where breweries have been destroyed: <em>Klosterhoek, Coimbres, Woevre, Niederaspach, Lamarche, Mulhouse, Vosges</em>. Official war bulletins from early April 1915 all mention these places. My assumption is that Hašek simply copied these names from newspapers or other material he had at hand, mixed them into the plot and freely moved the events back a few months. It seems unlikely that he remembered such details 6 years after: details from Wendler's desperate tirade are almost word for word identical to weekly war summaries printed in <i>Národní Politika</i> on April 4 and April 11 1915. There is another anomaly in this part of the novel. Wendler exclaims: "What about San Giuliano? Is he asleep or what?" <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=4-1-14&lang=en#Grev_San_Giuliano" target="_blank">Count San Giuliano</a> died on 16 October 1914 so he was clearly “asleep”. Was this a deliberate pun by Hašek or simply careless use of facts?</div>
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Mishaps on the train</h5>
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On the train from Prague to <em>Tábor</em> there is a further chance of hooking the plot up to real life, which escaped Měštan. Lukáš reads in "Bohemia" about the German submarine 'E' which has great success in the Mediterranean. Here he would have discovered that there where no German U-boats in the Mediterranean in 1914, and if there had been any they would have been called something starting with 'U' and followed by a number (Hans-Peter Laqueur). </div>
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Anabase</h5>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Švejk was in Putim twice on his anabasis.</td></tr>
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The famous "Švejkova budějovicka anabase" has no reference to concurrent historical events so there is no problem whereas to when it started and ended. The problem is more its duration. Měštan concludes that our hero walked 200 km (Jaroslav Šerák estimates 160). I did a retrace of the route in 2010 and there is no way that it could have been done in 72 hours as Měštan concludes. It is possible to walk 67 km in 24 hours of course, but Švejk also slept in the Schwarzenberg shep-house and spent a long time at Putim gendarmerie station. Back in 2010 my aching feet made me painfully aware of Hašek's disregard for time and space.<br />
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Měštan's three day estimate is logical based on the description in the novel, but he and Hašek have ignored the physical limitation of Švejk's undertaking. Nor does he note that the route described in the novel does not correspond to what Švejk later described during interrogation. The departure from <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-2-2&lang=en#%C4%8Cesk%C3%A9_Bud%C4%9Bjovice" target="_blank">České Budějovice</a> seems to be related to a specific event: there is talk about the execution of <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=4-2-3&lang=en#Josef_Kudrna" target="_blank">Josef Kudrna</a>, which happened on 7 May 1915. This indicates that the author already has aligned Švejk’s journey with his own. According to local newspapers the replacement battalion of the 91st infantry regiment left for <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-2-3&lang=nn#Kir%C3%A1lyhida" target="_blank">Királyhida</a> on 1 June (the dates given by Pytlík, Vlček and Kejla vary but are all in May). As we shall see this chronological “alignment” was briefly cancelled in Budapest. <em>Radko Pytlík</em> also mentions this anomaly in his book <i>Kniha o Švejkovi. </i></div>
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The War Grave Commission</h5>
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The next discrepancy between the timing of the plot and historical events takes place in Budapest. The date here is exactly given: 23 May 1915 and Italy has just declared war on Austria-Hungary. The company was given post-cards with war grave motives from Sedlisko (<a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-2&lang=en#Siedliska" target="_blank">Siedliska</a>) instead of the promised 15 deka of <i>Emmental </i>cheese. The war cemeteries are made by the "shirker one-year volunteer Scholz" (<a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=4-3-2&lang=en#Heinrich_Scholz" target="_blank">Heinrich Scholz</a>). The problem is that the cemeteries at Siedliska didn't exists at the time. Siedliska had just been liberated, and the war grave commission was only instigated in November 1915. The post-cards may have been printed even later, probably in 1916. This is another example of Hašek not bothering with aligning his "realia" with reality. Again Měštan overlooks this in his timing analysis.</div>
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The long trip to Sanok and Marschieren Marsch</h5>
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In <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-4&lang=nn#Sanok" target="_blank">Sanok</a> it is reported that they are 150 km behind the lines which stretch from Brody to Bug and onwards to Sokal. This was the situation at the front in early to mid-July, not the end of May. So somewhere between Budapest and Sanok five weeks have disappeared without a trace.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Between Sanok and Tyrawa Wołoska,<br />
not the Galician flatlands.</td></tr>
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Onwards from Sanok the timing impossibility from the anabase repeats itself. To start at Sanok 17:30 and arrive in Liskowiec (<a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-4&lang=en#Liskowate" target="_blank">Liskowate</a>) the same night is physically impossible for anyone but a marathon runner. The march battalion had horse-pulled carts, the roads were bad, they could not possibly have done it like the novel describes. (Also, they had been sitting on a train for about a week and had to get used to marching again). A further note of interest from <em>Liskowiec</em> is that the cherries are ripe, very unlikely at the end of May.<br />
<br />
This chapter also contains anomalies with respect to geography. There is talk of the "Galician flat-lands with mountains to the south" just after Sanok, but the area is actually very hilly. The soldiers are said to have followed a stream down to <em>Liskowiec</em>, but the village is right on the watershed. The catholic vicarage didn't exists, at least not around 1890. There is also a reference to a <i>zamek (chateau)</i> in Krościenko, but none seem to have existed.<br />
<br />
This paves way for the hypothesis that the chapter may have been moved not only in time but also is space. <em>Jaroslav Křížek</em> and <i>Radko Pytlík</i> both claim that Hašek's company actually took this route, but provide no evidence. Did the author actually take inspiration from his experiences further east in Galicia where the landscape is flat with the Carpathians to the south and get the geographical detail for the chapter from a map? To further support this hypotheses it should be noted that in "The good soldier Švejk in captivity", the 12. march battalion go all the way to Sambor by train. This version is actually more credible as the author presumably had less material available when he wrote it and thus relied more on his own experiences (and memory).<br />
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<i>On 26 November 2012 accounts by Jan Morávek finally became available to the author of this blog (based on conversation with Rudolf Lukas and Jan Vaněk's diary) and Bohumil Vlček. These confirm that the 12th march battalion of IR91, as one would expect, travelled to Sambor by train. It is not even clear if they ever visited Sanok, probably not. Their accounts are supported by documents from Vienna's "Kriegsarchiv".</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>In 2014 Jan Vaněk's priceless diaries very discovered in Kralupy and confirms the route, and adds: departure from Királyhida 30 June 8:15 PM, stop in Humenné 2 July, approaching Sambor 4 July.</i></div>
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Švejk captured</h5>
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Švejk can not possibly have been in <i>Przemyśl</i> on 3 June like Měštan concludes. The city was in Russian hands until that very date. He has also ignores the report from Przemyśl that Švejk was captured on “the 16th this month”, presumably meaning 16 June. The latter date could have been possible, the area around Felsztyn (Skelivka) was reconquered already in mid May. The assertion that Švejk arrived in <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-4-3&lang=en#%C5%BB%C3%B3%C5%82ta%C5%84ce" target="_blank">Żółtańce</a> in mid-June likewise does not take historical facts into account:. Lemberg (Lviv) was reconquered by the Austrians on 22 June, and Żółtańce the <a href="http://www.stahlgewitter.com/15_06_23.htm" target="_blank">day after</a>.</div>
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Did Hašek intend to let Švejk catch him up?</h5>
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When preparing the wretched cow in Liskowiec it is clear that the plot is going to catch up with the real world at Sokal, i.e from 22 July. Hašek himself arrived at <i>Żółtańce </i>on 16 July. We must assume that Švejk and his author were by now "synchronised". One of the chapter headers also read "From Bruck an der Leitha to Sokal", a further indication of the intended direction of the plot.</div>
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Conclusion</h5>
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<em>Antonín Měšt'an attempts at analysing the information of the time sequences in the novel is appreciated but far from convincing. He concludes that the plot is logical and coherent from a chronological point of view, which is clearly not the case. This conclusion further cements Hašek's reputation as an author who paid extreme attention to accuracy and historical facts. His reputation in this respect is probably exaggerated, something that Cecil Parrott pointed out in his his book "The Good Soldier Švejk and the short stories": "Hašek wrote carelessly and hardly bothered to proof-read his own manuscripts". </em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>The main impression is that Hašek didn’t care much about chronology at all, and that Měšt'an fails to notice this. The plot is hooked up to specific dates only three times, whereas there are around eight hundred geographical references throughout the novel. This speaks volumes about the author's priorities with regards to references. </em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Hašek would surely also have ridiculed Jomar Hønsi and other meta-text authors who tend to interpret his satirical tour de force as more of a historical document than it really is. </em><em>Analysing people and places in Švejk is difficult enough, attempting the time-line can only partly make sense. There are just too many contradictions. Still Antonín Měšt'an's paper is an interesting contribution to the studies of the "realia" behind Švejk.</em></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593468044031864831.post-71735410381550380572010-07-17T18:22:00.211+02:002023-07-09T21:32:53.287+02:00Orange flags<div align="justify">
<i>This blog-entry is entirely off-topic. It refers to events that took place in western Ukraine during WWII. An excellent introduction to this part of history appeared in <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1992/10/11/weekinreview/a-life-as-prisoner-of-europe-s-hatreds.html?cp=1&sq=UPA%20Ukraine&st=cse&pagewanted=1">New York Times</a> in 1992. Jaroslav Hašek never lived to experience the OUN/UPA underground fighters, but from his time in the Red Army he would have been familiar with their opponents NKVD, or rather their predecessor, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheka">Cheka</a>. In the final chapter of Švejk, </i><i>Hašek touches on the ethnic conflicts in Galicia which were later to lead to the tragedies described below.</i></div>
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An enigma solved</h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vasyl Pazynyak in 2010</td></tr>
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One morning in July 2010 I met <i>Vasyl Pazynyak</i> (<a href="https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9F%D0%B0%D0%B7%D0%B8%D0%BD%D1%8F%D0%BA_%D0%92%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%BB%D1%8C_%D0%A1%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BF%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%87" target="_blank">Василь Пазиняк</a>) who I had got to know six years earlier in this same city, in <a href="http://www.honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-4-3&lang=en#Lw%C3%B3w">Lviv</a>. That morning Vasyl took me to a <i>mahasin</i>, bought some horse-meat and we sat down in the garden of a pub behind my ugly hotel to enjoy the meat and a few Ukrainian <i>Staropramen</i>. Six years ago I had taken part in a some celebration, and for six years I had been in the dark where I actually had been that day in 2004.<br />
<br />
Pointing at my map Vasyl revealed where it was: the place was called <a href="http://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9F%D0%B8%D1%80%D1%8F%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BD_(%D0%96%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BA%D1%96%D0%B2%D1%81%D1%8C%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B9%D0%BE%D0%BD)">Pyriatyn</a> (Пирятин), a tiny village near <a href="http://www.honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-1-13&lang=en#Rava-Ruska">Rava-Ruska</a> (Рава-Руська<i>)</i> on the Polish border. In 1944 a little known atrocity had taken place in that village and since 2004 I had searched the internet for information, browsed maps, asked experts, all in vain.</div>
<h2 align="justify">
19 August 2004 </h2>
<div align="justify">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uCpwLVgSC2g/SIdY3s-cK1I/AAAAAAAADxM/byeeqr-LZx8/s1600/P1010073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uCpwLVgSC2g/SIdY3s-cK1I/AAAAAAAADxM/byeeqr-LZx8/s320/P1010073.JPG" width="240" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Пирятин memorial chapel.</td> </tr>
</tbody></table>
That date will stick in my mind forever. I was on my first Švejk-trip and was spending a few days in <i>Lviv</i>. I had been put in contact with <i>Vasyl</i> and <i>Anna Korol</i> who both had been busy most of 18 August, showing the tourist their city. I didn't know their language, so it was for me merely a visual experience. It is mentally exhausting to try to concentrate and listen to a language when most of what was said was guesswork. It may sound ungrateful but I was relieved to be left alone when the day was over. That said, I appreciated the generosity and friendliness. It was also clear that I had been invited to some event the next day but for this illiterate foreigner it was impossible to decipher exactly what this was about.<br />
<br />
Despite my unequal struggle with the Ukrainian language I duly turned up by the <a href="http://www.oblrada.lviv.ua/" target="_blank">Львівська обласна рада</a> (Lviv Regional Council) the next morning. <i>Dr Pazynyak</i> was a council deputy and I was led to a chauffeur-driven white <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volga_(automobile)" target="_blank">Volha</a></i> limousine where we all took our place. Off we went out into the countryside. I was dressed as a tourist and suddenly became acutely conscious of it, sitting in my shorts and sandals in an official limousine from <i>Lviv oblast</i>, being transported at the expense of Ukrainian tax-payers. After about an hours drive we took off onto a minor road and ended up by a small chapel in an opening in the pine forest. I still didn't know where I was, but judging by the number of people there (and how they were dressed) it was an official occasion.</div>
<h2 align="justify">
Religion and politics</h2>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-62OXOE_RSu4/SIdY9ADbnpI/AAAAAAAADx4/Cc8KYPH-Vps/s1600/P1010079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-62OXOE_RSu4/SIdY9ADbnpI/AAAAAAAADx4/Cc8KYPH-Vps/s320/P1010079.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
The place seemed to be called something like <i>Pyriatyn </i>and people in national customs appeared everywhere. Blue and yellow Ukrainian flags were flying and to my surprise there were also many elderly men in uniforms. Several other flags were waved, and particularly conspicuous was a red and black one. Then there were orange banners decorated with for me incomprehensible slogans, written in Cyrillic script. In the scorching heat a religious service got under way (I assume it was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_Greek_Catholic_Church" target="_blank">Greek Catholic</a>). I understood that it was some extraordinary event, as there were tears in the eyes of the old <i>babušy</i> and the uniform-clad veterans. I was told that the men in green were <i>patrioty</i> and that the black and red flags was that of <i>UPA</i>, an entity that on 19 August 2004 for me was entirely unknown. <br />
<br />
After the end of the religious service there were speeches held by politicians; first Vasyl and then a deputy from the national parliament in Kiev. The deputy soon became agitated and I picked up the words <i>kriminalny banditsky klan</i>. It was by now clear that the religious service had metamorphosed into a political gathering. Orange banners appeared in numbers and I was explained the meaning of the slogans, of which the most visible one was <b>Tak! Ющенко</b> (<i>Yes! Yushchenko</i>). Who the latter was I still didn’t know but it was obvious that the <i>criminal gang of bandits</i> was the regime of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonid_Kuchma" target="_blank">Leonid Kuchma</a> in <i>Kiev</i>, and that this <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viktor_Yushchenko" target="_blank">Yushchenko</a> who we were saying <b>Yes! </b>to was an opposition politician and an altogether cleaner man. The rest is history of course but I had no ideas of the significance of it at the time … <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YOs6-pj0k78/SIdZC_Sk5tI/AAAAAAAADyg/C_tQcUVNR4k/s1600/P1010084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YOs6-pj0k78/SIdZC_Sk5tI/AAAAAAAADyg/C_tQcUVNR4k/s320/P1010084.JPG" width="320" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vasyl speaking by Пирятин, 19 August 2004.</td> </tr>
</tbody></table>
As the speeches ended, another transition occurred. The <i>Горі́лка</i> (vodka) started to flow, huge amounts of food appeared and people gathered in groups in the forest to sing songs about “Ukrainske lesy”, “Naše Ukraina”, and “Volyn”. An older man, also called <i>Vasyl</i>, was so engulfed in patriotism and <i>horilka </i>that he stepped onto the tomatoes and eggs on the blanket in front of him, loudly declaring his reverence for his dear motherland. The Ukrainian hospitality which I since have learned to appreciate was on full show. The guest was treated like a king even though a lady wondered why he was so “nirepresentantny” (unrepresentatively) dressed. In the forest there were groups of people enjoying themselves, eating, drinking and singing. A man, pointing at some singing and mead-drinking women, told me that drinking mead would make you mad, make you sing, and even make you fart (med, med, prt, prt).<br />
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I still had other things to ponder; it wasn't clear to my why a religious service and political gathering was held in such an unlikely place. That it had to do with events 60 years ago I had grasped, but not exactly what. But during the service the grim faces and the tears in the eyes of the old <i>babušy</i> and <i>dědušy</i> revealed the gravity of it, and it soon became clearer: a tragedy took place here back on 19 August 1944. Amongst the people participating today were survivors of an atrocity, almost all of them had lost relatives, mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QWnShdEEhyw/SIdZGHGF0bI/AAAAAAAADy8/ZQ6l4uBknrI/s1600/P1010088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QWnShdEEhyw/SIdZGHGF0bI/AAAAAAAADy8/ZQ6l4uBknrI/s320/P1010088.JPG" width="320" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ignorant tourist dragged into politics.</td> </tr>
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We were soon taken to a banquet in the village hall, and for I while I feared that I would drown in a sea of <i>horilka</i>and hospitality, but thanks to copious amounts of food and pickled gherkins I kept my head above water. There were more speeches and Vasyl presented the unlikely guest from Norway, and induced me to hold a short speech. I was petrified, standing there <i>nirepresentantny</i> dressed, but obliged. I thanked my hosts for the hospitality and was given a hint that I ought to round it off with a few choice expressions: <i>Slava Ukraini</i>, <i>Za svobodnu Ukrainu</i> a <i>za Yushchenko</i>. I had no problem with toasting to a free Ukraine of course but I still didn't know who this Yushchenko was...</div>
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The return of NKVD</h2>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z16sRHYVSmA/SIeDAQ-48cI/AAAAAAAAD1w/6u1eHxCujSM/s1600/P1010111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z16sRHYVSmA/SIeDAQ-48cI/AAAAAAAAD1w/6u1eHxCujSM/s320/P1010111.JPG" width="240" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The list of victims.</td> </tr>
</tbody></table>
The whole day had been a genuinely moving experience and there in the village hall I finally understood why we were here. On the wall there was a exhibition commemorating the tragedy that took place 60 years ago on this day. The Red Army had driven the enemy out of western Ukraine and <i>Pax Sovietica</i> was reintroduced. But not before the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NKVD" target="_blank">NKVD</a>-troops following in the rear of the regular army had performed their “clean-up operations”. That meant punishing anyone who was suspected of co-operating with the enemy, whether it be the Nazis, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_Insurgent_Army" target="_blank">Ukrainian Insurgence Army</a> (UPA) or even the Polish Home Army, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armia_Krajowa" target="_blank">Armia Krajowa</a> (AK). The village didn't know what horrors were in store for them that day. The men were rounded up and executed, branded as counter-revolutionaries and fascists. Only those who happened to be out working on the fields survived. The number of victims totalled 68. This was to teach UPA-sympathizers a brutal lesson and it is just one of many atrocities NKVD-troops committed during the re-conquest of western Ukraine that year.</div>
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</div>
<h2 align="justify">
Banderivtsi </h2>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wG7fmDaV4LE/SIdZD7hyLDI/AAAAAAAADyo/PKzPABWhiog/s1600/P1010085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wG7fmDaV4LE/SIdZD7hyLDI/AAAAAAAADyo/PKzPABWhiog/s320/P1010085.JPG" width="320" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UPA veterans at Пирятин, 2004.</td> </tr>
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Even there in the village hall I didn't know what this organisation UPA with it’s black and red flag was, an organisation who is obviously held in high esteem in western Ukraine.<br />
<br />
But after my return home I started to investigate who the people with red black and red flags were. Slowly a sinister picture emerged. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organization_of_Ukrainian_Nationalists" target="_blank">Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists</a> (OUN), was created as a reaction to Polish repression and discrimination during the inter-war period. They carried out acts of sabotage and assassinations, both against prominent Poles and moderate Ukrainians. The aim was an ethnically clean, totalitarian Ukrainian nation state. The Polish reaction was heavy-handed; collective punishment hit whole communities, an act that further fueled animosity between the two peoples. OUN obviously were in conflict with the Soviet Union as well, but were less effective against the more ruthless Stalinist regime. After the Soviet invasion of Galicia in September 1939, the OUN leadership, headed by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stepan_Bandera" target="_blank">Stepan Bandera</a> fled to <i>Kraków</i> and for the next four years they co-operated with Nazi Germany whose ideology they to a degree shared.<br />
<br />
The Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941 led to another twist. ONU declared an independent Ukraine, but the leaders were immediately arrested and deported to Germany. Bandera himself spent the next three year at <i>Spandau prison</i> and in <i>Sachsenhausen</i>. The Nazis would not tolerate a rival centre of power, but OUN and the Nazis still continued to co-operate. In 1943 UPA, the armed wing of the Bandera faction of OUN, was formed. Armed resistance against the Nazis became widespread. <i>Banderivtsi</i> also carried out <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massacre_of_Poles_in_Volhynia" target="_blank">massacres on Poles</a> in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volhynia" target="_blank">Volyn</a> and Galicia. There were armed encounters with Armia Krajowa, who in turn killed many Ukrainians. Czechs were also among the UPA victims in Volyn, so were many ethnic Ukrainians. The Polish question is perhaps the darkest chapter in OUN's violent history. Its members also took part in massacring of Jews, although it has been claimed that UPA also had Jewish members. It adds up to a tragic and confusing picture, with shifting and opportunistic alliances, where your enemy’s enemy is your friend, but a friend who the next day may have turned into en enemy. Still it is difficult to have any sympathy for OUN: the ideology and brutal deeds of the Bandera faction of OUN makes up an extremely obnoxious brew.<br />
<br />
In 1944 the Red Army drove the enemy out of the Ukraine and NKVD troops were left fighting UPA, inevitably killing civilians in droves like they did in <i>Pyriatyn</i>. From now on UPA again co-operated with the retreating Germans. They also started to work with their arch-enemy Armia Krajowa against the even greater NKVD evil. There could have been no clean hands in this tragedy, which has some similarities with concurrent events in Yugoslavia. The outcome was by now given, whoever UPA aligned themselves with. The organisation was slowly liquidated by Soviet and Polish forces, but scattered groups were active as late as the early 1950’s. The final chapter was written in 1959 when <i>Stepan Bandera</i> was killed by the KGB in Munich. He is buried there.<br />
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OUN had no natural allies, as none of the powers at the time shared their goal of an independent Ukrainian state. The Bandera group still has few sympathisers outside the Ukraine except for in certain emigrant circles in North America. Bandera and his followers are a highly divisive force in the Ukraine, where he by many in western Ukraine is regarded a hero but is equally reviled in Russian speaking Eastern and Southern Ukraine. One of the last acts of former president Yushchenko was to declare Bandera a hero of the Ukraine. This happened in face of protests both in the Ukraine and abroad. A court even declared the nomination illegal. His successor <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viktor_Yanukovych" target="_blank">Viktor Yanukovych</a> revoked the nomination soon after he came to power.</div>
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Lviv, sixty-six years later</h2>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stumfilm.no/sovjetisk_historie_gulag_5_stor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="231" src="http://www.stumfilm.no/sovjetisk_historie_gulag_5_stor.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">GULAG, the fate of millions, including Vasyl's relatives.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As I was sitting there with Vasyl and having pin-pointed the place where we went that hot August day in 2004, he told me about the fate of his father. When the archives were opened in the 1990’s Vasyl finally found out. His father and other family members had been arrested and deported to Siberia. Their crime was that they were kulaks, they might have had one cow too many to be classed as worthy peasants and prospective model Soviet citizens. Thus they landed in the category “class enemies”. Whether the arrest had happened after the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939 or on the return of the Red Army five years later wasn't clear to me. Their destination was a village by the town of Zima in the <i>Irkutsk</i> region. They journey had taken one month, on the carriages was written “Ukrainian bandits” and the wagons were pelted with stones and whatever was at hand for the on-lookers at the stations. They had been away for 10 years. Vasyl had visited the village by Zima recently and had met many <i>chorosyoe ljudi</i> (good people) there, emphasising that <i>moskali</i> were as much victims of Stalin and Beria as anyone else.<br />
<br />
We were soon joined by another member of the delegation to Pyriatyn in 2004; Dr. <i>Anna Korol</i>. I was even invited to her hospital but soon got tired of worn corridors, pretty nurses, and sick people, so I went back to my favourite spot <a href="http://lviv.travel/en/index/wheretoeat/~23/hasova-lyampa-kerosene-lamp" target="_blank">Hasova Lyampa</a> to do some work with my dearest friend, my Asus net-book.</div>
<h2 align="justify">
Moskali</h2>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bncralqRzI4/TUSu_ngjIEI/AAAAAAAAzcE/vikSdR8UQDo/s1600/P1000726.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bncralqRzI4/TUSu_ngjIEI/AAAAAAAAzcE/vikSdR8UQDo/s320/P1000726.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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In the afternoon I met Vasyl and Anna again for a meal in a most unlikely place. Opposite the town hall we went through an unmarked door and there was a soldier in UPA uniform asking if I was a <i>moskal</i> and <i>communist</i>. “No”, I said, “I am a Norwegian spy”. Then he brusquely asked for the <i>haslo (password)</i>. I had been told earlier by <i>Vasyl</i> what to expect and obliged with <i>Slava heroii!</i>, <i>Slava Ukraini!</i> and <i>Smrt moskalam</i>. Hailing the Heroes, the Ukraine and declaring ‘Death to the Muscovites’ did the trick. A book-reel opened and we were let into the hideout cum restaurant in the basement. On the menu were interesting items like <i>jazyk moskala </i>(tongue of a Muscovite) which was an enormous sausage. The guest could also have ordered <i>drunk carp-looking moskal</i> and a wider assortment of highly political dishes. This theme restaurant is called <a href="http://lviv.travel/en/profitably/wheretoeat/~162/kryyivka-underground-bunker" target="_blank">Криївка</a> (Kryivka), a term for an underground bunker.</div>
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Kaiser dreimal hoch</h2>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_JnJHb1_eAo/TUSvQOA3lXI/AAAAAAAAzfA/gnpMGD4zxPE/s1600/IMG_8171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_JnJHb1_eAo/TUSvQOA3lXI/AAAAAAAAzfA/gnpMGD4zxPE/s320/IMG_8171.JPG" width="320" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Franz Joseph I, portrait in a cafe in Lviv.</td> </tr>
</tbody></table>
That sausage with the unlikely name rounded the day off. I had enjoyed myself yet again in <i>Lviv</i> but also had a few more things to think about. In retrospect the fall of Austria-Hungary proved to be a disaster for this part of the world, a disaster it has only recently recovered from (some would say it still hasn’t). By the amount of Habsburg memorabilia and nostalgia found around <i>Lviv</i> it seems that quite a few are ready to regard the Habsburg era as a golden age.<br />
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Today the wounds between Poland and Ukraine have healed considerably. When Bandera was declared Hero of the Ukraine the Polish government diplomatically referred to it as an internal matter. Voices from Russia, Jewish spokesmen and even the European Parliament were less conciliatory. Poland and the Ukraine are soon to host the EURO 2012 football championship together. One of the host cities is <i>Lviv...</i></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593468044031864831.post-62564308646020225042010-07-17T00:00:00.344+02:002012-05-21T20:35:11.880+02:00Konec Švejka<div style="text-align: right;">
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“Konec Švejka” is Czech for “the end of Švejk”. It was an end that was never meant to be, but sadly happened already in <em>Klimontów</em>. <b>Jaroslav Hašek</b> had planned the novel in six volumes, but had just about started the 4th when his untimely death put his pen to silence forever. It is obvious that he still had a lot to tell his readers, and it is a great loss for admirers of his masterpiece that he never managed to complete it. We can only assume that he intended to more or less follow his own route, and fit in a mosaic of his own experiences as he had done to great effect so far. He had in cat done enough already to secure his hero world fame, and the novel now ranks as the most translated book written in Czech ever.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FUkjbWDUkpg/TekMxP5FNvI/AAAAAAAA6NY/7-R7Zixzaxg/s1600/zoltance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FUkjbWDUkpg/TekMxP5FNvI/AAAAAAAA6NY/7-R7Zixzaxg/s320/zoltance.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the K.u.k military survey map from 1910.</td></tr>
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<em>Jaroslav Hašek</em> was terminally ill when he dictated the last chapters of Švejk in his house at <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-2-2&lang=en#Lipnice_nad_Sázavou">Lipnice nad Sázavou</a>. We should therefore not be surprised that there are a few geographical mysteries towards the end. The <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-4-3&lang=en#Kłodno" target="_blank">Klimontów</a> where the novel ends can not be traced. Places with that name existed, but in parts of <i>Galicia</i> far from here. His description of <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-4-3&lang=en#Żółtańce">Żółtańce</a> seems more accurate, and from this it is generally assumed that the <em>Klimontów</em> in question was <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-4-3&lang=en#Kłodno" target="_blank">Kłodno</a>, which is located 3 km east of <em>Żółtańce</em>. Another discrepancy occurs when he describes <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-4-3&lang=en#Uciszków" target="_blank">Uciszków</a>, <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-4-3&lang=en#Busk" target="_blank">Busk</a> and <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-4-3&lang=en#Derewlany" target="_blank">Derewlany</a> as being to the west and then there is the final mystery: according to the <i>Austro-Hungarian Military Survey Map</i> from 1910 there was no railway here, although Hašek explicitly states that Švejk arrived by train. This latest enigma was solved when <i>Evžen Topinka, </i>chairman of <i>Česká Beseda </i>in <i>Lviv</i>, confirmed that the railway was opened in 1910, and extended north to <i>Krystonopol</i> (now Červonohrad) in 1914.</div>
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At this stage we must assume that the <i>Good Soldier</i> and the author’s journeys have caught up, even time wise: that the lag of more than a month which had existed since the end of <i>Book Two </i>was now cancelled out. Somewhere between <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-2&lang=en#Budapest">Budapest</a> and <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-4&lang=en#Felsztyn">Felsztyn</a> the author let five weeks disappear without a trace. Chronological accuracy was not as high on Hašek's agenda as geographical precision. Between <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-4&lang=en#Sambor">Sambor</a> and <i>Żółtańce </i>the12th march battalion of the 91st regiment took a route which is not described in <i>Švejk</i>. When our hero was taken prisoners by his own troops they were looking for billeting at <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-4&lang=en#Stara_Sól">Stara Sól</a> (this is also mentioned in the novel), and then continued via <i>Sambor</i> and <i>Szczerce</i> (now Щирець) to <i>Gologory </i>(now <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; white-space: pre;">Гологори</span>) where they refilled the ranks of the 91st regiment. Hašek arrived with the 12th march battalion and joined the 3rd field battalion, 11th field company on July 11. Then the whole brigade turned sharply northwards and arrived in <em>Żółtańce</em> on July 16 1915 (<i>VÚA archives, Prague</i>).</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-alql9CorIgE/TUSvWUG_8yI/AAAAAAAAzgA/fxTCYOR5XgA/s1600/IMG_8178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-alql9CorIgE/TUSvWUG_8yI/AAAAAAAAzgA/fxTCYOR5XgA/s320/IMG_8178.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zhovtantsi uniate church</td></tr>
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On a scorching hot July day I set off for <i>Avtostanitsja II</i> on the northern outskirts of Lviv to take a minibus 30 km north-east to <i>Zhovtantsi</i>. The name of the place of course has changed since the era of the Dual Monarchy when Polish was the administrative language of Galicia. I opted for the frequent minibuses as there are only two trains a day on this line, and at very inconvenient hours. The bus ride was quick and other passengers helped me get off at the right place. The heat was so intense that I sought refuge in a cafe where I had a dubious <i>Pizza Zhovtantsi</i>. But the air conditioning more than made up for the miserable lump of dough and the even more depressing topping.</div>
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<i>Zhovtantsi</i> welcomed the visitor with a gleaming new church. I have never anywhere seen so many new churches as here in the <i>Lviv oblast</i>. The contrast to the general decay is striking, and I many times asked myself: where does the money come from? Filling in the numerous pot holes seems a much larger task than building hundreds of beautiful onion domed churches. <i>Zhovtantsi</i> can hardly be called a town. There is a post office, a church, a school and that's about it. The houses are spread out, the centre is little more than a crossroads with the mentioned buildings. A "square" as mentioned in "Švejk" is not in sight.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nWjDN9eyOqI/TUSvdexIvnI/AAAAAAAAzg4/2tijXwd5cuc/s1600/IMG_8187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nWjDN9eyOqI/TUSvdexIvnI/AAAAAAAAzg4/2tijXwd5cuc/s320/IMG_8187.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Velyke Kolodno</td></tr>
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After my pizza delight I set out into the heat again, and walked towards <i>Velyke Kolodno</i> (which is what <i>Švejk's</i> final stop is generally known as today). This is also a track our diligent soldier took, he had first asked about the whereabouts of his <i>marškumpačka</i> in <em>Żółtańce</em> but there he was directed to <em>Klimontów. </em>I crossed the railway line, just as my predecessor had done, and there was the highlight of <i>Velyke Kolodno</i>, the now ruined former Roman-catholic church, picturesquely set on a hill beyond a small lake. In the novel Hašek lets the officers have a <i>Schlachtfest </i>in a vicarage which had been empty after the Greek-catholic vicar had been hanged in a pear-tree in the garden of the school by the returned troops of Austria-Hungary. He had been accused by a Polish teacher of collaborating with the Russian occupiers, totally groundless. Behind all this was Polish-Ukrainian ethnic strife and a stolen hen. The rank and file were quartered in the school, <i>the only decent building in the village</i>.</div>
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Before my <i>prototype </i>Švejk-trip in 2004 <i>Pavel Gan</i> sent me a picture of the vicarage and I set out looking for it. It was to no avail. All the larger buildings in the village appeared to be of a newer data, including the school. Around the Roman-catholic church there was nothing obvious, it all seemed to be post-WW1. The ruined church was actually built in the 1930's. I walked on and saw another church, a gleaming new one. The builders were stunned that some tourist had come to this corner of the world, and they were not aware of the connection between Švejk and Kolodno, although they of course knew him and his author. The church was <i>pravoslavna</i> (i.e. Russian Orthodox) so this wasn't it either. I gave up, sat down for a beer in a <i>mahasin</i> which served draught beer, and concluded my mission on the tracks of <i>Švejk</i>. I phoned my friends <i>Richard Hašek</i> and <i>Jaroslav Šerák</i> in Prague and <i>Dutifully Reported</i> that the first part of the journey was absolved. </div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2Tr4dFE-wMM/TUSvx82zE-I/AAAAAAAAzj4/1WcTKmA3NiA/s1600/IMG_8211.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2Tr4dFE-wMM/TUSvx82zE-I/AAAAAAAAzj4/1WcTKmA3NiA/s320/IMG_8211.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Former vicarage in Zhovtantsi</td></tr>
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I also rang <i>Pavel Gan</i> to verify excactly where the mysterious vicarage was. To my great surprise he directed me back to <i>Zhovtantsi.</i> I was puzzled because Hašek clearly located the final scene to <em>Klimontów, </em>so I hastily concluded that Pavel hadn't read <i>Švejk</i> properly. That 91st regiment actually had a pig slaughter party in the vicarage, is mystification by the author. The regiment only had a two hour break here on July 16 1915. Nor do I know if the story of the executed Greek-catholic priest is true. Pavel Gan did his own field research here, and discovered that the Greek-catholic priest was alive even after WW2.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MXqcepfdilI/TekLsdcgwbI/AAAAAAAA6NU/5abEZzFaKKs/s1600/konec_svejka.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MXqcepfdilI/TekLsdcgwbI/AAAAAAAA6NU/5abEZzFaKKs/s320/konec_svejka.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
From Synek edition 1930, with Karel Vaněk's continuation. </div>
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Vaněk completed the remaining 3 parts of the novel, but this</div>
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piece is regarded inferior and has rarely been translated.</div>
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Whether <i>Jaroslav Hašek</i> invented the episode with the priest or not is beside the point. Injustices like these could have happened, they did happen and the author may just have shifted time, place, people and circumstances. Together with his satirical genius this method of <i>collage</i> was at the heart of his master creation, later to be become famous as <i>Švejk</i>. There is in this novel to my knowledge not a single person, name, place or historical event taken out of thin air. Most of it is derived from his own unusual experiences in life. Exaggerations abound of course (<a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=4-1-1&lang=en#Bretschneider">Bretschneider</a> could not have been eaten by his own dogs), but by and large the descriptions in this novel relate to tangible points in history, geography and literature. And not to forget human life, human stupidity, and inhumanity, including the senseless slaughtering of innocent people for some political aim.<br />
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Švejk survived the madness by using has wit, just as his creator did. Their survival left the world with an unforgettable satirical novel which inspired this tourist/web-master to spend six months on their tracks. The first part of the odyssey was solemnly concluded with two <i>Stare Misto beers</i> in the only cool place in <i>Zvontantsi</i>, the already mentioned cafe. I am sure <i>Jaroslav Hašek</i> would have approved. At this time 95 years ago he was was here, and he and his fellow sufferers had worse things than heat, bumpy roads and the flies to contend with... </div>
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<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593468044031864831.post-29269558646906570002010-07-15T19:43:00.002+02:002014-09-05T05:26:56.874+02:00The pearl of Western Ukraine<div align="justify" class="quote">
The Colonel was also smiling and then issued these orders: “Prepare for Švejk a military fare-card via Lvov to the Zóltance station, which his march company is to reach tomorrow, and issue to him a new government-issue uniform from the warehouse, and 6 crowns and 82 pennies in place of the mess for the road.” (from Švejk, translated by Zenny Sadlon).</div>
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<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TcrCt974G4I/AAAAAAAA32s/MLMoq6GOU_k/s1600-h/IMG_8155.jpg"><img alt="IMG_8155" border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TcrCvKBEXPI/AAAAAAAA320/Cq29OgeC4Fc/IMG_8155_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" height="406" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_8155" width="600" /></a><br />
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As mentioned in the previous blog entry: <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-4-3&lang=en#Lwów" target="_blank">Lviv</a> (Львів) hardly merits a stop because of it’s significance in Švejk. It is mentioned eight times, but as can be seen from the above quote: the plot never actually takes place here. The Good Soldier quickly passed through on his way from <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-4-3&lang=en#Wojutycze" target="_blank">Vojutyči</a> to <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-4-3&lang=en#Żółtańce" target="_blank">Žovtanci</a> where he re-joined his company, eager as he was to serve his emperor until his body was torn to pieces. But as stated in my ‘Motivation’ for this journey: this trip was not all about one theme, and in beautiful <em>Lviv</em> I allowed myself a pause on my trek. That said; <em>Lviv</em> also served as a perfect base for a day-trip to nearby <em>Žovtanci</em> where the great novel ended due to Jaroslav Hašek’s untimely death.</div>
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By the time Švejk passed through <em>Lviv</em> the city had already changed hands twice. On 3 September 1914 it fell to the Russians after the collapse of the k.u.k army in Galicia. There was little fighting and war damage as the Austro-Hungarian forces hurriedly abandoned the city. The scenario was similar on 22 June 1915 when the Central Powers returned. Again there was little fighting in the city itself and the Russian’s hadn’t started to apply the scorched earth tactics they used later that summer. </div>
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<h3>
Lemberg erobert</h3>
Wien, 22. Juni.<br />
Amtlich wird verlautbart:<br />
Unsere zweite Armee hat heute nach hartem Kampfe Lemberg erobert. <br />
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Der Stellvertreter des Chefs des Generalstabes.<br />
v. Hoefer, Feldmarschalleutnant</div>
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This was my third visit to <em>Lviv</em> and will not be the last. It is a city which feels Central European despite the Cyrillic alphabet and visible remnants of Soviet times. Still many things have changed since Austrian rules ceased in 1918. At the time it was a multi-ethnic city made up mainly of Poles, Ukrainians, Jews and Germans. The Poles were the largest ethnic group and maps from the era often show the city named as <em>Lwów</em>. The German name <em>Lemberg</em> also appears, mostly on older maps. The Russian name <em>Lvov</em> for obvious reasons became wide-spread after the <em>Soviet Union</em> grabbed the area in September 1939. This is also the Czech name of the city and obviously the one Hašek used.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yx3ClCXCz5k/TdFhLSEDkwI/AAAAAAAA3_c/o8YejHCTxvg/s1600/P1010005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yx3ClCXCz5k/TdFhLSEDkwI/AAAAAAAA3_c/o8YejHCTxvg/s320/P1010005.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Testimony to Lviv's Jewish past</td></tr>
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During interwar Polish rule, the ethnic diversity of the city was maintained although Polish dominance became more pronounced at the expense of the other nationalities. WW2 and its immediate aftermath turned everything upside down in this part of the world. The relatively enlightened Habsburg rule made way to the more nationalistic Polish rule, but worse was to come. The Holocaust tragedy is well known, but less known are the mutual massacres and ethnic cleansings Polish and Ukrainians subjected each others to during the same period. This left <em>Lviv</em> a predominantly Ukrainian city although Russians and other former Soviet nationalities still make their mark.</div>
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Arriving on an early morning train from <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-4&lang=en#Sambor" target="_blank">Sambir</a>, I found myself in a for me totally unknown place, the “primiski voksal” (suburban station), which I had no clue where was. Fortunately I immediately discovered that it was next door to the main station. From there it is a half hour walk down to the centre and with a heavy back-pack and 30+ degrees it was hard work. I had no pre-arranged place to stay, and the first hotel I found was nice and expensive, so I walked on, increasingly budget-conscious. Very central, very ugly and very cheap was <em>Hotel Lviv</em>, a perfect choice it seemed. It reeked of dreary "socialism” in every corner; from the grumpy staff, the creaky lifts, the general shoddiness and even the “minder” on the ground floor. But with a perfect location and miniscule rates it served its purpose. Without hassle I got a hot and stuffy room on the 8th floor with a perfect view of “stare misto”, the old town. As it goes I regard hotels as places to sleep and nothing more.</div>
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The old town in <em>Lviv</em> is a delight, and I spent my time sightseeing, and being on-line in some excellent cafés and pubs. One of them was “Hasova Lampa” (<a href="http://gasovalampa.lviv.ua/" target="_blank">Гасова Лампа</a>), with good beer, inventive design, good rock music, decent food and a relaxed atmosphere. The music was clear and loud, particularly in the toilets! Slightly pricey but there was no sight of any Soviet surliness on any of the faces. It seemed to be popular with students. Another favourite was “Bar Dominik”, but this one was without Wi-Fi so I slipped into deep thinking and sublime beer instead. The “Černihivske bile” wheat beer is as good as its model <em>Hoegaarden</em>, a pure joy, a reason for any beer lover to go to the Ukraine. Both brews are incidentally owned by <a href="http://www.ab-inbev.com/" target="_blank">ABInBev</a>. Big companies don’t necessarily make crap beer, big can also be beautiful. That said, <i>ABInBev</i> does make some incredibly poor brews too. Due to my natural politeness I shall refrain from mentioning any particular brand. But if you are curious, here is a clue: one of them is named after the city which is mentioned most often in my favourite novel...</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lwzEXD8rmnM/TUSvIfU508I/AAAAAAAAzdk/BRYDQqQvYwM/s1600/P1000740.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lwzEXD8rmnM/TUSvIfU508I/AAAAAAAAzdk/BRYDQqQvYwM/s320/P1000740.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Vasyl and Švejk</td></tr>
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Not to be forgotten: Švejk is well-known in Lviv, it is the only place in the world with TWO statues of him. One of them is on a bicycle, a word which is hardly mentioned at all in the novel. The other statue is of him sitting, and he has little in common with the figure known from <i>Josef Lada's</i> drawings. This soldier is slimmer and less of a caricature. <i>Jaroslav Hašek</i> only ever saw one drawing of Švejk, and this one was totally different from the small and chubby figure that spread across the world later. In 1925-26 Lada made a series of drawings for the newspaper <i>České Slovo</i> and it is those who have become associated with Švejk ever since. Translator <i>Zenny Sadlon</i> and scholar <i>Martina Winkler</i> are amongst those who argue that Lada's drawings have cemented Švejk's reputation as clown. For people who have read the book properly, this should be less of a problem. It ought to be completely clear that this is no comic strip, it is a novel about human stupidity and surviving it all. And much more...</div>
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<em>Lviv</em> has undergone marked changes since I first visited in 2004. A lot of repair work has been done and the city also hosts football matches during Euro 2012. This has led to much needed investment in infrastructure. The abolishment of visa requirements has drawn the tourists, and this gem of a city deserves every tourist it can get!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593468044031864831.post-74023716848607077542010-07-14T15:43:00.091+02:002012-12-30T11:51:24.541+01:00Švejk back with his company<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LpL9ZzBUKeU/TUSuTMfUH_I/AAAAAAAAzUI/wKK_48_WC9c/s1600/P1000647.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LpL9ZzBUKeU/TUSuTMfUH_I/AAAAAAAAzUI/wKK_48_WC9c/s320/P1000647.JPG" width="320" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sambir railway station.</td> </tr>
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The unfinished Book Four of Švejk deals with the good soldiers return to his company after his ordeals in <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-4-1&lang=en#Przemyśl" target="_blank">Przemyśl</a>. After a narrow escape from the gallows, he was escorted back to the brigade HQ at <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-4-3&lang=en#Wojutycze" target="_blank">Wojutycze</a> near <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-4&lang=en#Sambor" target="_blank">Sambor</a> (now Sambir). Here he had the dubious pleasure of reuniting with his adversary Lieutenant Dub. Another old acquaintance, Cadet Biegler, also reappeared. He had had a tortured journey from the cholera wards in <em>Tarnów</em>, stopping at all (the no doubt smelly) railway toilets along the way, to get rid his “cholera” germs. <br />
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My own journey in 2010 again had to adapt to the geo-political reality, and that meant disregarding Švejk’s route back to his company. I had to return to the Ukraine via <em>Medyka </em>and <em>Šehyni</em>, and then by minibus down to <em>Sambir</em>, changing at <em>Mostyska</em>. Crossing the border again went smoothly; there was no three-hour wait like it was when I first visited the Ukraine in 2004. Leaving the EU, I was in an ambivalent mood; I don’t mind bus travel, but the Ukrainian <em>maršrutky</em> are not for those who believe in the positive effects of fresh air. The bus setting off from <em>Šehyni </em>for <em>Mostyska</em> was a prime example. The temperature soon soared and a Czech-speaking Pole with a 100 kilo suitcase resolutely grabbed a screw-driver to break open a window. It was a huge relief for everyone on board who weren’t afraid of a slight waft of air. The bus onwards from <em>Mostyska</em> to <i>Sambir</i> was less crowded and the trip could even be classed as comfortable. <br />
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In <em>Sambir</em> I was directed to the towns hotel, right on the <em>rynok.</em> It was comfortable enough, and the staff were welcoming. When he saw my passport the receptionist even related from his ordeals in arctic <em>Norilsk </em>from the time of the Soviet Union. It was getting very hot now and might have thought that I was already missing my own latitudes and climate. <b>Самбір </b>itself was quite pleasant with a large square as a centre and focal point. The railway station is modern and this is where I set out for <em>Wojutycze</em> (now <b>Воютичі) </b>from, after having enjoyed a few good <i><a href="http://www.ppb.com.ua/">Stare Místo</a></i> draught beers at the station. On the train I soon became a curiosity, both amongst the staff and the other passengers. After a few minutes they called out for <em>Vojutyči</em>, and off I stepped, in the middle of a field. There was no station building and not even a sign so this is a place I would never have found without help. I walked along the tracks into the large village. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lO23ldyt0NM/TUSuYgWH0LI/AAAAAAAAzVI/eYlQm1G8ZWc/s1600/P1000657.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lO23ldyt0NM/TUSuYgWH0LI/AAAAAAAAzVI/eYlQm1G8ZWc/s320/P1000657.JPG" width="320" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the way to Vojutyči.</td> </tr>
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I found it odd that the 17th infantry brigade, the unit to which the 91st regiment belonged, would have set up HQ here in this small place. The 91st regiment was heading for Sambor when Švejk got lost and the historical fact is that <em>Sambor</em> also for a while even housed the divisional HQ. I didn’t even see any buildings in <em>Vojutyči </em>that would have been natural candidates for any army offices. Still, Hašek wrote a satirical novel, not a historical reference work, so a degree of mystification and inaccuracies should be accounted for. It could also be that <em>Vojutyči</em> was larger than it is today; the events described in the novel took place before the disastrous wars, population displacements and genocides of the 20 century decimated Galicia.<br />
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On this trip I have discovered that the author was far less accurate with facts than I had previously thought. There are numerous spelling mistakes and some place he mentions are not identifiable at all. That said, the amount of details he DID get right is still impressive, despite being seriously ill when the wrote the latter parts of Švejk. The unexpected shoddiness does not detract from the greatness of the novel unless you read it as a fact-file rather than the satirical master-piece it should be regarded as.</div>
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Another author, also familiar to readers of Švejk, knew this area and wrote about events closely related to the theme of the novel. <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=4-3-1&lang=en#Ludwig_Ganghofer" target="_blank">Ludwig Ganghofer</a> reported from the front in Galicia in May and June 1915 and in early June he visited <a href="http://localhost/literature/svejk/?page=5-4-1&lang=en#Przemyśl" target="_blank">Przemyśl</a> and <em>Sambor</em>. The latter had been re-conquered already on May 15 but the Russians had defended Przemyśl until June 3 when it finally surrended. <em>Ganghofer</em> had a totally different perspective than Hašek. He was a German nationalist and a personal friend of <em>Kaiser Wilhelm</em>. Still that didn’t make him an outright bigot and in his “Die Front im Osten” he throws glowing reports not only on the victorious Central Powers but also on the local population, particularly the female part of it. So deep down he must have found the Ukrainians far more attractive than his own Bavarian stock and even today one could agree with this accurate but unremarkable observation. On June the 1 he relates from a stay in <i>Sambor</i> as a guest of Austrian staff officers, just before the final assault on <i>Przemyśl </i>is about to start. <br />
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<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TbHEHOtS-9I/AAAAAAAA3Ls/XiIVbq2L7IM/s1600-h/15_07_02_galizien1%5B2%5D.gif" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="15_07_02_galizien1" border="0" height="264" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TbHEIDJ-E_I/AAAAAAAA3Lw/3GuP3jQqO3c/15_07_02_galizien1_thumb.gif?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="15_07_02_galizien1" width="320" /></a><em>Jaroslav Hašek</em> arrived in <em>Sambor</em> in early July 1915 and at this stage the Russians had already been pushed beyond the river Bug. The 91st regiment had been badly decimated during fighting by <em>Gologory</em> and Hašek was one of those filling the ranks, getting ready for the next round of slaughter. Near Gologory he joined the IR91 (11th field company) on July 11 1915, and in this respect his own story differs from the one he created for Švejk. Švejk had also started the journey to the front around May 22 1915 whereas the author himself only left on June 30. <br />
<br />
I only spent one night in <i>Sambir</i>. It was hot, and the mosquitoes were a nuisance and very early the next morning I set off for <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-4-3&lang=en#Lwów">Lviv</a>, the attractive centre of Western Ukraine. It is just about mentioned in Švejk but such a beautiful city can’t be ignored just because it doesn’t feature in a certain novel! Švejk only changed trains in Lviv, and the major part of the plot from <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-4-3&lang=en#Wojutycze" target="_blank">Wojutycze</a> onwards concentrates on his adversaries: Lieutenant Dub's and Cadet Biegler's common auto mobile trip to the front...</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593468044031864831.post-19498907400504571542010-07-13T13:50:00.509+02:002012-04-05T19:03:36.341+02:00Manewry Szwejkowskie<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VD-tcHLv_og/TDsMuVEkpJI/AAAAAAAAlRg/fRbQucvFqjo/s1600/IMG_7988.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VD-tcHLv_og/TDsMuVEkpJI/AAAAAAAAlRg/fRbQucvFqjo/s320/IMG_7988.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cyclists setting off for the tour of the ring of<br />
fortifications around Przemyśl.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-4-1&lang=en#Przemyśl">Przemyśl</a> was the stage for one of the scariest episodes of Švejk's odyssey on the way to the Galician front. Taken prisoner by his own troops in <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-4&lang=en#Felsztyn">Felstyn</a>, he had been escorted to the recently recaptured fortress city on the river <i>San</i> and faced summary execution. He was even given spiritual consolation by the venerable <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=4-4-1&lang=en#Jan_Martinec">Father Martinec</a>. This was how obvious his fate seemed at the time. He was only saved by the intervention of the duty-conscious <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=4-4-3&lang=en#Derwota">Major Derwota</a> who managed to convince his blood-thirsty superiors that they at least ought to establish the culprits identity before they strung him up.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">All this must have happened some time in June 1915. <i>Przemyśl</i> had fallen to the Russians on March 22 after a long <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Przemy%C5%9Bl">siege</a>. The 110,000 strong garrison of the huge fortress complex surrended after having literally been starved out. The city and the fortress remained in Russian hands only for a few months; on June 3 the forces of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Powers">Mittelmächte</a> recaptured the city. This was all part of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorlice%E2%80%93Tarn%C3%B3w_Offensive">Gorlice-Tarnów offensive</a> which was eventually to cause the Russian "strategic withdrawal" which left all of current Poland in German hands. Galicia was recaptured in it's entirety and the front was established (mainly) on Russian territory for the rest of the war. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: right;"></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w3_9k-XMm7o/TDsNUm8q6rI/AAAAAAAAlSw/UxewBhc_034/s1600/IMG_8007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w3_9k-XMm7o/TDsNUm8q6rI/AAAAAAAAlSw/UxewBhc_034/s320/IMG_8007.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Švejkologs of Poland, united.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>It had always been clear to this avid follower of Hašek that <i>Przemyśl</i> was to be a key stop on the route. I had even spent a day in the city on my "mini-Švejk" trip back in 2004 and had liked it. <i>Przemyśl</i> sits prettily on the river <i>San</i> and has an attractive old core with an impressive number of ecclesiastical buildings. The city is small and easily negotiable on foot. Another attraction is the ring of fortresses, an enormous conglomerate of steel and concrete which even today is a landmark. Some of the fortresses offer fine views of the surrounding countryside, even as far as the Ukraine. <br />
<br />
During those July-days of 2010 I was back in the realms of the Latin alphabet before my anticipated 10 week disappearance into Cyrillic incomprehension. I had incredible luck with the timing of the visit. <i>Richard Hašek</i> had informed me just a few days earlier that I absolutely should try to be there from July 11-13. These were the dates of the annual <i>Manewry Szwejkowskie</i>, the largest Švejk-related happening anywhere on the planet and now arranged for the 13th time. <i>Jaroslav Hašek</i> is immensely popular in Poland, perhaps even more so than in his homeland, where there exists a certain ambiguity. And nowhere else are his admirers better organised than in Poland. Richard himself has been to the <i>manewry</i> three times and he told me that he has a few hundred personal acquaintances in Poland alone! How he keeps track of them only Richard and the Good Lord knows. These excellent connections between the authors grandson and Poland now came to benefit me greatly. I was put in contact with a certain <i>Marek Choda</i><i>ń</i> who introduced me to the inner circle of <i>szwejkologs</i> where I was immediately welcomed and taken care of, even announced in public on the square! <br />
<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J8cMPXRS_U4/TDsNii-kBZI/AAAAAAAAlTY/0_rF8I5hsFE/s1600/IMG_8017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J8cMPXRS_U4/TDsNii-kBZI/AAAAAAAAlTY/0_rF8I5hsFE/s320/IMG_8017.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>The arrangement itself was extensive. Cycle trips around the fortresses, bands on the square, music, film and grill party at Fort XVI "<a href="http://eu.pogranicze.eu/index.php?categoryid=17&p2_articleid=192">Zniesienie</a>", guided city tours, a lot of <i>piwo, </i>events involving local businesses etc. The organizers sported fine k.u.k uniforms and many visitors were similarly dressed for duty. I didn't have that privilege, but in the summer heat it might have been just as well. <br />
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There were visitors from all over Poland: <i>Kielce</i>, <i>Gdańsk</i>, <i>Warsaw</i>, <i>Kraków</i>, <i>Cieszyn</i> and a few more. The group from <i>Cieszyn</i> spoke Czech and also performed a few of the classic songs mentioned in Švejk. <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cieszyn">Cieszyn</a></i> is right on the Czech border, it is logically the same town as <i>Český Těšín</i>. After the break-up of Austria-Hungary in 1918 the town was split between the two nascent states of Poland and Czechoslovakia. The group from <i>Gdańsk</i> were a colourful lot and even included <i>Carol Dixon</i>, a teacher of English from <i>Bristol</i>. It meant that I for the first time since Austria could speak a language which I was reasonably familiar with. This was a privilege I rarely enjoyed on much of this trip, and certainly not from this point onwards. Foreign visitors were few, but included a brass band from <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-4-3&lang=nn#Lwów">Lviv</a> and a stray <i>Norwegian</i>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Jo67tkqHbQc/TDsJTqFg69I/AAAAAAAAlJw/AT3E8G4l3-8/s1600/P1000539.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Jo67tkqHbQc/TDsJTqFg69I/AAAAAAAAlJw/AT3E8G4l3-8/s320/P1000539.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I found my new friends in Poland an extremely welcoming lot, despite my limited ability to communicate with them. The <i>manewry</i> was such a good experience that I am seriously thinking of going down to <i>Przemyśl</i> again in 2011 just to relive it. I also realised that I had done very little serious research on Švejk in the days of the manoeuvres. Some spots mentioned in the novel I just forgot to ask about. It regards the <i>city baths</i> and a wine-bar called <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-4-3&lang=en#Vollgruber">Vollgruber</a>. There is also a mention of a statue of a former mayor <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=4-4-1&lang=en#Bronisław_Grabowski">Grabowski</a> which is just as unclear who was. <i>Hašek</i> himself seems generally quite muddled about this city, and it's unclear if he ever went there. <i>Radko Pytlík</i> devotes a whole chapter in his book <i>Osudy a cesty Josefa Švejka</i> on whether Hašek visited <i>Przemyśl</i> or not. He concludes that he <i>could </i>have been there; either on one of his wanderings in <i>Galicia</i> as a young man, or after the battle of <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-1-14&lang=en#Sokal">Sokal</a> at the end of July 1915. He could also have dropped by during his company's march to the front in July 1915, although this unlikely. So there is still work to be done for some dedicated <i>Švejkolog</i>!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>People in <i>Przemyśl</i> are in two minds themselves. We were taken on a fine walking tour to a spot where it's believed that Švejk's lice-ridden dungeon was. The location is not pin-pointed by the author, so the former prison in <i>Ulica Franciszka Smolki 13</i> is simply a theory. Still, the site was worth the visit. Dark and dingy, it has been converted to flats, albeit not exactly in the luxury category. The tenants were very understanding of the partly uniform-clad visitors... <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wUeG1ud8vg8/TDtM8wiBjLI/AAAAAAAAlis/IwnpGwLtAno/s1600/IMG_8059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wUeG1ud8vg8/TDtM8wiBjLI/AAAAAAAAlis/IwnpGwLtAno/s320/IMG_8059.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Former prison</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Fortunately someone had figured out that the this visitor's grasp of Polish was minuscule so I was unexpectedly accompanied by German-speaking <i>Halina Stadnik</i> whose profession is <i>Stadtführerin</i> (Tourist Guide). A very pleasant and well-informed tourist guide she is too, and thanks to her I got a lot of information that otherwise would have got lost in a plethora of consonant-ridden Polish syllables. The siege of <i>Przemyśl</i> in 1914/15 was a hard time for the population and the mostly Hungarian garrison. Halina told me that two cooks had been hanged after it was revealed that they had made goulash from human meat. On the other hand general <i>Kusmanek</i>, the commander of the fortress, lived relatively comfortably, at least he had a descent villa, now the home of <i>Ing Bank</i>. After the fall of <i>Przemyśl</i>, <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=4-1-14&lang=en#Hermann_Kusmanek_von_Burgneustädten">Hermann Kusmanek von Burgneustädten</a> spent the rest of the war in Russian captivity. On his release and return to Vienna he was court-martialled for treason, but acquitted. He who one day was hailed as the <i>lion of Przemyśl</i> had suddenly become a traitor... <br />
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<div style="text-align: right;"></div>On the Sunday <i>Marek </i><i>Choda</i><i>ń</i> took me on a tour to some of the fortresses. The mass graves are enormous, and the lists of names on those marble plates have no end. Every name printed there has once been a human being, a person with his own history, his own value. These countless soldiers didn't try to get their names into the history books as the idiot Herostratus did; forced as they were to fight for whoever sent them to the slaughterhouse of <i>Przemyśl</i>, whether it was <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=4-1-8&lang=en#Wilhelm_II">Kaiser Wilhelm II</a>, <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=4-1-1&lang=en#Franz_Joseph_I">Kaiser Franz Joseph I</a> or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_II_of_Russia">Николай Александрович Романов</a>.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593468044031864831.post-44481600954287108482010-07-09T12:37:00.028+02:002022-12-20T16:36:25.070+01:00Smugglers and pot-holes<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TK9EdaD2gxI/AAAAAAAAsXQ/GDhBLSn8l7E/s1600/mal30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TK9EdaD2gxI/AAAAAAAAsXQ/GDhBLSn8l7E/s320/mal30.jpg" width="320" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Švejk registering his fellow Russian prisoners in Dobromil.</td> </tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>Švejk's</i> march towards the front took an unexpected turn when he reached the village of <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-4&lang=en#Felsztyn">Felsztyn</a>. An escaped Russian soldier was having a bath in the local pond just as our loyal Austrian soldier surprised him when looking for a place to billet his company. Faced with such a fearsome enemy, the Russian understandably legged it, stark naked and totally helpless. Our hero investigated the Russian uniform diligently and then decided to try it on. At that very moment, a patrol of Hungarian soldiers arrived and Švejk suddenly found himself in captivity, arrested by his own army.<br />
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In July 1915 there was no border to cross and no formal obstacles to face. Since 1945 <i>Galicia</i> has been split between <i>Ukraine</i> and <i>Poland, </i>so recreating <i>Švejk's</i> journey nowadays would mean breaking border regulations. On July 8 2010 I set off from Sanok to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ustrzyki_Dolne">Ustrzyki Dolne</a> to take the train onwards to <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-4&lang=en#Chyrów">Khyriv</a> on the Ukrainian side. At the platform I encountered a phenomenon I hadn't come across in Poland so far: <i>fat, ugly and vulgar women</i>. These features are not normally associated with Polish women, who in general are anything but fat, ugly and vulgar. Even though I was not too familiar with their language, I still noticed that their vocabulary was strikingly similar to that of Polish workers on Norwegian building sites; consisting mainly of the word <i>kurwa.</i> The men on the platform were no less vulgar, so I wondered what kind of "tourists" these were?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CeSEU6I3F-A/TUS47SmASLI/AAAAAAAA1DA/6pN6JnlLB6M/s1600/P1000437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CeSEU6I3F-A/TUS47SmASLI/AAAAAAAA1DA/6pN6JnlLB6M/s320/P1000437.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Disgusted passenger on the wrecked Ustrzyki Dolne train </td></tr>
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On boarding the train I had another surprise. The carriage was wrecked, seats ripped loose, litter was floating, and I got a very uneasy feeling. I have seen a lot of vandalism over the years, but this looked more like a war zone. A passenger asked me to take photos, so <i>Norway</i> could see what kind of bandits these were. I did, and soon a border guard appeared and escorted me into the tidy police carriage. I believe they did it to make my journey more comfortable, otherwise they would surely have asked me to delete the pictures. The guards were very helpful and even led me past the immigration queue and into the Ukraine. The passengers were also very curious and friendly. If they were Polish or Ukrainian I don't know. It is even possible that not ALL of them were smugglers.<br />
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When the train arrived in <i>Khyriv</i> (in 1915 Chyrów), there was frantic activity. Screwdrivers appeared and the "passengers" were suddenly busy dismounting the carriages inventory. From everywhere cigarette boxes appeared and it became clear why the carriage was in such an awful state. The Polish guards had left at the border, so now only the railway staff remained. They all turned a blind eye. Six years ago I had seen something similar at the <i>Užhorod </i>- <i>Nižné Nemecké</i> border crossing. A girl sitting next to me had more stamps in her passport than the most distinguished globetrotter, but she only had two kinds: a Ukrainian and a Slovak. It was clear then, and is still, that the EU eastern border leaks like a sieve.</div>
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<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TDm1FrfWhAI/AAAAAAAAkxs/Kagd5qlsQvc/s1600/IMG_7951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TDm1FrfWhAI/AAAAAAAAkxs/Kagd5qlsQvc/s320/IMG_7951.JPG" width="320" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Khyriv station.</td> </tr>
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In <i>Khyriv</i> I even found accommodation in a motel, quite unexpected. It was good value although the girl on duty was the most grumpy and unhelpful cow I had come across so far on the trip. I had more luck when trying to change money. The cash machine at the bank didn't work, but a nice lady escorted me to a "mahasin" where I bought some <i>hryvni</i>. <br />
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Khyriv was not an uplifting introduction to the Ukraine. The streets were little more than a collection of pot-holes and the place had the air of a society going to seed. Derelict or shabby buildings were the rule, as is normal in places with a declining population, a problem common to most of the former Soviet Union. The gulf from relatively wealthy Poland appeared huge, and in many ways this was worse than what I have seen in so-called "third-world" countries in South America.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TDm00Wnb1FI/AAAAAAAAkxU/HvxiCpDJDlQ/s1600/IMG_7948.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TDm00Wnb1FI/AAAAAAAAkxU/HvxiCpDJDlQ/s320/IMG_7948.JPG" width="320" /></a><i>Felsztyn</i>, the village where Švejk was captured,has from 1945 been called <i>Skelivka</i> and the good people of <i>Česká beseda</i> in <i>Lviv</i> have erected a statue to the Good Soldier. A fine monument it is, modelled on Josef Lada's Švejk. I took a minibus the 7 km to the village and had a quick look. It was another poor and sad place, and the statue's backdrop was the shell of a building and some other derelict houses. A man back in <i>Khyriv</i> had suggested I walked there along the railway line, but I correctly figured that the minibus would be quicker, despite all the pot-holes.<br />
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The next morning I jumped on a train to <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-4-1&lang=en#Dobromil">Dobromyl</a>, a train that hardly moved. <i>Dobromyl </i>station was another shell, overgrown, and smelling of shit. The only living being there was a goat feeding on the diverse vegetation along the crumbling walls. Only the sign saying <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, arial, tahoma, sans-serif, 'MS sans serif'; font-size: 12px;"><b>Добромиль</b> </span>was new, a striking contrast. The other passengers tried to persuade me not to go to <i>Dobromyl</i>, but I insisted that the road is always forward, something I had learnt from the Good Soldier. A <i>babuška</i> got very upset when I didn't listen to her advise and she waved angrily after me. I walked the 3 km into <i>Dobromyl</i> centre, carrying my dirty and wretched backpack. <i>Dobromyl</i> was the same story of gloom but the churches were well kept, often with new and gleaming golden domes.<br />
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I was determined to carry on to <i>Przemyśl</i> via <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-4-1&lang=en#Niżankowice">Nyžankoviči</a>, like Švejk did in the transport of Russian prisoners, but encountered an unpleasant obstacle. A policeman came up to me and asked what I was doing in town. "I'm following Švejk", I said, wearing a t-shirt from <i>U kalicha</i>. Then he demanded my documents, and I was getting a bit edgy, having heard stories of corrupt police. The constable was a fine man though, but he gave me some unwelcome news: there was no border-crossing at <i>Nyžankoviči</i> so I had ended up in a blind alley! Finally I understood why the old lady at the station thought I was utterly hopeless. The policeman even told me to get on the 11:25 <i>maršrutka</i> to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mostyska">Mostyska</a> and a helpful crowd made sure I got on the right path.<br />
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<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dobromyl</td> </tr>
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I had time for two excellent <i>Stare Misto</i> live beer in a tiny and welcoming <i>mahasin</i>, and then had the dubious pleasure of getting rid of them in the wooden facilities next door. There was no need to ask where they were; they were signposted by an outlandish stench. <br />
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The minibus was another spectacular experience. When I got there I noticed it was packed, and I thought; "Bollocks, I won't fit in there". They waved me on still, the backpack was passed in through the drivers window and placed upside down between the legs of a lady sitting next to the driver. I was placed on the platform by the door and thought for a second that we would drive off with the door open. That was not to be though. We were squeezed in there and those of us near the door had to step off every time someone was getting on or off.</div>
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The pace was slow because the pot-holes prevented any sort of momentum. Fortunately people started to get off in the nearby villages, so it was becoming almost agreeable in there. I was kindly offered the front seat after the lady with my backpack between her legs got off. The rest of the journey to <i>Mostyska</i> was a breeze. Then there was another minibus to <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19px;">Šehyni</span> (Шегині) on the Polish border. The minibuses have their own etiquette; the system of payment is based on trust. Passengers pass money forward to the driver, on a larger bus it can pass through 5-10 hands. The system appears primitive, but it works. It is also very practical on a crowded bus, as it makes boarding quick. The driver doesn't have to leave his seat, and payment takes in effect place when the bus moves. It is far more efficient than clever technological schemes used on public transport in some countries in the west (and east).<br />
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I crossed the border back to the EU on foot. Again the Polish border guard guided me past the queue, and I wondered what I had done to deserve such preferential treatment? If this was the general rule, I'd happily spend my next life travelling in and out of Poland. From <i>Medyka</i> into the city of <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-4-1&lang=en#Przemyśl">Przemyśl</a>, it was a just a short bus trip and I holed up in a cheap and disgusting place in <i>ulica Kopernika</i>, getting ready for the annual <i>Manewry Szwejkowskie</i>. My position was far better than Švejk's; I arrived in my own clothes and there was no court-martial threatening me. In fact I was about to experience one of the absolute highlights of the whole trip.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593468044031864831.post-86845567992666516622010-07-08T19:42:00.246+02:002014-12-19T20:04:54.139+01:00Marschieren Marsch!<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Švejk acting forcefully in the City Café in Sanok.</td> </tr>
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In 1915, <i>Švejk</i> and his company's stay in <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-4&lang=en#Sanok">Sanok</a> was brief but eventful, and as usual the Good Soldier played an important part. So did his arch enemy <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=4-3-1&lang=en#Dub">Lieutenant Dub</a> but for less heroic reasons. After arrival the latter took upon himself to inspect the town's numerous houses of ill repute and check that the men didn't slither into debauchery. In the meantime the company was ordered to march onwards towards <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-4&lang=en#Sambor">Sambor</a> already the same afternoon. The <i>Reichsdeutsche</i> Hannover-regiment had required the <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-4&lang=en#Gimnazjum_nr_2_im._Królowej_Zofii">gymnasium</a> where the 91st regiment were supposed to be lodged and no Austrian dared stand up to their fearsome commander. By now <i>Dub</i> still hadn't returned and <i>Švejk</i> was entrusted with the delicate task of finding him. So he did with ease, in a secluded room upstairs in the <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-4&lang=en#Kawiarnia_Miejska">City Cafe</a>; dead drunk and in the company of the alluring <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=4-3-4&lang=en#Frk_Ella">Miss Ella</a>. He was dragged out, loaded onto the sick cart, and thus started the march towards the front in a way that would not have impressed his Emperor.<br />
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In 2010, back in the editorial offices of <i>Pod Vihorlatom</i> in Humenné, <i>Anna Šimkuličová</i> had rung <i>Bogdan Strúż</i> at Sanok Town Hall and announced my arrival in Sanok. When asked where I was going to stay I had to general amusement responded: "Where Dub stayed" (I could not remember the name of the hotel, and couldn't have pronounced it even if I had). <br />
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When I arrived in Sanok on 4 July I immediately went to the former <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-4&lang=en#Kawiarnia_Miejska">City Cafe</a>. Not to look for <i>Lieutenant Dub </i>or seeking and amorous encounter with <i>Miss Ella</i>, but to sleep in the now very decent <i>Hotel Pod Trzema Różami</i>. The staff were the friendliest I had come across in any hotel so far on the journey. The were definitely no <i>chambres séparées,</i> and the WiFi connection was excellent. The hotel is located right in the centre, five minutes walk to the pretty <i>rynek</i> (Market square), and even closer to the sitting statue of Švejk in the main shopping street. Down a little side street there is the pub <a href="http://www.uszwejka.bieszczady24.pl/">U Szwejka</a>, decorated with motives from the novel. Otherwise it was an ordinary pub, the beer was disappointing and the service off-hand.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sanok rynek at night</td></tr>
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The next day I went to the Town Hall to see <i>Mr Strúż</i> and was given a warm welcome. He took me off to a café for lunch and then picked me up after by the local <a href="http://www.skansen.sanok.pl/">skansen</a>. By now he had collected a ton of material for me: maps, leaflets and two books, one of them he had written the introduction to himself. It was on <i>Podkarpacija</i> and I accepted it with mixed feelings: if I was given more heavy books like this I would sink when crossing the Volga. <br />
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It struck me how polite <i>Bogdan Strúż</i> was. He constantly addressed me as 'pan'. Only a few days later did I discover that this doesn't only mean Sir as I had thought. It found it strange that everyone called me Sir! It is also the Polish polite form of you, similar to Czech <strong>vy</strong>, German <strong>Sie</strong> and French <strong>vous</strong>. But by all means, I appreciate people who treat me politely!<br />
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I now had to start the march towards the front and set off on foot along the river <i>San</i> and across the mountains towards <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-4&lang=en#Tyrawa_Wołoska">Tyrawa Wołoska</a>. I soon realised that <i>Hašek</i> again was way off with his timing. The company were supposed to have marched here from <i>Sanok</i> in an afternoon, which is quite impossible. The route describes also seemed odd, it would have been much easier to march along the river San towards <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ustrzyki_Dolne">Ustrzyki Dolne</a> and to <i>Sambor</i> from there. When I was walking up the scenic mountain road a car stopped and asked where <strong>Sir</strong> was going. Sir's iron will-power and steely determination suddenly evaporated and he accepted the lift. It was starting to rain...</div>
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<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bogusław Iwanowski at work.</td> </tr>
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In <i>Tyrawa Wołoska</i> I had a look around the small village. There is little more than a church, a few shops and the ruins of a stately mansion, the <i>dwór</i>. One of the naked columns now supports a storks nest. The history of the dwór was written on placards beneath. <i>Tyrawa Wołoska</i> had been attacked and burnt by UPA guerrillas as late as 1946. <br />
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A far bigger attraction was the gallery of <a href="http://www.tyrawa-woloska.regiony.pl/atrakcje.html">Bogusław Iwanowski</a>, a unique artist of wood-carving. When I approached I noticed a number of the wooden sculptures so typical of the region and in the garden was a man busy working on a huge trunk. <br />
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<i>Iwanowski</i> greeted the stranger by downing the tools and showing him round the gallery and even offering Sir a glass of home-made <i>śliwowica</i>. One series of sculptures depicted the life of pope John Paul II from childhood to the Vatican, another show inter-war president <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B3zef_Pi%C5%82sudski">Józef Piłsudski</a>, and many more which have pure religious motives. Others are political and show scenes from the sufferings Poland had to endure during the totalitarian rule imposed by their two powerful neighbours. It is said that Poland can be compared to Jesus Christ; crucified between two bandits. This was definitely the case in 1939 but things have now fortunately changed for the better. Still these events, and many previous, have left deep traces and it is no exaggeration to say that Russians and Germans are universally disliked, often hated. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katyn_massacre">Katyn massacre</a> and Stalin's refusal to aid the Warsaw uprising in 1944 further added to the antagonism towards Russia. Not to mention the following 40 years of Communist rule.</div>
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Švejk's trail continued along the road to <i>Przemyśl </i>and two kilometres up the scenic valley lies the village of <i>Berezka</i>. Due to a series of co-incidences I ended up here on my trip in 2004. I was ill-prepared back then and arrived in <i>Tyrawa Wołoska</i> without having any idea how small it was. I went to the village cafe to ask for accommodation and was told there was none, but one of the guests offered me a bed for the night. It was early afternoon but the <i>piwo</i> and <i>wódka</i> was already flowing, the mood was exuberant, and every other word was <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?defid=385624&term=Kurwa">kurwa</a>. <br />
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<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jomar and Jurek, 2004.</td> </tr>
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We all went up to <i>Berezka</i> and after copious amounts of <i>wódka</i>, gherkins and sausages everyone fell asleep. In the evening there was another visit to the cafe and more piwo. Grand-dad <i>Jurek</i> told me how he in 1968, as a conscript, was forced to take part in the Warsaw-pact invasion of <i>Czechoslovakia</i>. The Poles occupied the border areas and he was sent to <i>Ostrava</i>. His opinion on this was crystal clear; his narrative when describing the invasion contained an unusually high count of the word <i>kurwa</i>. After more vodka we both agreed that we were <i>dobry człowieki</i> (good men). How that conclusion was reached none of us could remember the next day.<br />
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I woke up early and had to move on, but not without another session by a little <i>sklep</i> by the road. When I reached <i>Przemyśl</i> I was still semi-sozzled and immediately bought a bottle of Perrier so I could brush my teeth in the city park; using excellent French lemon-tasting mineral water. It was astoundingly refreshing after all the <i>wódka </i>and <i>piwo</i>.</div>
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<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flashback to 2004, a goat and a wonky shit-house.</td> </tr>
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In July 2010 I knocked on the door of the same house in <i>Berezka</i>. A lady opened and it was the mother of <i>Janus</i> who had invited me to stay in 2004. She was washing and tidying the house as the family had recently moved to Sanok and they were trying to sell it. There was no goat in the garden anymore but the wonderfully tilting shit-house was still standing. I had used it once back then and had feared that farting too forcefully could make the whole thing collapse in a pile of floor-boards and shit.</div>
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Further up the valley I decided to call it a day, but not before having a meal at an unlikely fish bistro in the middle of the forest. It was little more than a shack but <i>ryba</i> was good. I misread the bus timetables back to <i>Sanok</i>, but fortunately I got a lift soon after. It was the lady who owned the fish-shop and I arrived safely back in <i>Sanok</i>, and started to prepare the next leg to <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-4&lang=en#Krościenko">Krościenko</a>. I eastimated the distance to 25 kilometers so would be quite a long walk.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rainy Liskowate</td></tr>
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On 7 July the rain poured down so I dropped the walking project altogether, bought a good umbrella and caught a bus to <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-4&lang=en#Liskowate">Liskowate</a>, a village Hašek called <em>Liskowiec</em>. This is the place where the 11th march company bought the skinniest cow in the Dual Monarchy from the Jew <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=4-3-4&lang=en#Nathan">Nathan</a>, and were still skinning it many days later. <i>Liskowate</i> is small and in the awful weather it was difficult to appreciate the village. I reached the wooden church through the wet grass and managed to take some pictures from under my umbrella. The <i>parasol</i> also served me well on the five km walk down to <i>Krościenko</i>. This place is bigger and quite drab despite the scenery. I took the bus to much more cheerful <i>Ustrzyki Dolne</i> and after a few good <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le%C5%BCajsk_Brewery">Leżajsk piwo</a> at the station cafe I continued back to <i>Sanok</i>. By now it had finally stopped raining.<br />
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<i>Ustrzyki Dolne</i> is now a tourist destination and appears quite wealthy. In 1950 it had some good luck. The Polish government "requested" a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1951_Polish%E2%80%93Soviet_territorial_exchange">territorial exchange</a> with the Soviet Union, wanting to part with the coal-rich <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chervonohrad">Chervonohrad</a> region by the river Bug and instead get a pretty but otherwise useless chunk of land around <i>Ustrzyki Dolne</i>. <i>Stalin</i> of course benevolently accepted, he was usually more interested in coal than in nature and prospective tourism. Of course the Polish request originated in Kremlin, just like the three Baltic states in 1940 had "applied" to become members of the Soviet Union. In retrospect it has been to <i>Ustrzyki Dolne</i>'s benefit: if the land swap hadn't taken place it would surely have remained a poor Ukrainian backwater. <i>Chervonohrad</i> is now a post-Soviet, worn-down, heap of concrete and rust. So Stalin did Poland a favour after all…</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593468044031864831.post-8302608076971337542010-07-04T10:23:00.163+02:002017-09-24T11:11:40.675+02:00Across the Carpathians<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TJqhpiYuYcI/AAAAAAAAq9I/lZ1oWq6WXOw/s1600/bies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><u></u><img border="0" height="364" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TJqhpiYuYcI/AAAAAAAAq9I/lZ1oWq6WXOw/s640/bies.jpg" style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="544" /></a><br />
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The mountain passes in the <i>Carpathians</i> had been fought over through the winter of 1914/15 but after the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorlice%E2%80%93Tarn%C3%B3w_Offensive">Gorlice-Tarnów offensive</a> started in May 1915, the Russian army was forced to withdraw. It is in this setting Švejk's 11th march company arrives in a <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-3&lang=en#Łupków">Łupków-pass</a> which still bears traces of the recent fighting. Švejk's laconic comments about the enemy's abandoned night potties provokes <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=4-3-1&lang=en#Dub">Lieutenant Dub</a> to the degree that he pulls his pistol. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Germans">Reichsdeutsche</a> <i>Brandenburger-regiment</i> has already erected a memorial to their dead, made from melted-down Russian guns. Further down, by <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-3&lang=en#Szczawne">Szczawne</a> and <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-3&lang=en#Kulaszne">Kulaszne</a> a Red Cross carriage has been riddled with bullets and derailed. The occultist cook <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=4-2-5&lang=en#Jurajda">Jurajda</a> asks naively if things have gone that far that it is allowed to shoot at a Red Cross train. Švejk philosophically retorts that <i>there are many things that are not allowed that still can be done</i>.<br />
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<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Friendly people from Kraków.</td> </tr>
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The <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-3&lang=en#Łupków">Łupków pass</a> was on July 3 2010 a strikingly peaceful and idyllic place. After catching the afternoon train from <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-3&lang=en#Medzilaborce">Medzilaborce</a> I changed trains at <i>Łupków</i>, and continued to <i>Nowy Łupków</i>. There I asked an unsteady local for a place to sleep. For once I was in a place where I was not sure if accommodation could be found. He pointed me back to where I came from, and said I had to walk three kilometres. Almost immediately I caught up with a nice couple from <i>Kraków</i>. They were going in the same direction and said there were two choices. One of them was <i>Agroturystyka Szwejkowo, </i>and the name alone determined my direction. After four sweaty kilometers I found it, right behind <i>Łupków station</i> at where I had changed trains just before! It was a happy anabasis though, and Szwejkowa was cheap, simple and adequate. Back in <i>Medzilaborce</i> I had read that <i>Łupków</i> only had 22 inhabitants, so not wonder I had given up finding accommodation there!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TJqhUdaBrwI/AAAAAAAAq9A/XAxA9LEv2GI/s1600/sw1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TJqhUdaBrwI/AAAAAAAAq9A/XAxA9LEv2GI/s320/sw1.jpg" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Švejk trail</td> </tr>
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It is a beautiful area. Not that the mountains are that high or spectacular, but the views across the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bieszczady_Mountains">Bieszcady</a> are fine and the air fresh. The region is popular with walkers, and on the train up I landed in a carriage full of Czechs who were to follow the Szwejk trail from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koma%C5%84cza">Komańcza</a> down towards <i>Sanok</i>. They took a keen interest in my undertaking and the <i>raritá</i> from the north was given a souvenir to carry, although a light one. The south eastern corner of Poland and adjoining areas in the Ukraine offers a unique cycling and walking route. <a href="http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Szlak_%C5%9Bladami_dobrego_wojaka_Szwejka">Szlak śladami dobrego wojaka Szwejka</a>, the only one of it's kind in the world. The track starts in <i>Łupków</i> and follows Švejk's route all the way to <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-4-3&lang=en#Kłodno_Wielkie">Velyke Kolodno</a>. Along the route there are green <i>Švejk</i> signs and yellow posters with quotes from Švejk relating to the location.</div>
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The next day I took the excruciatingly slow train down to <i>Szczawne-Kulaszne</i> station and walked the 20 km to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zag%C3%B3rz">Zagórz</a>, where I caught a train on to <i>Sanok</i>. Apart from the heavy backpack, the walk was a pleasure. There are fine views of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beskidy">Beskidy</a> mountains and the villages are tidy and well kept. It was a Sunday, so I had to suffer for a while without food, but finally in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czaszyn">Czaszyn</a> I found an open <i>sklep</i> (shop) where I got hold of some food. <br />
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This area was until 1945 mostly populated by Ukrainians but the ethnic cleansing after WW2 left the villages depopulated. The many Jews in the had suffered a grim fate even earlier. The Russian-orthodox church in <i>Szczawne</i> and the Greek-orthodox church in <i>Kulaszne</i> are still there. They are well kept, a sign that the wounds are healing.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593468044031864831.post-76557772811344068562010-07-01T08:02:00.190+02:002014-12-19T20:21:24.085+01:00Ruffled feathers<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TJhcFfDcNHI/AAAAAAAAq2I/zQNGMTLfyoY/s1600/lvov1914.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TJhcFfDcNHI/AAAAAAAAq2I/zQNGMTLfyoY/s640/lvov1914.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The World War: our army withdrew from Lvov</b>. <i>Národní Politika</i> on the disaster in Galicia in 1914.</td> </tr>
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By the time our hero <i>Švejk</i> arrived in the <i>Laborec valley</i> in late May 1915, the war itself had been mentioned in the novel many times, mostly in conversations and anecdotes. In Chapter 7, where Švejk is called up to serve in the army, Hašek reports the disasters Austria-Hungary suffered in the first month of the war. Later he lets <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=4-1-14&lang=en#Jind%C5%99ich_Luk%C3%A1%C5%A1">obrlajtnant Lukáš</a> convey a more positive and less realistic view. This is during the famous conversation with <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=4-1-14&lang=en#Wendler">hop-trader Wendler</a>, who was despairing because of the loss of hop markets and also the behaviour of his wayward wife <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=4-1-14&lang=en#Katy_Wendler">Katy</a>. During <i>Švejk's</i> stay in <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-2-3&lang=en#Kir%C3%A1lyhida">Királyhida</a>, soldiers who had already been to the front reported on the problems the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austro-Hungarian_Army">k.u.k army</a> faced both in Serbia and in the Carpathians. Now as the 11th march company of the 91st regiment moved up the <i>Laborec Valley</i>, the reader gets the firsts descriptions of actual war destruction. Still no Russian was in sight so it is clear that the enemy had been driven out.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TJhg5D9TvhI/AAAAAAAAq2g/yA4t3X_GSUE/s1600/mackensen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TJhg5D9TvhI/AAAAAAAAq2g/yA4t3X_GSUE/s400/mackensen.jpg" height="400" width="247" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">General August "Totenkopf" von Mackensen.</td> </tr>
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It is therefore time to attempt a short summary of the historical events between the outbreak of war and early summer 1915. In August 1914 the German army had acted quickly to attack <i>Belgium</i> and <i>France</i> and for a while they threatened to reach Paris like they had done in 1870/71. The attack on <i>Belgium</i> drew the <i>British Empire</i> into the war. Although this had little effect at this early stage, it was still important because the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Powers">Central Powers</a> now faced an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple_Entente">Entente</a> who was superior both in production capacity, manpower and other resources. Therefore the <i>Central Powers</i> were relying on winning the war early, as they correctly feared that a war of attrition would benefit the <i>Entente</i>. However, by September, it was already clear that they had failed. The <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-1-1&lang=en#Det_russiske_imperiet">Russian Empire</a> mobilised much quicker than expected and two Russian armies invaded <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Prussia">East Prussia</a>. Although these were destroyed at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Tannenberg_%281914%29">Allenstein</a> and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Battle_of_the_Masurian_Lakes">Masurian Lakes</a> it took the pressure off <i>France</i> who with help from the British managed to stop the German advance at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Battle_of_the_Marne">Marne</a> and recapture some ground. The war in the west now entered a stalemate that would last until 1918. The belligerents dug themselves in and the phase of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trench_warfare">trench warfare</a> began.</div>
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<i>Austria-Hungary</i>, in which army <i>Švejk</i> served, was in trouble from the outset. Historian <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Stone">Norman Stone</a> comments: <i>The Austrian General Staff took everything into account, except reality</i>. The mobilisation was a mess of indecision, orders and counter-orders. On the other hand, the fast Russian mobilisation took them by surprise. Troops going to <i>Serbia</i> now had to be directed east, resulting in havoc on the railways. At the heart of these dispositions was the powerful Chief of Staff, <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=4-2-2&lang=en#Franz_Conrad_von_H%C3%B6tzendorf">Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf</a>, the very man who was the most ardent campaigner for "preventive" war-fare against Serbia.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TJhdpbVIErI/AAAAAAAAq2Q/eIx2Tj36wf4/s1600/terror.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TJhdpbVIErI/AAAAAAAAq2Q/eIx2Tj36wf4/s320/terror.jpg" /></span></span></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The k.u.k army hanging Serbian civilians</td> </tr>
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An attack on <i>Serbia</i> on 12 August 1914 was quickly repelled by the experienced Serbian army. In Švejk these events are often referred to in stories from the front told in <i>Királyhida,</i> particularly by the ill-tempered <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=4-2-3&lang=en#Anton%C3%ADn_Vodi%C4%8Dka">sapper Vodička</a>. Although the <i>k.u.k army</i> briefly captured <i>Belgrade</i> in December 1914, Serbia still held its ground in the early summer of 1915. The attack on Serbia was followed by systematic atrocities, "to teach the Serbs and their sympathizers within the Empire a lesson". This pattern repeated itself also in the east where the Rusyn population was regarded similarly unreliable. These atrocities are regularly woven into the novel by Hašek.</div>
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On the <a href="http://www.richthofen.com/ww1sum2">Eastern front</a> things went even worse. By mid September <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galicia_%28Eastern_Europe%29">Galicia</a> had been overrun by Russian troops, who were in November threatening <i>Kraków</i> and had reached the Carpathians. The losses were huge; the <i>Dual Monarchy</i> lost 25 per cent of her officers in the first month of the war. One of the reasons for the scale of the losses was the officer’s <b>fabulous head-gear and splendid uniforms</b>. These were great for pomp and parades but easy targets for Serb and Russian riflemen and machine-gunners. The army soon had to ditch the feathers and equip their officers with less conspicuous headgear. It is estimated that Austria-Hungary lost 1.2 million in killed, wounded and missing up to 1 January 1915. </div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TJhYgLKUzSI/AAAAAAAAq14/fjzhcKYFKBY/s1600/Sivilegalicia1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TJhYgLKUzSI/AAAAAAAAq14/fjzhcKYFKBY/s320/Sivilegalicia1.jpg" height="193" width="320" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Civilians in Galicia 1915 (Tore Mentyjærvi)</td> </tr>
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They winter battles in the Carpathians are also regularly mentioned. The Russians pushed through the Dukla pass and the <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-3&lang=en#%C5%81upk%C3%B3w">Łupków pass</a>. <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-3&lang=en#Medzilaborce">Medzilaborce</a> and <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-3&lang=en#Humenn%C3%A9">Humenné</a> were both captured. Hašek describes war damages as far south as <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-3&lang=en#Trebi%C5%A1ov">Trebišov</a>. During the winter of 1914/15 there was a real danger that the Russian Army could break though onto the plains of Hungary and threaten the very core of the Empire. After these setbacks, the Austro-Hungarian army increasingly had to rely on assistance from Germany and further Russian advances were thwarted. Still, as late as 22 March 1915, there was a major setback; the strong fortress of <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-4-1&lang=en#Przemy%C5%9Bl">Przemyśl</a> surrendered after having been starved out.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TJhfGFsLryI/AAAAAAAAq2Y/kAhhkpT2owY/s1600/img_map_02.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TJhfGFsLryI/AAAAAAAAq2Y/kAhhkpT2owY/s320/img_map_02.gif" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The offensive in which Jaroslav Hašek took part <br />
(richthofen.com).</td> </tr>
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In early May 1915 the situation changed dramatically in favour of Germany and Austria-Hungary. At <i>Gorlice-Tarnów</i> the Germany Army, commanded by the capable <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_von_Mackensen">August von Mackensen</a> launched an offensive which led to a Russian collapse. Further operations pushed them away from the <i>Carpathians</i>, forced them to withdraw from <i>Galicia</i> and in the summer they decided to give up Poland to shorten the exposed front. It is during this offensive we find Švejk moving up the <i>Laborec Valley</i>, crossing the <i>Łupków pass</i> and marching towards the front from <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-4&lang=en#Sanok">Sanok</a>. By September 1915 the front had stabilised more or less along the Austro-Russian border. Judging only by Hašek's narrative it is difficult to grasp the scale of the Central Powers’ victory; <i>Jaroslav Hašek</i> was a very reluctant participant in it.<br />
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Despite <i>Italy's </i>entry in the war against their former allies, 1915 was a black year for the <i>Entente</i>: The Russian army had been badly mauled and their munitions and supply problems were cruelly exposed. The Anglo-French operations against <i>Turkey</i> failed, <i>Bulgaria</i> entered the war and in October <i>Serbia</i> finally succumbed after German and Bulgarian forces came to the aid of the hitherto unsuccessful Austro-Hungarian army. The Serbian resistance still commanded the admiration of the above-mentioned <i>August Mackensen</i> who led the final offensive; he ordered a monument to be erected in honour of the enemy he had just defeated! <br />
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Švejk never saw the year out. By the time the novel finished due to Jaroslav Hašek's untimely death, the 11th march company had reached the river <i>Bug</i> and by studying the text and relate it to historical events we can time the arrival to early July 1915. Švejk incidentally never got involved in the fighting and he was meant to survive, to be back at <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-1-1&lang=en#U_Kalicha">U kalicha</a> at 6 o'clock at night, after the war.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593468044031864831.post-5622957252165449102010-06-30T14:38:00.068+02:002014-12-19T20:15:54.587+01:00Up the Laborec valley<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TJWgm5nn8aI/AAAAAAAAqnI/_A1jcmVsZpI/s1600/laborec.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TJWgm5nn8aI/AAAAAAAAqnI/_A1jcmVsZpI/s640/laborec.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Laborec valley near Brestov.</td> </tr>
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Švejk's journey through <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_Hungary">Upper Hungary</a> went along the <i>Laborec Valley</i>, in the far east of current Slovakia. Former <i>Upper Hungary</i> was in fact almost identical to current Slovakia and was ruled by Hungary for more than 900 years. The Czech, Slovak and Rusyn part of what from 1919 was to become <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-1-0&lang=en#Tsjekkoslovakia">Czechoslovakia</a> had never been a united territory until that year. <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TJWluQECPFI/AAAAAAAAqnw/jl9s7e8-gPo/s1600/mal25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TJWluQECPFI/AAAAAAAAqnw/jl9s7e8-gPo/s320/mal25.jpg" /></a>The <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-3&lang=en#Laborec">Laborec</a> Valley still has a large <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rusyns">Rusyn </a>minority and also a large gypsy contingent. The <i>Rusyn</i> language is close to Ukrainian and during WW1 the Rusyns were, apart from the Czechs, considered the least reliable of the Dual Monarchy's subjects. They identified more with their Russian "adversaries" than with their Emperor and King. This is reflected in Švejk when the author describes how the Rusyns in <i>Humenné</i> were treated by the Hungarian state police after the Central Powers had re-conquered the area from the Russians in May 1915. The scenes from the Laborec Valley also include the first impressions of war damage, from <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-3&lang=en#Trebišov">Trebišov</a> up the valley to <i>Medzilaborce</i>. I will get back to this in an imminent entry which purely covers the events on the Eastern front from the outbreak of war until July 1915. At this time <i>Jaroslav Hašek</i> had reached at the front by the river <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-2-5&lang=en#Bug">Bug</a> and Švejk would also have been there if the author had been able to finish his classic.</div>
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The points along the route in Slovakia mentioned by Hašek are <i>Lastovce</i>, <i>Trebišov</i>, <i>Michalovce</i>, <i>Humenné</i>, <i>Brestov</i>, <i>Radvaň</i> and <i>Čabyna</i>. As the author most probably based his description on military maps from before the war (with Hungarian place names), the names, translated to Czech, are often bungled but still recognisable. This is the assumption of <i>Antonín Měštän</i> and sounds plausible.</div>
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I started off by walking from <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-3&lang=en#Sátoraljaújhely">Sátoraljaújhely</a> across to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slovensk%C3%A9_Nov%C3%A9_Mesto">Slovenské Nové Mesto</a> and in ten minutes I was in <i>Michal'any</i> where I back in 2004 had a few wonderfully tasty and hallucinogenic Gemer Pivo. The beer was so outstanding that I instead of continuing to Trebišov, my sense of direction got muddled, and the misfortune happened to me that I ended up on the train back to <i>Nové Mesto</i>.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TJWg9a3x2NI/AAAAAAAAqnQ/jMqjKMst3cg/s1600/pivo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TJWg9a3x2NI/AAAAAAAAqnQ/jMqjKMst3cg/s320/pivo.jpg" /></a>The brewery in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rimavsk%C3%A1_Sobota">Rimavská Sobota</a> has since been closed and the label is now owned by the <i>Heineken</i> group who brew it somewhere else. Nowadays the exquisite flavour and hallucinogenic effect is a distant dream. Have you ever noticed those features in a Heineken? Still Heineken make some good beers in Slovakia, where they have a large market share. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zlat%C3%BD_Ba%C5%BEant">Zlatý Bažant</a> can easily compete with the best Czech beers and <a href="http://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelt_(pivo)">Kelt</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corgo%C5%88">Corgoň</a> are also excellent. The other big player is <i>SABMiller</i> with it's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%A0ari%C5%A1_Brewery">Šariš</a>. Some of their Czech beers are widely available and popular (Pilsner and Kozel). Still the Slovaks have not fully adopted the Czech beer culture despite 70 years of co-habiting. There are few if none of the classic <i>hospody</i> of the Czech Republic, and electronic receipts are used in place of the famous Czech paper tab.</div>
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I walked the 3 km from <i>Michal'any</i> to <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-3&lang=en#Lastovce">Lastovce</a>. The village is quite extensive, with a sizable part of the population being gypsies. The station is tiny, little more than a concrete shack full of flies and dozy passengers. I stumbled across a tiny but pretty pub where the owners let me in for an excellent <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Corgoň d</i></span><i>esítka</i> despite it being two hours before they officially opened! It was an excellent welcome to Slovakia which Hašek would have enjoyed. The next stop was <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-3&lang=en#Trebišov">Trebišov</a>, who welcomes the guests with an ugly and dilapidated station. Unfortunately the town fits the picture, a collection of dreary socialist constructions strung out along one central street. I was only too well aware of the fact that this was only the first of several towns and cities of this type that I would visit in the next few months. There was still a noticeable difference from most places I had been to in Hungary; there was more bustle and it appeared altogether wealthier. The same could be said of <i>Michalovce</i> and <i>Humenné</i>.</div>
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In <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-3&lang=en#Michalovce">Michalovce</a> I decided to watch Slovakia-Netherlands in the station cafe. Here the station was impeccably clean and modern but that was of little comfort as someone stole my camera while I was busy supporting his national team (he surely wasn't Dutch). Some might conclude that this misfortune happened because I was in "gypsy country". To that I can add that my fellow football fans in the cafe all seemed to the decent, white, patriotic Slovaks, proudly supporting their nation.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TJWhIFeBSvI/AAAAAAAAqnY/neKAPpGoKTI/s1600/vojaci.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TJWhIFeBSvI/AAAAAAAAqnY/neKAPpGoKTI/s320/vojaci.jpg" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Petr Tymeš, Petr Procházka and Josef Švejk</td> </tr>
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A few days before <i>Richard Hašek</i> had put me in contact with the local <i>český spolek</i> in <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-3&lang=en#Humenné">Humenné</a> and two of them welcomed me at the station, carrying huge Pentax cameras. The brave soldiers were <i>Petr Tymeš</i> and <i>Petr Procházka</i> and I was driven to the improbably named <a href="http://hotelalibaba.sk/">Hotel Alibaba</a>. I had stayed at this high-rise monstrosity in 2004, then it had the more appropriate name <i>Hotel Chemes</i>, associated with the chemical plant which by 2010 was out of business. Humenné station was also the scene of the famous episode where Švejk saves his <i>obrlajtnant</i> from embarrassment by gulping down a whole bottle of "cognac" in one go. </div>
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In many ways <i>Humenné</i> is a typical purpose-built "Soviet" town; a mix of ugly high-rise, good town-planning and bankrupt industry. All is not gloom though: the central <i>Námestie Slobody</i> is a pretty enough pedestrian area and the local <i>Skansen </i>(open-air museum) is well worth a visit. The surroundings are pleasantly green and hilly like the rest of the Laborec valley. The town can also pride itself on the first Švejk statue in the world, erected in 2000. Since then a number of Švejk-statues have popped up; in <i>Sanok</i>, <i>Przemyśl</i>, <i>Skelivka</i>, <i>Lviv</i>, <i>Kolodno</i>, <i>Omsk </i>and <i>St.Petersburg</i>. When will the greatest of all Czechs be similarly honoured in his own homeland?</div>
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On the second day I went back all the way to <i>Lastovce</i> to retake all the photos I had lost the day before. This time I walked through <i>Michalovce</i> and it was not the grey communist town I had expected, it actually was far more agreeable than <i>Trebišov</i>. In it's attractive main street there was even a <i>Švejk-pub</i> but it was too early to visit it, and now my photo-activities had priority.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-bottom: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TJWjhOLWbNI/AAAAAAAAqno/6PxhgSTexAs/s1600/vihorlat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TJWjhOLWbNI/AAAAAAAAqno/6PxhgSTexAs/s320/vihorlat.jpg" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">In the editorial offices of Pod Vihorlatom with <br />
Marián Šimkulič and Anna Šimkuličová.</td> </tr>
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The stay in <i>Humenné</i> was a delight, not least because of the welcome I was given by the <i>český spolek</i> members. <i>Petr Procházka</i> even invited me along to the editorial offices of the local weekly, <i>Pod Vihorlatom</i>, where he is employed. I was interviewed by editor <i>Anna Šimkuličová</i>, not without language-difficulties, and was also told the story of how the Švejk-statue came into existence, and about various Švejk-arrangements, often in co-operation with enthusiasts in Poland and Hungary. There had been big arrangements, and celebrities <i>Radko Pytlík</i> and <i>Richard Hašek</i> from far-away Prague had taken part. I was given a tour of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-air_museum">Skansen</a> by <i>Jarmila Bříská</i>, <i>český spolek</i> chairperson and teacher at a local college. The showed me around the Skansen, which has a good collection of wooden buildings from the region, amongst them one of the typical wooden churches.</div>
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On the third day the the two Petrs saw me off by the Švejk-statue on the station and took some more pictures. On the station premises alone there are four pubs, two of them are named after Švejk and they open at 6 in the morning! This is so workers can get the best possible start to the day when arriving to town from the surrounding area. Both serve excellent and fresh beer, the <i>Kelt</i> and <i>Zlatý Bažant</i> is a delight. <br />
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Further up the valley, visits to the small places of <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-3&lang=en#Brestov_nad_Laborcom">Brestov nad Laborcom</a>, <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-3&lang=en#Radvaň_nad_Laborcom">Radvaň nad Laborcom</a> and <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-3&lang=en#Čabiny">Čabiny </a>were compulsory stops. I managed <i>Brestov</i> and <i>Radvaň</i> on the way to <i>Medzilaborce</i>, walking between the first two with full equipment. On this sunny day in June 2010, it was hard to imagine the devastation Hašek describes. Green hills, green fields, peaceful villages and the clean Laborec river were images far removed from the horrors of devastated landscapes, rotting bodies and ravens going for the eyes of the dead.</div>
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I stopped in <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-3&lang=en#Medzilaborce">Medzilaborce</a> for two nights, visited <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-3&lang=en#Palota">Palota</a> up by the <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-3&lang=en#Łupków">Łupków pass</a>, and then traced back to <i>Čabiny</i>. The first was strenuous because in Budapest my friend <i>László Polgár</i> had given me a Diet Coke bottle of Hungarian moonshine and I had dared to sample it the previous night. The result was considerable physical unease and slight mental disruption. These sufferings lasted almost the whole day, even the 12 km walk down from Palota was no cure. Only the pleasant atmosphere and good <i>Šariš</i> in the pub in <i>Čabiny</i> restored my self-perception as a fundamentally sane person. My optimistic outlook for the next 4 months also returned.</div>
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<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TJWhaZNlDOI/AAAAAAAAqng/1EnVxSN7bMs/s1600/warhol.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TJWhaZNlDOI/AAAAAAAAqng/1EnVxSN7bMs/s320/warhol.jpg" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andy Warhol in Medzilaborce</td> </tr>
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<i>Medzilaborce</i> is another dreary town with high unemployment rates and depressing architecture. The population is mixed Slovak, Rusyn and Gypsy and there are even some signs in Cyrillic letters. Orthodox churches are found all over the region. The main attraction of Medzilaborce is the <a href="http://www.region.sk/warhol/index2.html">Andy Warhol Museum of Modern Art</a>. I didn't visit it this time but had done so in 2002. It is a huge museum for such a small place and the art inside is modern indeed. Back in those days I got so confused with all the modernity that I on my way out mistook the baskets labelled respectively "špinavé" and “čisté" for artistic creations. I even took pictures of them, thus recognising their importance in the world of art. Then I discovered that they were baskets for plastic shoe-covers; the words simply meaning "dirty" and "clean". Philosophically speaking I must have had certain problems in separating art from utility, and maybe also literature from reality. Maybe it's all one big Whole, so I was perhaps right after all? Warhol himself was actually born in Pittsburgh in 1928, but his parents had emigrated from nearby <em>Miková</em> in the years before.</div>
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<i>Medzilaborce</i> and Poland is separated by the <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-3&lang=en#Łupków">Łupków Pass</a>. The crossing was opened for railway traffic again in 1999, but services have since been cut back and now there are only trains at weekends during the summer-season. I just managed to watch the first half of Germany's mauling of Argentina before setting off across the Carpathians. <i>Diego Maradona</i> may be God to some people, but "La Mano de Diós" seems by now far too shaky to hold the steering-wheel of the great Argentinian football nation.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593468044031864831.post-63604179591450003062010-06-27T11:01:00.137+02:002014-12-19T20:12:25.372+01:00Good trains and soggy fields<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TJN7elwSesI/AAAAAAAAqjU/TFU8kIh_7g0/s1600/derek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TJN7elwSesI/AAAAAAAAqjU/TFU8kIh_7g0/s640/derek.jpg" height="427" width="640" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plaque at Sátoraljaújhely station</td> </tr>
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<i>Švejk's</i> journey through North-Eastern Hungary in May 1915 was an on-going story of waiting for the promised goulash. The journey is not described in detail, and only in <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-3&lang=en#Sátoraljaújhely">Sátoraljaújhely</a> is there any development: the goulash and the potatoes are finally distributed. The stay in <i>Sátoraljaújhely</i> starts with a description of how <i>honvéd hussars</i> abuse a group of Polish Jews. Then another conflict erupts between <i>Švejk</i> and <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=4-3-1&lang=en#Dub">Dub</a>. The idiotic lieutenant claims that destroyed weaponry is Russian even though it clearly has the inscription <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-1&lang=en#Wiener_Neustadt">Wiener Neustadt</a>. Then Švejk pulls an insanely long anecdote for <i>Lukáš</i> to the effect that the <em>obrlajtnant</em> makes the following comment: "<i>I’m coming to the conviction that you don’t respect your superiors at all</i>". Lukáš was getting to the core of Švejk; how would a through-and-through anti-authoritarian writer create a figure that would genuinely respect his superiors? The trip through Hungary also illustrates the bungling of logistics in the k.u.k army. Hašek hardly exaggerates in his description of affairs; historians can point to even more incredible stories! To be fair, this type of mess was not a uniquely <i>k.u.k</i> problem; it happened in all armies, particularly the Russian.</div>
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<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TJN7mU6XGOI/AAAAAAAAqjc/9AtQOhc3YHU/s1600/hussar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TJN7mU6XGOI/AAAAAAAAqjc/9AtQOhc3YHU/s320/hussar.jpg" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A fine Honvéd Hussar</td> </tr>
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This may also the moment to explain the term <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honv%C3%A9ds%C3%A9g">honvéd</a>, which occurs repeatedly. This word is known to all football fans of the older generation, and readers of <i>Švejk</i> will be familiar with it. The term simply means <i>Home Guard</i> and is an equivalent to the Austrian and German <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landwehrhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landwehr">Landwehr</a>, and Norwegian <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_Home_Guard">Heimevernet</a>. In English literature, the term "territorial army" is also used. The <i>honvéds</i> were in fact much more than a home guard, they took actively part at the front and was an integral part of the army. The term <i>honvéd hussar</i> refers to the cavalry of the home guard. <i>Honvéd</i> still exists and is now in effect the Hungarian armed forces. <br />
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The football team <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budapest_Honv%C3%A9d_FC">Honvéd</a> referred to above was the famous 1950's team that provided players like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferenc_Pusk%C3%A1s">Ferenc Puskás</a> and was almost identical to the national team that crushed England twice in 1953 (7-1, 6-3). They miraculously failed to win the World Cup in 1954. How Hungary for such a short period shot to the top of world football is a mystery. Obviously there was a lot of talent, but the single-minded concentration of resources in one club would also have played a part. There were parallels to this scheme in the <i>Dynamo Kiev</i> of the 1970's and the <i>Dynamo Berlin</i> of the 1980's, but none of these were as dominant as <em>Honvéd</em> and <em>Hungary</em>. The football club <em>Honvéd</em> still exists but is not a major force any more, not even domestically. <i>CSKA Moscow</i> and Soviet Ice Hockey in the 1970's is perhaps the best comparison to the <i>Honvéd</i> football team of the 1950's.</div>
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The nearest I came to see a <i>honvéd hussar</i> was the sight of two statues by the entrance to the military history museum in Budapest. But now, it's time get rid of the smell of horse-dung and get back to the diesel odours of the MAV locomotives. From <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-2&lang=en#Hatvan">Hatvan</a> I set off early to continue my station hopping. The first stop was <i>Kal-Kápolna,</i> a place which is not mentioned in Švejk, but which <i>Jaroslav Hašek</i> mentioned in a poem. It distinguishes itself with arguably the ugliest railway station in the world. It is so hideous that only the Central Committee could have designed it. I missed out on the compulsory <i>sör</i> at this stop, because the only place open was a stinking dive with totally pissed gypsies. Enjoyment is an integral part of beer-drinking, but here I couldn't envisage this being the case. <br />
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<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TJN8RUC401I/AAAAAAAAqjs/8WhFFyI_1Gk/s1600/spor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TJN8RUC401I/AAAAAAAAqjs/8WhFFyI_1Gk/s320/spor.jpg" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tracks by Tiszalúc</td> </tr>
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<a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-3&lang=en#Füzesabony">Füseszabony</a> was more cheerful, and it is also a bigger place. There I finally indulged in a good <i>Sopronyi</i>. At <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-3&lang=en#Miskolc">Miskolc</a>, which <i>Hašek</i> calls <i>Miškovec</i>, it was time for a meal. The station was clean and modern as befits the third largest city in Hungary. The city never saw any fighting during WW1 but was hit by a terrible cholera epidemic. <br />
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There were still three hops to go. Trains are good and frequent along this route so I normally had an hour at each station to nose around and enjoy the symbolic beer. <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-3&lang=en#Tiszalúc">Tiszalúc</a>, the stop after <i>Miskolc</i>, is tiny. Hašek mixed it up with <i>Tiszalök</i>, which can be easily verified by looking at the railway maps. The station "facilities" here were so disgusting that I instinctively clenched my nose, backed out, and performed my smaller bodily needs outside.</div>
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<a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-3&lang=en#Mezőzombor">Mezösombor</a> is another small place, but here I had to walk into the village centre as the station was more or less out in the fields. There are three small churches in town which all look the same. I had my beer in a bar where I was regarded as biggest curiosity since the Ottomans were driven out. The people in the bar were very friendly and I regretted not knowing more than those ten words of Hungarian. "Nem tudom" was used all to often. As I moved further east, the damages from the recent floods were noticeable. Many fields in the <i>Tisza valley</i> were still under water. The railway line had also been damaged, so the last part of the trip to <i>Sátoraljaújhely</i> was by rail replacement bus service.</div>
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<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TJN74h0RAqI/AAAAAAAAqjk/0SoZjMeYWDQ/s1600/sator2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TJN74h0RAqI/AAAAAAAAqjk/0SoZjMeYWDQ/s320/sator2.jpg" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sátorljaújhely and Sátor</td> </tr>
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<a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-3&lang=en#Sátoraljaújhely">Sátoraljaújhely</a> was the final stop in Hungary, and this border town was already familiar to me. I stayed here on my mini-Švejk trip in 2004. At the station there is a plaque commemorating the Good Soldier Švejk. <i>Sátoraljaújhely</i> is a pleasant if unspectacular town, set below the <i>Sátor mountain</i>. Sátor means tent and the name of the town is literally "New town below the tent". After the treaty of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Trianon">Trianon</a> the town was split and the part on the eastern side of the small river was given to Czechoslovakia. It was simply a move to give Czechoslovakia direct railway access to <i>Zakarpatia </i>(ceded to the Soviet Union in 1945). The population here in the <i>Semplin region</i> was then almost one hundred per cent Hungarian. The town is closely associated with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lajos_Kossuth">Lajos Kossuth</a>, the hero of the 1848 revolution and struggle for independence from Austria. Moreover it is the birthplace of two famous porn stars. <br />
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The hotel where I stayed in 2004 had gone out of business, so in the end I asked some men outside a bar if there were places to sleep. There was, and a drunk man showed me the way, incredibly without any trouble or verbal diarrhoea (which I wouldn't have understood anyway). The pension was cheap and friendly, so many thanks to my inebriated benefactor! The next day I walked over to <i>Slovenské Nové Mesto</i>, the part of town ceded to Czechoslovakia in 1921. At the Hungarian side of the border there is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trianon_treaty">Trianon</a> monument, and in the Slovak station someone had replaced the Slovak names on the railway map with Hungarian ones. Sandbags from the floods were still laying around, and the water levels must have been incredible. The whole lower part of the two towns had been under water.</div>
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Švejk and Hašek are very popular in Hungary, despite the authors general animosity toward s the country, or at least it’s officialdom. He is still not as hostile as he was towards the Austrians, and lets Švejk exclaim that <i>some Hungarians can't help being Hungarians</i>. My problem in Hungary was entirely my own: I don't know the language, but in this I'm not alone. If it hadn't been for <i>László Polgár</i> and his friends in Budapest, it could have been a very lonely nine days in the footsteps of Švejk. The practical things work though, many people know some English or German, so the tourist is not totally lost. I was impressed by the trains, a lot faster and more comfortable than their Czech and Slovak counterparts and equally cheap. The highlight in Hungary will still be the days in Budapest, meeting a lot of people with the same interests as myself and otherwise enjoying the beautiful Hungarian capital. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593468044031864831.post-57500410161774127822010-06-25T17:10:00.004+02:002014-12-19T20:07:04.803+01:00Still no goulash<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TI5E9r2AeBI/AAAAAAAAqGY/GvCIEHJxObM/s1600/kistarcsa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TI5E9r2AeBI/AAAAAAAAqGY/GvCIEHJxObM/s320/kistarcsa.jpg" /></a>In May 1915 the 91st regiments 11th march company's onward journey from <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-2&lang=en#Budapest">Budapest</a> was fraught with difficulties. The field kitchen had been left behind in <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-2-3&lang=en#Királyhida">Királyhida</a> and supplies were scarce. This hit the gluttonous <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=4-2-5&lang=en#Baloun" target="_blank">Baloun</a> more than anyone else, he often ended up stealing food from his superior, <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=4-1-14&lang=en#Jindřich_Lukáš">obrlajtnant Lukáš</a>. He had now become his <em>putzfleck</em> (servant), after <i>Švejk</i> had been promoted to company <em>Ordonnanz</em> (messenger) by <em>obrst</em> <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=4-2-2&lang=en#Schröder">Schröder </a>after his heroic deeds in <i>Királyhida</i>. His promotion was much to the horror of <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=4-2-4&lang=en#Vaněk">Rechnungsfeldwebel Vaněk</a>.<br />
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The train stopped at station after station, but the promised goulash was only dished out in <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-3&lang=en#Sátoraljaújhely" target="_blank">Sátoraljaújhely</a>. Švejk had in Hungary become the arch enemy of <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=4-3-1&lang=en#Dub">reserve lieutenant Dub</a>, a Czech but still the price idiot of the k.u.k army. As a loyalist he is mercilessly pilloried by Hašek who he lets <i>Švejk</i> routinely and effortlessly outwit him. The professional officers also despise him, primarily because he is a pillock, secondly because he is a civilian.<br />
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I set out from Budapest intending to stop at every station mentioned in the plot, and I think I succeeded. I also intended to have a beer at every stop, and failed narrowly. Not that it was a big loss; Hungarian beer is a step down from the quality I had become accustomed to in the Czech Republic and Austria. It's adequate but nothing more. Sopronyi is probably my favourite.<br />
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My first stop was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaszeg">Isaszeg</a>, a place which might have been meant as Išatarčsa, but we don't know. Then I went to <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-2&lang=en#Gödöllő">Gödöllő</a> and took the HEV to <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-2&lang=en#Kistarcsa">Kistarcsa</a>. HEV was the worst train I'd been on so far; slow, rattling and sprayed with graffiti (and so were the stations). I was dragging my backpack with me and didn't even stop for a beer to celebrate Švejk's "stolen" hen. Back I went to <i>Gödöllő</i>, the summer residence of <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=4-1-1&lang=en#Elisabeth_av_Bayernhttp://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=4-1-1&lang=en#Elisabeth_av_Bayern">Sissi</a>. The grand station was built especially for the Hungarian Queen and in Budapest it was even arranged so that she could travel through the city directly from Vienna. The old station is now used as little more than a toilet and her Royal Highness would not have approved of the odours.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TI5FI_kLhtI/AAAAAAAAqGg/u4GbKNOhUOA/s1600/hatvan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FTsFHQmJEmc/TI5FI_kLhtI/AAAAAAAAqGg/u4GbKNOhUOA/s320/hatvan.jpg" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Czech cyclists at Hatvan station</td> </tr>
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I then continued to <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-2&lang=en#Aszód">Aszód</a> which was just a break on a bench, the station bistro was closed. It was getting late when I got to <a href="http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/?page=5-3-2&lang=en#Hatvan">Hatvan</a> so I decided to stay overnight. There the station bistro was open so I could finally enjoy a <i>sör</i>. At the <i>palyaúdvar</i> bistro a pleasant surprise waited: a group of happy Czech cyclist from the Liberec region entered and the tone was set. They had never met a švejkolog before, and certainly not a Norwegian one. They had cycled from Košice down through Slovakia and Hungary and already had a week behind them, plagued by mosquitoes after the recent floods. I was treated with pivo and in an upbeat mood I went looking for a place to sleep. It looked grim but with help from two German-speaking young ladies I was directed to <i>Újhatvan</i> where the comfortable <i>Panzio Koruna</i> was my salvation. It was already 11 pm.<br />
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The trains on this routes were excellent, on level with the Austrian ones, and indeed of the same make. On the other hand <i>Hatvan’s</i> extremely subdued atmosphere was striking, very similar to most places I had been to in Hungary during the last week. The country was suffering a severe economic crisis at the time, which even a tourist without a degree in economics could notice. Not being an economist I couldn't even explain it. Maybe Hungary didn't stick to the advise of the economists at OECD, IMF and the World Bank? Closed shops abounded, the level of activity was low, and the railway toilets smelly.</div>
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