The Big Book of Warsaw

Andrew Rottermund
Letter of praise
We have received a monumental work. A work that tries to tell about Warsaw
all that is important for its history, but also for its present, and even to arouse reflection
on its future. A work with its own individual character. The knowledge in it
encyclopedic, but it is not an encyclopedia, it has many diverse and beautiful illustrations, but it is not an album either.
album is not either. It resembles a more lofty structure - almost an edifice of excellence,
built on a foundation of solid articles describing the city's coat of arms, its system and
administrative divisions. Above them rise 14 floors (parts) of knowledge about Warsaw,
topped by a rich and carefully selected literature on the subject.
The striking feature of the Big Book is its informative nature. Easily
however, one can find articles and statements with a very personal perception of Warsaw affairs
Warsaw issues and they set the tone for many parts of the Book.
The work of the editor of the whole, Hanna Kielich-Rainka, is admirable. She was able to obtain
materials of the highest quality to show Warsaw from different points of view
viewpoints and in different intensities of intellectual color. Gathering in one volume authors of such
rank as, for example, Stanislaw Wyganowski, Stefan K.Kuczynski, Maria Bogucka, Jerzy
Waldorff, Marek Nowakowski, Adam Miłobędzki, Stefan Bratkowski, Antoni Kukliński on the
on the one hand, and varsavianist youth such as Dorota Jarecka, Jaroslaw Zielinski, Peter
Martyn on the other, required no small amount of effort, as well as judicious selection.
The authors I have mentioned are only a dozen of the 93 researchers and
publicists - the co-authors of the book. It was from their circle, or from their inspiration, that previously spawned
numerous publications on the history of the city. To them, therefore, we owe the dynamic development of
of research on the Polish capital. This does not mean at all that we can consider the state of research on Warsaw as
satisfactory. Among other things, Warsaw has not yet lived to see a synthesis of its medieval history
medieval history. Also, modern Warsaw from the 16th to 18th centuries, despite the

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tremendous progress in the study of its history, still awaits the undertaking of many topics related to this era.
topics related to this era. A lot of work and scientific effort will still be required to explain the
the phenomenon of the city's extremely dynamic development at the end of the 19th century and the very beginning of the
20th century, i.e. when Warsaw was developing as a strong center of modern
industry and as a center of cultural and scientific life. Just as many white spots
are waiting to be filled regarding 20th century Warsaw. The Big Book of Warsaw
discreetly reminds us of this.
One reads with great interest the essays and articles in almost every part of the book
of the book, and in parts such as Undefeated, Memory of this City, and above all in the
Warsaw Sketches, in particular. They captivate with a new, individual
perspective on Warsaw issues.
Also worthy of praise is the very beautiful binding of the book, with which it gains bibliophilic
dignity and a place among publications about Warsaw. I am convinced that The Great Book of
of Warsaw can become a desirable and beautiful gift for every lover of Poland's capital.
Poland, and an encouragement to all those who with the history and affairs of this extraordinary place
encountered for the first time.
For me, a researcher of Warsaw in the 18th century, many of the articles in the Book complement my
analyses. It also confirms that the changes brought by the 18th century, even if they are part of a
longer process of modernization and we observe them against a background broader than the time caesuras of the 18th century that have been assigned to us by
historians' time caesuras of the 18th century - the Age of Enlightenment, are still very visible today
and easily perceived by each of us.
The ballast of factors that limited Enlightenment development was felt not only
in Warsaw, it was the same all over Europe. For everywhere the ballast of inertia in the form of
historical location, street and land layout, as well as the constraints of
political, military and religious conditions, as well as the daily rhythm of the day, were
palpable. Despite these obstacles, however, an invigorating spirit of change swept over Warsaw at the time
of change that permeated all levels of urban structures. Warsaw was no longer
merely an area of population concentration, and became a center for organizing space.
A place not only of social and political conflicts, but also a center radiating
new political, social, cultural and scientific ideas.
The modern Warsaw, the one that is the essential subject of the
Big Book.