In the heart of Galicia. Rzeszów under the rule of the Habsburgs

In the heart of Galicia. Rzeszów under the rule of the Habsburgs

As a result of the first partition of Poland in 1772, Rzeszów, like most of the southern lands of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, found itself within the borders of the Habsburg Monarchy. The city would be under Austrian rule for nearly 150 years, until independence was regained in 1918. Was it a clearly negative, lost period in the city's history? It seems that the Austrian period is assessed from the perspective of Rzeszów slightly more complex.

Shortly after the partition, Rzeszów became the seat of a district, i.e. an Austrian administrative unit. This was associated with new investments, as well as the influx of officials of various nationalities - in Rzeszów under the rule of the Habsburgs, Jews, Ruthenians, Germans and even Czechs lived alongside Poles. Paradoxically, the most dynamic period of development occurred only after the disastrous fire of 1842, in which almost half of the city's buildings burned down. It was then, as part of the reconstruction of Rzeszów, that tenement houses were built, which today dominate the architecture of the city center. In 1858 a railway reached Rzeszów connecting the city with Krakow and Lviv. Thanks to Ignacy Łukasiewicz, who spent his youth in Rzeszów, the oil industry developed. At the end of the 19th century, Galicia was one of the world's largest oil producers.

The liberal constitution of Austria-Hungary guaranteed civil rights and liberties, and the autonomous status of Galicia favored the development of Polish culture, which was impossible in other partitions. It was in Galicia that Polish political, patriotic, sports and paramilitary organizations had a chance to develop.