Czy prowincja zawsze pozostawała w tyle, czyli o tym, jak modernizacja zmieniała codzienność poza wielkimi miastami (1864-1914). Przypadek lubelski

Was the Province Always Falling Behind?, i.e. How Modernization Changed Everyday Life Outside of Great Cities (1864-1914). Lublin as a Case Study

Abstract: After 1864 the cities of the Kingdom of Poland went through a lot of changes which can be defined with the word ‘modernization’. It refers to various spheres of reality, from economic, through social, and, finally, to cultural processes; it also concerns everyday life, which can be understood as material surroundings of an individual, communication, infrastructure and urban space, entertainment and free time. Using the press from that time, it is possible to trace some of the aspects of the modernization processes, the speed with which it occurred, and the relationship with the centre. The example of Lublin presents some characteristic trends of the provincial cities: following in the footsteps of Warsaw with a few-year delay, but also the problems (e.g. financial ones in the case of infrastructure or the required entertainments), which became common in the provinces; it is a fact that the material things spread faster than attitudes and some top-down activities associated with introduction of standardization, norms, and regulations in various spheres of life.