The Limanów Region, the Polish Legions and the Imperial-Royal Army in the First Year of the Great War. A case Study of a Small Galician City

Abstract

This article examines the relations that existed between soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian Army, especially those belonging to the Polish Legions, and the inhabitants of Limanowa during World War I. I show similarities and differences between the local attitudes towards the Imperial-Royal Army at large and those towards the Legions. In Polish historiography, scholars tend to write that people from Limanowa helped the legionaries from the beginning, more so than other Galician prefectures (powiaty). Based on documents from the National Archive of Kraków and relevant literature, including reminiscences, I verify this view and demonstrate that propaganda from the interwar period changed the perception of this episode.