Pre WWII life in small town Poland

Borrka:

Wrong.

Even small cities in previous German and Austrian zones had electricity, tramways, city gas etc.
Not to mention some movie theatres.

On the contrary the Russian sector of partitioned Poland was one of the most backward regions in Europe.
Maybe with exception for big cities.
The rest was just like Russia.

wszelazekThreads: 1 Posts: 1 Joined: May 12, 08	May 12, 08, 16:45 / #
Can you help with this, please? I need information on how people lived in pre WWII small town Poland. EG Was there widespread electricity? Did people use gas or solid fuel to cook with? What was the public transport system like. What % of urban roads were paved. Were there cinemas in all/many towns? How many households had radios? What was the school system like? Just about anything and everything. Many thanks W.

plk123Threads: 30 Posts: 6,412 Joined: Aug 29, 07	May 12, 08, 16:56 / #
no electricity in the stix coal was for heat and cooking public transport? you mean horse and buggy? lol paved roads? lol.. i think most urban roads were paved cinemas and theather only in major cities (warsaw, krakow, gdansk..) radios? some i have no idea about %s. schools in the country and prior to ww2? hmmm not many, most people farmed.

JukrekThreads: - Posts: 76 Joined: May 9, 08	Edited by: Jukrek May 12, 08, 17:44 / #
My grandfather was living in small vilage in east Poland and he finished 8 classes of school. ;) There was cinema in small town near his vilage in Suwalki.

plk123Threads: 30 Posts: 6,412 Joined: Aug 29, 07	May 12, 08, 17:54 / #
suwalki is a decent size town.

JukrekThreads: - Posts: 76 Joined: May 9, 08	Edited by: Jukrek May 12, 08, 18:07 / #
Now it is 70 000 people town. IMO it was much smaller before the war. It was only "powiatowe" town ;) Cities looked like that Lwow 1939 - east of the country Warszawa In Suwalki there were Cinema Army Churches Schools ... ;-) nothing special. East Poland... One of my grandfatheres was from pre war Warsaw :), the another was form vilage in east Poland. He finished his school in his vilage. I haven't asked him if there was electicy in his vilage. In biger towns situation was much better. Middle town is shown in Agnieszka Holland movie Europe Europe, at the begining we can see how towns in western Poland looked like.

BorrkaThreads: 49 Posts: 770 Joined: Apr 25, 08	May 13, 08, 01:35 / #
Wrong. Even small cities in previous German and Austrian zones had electricity, tramways, city gas etc. Not to mention some movie theatres. On the contrary the Russian sector of partitioned Poland was one of the most backward regions in Europe. Maybe with exception for big cities. The rest was just like Russia.

ConstantineKThreads: 35 Posts: 1,949 Joined: May 10, 07	May 13, 08, 08:49 / #
Borrka: Wrong. Even small cities in previous German and Austrian zones had electricity, tramways, city gas etc. Not to mention some movie theatres. On the contrary the Russian sector of partitioned Poland was one of the most backward regions in Europe. Maybe with exception for big cities. The rest was just like Russia. You are always forgetting that most of Russian population live in the big cities (abot 80%), contrary for Poland

z_dariusThreads: 22 Posts: 5,091 Joined: Oct 18, 07	May 13, 08, 08:56 / #
ConstantineK: ConstantineK The topic is "pre WW2", not now.

plk123Threads: 30 Posts: 6,412 Joined: Aug 29, 07	Edited by: plk123 May 13, 08, 09:29 / #
Borrka: Wrong. Even small cities in previous German and Austrian zones had electricity, tramways, city gas etc. Not to mention some movie theatres. wrong? lol... i don't think so. when did electricity actually came to wide spread use? z_darius: The topic is "pre WW2", not now. and small towns.

JukrekThreads: - Posts: 76 Joined: May 9, 08	Edited by: Jukrek May 13, 08, 09:37 / #
east Poland before WWII (the poorest part of country) central Poland - Łódz Polish acteres before WWII (shortcuts form pre WWII Polish movies) youtube.com/watch?v=1bfQNFPXhZI

celinskiThreads: 83 Posts: 2,800 Joined: Nov 14, 07	May 13, 08, 09:56 / #
Many of the photo's show beautiful cobblestone for roadways.

wszelazekThreads: 1 Posts: 1 Joined: May 12, 08	May 14, 08, 05:06 / #
Thanks for all the info. the region I am interested in is up near Bialystok - ex Russian partition. Wrt radios, my father used to talk of the Doctor in the street who had a radio and everyone would gather round the open window to listen to the news. Thanks again.

LukaszThreads: 73 Posts: 2,396 Joined: Sep 1, 07	Edited by: Lukasz May 15, 08, 08:40 / #
ConstantineK: Even so. Russian population except Ukrain and Belorussia were even in those times mostly urban. oh constatnine we have seen urban Russians in Poland... no comment

shakiThreads: - Posts: 4 Joined: Jun 23, 08	Jun 23, 08, 20:29 / #
My grandmother is form Lwow. Where can I find albums with this town's pictures.

JukrekThreads: - Posts: 76 Joined: May 9, 08	Edited by: Jukrek May 13, 08, 10:14 / #
I have part of another Polish movie from 1927 Eugeniusz Bodo - Może ty będziesz mą królewną IMO we had cinemas in Poland before WWII ;) and electicity lol :)

JukrekThreads: - Posts: 76 Joined: May 9, 08	Edited by: Jukrek May 13, 08, 12:03 / #
Now something showing different aspects of pre WWII Poland : ;)

JukrekThreads: - Posts: 76 Joined: May 9, 08	Edited by: Jukrek May 13, 08, 12:38 / #
Loda Halama 1939 it is enought ... :) of this movies form 1930s

plk123Threads: 30 Posts: 6,412 Joined: Aug 29, 07	May 13, 08, 13:05 / #
Jukrek: IMO we had cinemas in Poland before WWII ;) and electicity lol :) definitley but not so much in the rural areas.

JukrekThreads: - Posts: 76 Joined: May 9, 08	Edited by: Jukrek May 13, 08, 13:32 / #
plk123: definitley but not so much in the rural areas. I don't know how it was in rural areas I haven't asked my grandfather and it is too late.

plk123Threads: 30 Posts: 6,412 Joined: Aug 29, 07	May 13, 08, 17:54 / #
it really depended where you were.. western PL and closer to the major cities had power and more services.. out east and further away it wasn't all that.

ConstantineKThreads: 35 Posts: 1,949 Joined: May 10, 07	May 15, 08, 06:45 / #
z_darius: ConstantineK: ConstantineK The topic is "pre WW2", not now. Even so. Russian population except Ukrain and Belorussia were even in those times mostly urban.