A 1792 inventory describing the town hallof Kazimierz near Cracow

Abstract

The article concerns the town hall of Kazimierz near Cracow and the condition of this building at the end of the early modern period. Its major part is the edition of a source document preceded with an extensive commentary presenting the state of research, the source basis and the major events in the history of the edifice from the 15th to the 18th c. Previously available data on the town hall were supplemented with new information from various kinds of municipal books. The commentary also discusses the functions of the town hall and the circumstances of creating the analysed document. In its edition the authors followed the guidelines for early modern sources formulated under the supervision of K. Lepszy. Inwentarz z opisem stanu dóbr miasta Kazimierz przy Krakowie przez Ekonomię bywsządnia 15 miesiąca marca r[ok]u 1794 spisanym [An inventory describing the properties of the town of Kazimierz near Cracow written on the 15th of March 1794], preserved in the National Archive in Cracow, includes data on the location, number, function and condition of municipal properties, as well as their fittings. The register was compiled in order to facilitate the management of municipal property and clarify financial matters. Along the town hall, the document also describes shops, houses and gates, the guardhouse, the tollhouse, the bridge leading to Wieliczka and the farm. It brings information on furniture and appliances used by town clerks and functionaries, on the contents of two town-hall treasuries, and on the location, function and interior of particular rooms in the town hall just before the administration of the town of Kazimierz was taken over by the Habsburg state.