Galician Trails: The Forgotten Story of One Family

by Zalewski, Andrew

  Despite the long name given to him—Josephus Blasius Stanislaus—my great-grandfather would go through life known simply as Joseph Regiec. He was growing up in times of increasing autonomy for Galicia. When Joseph was nine years old, educational instruction, newspapers, and even official documents of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria transitioned from the obligatory use of German to use of the languages spoken in that land. There was also a renewed push by the empowered crown land’s parliamentary assembly (diet) to modernize Galicia, rather than continue with ill-fated bickering and unrealistic dreams of separate statehood. It was becoming clear that to achieve these goals, the society would have to undergo a profound change through education. The modern idea that this was a basic right rather than a rare privilege was ready to be implemented, despite all odds, in Galicia.43

  At least for now, cooler heads would prevail, and the focus shifted to self-improvement and a desire to look forward with optimism. With these changes, there was a need for many teachers. The first of these from the extended Regiec family was Franciscus Regiec, who became a teacher in 1874. He would teach in a school with a single classroom in the village of Janowice, the hometown of the Traczewski family. But this was only a partial break from tradition. Although he had chosen a different livelihood than working in the fields, Franciscus would remain in the same village school for the next 35 years, leaving the pursuit of bigger opportunities to future generations. During this time, even a few Regiec women began independent careers, to be joined later by many others bearing the family name.44

  In September of 1879, Joseph Regiec took his place as an educator in the nearby village of Wieloglowy.45 This must have been his first formal job after his recent graduation from teachers’ college. Joseph’s new home was a small hamlet of two rural settlements separated by a patch of forest. The church and about 40 loosely spread-out houses formed this community. Classes were held in the home of an organist at a local parish; lessons took place in a single room with a few wooden benches, a teacher’s desk, and a blackboard. Joseph was the only teacher there. The work of this young man and many like him must have felt endless; in the countryside, often less than a quarter of the population was able to read and write. Even in Galicia’s two largest cities, Cracow and Lvov, barely more than half the inhabitants were literate. The province was clearly trying to catch up after years of neglect.46

  This young teacher must have had a keen sense of civic responsibility; in any case, something prompted him to write a short chronicle of his tiny school. Speaking with locals and appealing to their memories, he cobbled together its history, full of names that went all the way back to 1813. Remarkably, not only would the original document survive in the school library, but it would be fortuitously posted on its website 125 years later. Reading Joseph’s words in his own handwriting, we can see his deep concern that so many of his predecessors, who were often liked and considered to be devoted teachers, had left after a short period of service. We begin to see clearly the author’s dedication to this small community, which went well beyond simple classroom teaching:

  The region of Nowy Sacz. The Lösch family resided in Nowy Sacz from 1875. North of the city are the villages Wieloglowy and Wielopole, where Joseph Regiec taught from 1879 to 1885. (Section of a map from 1937.)

  When I arrived in the year 1879, I found the classroom in the organist’s house, but no place for me to stay. Luckily, I was able to find a home in the manor house in the neighboring village of Wielopole, where I also taught the children of Mr. and Mrs. Kosterkiewicz [the owners of Wielopole]. For the next five years, I remained determined to make the teacher’s position in Wieloglowy one of the most attractive and, thank God, I ultimately succeeded. I don’t take credit for this, but I only mention that there was no single day when I would not raise with influential people the issue of living quarters for the teachers and the need to buy a small parcel of land for the school. There were many difficulties…

  The cover page of Wieloglowy’s school history written by Joseph Regiec. The text reads, “Chronicle of the school from approximately 1813 to 1879 based on only oral testimonies. Józef [Joseph] Regiec, teacher.”

  Then, Joseph’s handwriting suddenly stops. But we are fortunate that one of his successors picked up the task of writing the school’s history, some years later. This provides us with a unique glimpse into how Joseph’s contemporaries viewed him. As the story was written (about 20 years after Joseph’s departure), the young teacher enlisted the help of the owner of the neighboring village.

  In the end, Mr. Regiec was able to convince the school board to buy a piece of land for teachers’ living quarters and other buildings, including a stable, woodshed, and barn as well as a sports field. I gather, however, that before the construction was finished, Mr. Regiec left his teaching job...for the career on the railroad where he would rise to a high position. Memories of him are still alive in Wieloglowy. As with every teacher, opinions may vary, but most are positive…His former students are unanimous in remembering him as a hardworking and conscientious person.47

  Unfortunately, the document does not mention details of Joseph’s personal life during these five years in Wieloglowy. The village was only five miles north of the district town of Nowy Sacz where, we can only suspect, Joseph met his future wife, Stephania Lösch. What connected the country teacher with the well-established Lösch family will have to remain an untold story. Even if the young lady and Joseph had lived in the same town during their teenage years, they would have attended separate schools for boys and girls. Was it just a coincidence that Stephania’s older sister, Bronislawa, was a newly appointed teacher as well?48 Or was a promising young man introduced to the family by other relatives and mutual friends (who will be reappearing in our story on important occasions)?

  The entry marking the marriage of Joseph Regec [sic] and Stephania Lösch on February 3, 1886, in Nowy Sacz.

  Stephania and Joseph’s courtship led to a marriage ceremony in Nowy Sacz on February 3, 1886. The 28-year-old groom and 30-year-old bride were accompanied by longtime friends of the Lösch family, Wilhelm Winkler and Vincent Telesnicki Jr.49 Perhaps reflecting a somewhat distant relationship with his own family, none of Joseph’s many brothers or sisters were official, recorded witnesses at the exchange of marriage vows, although some of them certainly might have attended the ceremony.

  As if foretelling a future of searching for new opportunities, the young couple did not stay in Nowy Sacz or in Wieloglowy. Instead, they established their first home west of there, in Mszana Dolna, a small town of approximately 1,800 inhabitants.50 To the south of the town, mountain peaks could be seen, with pine forests that supplied material to nearby lumber mills. Surprisingly, Joseph’s name was not to be found among staff at the local school. Although it is not impossible, it is unlikely that he would have taken a job as a private tutor to some well-to-do family. Instead, the recent opening of a train station in the town, an event that connected this place with a larger world, could be the clue to Joseph’s move there.

  This was a time when railroads were becoming a symbol of new engineering feats. As we will soon see, this technology of speed and power was not without risk, but it was an irresistible career opportunity to many—not unlike the way aviation would be viewed some 50 years later. Perhaps with the help and influence of Andreas Lösch or Vincent Telesnicki Sr., Joseph had developed a clear ambition to go beyond teaching and build his future around these new and exciting opportunities. Although railway jobs were few and always in high demand, both families had early personal connections with the railroads. Among the Lösches’ friends from the old times was Wilhelm Winkler, the stationmaster in Nowy Sacz; for the Telesnickis, the link was even closer, with one of their sons working as a railway engineer. Undoubtedly, Joseph’s decision to persevere in an untested profession would have a longlasting impact on his and Stephania’s lives. Joining the railroads meant a new way to live, and the Regiecs were poised to become an intrepid family that was often ahead of its
times.51

  Baptismal certificate of Helena Wanda Regiec, born on November 16, 1886, in Mszana Dolna.

  On November 16, 1886, Helena Wanda Regiec, my grandmother, was born in Mszana Dolna. Five days later, she was baptized in a local church. Besides the names of the parents, Joseph and Stephania, and the grandparents from the Regiec and the Lösch sides, the baptismal certificate lists the names of Julianus and Wilhelmina Telesnicki, who took part in the ceremony as Helena’s godparents. Once again, members of the Telesnicki family were present at an important event in Joseph’s and Stephania’s lives.

  It is remarkable that the original baptismal certificate survived in my grandmother’s possession and later in her daughter’s papers, despite the many relocations that followed—let alone the destructive forces of two world wars, in which so many other personal documents were to perish. I vaguely remember my grandmother heading to Mszana Dolna approximately 70 years later to obtain a birth certificate from the civil authorities, based on this document. The priceless church-issued slip of paper was no longer considered sufficient.

  Joseph Regiec (1858–1920). This picture was taken in Nowy Sacz in the late 1880s or early 1890s.

  Within a couple of years, Joseph Regiec moved with his young family back to Nowy Sacz. There were plenty of reasons behind this decision; Stephania was expecting another child, and for Joseph, new career opportunities had conveniently opened in the town. The Regiecs settled in an apartment provided by the railway. Other members of the Lösch family lived not too far away; Joseph’s father-in-law, Andreas Lösch, now retired, was well-known in the town, due to his former position as district commissioner. Bronislawa Lösch, Stephania’s oldest sister, was living with her parents, focused on her flourishing activities as a teacher. By then, Wilhelmina, the middle Lösch sister, was in Stary Sacz, just a few miles away.52 Paradoxically, of the three Lösch sisters, the person we know the least about is Stephania, the youngest and my great-grandmother. As far as we know, she remained a homemaker, with her hands full looking after a growing family.

  In 1888, Wanda Regiec, Helena’s younger sister, was born in Nowy Sacz. Possibly the older Lösches were smiling, having three daughters themselves and now welcoming to the family two girls as their grandchildren. Undoubtedly, the Regiecs were happy when, a few months after Wanda was born, a published list of the railway administration included Joseph’s name; as of January 1, 1889, he had officially been given a coveted permanent position in Nowy Sacz. For the first few years, he would work there as a clerk and later as assistant to the stationmaster.53

  Nowy Sacz. The train station of the Galician Transversal Railway, where Joseph Regiec worked from 1888 to 1894. (Postcard from the end of the nineteenth century.)

  At that time, Nowy Sacz had about 11,000 citizens, including a large Jewish population of approximately 5,000. Jews had been established there at least since 1699, when plans for the first synagogue had been laid out.54 As in many towns of the region, the city center featured a large square, on which stood a City Hall topped with a tower. Not far from there, Andreas Lösch’s former office was located in a small but handsome building that housed the district administration. Nowy Sacz was becoming a busy place, with several judicial courts and rapid growth as a transportation center. There were two railway stations in town. An older one was for the north-south railway that had been established soon after the Lösches moved there in 1875; a newer station had opened on the city outskirts and served the Galician Transversal Railway (Galizische Transversalbahn), which linked towns between the east and west of Galicia. The newer train station would remain Joseph’s workplace for the next few years.

  Not unlike today, progress had its vocal critics. At times, locals claimed that railroad construction was causing more frequent seasonal flooding; these torrents could certainly be violent at times, with the river carrying away trees or even large farm animals caught in the swelling current.55 But notwithstanding these accusations, the railway was a real boon for Nowy Sacz, and a number of jobs and businesses opened as the result of these changes.

  With Joseph soon absent on assignments far from home, we can assume that Stephania was the one firmly in charge of the Regiec household. The family continued to live near the Galician Transversal Railway, so Joseph could walk to work when in town. On Sundays, the family could choose from a few different spots for recreation. At the city outskirts was an old castle with a partially preserved tower and thick defensive walls. By the time the Regiecs moved there, the buildings housed an armory and a warehouse for the military garrison. Not far away, a wooden bridge, passing high over the River Dunajec, connected the town with a governmental road heading further west. The bridge was a popular spot; many walked there and paused to look down at the swift currents roiling beneath them. On the other side was an area described as a favorite place for family strolls, under many poplar trees alongside a picturesque road. We can only wonder if Joseph and Stephania, with two little girls hopping up and down, once walked amongst the many Sunday visitors.

  The decade of the 1890s turned out to be quite eventful for the Lösch and Regiec families. It brought both expected and unexpected events in their personal lives and in the world around them. As with generations before and after, as time passed, the losses of family members were felt deeply; but this was accompanied by a real sense of better opportunities ahead for the young people. The next generation of Lösches and Regiecs pushed hard to have meaningful lives, whether in Nowy Sacz or soon, far beyond. Undoubtedly, for many of those whose stories we will follow, this was a time of contrasts and impactful decisions.

  The year 1893 was definitely not a good one; first, Andreas Lösch died of cancer after only five years of retirement. From then on Eleonora, widowed after 47 years of marriage, would be looked after by her three daughters, with the oldest, Bronislawa, remaining closest to her. Bronislawa taught in the girls’ school at 32 Jagiellonian Street, just a few steps from where she herself lived.56 For many years, this five-grade school remained the only place that offered formal education to girls in this not-so-small city.

  Nowy Sacz. The section of Jagiellonian Street not far from the schools where Bronislawa Lösch taught. (Postcard from the end of the nineteenth century or early twentieth century.)

  Bronislawa Lösch’s signature as the temporary school principal, dated June 26, 1889.

  Handwritten entries in the school’s records show Bronislawa’s rapid rise to department head, then deputy principal, then principal. She continued to have a successful career in this modern institution, soon to be named after Queen Hedwig from Silesia. In time, Bronislawa would become a permanent fixture there. The story of her success could have stopped with that, but make no mistake: Bronislawa had a very busy life beyond the daily routine of going to and from classes. Although she would never marry, her life could not have been busier and more fulfilling. The causes she would champion were a great testimony to her deeply held belief that education was the key to independence in Galician society. When, year after year, the state failed to open a badly needed women’s teachers’ college in Nowy Sacz, Bronislawa and others succeeded in establishing a private school that tried to fill the void. This was a work of perseverance, as the school did not have its own building and classes were initially taught in private homes. Once the college opened, Bronislawa focused on her next idea: how to prepare girls for universities. Within a few years, a private, women-only gymnasium—the equivalent of today’s high school but with an emphasis on classical education in Latin and Greek—was established. Bronislawa became responsible for its first admissions office.57

  Minutes of the meetings of an educational association, the Folk School Association, active in Nowy Sacz, give a closer glimpse of Bronislawa. Almost always present during evening discussions held in various places, she continued to report to the executive committee on work done, or tirelessly plead for new causes. At various times, she expressed her views as a member of the executive committee, trusted and respected by others (as evidence
d by the large number of votes she received during annual elections). Then, she served as deputy chairwoman, an unusual feat in that male-dominated society; as secretary of the association, taking meticulous notes of evening deliberations; and as the treasurer or delegate to national conventions.

  Bronislawa exhibited boundless energy, embarking on many initiatives that might look a bit trivial or even patronizing by today’s norms. Nevertheless, these were important in her time, and required not only her personal dedication but also quite a bit of ingenuity. Through the association’s records, a picture emerges of a person speaking in a thoughtful and measured voice, but at the same time not afraid of taking on new responsibilities. She was involved in obtaining books and newspapers for reading rooms in rural communities, and fundraising for chairs or lamps needed for libraries; she even managed to oversee amateur theatrical performances in her free time (these would have provided a type of entertainment that was otherwise available to very few). On other occasions, she served as a voluntary librarian for the association, cataloguing and packing books for small libraries—including one in Wieloglowy, where Joseph Regiec, her brother-in-law, had taught years before.58 When she is reported to have been in contact with a local teacher there, we can only wonder if a few words were not exchanged between them about Joseph, by then on a new career path.

  As with any voluntary organization, there were small disappointments, such as her associates’ loss of interest in good causes and a constant lack of funds, but there were also many small triumphs that gave her satisfaction. She must have been liked by her colleagues, as she was often asked to represent them at openings of new chapters or small libraries, or to carry out honorary duties. One year during carnival season, Bronislawa, accompanied by a visiting member of the national parliament in Vienna, led an impressive number of 80 couples in a polonaise, the opening dance of a festive evening. As reported by the newspaper, the ball turned out to be both fun and a successful fundraising event for the causes she cared for. From time to time, Bronislawa was also asked to address public gatherings during national holidays in Nowy Sacz or in the countryside. But she was not a fiery activist; the topics she chose for her speeches reveal her softer side, focusing on stories about the theater and music or her favorite topic, how to give girls a practical education.59