Cal Wall

@calwall
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13 Posts
Amateur historian (BA, MLitt), primarily focused on Poland. Current research is on Poland in the Second World War
Currently enjoying a very interesting Zoom seminar by Kévin Roger, about 'Latin Motets and Literary Networks in the Late Middle Ages: Intertextuality, Rhetoric, and Digital Reading', as part of the #universityofoxford All Souls Seminars in Medieval and Renaissance Music series. Highly recommend the series if you are interested in #music, #history, #poetry, or if you just want to learn something new. More information can be found at the following link, for future seminars: https://www.music.ox.ac.uk/all-souls-seminars-medieval-and-renaissance-music
All Souls Seminars in Medieval and Renaissance Music

As my first #bookclub post, I am pleased to recommend Adam Zamoyski's Poland: A History. This was the first book I read about Polish history, sparking an interest that has lasted almost 10 years. A very engaging book, it covers more than 1000 years of history. One of my favourite parts is a medieval folklore about the creation of Germany, involving Pontious Pilate and a certain orifice. A great introduction to the topic, and how 'Poland' changed over centuries
#history #poland #books #reading
In addition to the daily #otd's that I have been doing so far, I will also give a weekly book recommendation on Wednesdays, called #bookclub, beginning today, and a weekly short biography of a Pole (or someone from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth) who I have found interesting in my research, on a Sunday. I hope these will be of interest, and perhaps spark further reading
#otd 1903 Aleksander "Hubert" Kaminski was born. A scoutmaster during the war, he edited the clandestine newspaper Biuletynu Informacyjnego as well as organising and leading various parts of the propaganda comission of the Grey Ranks, including small sabotage, and art section. Perhaps best known today for his writing, his most famous book was the non-fiction novel Stones for the Rampart, published 1943, about scouts Zoska, Rudy, and Alek. He survived the war
#history #poland #ww2 #szareszeregi
I visited the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum in 2016; a very poignant and informative place. I would recommend a visit to anyone wanting to learn more
#otd 1945, the Red Army reached Auschwitz, freeing the remaining prisoners. Nazi-German troops and employees had fled, some the day before, having destroyed all evidence they could, leaving only those too sick or too weak for the Death Marches; the evacuation West. 15,000 prisoners died in the marches. Locals went to the camp to help, taking care of prisoners, others did what they could with food and sheltering escapees along the Marches
#history #ww2 #holocaustmemorialday #holocaust #auschwitz
Image shows the borders of Germany after Versailles. Of particular contention were Danzig and the Polish Corridor (between Germany proper and East Prussia)
#otd the 1934 declaration of non-violence (broken 1939) was signed between Germany and Poland. The intention was to stabilize relations between Poland and her western neighbour, and secure the status of the border as agreed at Versailles. By this time Hitler was Chancellor, Germany had left the League of Nations, and re-armament had begun. For years, German leaders had threatened the border. A similar agreement with USSR was in place since 1932.
#history #poland #germany #ww2 #military

Nice walk and a pint of local ale before heading home

#skye #nature #beer #saveourpubs #scotland

#otd Frederick II of Prussia was born in 1712; the final Hohenzollern to use the title King in Prussia (a title derided when it was first used in 1701). Following his annexation of East Prussia, as part of the first partition of Poland (1772), he changed the title to King of Prussia. Despite being described as 'enlightened', he is remembered by many for forced Germanisation, devaluing his neighbour's currency, and (some things never change) a love of tariffs

#history #germany #monarchy #poland