Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz — Polish playwright, prose writer, poet, memoirist, public and political figure, Freemason
Niemcewicz achieved his greatest literary fame with Spiewy historyczne (“Historical Songs,” 1816), a work that can be considered a poetic compendium of Polish history.
In 1818, during his travels, the Polish writer Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz visited Odesa. The trip resulted in a book titled Journey through Volhynia, Podolia up to Odesa (Polish: Podróż po Wolyniu, Podoliu aż do Odessy), published in St. Petersburg in 1859 and included in the author’s general collection Historical Travels.
The fifth chapter of this book contains Niemcewicz’s recollections of his stay in Odesa. After traveling through Volhynia and Podolia, he arrived in the city on July 7, 1818.
“Although I had traveled extensively across the civilized world, and although at the age of sixty-one the decline of strength and old age were increasingly evident, the desire to fulfill the task given to me by the Academy, to visit old friends in Volhynia and Podolia, and finally to reach (if my strength allowed) Odesa, made me disregard my age and the difficulties of the journey. In such a deceptively confident state, I foresaw nothing in the forthcoming trip but pleasure and benefit. Therefore, I left Wilanów on May 29, 1818. (…)”
He begins his description of Odesa by engaging the reader in solving the “puzzle” of the young city. This approach allowed him to provide a historical overview of the lands on which Odesa was founded. Niemcewicz also paid considerable attention to the city’s economy, trade, and educational activities.
“There are six large bazaars, or markets. These are square squares, around which shops are lined with large, though somewhat clumsy, columns. Beneath them sit bearded merchants selling all local goods: furs, iron, copper, tin, lead, leather, ropes raw or processed, and various household items. I was impressed by the Moscow warehouses with local porcelain, faience, percale, handkerchiefs, crystal, glass, lamps, and so on. The porcelain is not the finest, but quite good; in my view, the crystal and glass surpass Czech production. All iron, bronze, tin, and sheet-metal utensils and tools come from local factories. The Muscovites seem more inclined toward industry, factories, and crafts than agriculture […] Greeks and Karaites have a separate market, offering the best tobaccos, shawls, and various Eastern fragrances. French and Italian merchants sell fashionable and local goods from their own beautiful warehouses.”
Niemcewicz combines nationalities, trade, a catalog of goods, items, and customs, and the influence of the environment in a single paragraph, creating the impression of a stroll through a small quarter of a new city.
A summary of the Odesa sections of Niemcewicz’s Journey:
“On Sunday, after a good Greek bath, I left Odesa, glad to have seen the city, like a second Palmyra in the desert, rich and flourishing. Everything in it was lively with Sunday activity, regardless of the holiday.”
After spending some time in the city, the writer continued his journey to Mykolaiv and began his return trip.