Leisure of a polish nobleman in the second half of 19th – early 20th century (on the example of Kyiv province’s)

Abstract

Leisure is one of the key elements of the history of everyday life that is gaining popularity in modern historiography. During their free time, individuals developed their practical and creative skills and broadened their horizons. Therefore, our research on this issue is important and necessary. The study of daily life history relies on a wide range of sources, and especially on ego documents (diaries, memoirs, memoirs, etc.). The article mostly used the memoirs of Henrik Ulashyn (1874-1956), Zygmund Kotyuzhynskyi (1826-1894) and August Ivanskyi (1832-1876).

In the second half of the 19^th – early 20^th cent., the men of the Kyiv province’s noble families had a wide range of leisure activities at their disposal. Everyone could adjust their leisure time to their preferences and financial capabilities. The article describes the most common types of leisure activities among men of noble families. Such leisure activities include playing cards, hunting, traveling, reading literature, collecting, and playing various sports.

The article also reveals the issue of changes in the preferences of the Polish nobility in spending their free time, which occurred at the turn of the century. Such popular types of recreation as hunting are beginning to lose their popularity, on the other hand, various types of sports such as cricket, tennis, boxing, etc. are gaining popularity. The nobility always preferred Western culture over Russian. In the second half of the 19th century, the influence of England can be traced, which was manifested in the spending of free time.