Polish Kharkiv

Kharkiv is an iconic frontier town, which appeared and evolved on the borderline of various civilization layers, combining many ethnic and confessional elements. An integral part of this multicultural mosaic was the Poles who have played an important role in the city’s social, scientific, cultural and educational life. Seweryn Potocki, Henryk Siemiradzki, Alfred Fedetsky, Vladislav Frankovsky, Konstanty Gorski, Jozef Pilsudski – the fate of these and many other representatives of the Polish people was closely connected with the history of our city, and they left a bright trace in the chronicle of Kharkiv. Their life journeys and professional achievements are well known in academic circles, but they still remain little known to the broad audience of Ukrainians and Poles. Filling this gap is an important resource for creating a new vision of the history of relations between these two folks, based on the principles of constructive interaction and cooperation.
These were our considerations when the mobile application “Polish Heritance in Kharkiv” was created. Structurally, it consists of three basic elements (e-map, virtual excursions, essays). Each of them plays an important role in visualizing of information about the Polish pages of the history of Kharkiv. The map creates a panoramic view of the number, thematic structure and configuration of commemoration sites associated with the Polish community of our city. Virtual excursions allow anyone anywhere in the world to learn about the history of objects associated with a certain prominent representative, domain or period of life of the Polish community of Kharkiv. Essays provide a deeper insight into the biography and creative activities of local Poles or the functioning of Polish institutions.
The availability of three language versions of the content (namely Ukrainian, Polish and English) lets a wide range of people both in Ukraine and abroad access this knowledge. "Polish Heritance in Kharkiv" addressed to everyone interested in the history of Polish community of Slobozhanshchyna and wished to know anymore about its prominent representatives, their contribution to the world culture and history. Mobile application can be also used as a digital helper for tourists who want to make themselves walking tours through the streets of Kharkiv.