THE MOST SIGNIFICANT CROATS IN POLAND IN THE FIRST HALF AND MIDDLE OF THE XX CENTURY

Tema doktorskoga rada su najznačajniji Hrvati koji su živjeli ili boravili na području Poljske u prvoj polovici i sredinom XX. stoljeća. Na početku rada navode se najznačajniji Hrvati koji su boravili u Poljskoj od srednjeg vijeka do 1918. godine. U nastavku se obrađuje politička situacija na području današnje Hrvatske i Poljske u vrijeme nakon Prvog svjetskog rata, međuratnom razdoblju i razdoblju nakon Drugog svjetskog rata do šezdesetih godina XX. stoljeća. Osim političke situacije, spomenuti su diplomatski odnosi između Poljske i Kraljevstva Srba, Hrvata i Slovenaca/Kraljevine Jugoslavije i najvažniji međudržavni ugovori. Budući da su u međuratnom razdoblju osnovana mnoga poljsko-hrvatska društva i lige na području Poljske, u radu se obrađuju društva i lige iz Krakova, Poznanja, Lavova, Varšave, Katowica i drugih mjesta u Poljskoj. U nastavku rada ističu se pojedini Hrvati koji su svojim zalaganjima i aktivnostima povezali Hrvate i Poljake u književnom i društvenom smislu, a ponešto i političkom i gospodarskom. Najveća pozornost u radu posvećena je životu i djelovanju Julija Benešića, Miroslava Krležie, Ive Andrića i Vilima Frančića s naglaskom na osobne i poslovne poveznice s Poljacima, poljskim jezikom i poljskom kulturom. Njihova je korespondencija analizirana u posebnom poglavlju nakon kojeg su spomenuti Hrvati koji su bili povezani s Poljskom i Poljacima pa su važni za hrvatsko-poljske veze u prvoj polovici i sredinom XX. stoljeća. Među njima se izdvajaju pojedini književnici, jezikoslovci, studenti, novinari, profesori, znanstvenici, vojnici, sportaši i drugi.Poland is a country in which Croatians lived in history, while some were remembered because written documents and articles about them were preserved and even today can be explored about them. There are legends and records stating that the Croats had moved to this area of Croatia from the territory of today's Poland and that the polish forbear lived in Croatia. At the beginning of the work are mentioned Croats who lived or stayed in the area of Poland before the 20th century and thus became accountable for maintaining the ties and establishing new relations between Croats and Poles in cultural, literary, linguistic, economic, political, military, social, religious and in other regards. This paper analyzes the Croatians most responsible for linking with Poland and the Poles in the cultural sphere, especially the spread of literary, linguistic and other related topics in the field of today's Poland and the relations of individuals who, through their efforts and private correspondence, spread Croatian literature or translated works of Croatian writers into Polish and the works of Polish writers into Croatian language, thus creating new Croatian-Polish links. At the beginning of the work, Croatian-Polish relations are shown, and Croatians quoted, which were linked to Poland, the legends about the immigration of Croats from the area of today's Krakow and the relocation of Lech from the surroundings of Krapina to the area of today's Poland. In the course of the paper, the political situation in the territory of today's Croatia and Poland from 1918 to 1939 is analyzed, and the most important political and economic events, diplomatic relations and the activities of honorary consuls of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes / Kingdom of Yugoslavia in Poland are stated. The Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Zagreb and the intergovernmental treaties signed in the interwar period are described. The paper deals with the activity of a dozen Polish-Yugoslav societies and Leagues which are in the territory of Poland. The tasks of the societies and the leagues was to organize various activities for the Poles and Croats and to organize lectures and courses of the Croatian language in the field of Poland. The most important writers and linguists who have established contacts and improved the Croatian-Polish relationship in the interwar period have a special place in the paper: Julije Benešić, Miroslav Krleža, Ivo Andrić and Vilim Frančić. Julije Benešić is the most famous Croat who has held many lectures on Polish writers and was a Polish language lecturer at the University. The work emphasizes Benešić's travel to Poland in relation to study and business, especially from 1930 to 1938, when he attended Warsaw as a delegate of the Ministry of Education of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and started the Yugoslav Library (Polish: Biblioteka Jugosłowiańska). In addition, Miroslav Krleža and his dramas are treated, for which he became famous in Poland, in particular Gospoda Glembayevi, which has been performed tens of times in Polish theaters. Krleža's great contribution to the development of Croatian-Polish relations is evident through meetings with the directors of certain theaters, which resulted in further performances of his dramas at the Polish theater halls. Ivo Andric studied at the Jagelian University in Krakow and then started learning the Polish language and to get to know Polish culture and literature. The paper analyzes Andrić's cooperation with the Poles during his diplomatic career, especially in the period 1939/1940. while serving as Ambassador of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia to Berlin. His engagement in the liberation of professors and employees of the Jagelian University of Krakow, closed in the concentration camps of Dachau and Oranienburg, was emphasized. Vilim Frančić was important because he was a professor at many schools and lecturers at the Jagelian University in Krakow. Frančić distinguished himself as a translator, author of the article, organizer of Serbian-Croatian language courses and as a lecturer on various topics related to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and Yugoslav literature. The paper analyzes and interprets correspondence between Julije Benešić, Vilim Frančić, Ivo Andrić and Miroslav Krleža, and at the end of the work are treated Croats important for the Croatian-Polish relations in the first half and middle of the twentieth century, which have established new relations with their activities with Poles: Zdenka Marković, Josip Hamm, Ivan Esih, Slavko Batušić and many others, mentioning cultural events related to theater and film art, lectures and radio shows, articles in magazines, festivals, exhibitions, congresses and balls in which Croatians took part or who were devoted to Croatian culture, literature or other social events that linked the Croatian and Polish cultures