| dc.description.abstract | Lisków had been a neglected, rundown village that had had nothing to offer to its unwilling
to accept any change residents but primitive living conditions. In the course of several years
Lisków changed into a model village that provided for people a good example to follow not only
district- or provincewide, but even countrywide. Since the beginning of XX century the peasants’
mentality began to change mainly due to the many-sided, educational and cultural activity of Father
Wacław Bliziński, who was a local parson since 1900 till 1944. He started with tackling the
problem of widespread illiteracy, initially by organising covert teaching and reading reports in
Catholic and patriotic newspapers, then by establishing schools, libraries, social and cultural
organizations.
Books were absolutely indispensable and often the only available means of educating local
people, thereby overcomming obscurantism and backwardness. These were books and magasines
– collected by Father Wacław Bliziński for the use of the local community – that awoke and
stimulated the need for culture and education.
The long-standing activity of the priest turned out to be very fruitful. Lisków became the
oposite of the stereotypical, backwarded, twentieth-century Polish village. Contrary to most of other
villages. Lisków had a lively cultural life even in times of annexation, before Poland gained
independence. | pl_PL |
