Mikrogesty i historie potencjalne. Pałac-pegeer w Bęsi

Abstract

Using a number of photographs from various records (private archives, the press, discarded photographs) and the recollections of the inhabitants of Bęsia (Olsztyn county), the author examines unusual depictions of the daily life of employees working at the state farms (known as PGRs), for whom the palace-state farm was of great importance. The inhabiting, settling, or “reclaiming” processes observed in this Warmian village took place in the realm of what was East Prussian, post-German, and formerly manorial, while simultaneously going against both the grange and state farm (official) scripts of palace use. The case study of the palace-state farm in Bęsia is also a contribution to the study of the history of potential state farms, as understood by Ariella Aïsha Azoulay. Key-words: state farms, East Prussia, Warmia, potential history, folk history