The attitude of the tsarist authorities towards railway – consequences for the Polish lands (until 1879). Jan Gottlieb Bloch’s “new” perspective

The article presents and analyses Jan Gottlieb Bloch’s views on the influence of tsarist rule on the development of the railway network in the Polish lands under Russian rule1 (up to 1879). The first part of the study is devoted to showing, in general, the tsars’ changing attitude towards the construction of railways in the Russian Empire. The specifics and conditions of railway construction in the Kingdom of Poland are presented. Bloch’s views and research results on the influence of the Russian authorities on the shape of the railway network in the Polish lands are then presented. Iron road projects submitted to the Russian authorities by domestic and foreign entrepreneurs, which did not receive approval, are listed and described. Thus, a picture emerges of “missed opportunities” – railway lines that would have been built had it not been for the specific policy of the Russian authorities. The conclusions of Bloch’s research do not contradict the common view in the literature on the negative influence of the tsarist authorities on the development of railways in the Polish lands under the Russian partition. Bloch’s research, however, goes a step further – it shows a measurable picture of the losses caused by the tsarist policy of a “railway desert”, particularly referring to Polish lands.