CITIZENS, ASSOCIATES AND OUTSIDERS
Residents of the Royal Free Town of Podgórze 1784-1915

The universal of Emperor Joseph II in February 1784 and the privileges from June 1785 defined Podgórze as a royal free town “where outsiders settling there will not only be willingly accepted, but also given protection, help, freedom and rights”. Merchants and craftsmen, who wanted to reside in Podgórze “should have the right to carry out their profession, craft and lead a life without any obstacles”. The Emperor promised numerous benefits, including free land, help in building walled homes as well as financial assistance to the level of 50 złr. The newly-built homes were relieved of any state tax charges for 30 years and from municipal charges for 10 years.

All citizens of the town and members of their families were relieved of military service. Residents of the town had active voting rights to elect the local leaders, “when they accept town rights”. Podgórze, despite its location at the edge of the Austrian empire, was at a crossroads of important trade routes and was recognised by active residents of the Austrian Empire as a good place to live. This is confirmed by the fast increase in the number of residents – even in 1784 it was written that “Podgórze has become full of enough citizens and craftsmen”. In 1795, there were around 1000 people in Podgórze, in the 1820s, the number was estimated at approximately 2000. Already in the 1770s, merchants, including ones from Kraków, traded in Podgórze. In later periods, arrivals from Galicia, as well as from Czech or Moravia willingly settled in Podgórze, a modern town, which provided the perspective of entrepreneurial development. Austrian soldiers and clerks also lived here and quickly assimilated – examples being the Zoll or Stuhr families.

Until the 1840s, people in Galician towns were divided into citizens (with town rights, mainly owners of property or qualified craftsmen) and residents (without citizenship, but residing permanently in the town, e.g. representatives of free professions, clerks, teachers, hired workers). From the middle of the 19^th century, the Borough Laws introduced a division into members of the borough (citizens, in other words, participants and associates) and outsiders. In Galicia, the Austrian law of association with a particular place applied (“registration for a permanent stay”). We know the precise number of inhabitants of Podgórze from the middle of the 19^th century, when the authorities began to conduct a census every 10 years: 1857 – 2739 people; 1870 – 4254; 1880 – 6672; 1890 – 12530; 1900 – 18155; 1910 – 22322.