Paper short abstract:

Based on the interviews conducted in Białowieza in Primeval Forest, next to the border with Belarus, it will be discussed how uncertainty influences the cultural memoryscape of Bialowieza, especially the content and perception of numerous signs of the tsar's family past role in the area.

Paper long abstract:

In my presentation, I will discuss how various macrostructural processes are causing insecurity in the village (in administrative terms) of Białowieza in Primeval Forest, next to the border with Belarus. Białowieza is a small-town arousing international interest as a settlement in the heart of a unique ecological asset and for the second year as a site of a border crisis. Basing on the in-depth interviews conducted within the local community during this winter the focus of my interest will be how uncertainty influences the cultural memoryscape of Bialowieża.

In the past Białowieza village was a site of royal hunting residences. At the end of the XIX century tsar Aleksander III funded there a luxurious palace estate. In the period of the People's Republic of Poland, Bialowieza, possessing post-imperial material features and a multi-ethnic community was an inconvenient legacy, and its cultural uniqueness was long neglected by the state. Since the late 70. the historic buildings of Bialowieza gradually have been placed under protection. Most of the monuments from the Russian imperial rule period have been restored or reconstructed. During the last decade, many images and narratives displaying the Romanovs family and their palace appeared in Bialowieza public spaces, and cultural diversity has begun to occupy a significant role in attracting tourists.

In my presentation, I will analyze how Russian invasion of Ukraine and the border crisis affected the perception of monuments and public narrations describing the tsar's family role in the area, and how present concerns and expectations influence them.