1912 World Esperanto Congress

Preparations for the congress began in early 1912. The Kraków City Council allocated a subsidy of 3000 crowns for the organization and allowed the use of the Old Theatre hall. An Illustrated Guide to Kraków in Esperanto was published. On August 8, the fire brigade began decorating the city. In front of the Academy of Commerce and the industrial exhibition, masts were erected to display flags and banners, with green garlands hung between them. The Josephite Workshop was responsible for their preparation and for decorating the interiors of the academy and the Old Theatre. == Organization ==

The organization was led by a committee chaired by Odo Bujwid, with its headquarters at 19 . The congress proceedings took place in the Old Theatre hall, while the press facilities, press office, section meetings, and exhibition were located at the Academy of Commerce on Kapucyńska Street. The press office of the congress was managed by editor Jerzy Grzywiński. The congress newspaper, Kongresa Bulteno, was published daily as a supplement to the Ilustrowany Kuryer Codzienny. The first issue featured a portrait of Zamenhof, information about Poland and Kraków, a telegram section for messages related to the congress, and an information section. Additionally, the Kraków-based Goniec Poniedziałkowy published a supplement dedicated to the congress, titled Lunda Kuriero. Participation card and badges The cost of participation in the congress was set at 14.40 crowns. As proof of payment, participants received a congress card and congress badges. These were bronze plaques, one-sided, designed by sculptor . They were hung on ribbons: Kraków Esperantists on white-blue, Polish Esperantists on white-amaranth, and others on green. The congress fee entitled participants to: == History ==

On the evening of 9 August 1912, Ludwik Zamenhof arrived in Kraków by train from Warsaw together with his wife. At the railway station, he was welcomed by the Congress Committee, led by Odo Bujwid. Accompanying him were the congress attendees: Carlo Bourlet, Gabriel Chavet, Frenckell, and S. Winkelman from Dresden. On Saturday evening, a cabaret performance in Esperanto took place at the . It consisted of a one-act play, a cabaret performance by theater actors, and a performance by an amateur Esperantist from Kraków, Kriss, with a monologue of a Chinese character. On the day of the congress opening, August 11, at 1:00 PM, the city authorities invited attendees to a lavish breakfast at the restaurant of the Old Theater. About a thousand people, including Ludwik Zamenhof and delegates representing 33 nations of the congress members, participated in it. Beginning of the congress Before the congress proceedings began, participants from different countries met to choose a representative who would speak on their behalf at the ceremonial opening of the congress. Poles from the three partitions were entitled to choose three individuals, but at the suggestion of Dr. Skałkowski from Warsaw, it was decided to select one representative. The choice was to emphasize the unity of Poles from the three partitions. Antoni Grabowski was chosen. In the afternoon of August 11th, at 3:00 PM, the delegates gathered in the hall of the Old Theater for the solemn inauguration of the proceedings. The hall was decorated with flags and the city's coat of arms. Seated at the presidium table alongside Ludwik Zamenhof were Odo Bujwid, Carlo Bourlet, Antoni Grabowski, Kraków's vice mayors and , starosta , Father Giesswein, and city councilors. Carlo Bourlet opened the proceedings and proposed the election of the congress authorities. was elected chairman, with H. Bolingbroke Mudie from England, Engineer Rollet de L'Isle from France, Arnold Behrendt from Germany, A. Niedoszywin from Russia, and A. Grabowski from Poland as vice presidents. Secretaries were appointed: Chavet from France and Dr. Leon Rosenstock serving as congress secretary. Jews prayed at the synagogue on Miodowa Street, where the sermon was delivered by Rabbi Saphra from Annaberg-Buchholz. It began with Odo Bujwid leading the polonaise with Mrs. Zamenhof. The festivities lasted until 4:00 AM. Congress proceedings and conclusion During the plenary session on August 16th, a decision was made regarding the locations for the next congresses. The next one in 1913 was to be held in Genoa, and the following year in Paris. Delegates from various countries extended invitations to host future congresses. Thanks were conveyed to the Ministry of Education in China for establishing an Esperanto school in Beijing and for promoting the language in China. In the evening, participants could listen to Halka in Esperanto. The closing ceremonies of the congress began with a tribute to the late Johann Martin Schleyer, the creator of the Volapük language. Speakers highlighted the good organization, and Glück from Vienna presented an album with the signatures of all the attendees to the congress. After expressions of gratitude from the organizers, La Espero anthem was sung, and with chants of "See you in Genoa", the proceedings were closed. After the congress ended, a delegation including President Mikołajski, Zamenhof, Bourlet, and Bujwid visited Vice Mayor Szarski to thank the city council of Kraków for the warm reception of the congress members. In Pola Esperantisto, summarized the congress and its organization by writing, Kraków set an example in organizing the congress. == Ball ==

Traditionally, during the congress, its participants gather at a ball. They wear national costumes that showcase the culture of each nation represented at the congress. 90 people could watch the ball from the gallery after purchasing special tickets priced from 11 to 6 crowns. == Tribute to Mickiewicz, Copernicus and Kościuszko ==

On August 15th at 12 o'clock, all Esperantists gathered at the Adam Mickiewicz monument. A wreath with green ribbons was laid, bearing the inscription: A la granda homarano – VIII Kongreso Esperantista, which in Szczepan Mikołajski's translation can be rendered as: Homage is paid to the great man, belonging to all humanity, the VIII Esperanto Congress. After laying the wreath, Holder from Geneva explained in his speech that thanks to translations into Esperanto, those who know this language can appreciate not only Mickiewicz but also other Polish writers such as Juliusz Słowacki, Eliza Orzeszkowa, Maria Konopnicka, or Bolesław Prus, even though their works are often not translated into the national languages of the participants. == Exhibition ==

The collections presented at the exhibition came from two sources. Part of them was received from publishers by the organizers, and the other part was purchased by the organizing committee from the Warsaw antiquarian and librarian, Aleksander Brzostowski. It included the first Esperanto textbooks from 1887 in Polish, Russian, German, French, and English, catalogs, propaganda brochures, and more. Brzostowski's collection was supplemented in 1910 when he organized an exhibition of Esperanto publications in Warsaw and received many publications from publishers. The exhibition was opened on August 9th on the third floor of the building. All the collections were placed in 5 rooms, dividing the gathered materials into four sections: propaganda publications, historical materials, literature, and business publications. The fifth room housed a bookstore. Almost all the books available there were sold. The aim of the exhibition was to show the development of the Esperanto language over the course of 25 years of its existence. The cost of admission for non-participants of the congress was 20 hellers. Over the course of several days, it was visited by around 1,700 people (in addition to the participants). The collections gathered there remained in Kraków and were intended to become the nucleus of a museum. == Photographs ==

A group photograph of all the participants of the congress was taken on August 12th under the Kościuszko Mound. Ludwik Zamenhof sits in the center, surrounded by members of his family and other Esperantists: his wife Klara, daughter Zofia Zamenhof, brother , as well as non-family members including the publicist and poet and Leon Rosenstock, who served as the secretary during the congress. The photograph was taken by two photographers: Edward Pierzchalski from Kraków and Władysław Gargul from Bochnia. Information about the photograph can be found on the website of the Historical Museum of Kraków. They were not the only photographers at the congress; the Scottish Esperantist also took photographs. In 2019, the Zamenhof Center in Białystok, through the Polish Cultural Institute in London, received glass negatives taken during the congress from Billy Chapman. == Accompanying events ==

Excursion to Wieliczka On August 13th, participants embarked on an excursion to Wieliczka, traveling in two trains. They were welcomed at the station by Mayor . The purpose of the trip was to visit the salt mine. A total of 1,200 people participated in the excursion. Lecture on garden cities On August 14th, within the premises of the architectural exhibition opened in Kraków in 1912, adjacent to the Jordan Park, English architect Ebenezer Howard delivered a lecture in Esperanto titled On the Development of Garden Cities. The lecture was translated into Polish. Performances In the evening of August 14th, the play '''' translated into Esperanto by Antoni Grabowski was staged at the theater. The performers included Józef Węgrzyn and Stanisława Wysocka. On August 16th, the premiere of Stanisław Moniuszko's Halka in Esperanto was performed by the Lviv Theatre of Opera and Ballet. The libretto was translated by Włodzimierz Wolski, and the orchestra was conducted by Bronisław Wolfsthal. The main roles were played by Józef Munclinger (as the Stolnik), Stefania Marynowiczówna (as Zofia), Leonia Ogrodzka (as Halka), and Adam Okoński (as Janusz). Competitions Literary competitions were announced before the congress. The award ceremony took place on August 15th at the architectural exhibition. The winners were: for fiction – Adela Schafer from London and Kurt Sommer, for poetry – Vasilij Devjatnin from Paris, for scientific works – Maurice Fréchet and Hugo Dreusicke. == Excursion to Zakopane ==

The day after the congress ended, around 100 participants, mainly from England and France, traveled by train on an excursion to Zakopane. The following day, three Esperantists set out on foot to Zakopane, among them Michel Rifaat Romano from Turkey, who had previously arrived in Kraków from Paris with Vasilij Devjatnin. The participants of the excursion, including Zamenhof and Bujwid, traveled by carriage to the after lunch. In the evening, they attended a reception hosted by the marshal of Nowy Targ County, Dr. . On Monday morning, the guests went to the Kościeliska Valley and then visited Dr. Kazimierz Dłuski's sanatorium. After lunch at the Morskie Oko hotel, they visited the Tatra Museum, , and the Jaworzynka Valley. == References ==