Galician Trails: The Forgotten Story of One Family

by Andrew Zalewski

This is the story of Galicia, once a crown land of the Austrian Empire, located in the center of Europe. Although largely forgotten today, Galicia was a vibrant, multicultural place where the lives of numerous ethnic and religious groups were intertwined for generations. Galician Trails explores every facet of this long-gone land, from tiny farming villages tucked into mountain passes, to towns filled with a variety of small industries and craftspeople, to modern cities with the conveniences of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The political struggles and wise compromises that kept Galicia’s citizens together for centuries, and the tragic forces that ultimately tore Galicia apart, unfold here before our eyes. When Andrew Zalewski set out to learn a bit more about his grandmother, little did he know that he was embarking on the journey of a lifetime—one that would take him back to faraway Galicia. Along the way, he encountered many of his ancestors, from simple sheep farmers to nobles, from men who helped establish railroads—the exciting new technology of the late nineteenth century—to pioneering professional women of the early twentieth. One of the latter was the author’s grandmother, Helena Regiec Sobolewska, a talented educator and a determined, independent woman. She raised a daughter single-handedly through the turmoil of the Great War and the little-known conflicts that followed it. Although the real Galicia disappeared from maps long ago, it will live on in the memory of anyone who travels there through the richly illustrated pages of Galician Trails. This book is for you if you are interested to • Discover the rich lives of those who lived in Galicia in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries • Find out something about your Austrian, Jewish, Polish, or Ukrainian ancestors who once lived in the land that is divided today between Poland and Ukraine • See how new mixed with old to change people’s lives • Learn little-known details of how World War I and the events that followed forever changed the lives of the people of Galicia

Genres: History, Poland, Ukraine, Nonfiction

404 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2012

Reviews

[Susan Humeston · Rating 4 out of 5]

I needed a history book to go along with this story - a history of the Balkans, Poland and Eastern Europe so that I could understand what happened. I believe that Poland was a great nation and her last great time was between WWI and WWII. Under the Austro Hungarian Empire, (the part of Poland that was under the Austro-Hungarian Empire) Poland prospered. It seems that in the books I've read that the life of the people was much better under the monarchies, including Russia, than it has been since that time.

The writer tells the story of his ancestors. He has a great deal of information, and how I wish I spoke Polish and could read it so that I could gather the same....

It is well written and interesting because, for me, it tells the story of another much more civilized time.

[Martinxo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended reading for anyone with an interest in Galicia and Ukraine at the turn of last century.

[Carol Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! Wonderfully done illustrations by University of Cincinnati graphic designer and photographer Jean Assell.

[Shelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Accessible even if you start off not knowing anything about Galicia.