The influence of the artillery firing range on the life of Toruń in the years 1867-1939 in the light of the local press

Abstract

The author addresses the problem of the influence of the artillery firing range on the life of Toruń, which constitutes a pioneer research work. Most scholars have dealt with the history of the firing range, its fauna and flora. However, it must be remembered that the whole infrastructure of the firing range is strongly supported by the city of Toruń. The military training ground constitutes  not only hectares of sandy dunes and moors, but also numerous histories of individual people who experienced the influence of the firing range on their lives. The author decided to establish the time frameworks between 1867 and 1939 since it was in those years that most records about Toruń’s firing range appeared in the local press. The main sources of this work are two dailies: Gazeta Toruńska, published in the years 1867-1921, and Słowo Pomorskie of 1921-1939.