The Polish Historical Society, the Society of History Enthusiasts in Warsaw, and the Tadeusz Manteuffel Institute of History of the Polish Academy of Sciences cordially invite you to the conference: "Capitals and Capitality," which will take place on September 11–12, 2025. 📍 Location: Tadeusz Manteuffel Institute of History PAN at Rynek Starego Miasta 31 in Warsaw. 📅 The scientific conference is organized in connection with the General Assembly of Delegates of the Polish Historical Society in Warsaw (September 12–13, 2025). The organizers intend to discuss an important issue related to the history of cities, namely their role as seats of courts, offices, and central and local authorities, which transform "ordinary" cities into capitals. In the Middle Ages, the idea of the state was personalized, and the capital was wherever the ruler resided. In the 17th–19th centuries, the state increasingly became an abstract idea in theory and a bureaucratic organization in practice. Capitality and centrality ceased to be associated with the ruler's person and became attributes of the most important city. It is worth asking about the paths of shaping the idea of capitality. Since when did the term capital cease to mean the permanent residence of the court and began to be associated with the seat of the most important state offices? How significant was the capitality of cities, and to what extent did it determine their economic, demographic, and cultural development—not only the capitals of empires and states but also the capitals of historical lands or crown countries? And can the term capital be applied only to political realities, or also to the religious, economic, and cultural spheres? ⏱️ The expected duration of presentations is 20 minutes. We will provide the opportunity to participate in the conference via the MS Teams/Zoom platform. 🍽️ Conference participants are invited to a gala dinner on Friday, September 12, 2025. Travel and accommodation costs will not be reimbursed. 📧 Please send your application and abstract (up to 1000 characters) by May 31, 2025, to: [email protected] Scientific Council: - Prof. Krzysztof Mikulski (Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Polish Historical Society) - Prof. Cezary Kuklo (University of Białystok, Polish Historical Society) - Prof. Andrzej Karpiński (Society of History Enthusiasts) - Prof. Krzysztof Komorowski (Society of History Enthusiasts) - Dr. habil., Prof. Łukasz Niesiołowski-Spanò (University of Warsaw, Society of History Enthusiasts) - Dr. habil., Prof. Piotr Węcowski (University of Warsaw, Society of History Enthusiasts) - Dr. habil. Robert Gawkowski (Society of History Enthusiasts) - Dr. Beata Michalec (Adam Mickiewicz Museum of Literature in Warsaw) - Andrzej Sołtan (Society of History Enthusiasts) Organizing Committee: - Dr. habil. Bartosz Kaliski, Prof. IH PAN (IH PAN) - Dr. habil. Aleksander Łupienko, Prof. IH PAN (IH PAN, Society of History Enthusiasts) - Dr. Marta Kuc-Czerep (IH PAN, Society of History Enthusiasts) - Dr. Marta Piber-Zbieranowska (IH PAN)
