Clearing the Land

In 1846, Galicia was actually one of the poorest provinces of the Austrian Empire. At that time, no accusation against the local nobility would have seemed out of place.

The same was true in Galicia, where the local nobles still clung to eighteenth-century methods of production.

Agricultural efficiency was low, industry was practically nonexistent, and mining was monopolized by several ancient families who did little but occupy their positions.

A lack of immigrants had left the entire region like stagnant water. Everyone was accustomed to poverty, while the nobles had grown used to their relative wealth.

The previous governor of Galicia had been an outstanding military man, but he had distrusted the Galicians immensely.

At the same time, as a veteran of the Napoleonic Wars, he believed his mission was to eradicate this terrible scourge once and for all.

Thus, guided by this belief, Prince Lorenz began building fortresses throughout Galicia, establishing no-man's-lands, and suppressing and cracking down on dangerous elements.

To make the region easier to control and prevent dangerous elements from contacting one another, he divided Galicia into a grid, so problems could be spotted and dealt with as quickly as possible.

Although the railway Franz built had his staunch support, the entire line ran along military fortifications, so it did little to promote economic development.

Kraków, however, experienced a second spring thanks to the railway. Factory after factory sprang up, and large numbers of workers and merchants poured in.

Combined with its unique geographical position and its special status as a free city, Kraków developed at a staggering pace. For a time, it even surpassed Warsaw as the leading city in Poland, and at its peak, its population nearly reached three hundred thousand.

After Count Stadion took over as governor, he carried out a series of "highly