The subject of this study is an analysis of Russian military personnel and officials' perceptions of life in the cities of the Kingdom of Poland and the Northwestern Provinces in the period immediately preceding the Polish uprising of 1863–1864. Russians stationed in these regions not only encountered a new everyday reality but also witnessed the growing political activism of the Polish population, driven by their desire for greater freedoms and the struggle for national independence. The study's chronological framework, from 1860 to the end of 1862, was chosen because it was during this period that the social life of "Polish" cities underwent significant changes. The aim of the study is to identify Russian authors' views on political events and everyday life in "Polish" cities and to analyze the factors that influenced the formation of these perceptions. The research method and methodology are based on an analysis of the memoirs of people who were relatively temporary residents of the cities in question. The authors of the memoirs were identified in the study as actors for whom the sociocultural environment of "Polish" cities was primarily social and political. The main conclusion of the study is that officers and officials stationed in the Kingdom of Poland and the Northwestern Provinces developed a rather ambivalent view of cities and urban life. On the one hand, "Polish" cities attracted them with their developed cultural and social life, and the opportunity to interact with each other and with local residents in convenient public spaces. On the other hand, the political environment was becoming increasingly hostile, and its sophisticated nature made the officers' and officials' stay in this environment at times unbearable. The novelty of the study lies in its examination of how urban life in the Kingdom of Poland and the Northwestern Provinces influenced the formation of the image of the entire region among Russians who found themselves there during such a difficult period. Although they saw many interesting and unusual things in local life, the political situation had a huge impact on their overall impression, and they felt that they had found themselves in a foreign land.
Starikova et al. (Mon,) studied this question.