Leisure under Control? — The Politicization of Popular Entertainment in the Multiethnic Cities of Warsaw, Poznan, and Lviv 1890-1914

In the decades around 1900, popular entertainment became a central component of urban life. While there are already numerous studies on this topic for the cities of Western Europe, entertainment cultures are only a marginal phenomenon in research on the cities of Eastern Europe. So far, research has focused mainly on opera houses and national theatres and their role in nationalization processes. However, this reproduced the already established narratives of national conflict. Without the integration of entertainment cultures, an essential part of everyday life is missing in the historiography of East-Central European cities. Their integration can help to re-contour the image of these cities around 1900. The project examines the broad spectrum of urban popular entertainment in Warsaw, Poznan, and Lviv. This approach promises new perspectives on public spheres and communication in urban spaces. The central question is to what extent political conflicts in the multi-ethnic cities affected everyday urban life.