Zoning a Bulwark of Empire: City Government in Fortress Przemysl, 1882–1902

Military bases are a critical tool of power projection and social change. A base and its surroundings are a key space for representatives of the national or imperial government to directly interact with broader society. Few modern cities are as defined by the Austro-Hungarian military as is Przemyśl, Poland. Located in Austrian Galicia, Przemyśl remained a sleepy backwater until the 1870s, when Austrian-Hungary stationed 10,000 soldiers and millions of kronnen worth of fortifications in and around the city. Fortress construction drove urban growth and development in Przemyśl, compensating for the city's lack of significant industry or trade. By 1890, Przemyśl was Austria-Hungary's largest and strongest fort, and a key part of war planning. The city was overwhelmingly a garrison town – of 50,000 inhabitants, 10,000 were soldiers and many of the rest of the urban population worked in military support industries.

Przemyśl's importance for Austro-Hungarian imperial defense makes it an excellent place to examine the relationship between Austria's the imperial government and local city government. Though Przemyśl was theoretically autonomous, I argue that the Austro-Hungarian army closely watched governance in it's largest garrison town. Likewise, the huge proportion of soldiers within Przemyśl's population allow detailed study of the economic and social effects of military spending and presence. Drawing on records from the Przemyśl city archives as well as Austria's Kriegsarchiv, my paper will examine the relationship between Dr. Aleksander Dworski, Przemyśl’s mayor from 1882-1902, and a succession of Przemyśl's garrison commanders. Since the 1880s and 1890s were a time of fortress and urban expansion, Dr. Dworski and the city council’s stance towards army land use, provisioning, commercial and infrastructure development, military discipline issues, and other problems will illustrate the multifaceted relationship between civilian and military administrators and shed light on the Austrian army's influence on the civilian world.