Czy siedemnastowieczni Anglicy nudzili się w Polsce?

Abstract

In the seventeenth century, the number of travelling Englishmen who "strayed from the beaten track" and decided to visit some more remote parts of Europe was so insignificant that they may be called exceptions. Going somewhere other than to the canonical Italy, France, Germany and the Netherlands was usually a sign of uncommon curiosity or connected with diplomatic or commercial missions rather than with entertainment. The paper presents the experiences of four visitors from the British Isles (Peter Mundy, Robert Bargrave, Patrick Gordon and Bernard O'Connor) during their visits to Poland in the years between 1640 and 1694. None of them was a typical "Grand Tourist" but the records of their sojourns in Poland reveal that they were people of insatiable curiosity about the world. For this reason we can say that even though they might not have experienced anything particularly fascinating in Poland, they were certainly not the type to allow themselves to become bored with it. Hungry for new experiences, they enjoyed such simple pleasures as appreciating unusual buildings, listening to Polish music, learning the language, flirting with Polish women, trying Polish cuisine, participating in sporting events or public executions, etc.