Fedir Schmidt. Impressions of a prisoner of war.

Abstract

Relevance of the publication of the source. The text is an annotated translation of Russian publications by Fedir Shmit (1877–1837) in the Kharkiv newspaper “Yuzhny Kray” in January 1915. In lengthy stories published in eight issues of the newspaper, a specialist in the history of Byzantium and Rus-Ukraine Art, a museum expert, professor, and dean of the Faculty of History and Philology of Kharkiv University shares his impressions of his time in German captivity (August 1914—early January 1915) and reflects on the causes, course, and prospects of the Great War. The scientist uses the term “captivity” to describe his forced stay in Germany from August 1914 to early January 1915, where, thanks to the help of colleagues, he was able to continue his scientific research, wait for an exchange, and return to Kharkiv.

The publication updates a little-known page in the scientist's life, since these memories have not been the subject of attention of scientists and, as a rule, are only mentioned in passing in biographical studies, and also makes available to the general public a translation into Ukrainian of a significant source on the history of World War I and Kharkiv University.