The Pniël Land Dispute of the Early 20th Century

In 1834 the slaves of the Groot Drakenstein area were emancipated. They continued to work for farmers in the surrounding area and this resulted in the formation of a community where these farm workers, now able to leave their employer’s land, would return to in the evenings and call home. This land was originally a donation of De Goede Hoop farm, intended mainly for the establishment of a mission station for recently freed slaves. Reverend J.F. Stegman was appointed by the Apostolic Union, a non-denominational Protestant group, as the first reverend of this mission station. At the end of 1834, the Board of Directors of the “Mission Institute Pniël,” a body instituted under the auspices of the Apostolic Union with the initial aim of operating for the benefit of the local people, purchased the Papiere Molen farm. A major portion of the farm was then divided into 99 holdings and applicants from the community, who were accepted as occupiers of these holdings, were known as “erf-holders.” In the following years it became a condition of tenure that they would pay a monthly rental to provide a salary for the Minister, which became the source of contention following the passing of Reverend Stegman. In 1905, local residents of Pniël spoke out regarding their desire to have more input in the operation of the mission station and usage of the land, and they questioned the overall authority of the current board of directors. This led to a court case in which the Board of Directors acted as the defendants. This paper will seek to examine the circumstances for this case as well as those surrounding its outcomes through the lens of a modern reader.

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Forestry of landlords of Tambov Governorate in the late 19th – early 20th century

Tambov University Review Series Humanities ◽

10.20310/1810-0201-2021-26-195-287-295 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 287-295

Author(s):

Ruslan M. Zhitin ◽

Aleksey G. Topilsky

Keyword(s):

20Th Century ◽

Forest Cover ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Forest Resources ◽

Nature Management ◽

Early 20Th Century ◽

Key Factors ◽

Clear Cutting ◽

Local Residents ◽

Forest Lands

The features of forestry of the landowners of the Tambov Governorate at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries are analyzed. The key factors of natural (forest cover of the area), economic (first of all, the construction of railways, changes in demand for timber) and social (the need to protect plantations from the surrounding peasant population) character that influenced forestry are shown. The main ways of development are indicated, due to both economic opportunities and the desire (or unwillingness) of landowners to equip their forest lands. The methods of forestry in the northern, central and southern districts of the Tambov Governorate are analyzed, the different degree of forest cover of which was reflected in the value of forest materials for local residents. Methods of combining forestry with other types of management, in particular, grazing, which were practiced mainly in the northern districts of the Tambov Governorate, where there was an excess of forest resources, are described. The reasons for the clear-cutting of forests practiced by a number of owners, which led to serious environmental changes, are indicated. The characteristics of various types of rational nature management in forestry are given on the materials of individual estates, to which more and more landowners have turned. We describe the reasons for the development of a thrifty attitude to forest resources.

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Gardens of Vranyczany’s Manor Houses in Hrvatsko Zagorje in the Age of Historicism

Prostor ◽

10.31522/p.29.2(62).5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 29 (2 (62)) ◽

pp. 212-215

Author(s):

Mladen Obad Šćitaroci ◽

Bojana Bojanić Obad Šćitaroci

Keyword(s):

20Th Century ◽

19Th Century ◽

Early 20Th Century ◽

Surrounding Area ◽

Central European ◽

European Cities ◽

Hilly Region ◽

The Family ◽

Full Life ◽

The 19Th Century

The Vranyczany-Dobrinović family (short: Vranyczany) is an aristocratic family that rose to power in Croatia in the second half of the 19th century. Members of the family possessed five manor houses surrounded by gardens with historicist features from the late 19th and early 20th century. All five are located in the hilly region of Hrvatsko Zagorje, which boasts the highest density of castles and manor houses in Croatia, built in continuity from the 17th until the beginning of the 20th century. The aim is to determine the features of the gardens of the explored castles, on the basis of photographs from the beginning of the 20th century as well as cartographic sources. A wealth of photographic documents from the beginning of the 20th century shows carefully landscaped and kept gardens and parks, with a full life flourishing in them. Vranyczany’s manor houses’ gardens are based on the Biedermeier and romantic tradition of garden culture. Towards the end of the 19th century, many gardeners trained in Vienna, Prague and other Central European cities, lived in Zagreb and the surrounding area. They passed down ideas related to the historicist garden culture and competed in artistic and horticultural gardening.

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