Dariusz Brykała

Digital Repository of Scientific Institutes (RCIN) was established and is being developed mainly as an outcome of two projects acquired and jointly accomplished by a group of Polish scientific institutes.

We present a 225-year (1799–2024) homogenized daily water level series for the Vistula River in Warsaw, comprising 82 453 observations. The construction of this consistent dataset required adjustments for changes in gauge location, shifts in gauge zero, differences in historical measurement units, and calendar discrepancies between the Julian and Gregorian systems. A small number of missing measurements was completed using the Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) method, applied to measurements taken at the Warsaw gauge and parallel measurements from downstream water level gauge stations along the Vistula. The resulting dataset offers a robust foundation for long-term hydrological, climatic, and socio-environmental research. The dataset is openly available at Zenodo repository: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16919654 (Sobechowicz et al., 2025a).

Until the early 20th century, the economy operated in a nearly zero-waste manner, where tools and utensils were utilized until they were completely worn out and subsequently repurposed. A prime example of this historical circular economy is the reuse of millstones and quernstones. On the Southern Baltic Lowlands, these objects were often crafted in situ from Pleistocene erratic boulders transported by the Scandinavian ice sheet. Due to their high production costs and durable material, worn-out stones were rarely discarded; instead, they were adapted for new, often symbolic or structural roles.Beyond their primary function in food production, these stones developed a specific emotional and cultural bond with human communities. In folklore and biblical tradition, the millstone became a powerful symbol of transformation, death, and rebirth. This spiritual dimension is reflected in their widespread use in sacred and funerary contexts. Millstones were commonly repurposed as altars, ciboria, and gravestones in both Christian and Jewish cemeteries. A unique regional phenomenon, particularly prevalent in Northern Poland and Northeastern Germany, was the practice of embedding millstones into the exterior walls of churches, where they served both as construction material and objects of local symbolic significance.Structurally, the mass and pre-existing axial holes of these stones made them ideal for stabilizing monuments. Historical and archaeological evidence points to their use as foundations and socket-stones for high crosses. In these cases, the stones provided a ready-made anchorage system for large stone or wooden shafts.In the modern era, these artifacts have transitioned into the realm of geotourism and geoeducation. Often featured in lapidaries or integrated into the small architecture of public parks and private gardens, they continue to document the enduring relationship between human creativity and geological resources. This long-standing practice of stone reuse demonstrates an early mastery of sustainable material management and remains a vital part of our geocultural heritage.This work was supported by the National Science Centre, Poland (Grant No. 2019/35/B/HS3/03933).

The association of supernatural imagery with elements of the landscape was a common phenomenon in traditional cultures (Piotrowski 2024; Juśkiewicz et al. 2025). This process depends on the cultural context and encompasses two fundamental levels of the relationship between the abiotic environment and humans: symbolic interaction or/and utilitarian interaction. Symbolic interactions shaped the perception and meaning of erratic boulders. Legends (belief narratives) – similar to myths – link the existence of geological objects with the actions of supernatural forces, such as devils or mythically inclined figures, e.g., giants (Motz 1982, 70-71; Lanza, Negrete 2007, 61). Examples of such correlations can be found in Kashubian folk beliefs, where peninsulas were said to have been created by giants known as Stolem (Gulgowski 1911, 169). In Pomerania, legends associate glacial erratics with both mythological beings (for example giants and devils) and historical figures (Huns, Teutonic Knights, Swedes), who rise to the rank of mythical heroes (Kolberg 1965, 375; Lorentz 2020, 148). Similar phenomena can be observed in other regions of Europe, such as Scandinavia, where rocks and stones were often attributed to the activities of trolls and giants or heroes in England (Oinas 1976, 6-7). A significant number of boulders bear traces of human processing, such as incisions and chisel marks, aimed at breaking the rock or producing millstones. These activities had both functional and symbolic dimensions. Glacial erratics and all forms of human activity associated with them should be regarded as part of geocultural heritage, encompassing both material and immaterial aspects. Their value lies at the intersection of geology and culture. Such an approach reveals their multidimensional semiotic nature. Integrated into the processes of meaning-making and valuation – typical of human world-ordering – they generate representations characteristic of a given culture and historical period. Recognizing glacial erratics as geocultural heritage thus allows us to link natural and cultural landscapes, highlighting their role as tangible markers of human interaction with the environment across time.AcknowledgementsThis paper was conducted as part of two research projects funded by the National Science Centre in Poland (grant No. 023/49/N/HS3/02181 and grant No. 2019/35/B/HS3/03933)ReferencesJuśkiewicz, W.; Jaszewski, J.; Brykała, D.; Piotrowski, R.; Juśkiewicz, K. B.; Alexander, K.M., 2025. Supernatural beings of Pomerania: postmodern mapping of folkloristic sources. Journal of Maps 21(1). DOI: 10.1080/17445647.2024.2434015Kolberg, O. 1965. Pomorze, t. 39, Wrocław-Poznań.Lanza, T.; Negrete A. 2007. From myth to Earth education and science communication. In: Myth and Geology, eds. L. Piccardi and W. B. Masse. Geological Society. Special Publication 273: 61-66.Lorentz F. 2020. Zarys etnografii kaszubskiej. In: Lorentz F.; Fischer A. Zarys etnografii Kaszub. Gdynia.Motz, L. 1982. Giants in Folklore and Mythology: A New Approach. Folklore 93(1): 70-84.Oinas, F.J. 1976. The Finnish and Estonian folk epic. Journal of Baltic Studies 7(1): 1-12.Piotrowski, R. & Juśkiewicz, W. 2024. Folk Narratives about Water Bodies in the Southern Baltic Lowland: From Geomythological Interpretations to Examples of Symbolic Eco-Symbiosis. Folklore 135(4):534-552. DOI: 10.1080/0015587X.2024.2410055

This study presents the first national-scale spatial inventory of relict charcoal hearths (RCHs) in Poland, based on high-resolution LiDAR data and digital terrain analysis. Using a combination of manual interpretation, GIS-based feature extraction, and K-prototypes clustering, we identified and classified 634 815 RCHs across forested regions of the country. Each feature was georeferenced and categorized by size, morphological characteristics, slope position, and environmental context, including current and potential vegetation and soil types. Spatial analyses revealed significant regional differences in hearth density, with the highest concentrations found in western and south-central Poland, particularly in the Lower Silesian, Stobrawa, and Świętokrzyskie forests. Cluster analysis distinguished three major types of RCHs, differing in their environmental settings and spatial organization: (1) lowland pine-dominated clusters on gentle terrain, (2) isolated features on steep slopes in mixed forests, and (3) high-density hearth groups in elevated areas. Although large portions of the country appear devoid of RCHs, we argue that this reflects limitations in preservation and detection – due to long-term agricultural activity in lowlands and erosion in mountainous areas – rather than an actual absence of charcoal production. The resulting ReCHAR database offers a unique, open-access tool for interdisciplinary research on forest history, human–environment interactions, and early industrial landscapes. Its modular design supports further expansion, including links to historical settlements and industries reliant on charcoal, such as metallurgy, glassmaking, and tar or potash production. The data set is available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15630690 (Słowiński et al., 2025).

We present a 225-year (1799–2024) homogenized daily water level series for the Vistula River in Warsaw, comprising 82,453 observations. The construction of this consistent dataset required adjustments for changes in gauge location, shifts in gauge zero, differences in historical measurement units, and calendar discrepancies between the Julian and Gregorian systems. A small number of missing observations were reconstructed using stage–stage relationships established between overlapping periods of observation at the Warsaw gauge and parallel measurements from downstream stations along the Vistula. The resulting dataset offers a robust foundation for long-term hydrological, climatic, and socio-environmental research. The dataset is openly available at Zenodo repository: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16919654 (Sobechowicz et al., 2025).

Studying the relationship between humans and their environment is crucial for observing escalating human pressure. This article examines how two distinct rural communities, living side-by-side, coped with environmental crises during the 19th and 20th centuries. Our case study is Kazuń, a 19th-century settlement inhabited by Catholics and Protestants separated only by a lake, an old Vistula riverbed. Our analysis utilizes written archives (including cartographic materials), but also, thanks to environmental archives (including palynological analysis), we strive to connect landscape evolution with precise demographic data. Our research reveals a continuous picture of environmental change in the central Vistula River valley over the last 200 years.

To understand the surrounding world - for millennia man has tried to interpret natural hazards, geological processes and geomorphological forms. This attempt to understand and order the surrounding environment manifested itself in the emergence and long functioning of legends and beliefs (Juśkiewicz et al., 2025). This applied to the entire spectrum of the world that surrounded humans. One unique example of narratives specific only to Pomerania (NE Germany and NW Poland) are the legends written down by ethnographers at the turn of the 20th century relating to the so-called Hünenhacken - stone imprints of the heels of giants. Although they are indisputably the products of human hands - so far their purpose has not been clarified. They are most often considered the prehistoric and early historical grinding objects - the so-called “trough mills” or “grinding troughs.” Found in megalithic tombs and in agricultural fields among other erratic boulders, they were collected by local people, secondarily used to feed domestic animals, and even built into the walls of Christian churches as stoups - containers for holy water (Becker, 2020). The authors identified dozens of examples of such “sacred” use in Germany and Poland.Communities that are looking back to ancient tales and legends for their own local identity and uniqueness - are paying attention to the mystery of these unusual stones. Because they were made of erratic boulders - mainly Fennoscandian granites - they have great potential to become important artifacts of Pomerania's geocultural heritage.This work was supported by the National Science Centre, Poland (Grant No. 2019/35/B/HS3/03933).References:Becker, E. (2020). Das Mahlsteinmuseum Neu-Kleinow : Von Reibplatten, Handmühlen und Hünenhacken. Norderstedt: Books on Demand.Juśkiewicz, W., Jaszewski, J., Brykała, D., Piotrowski, R., Alexander, K.M. and Juśkiewicz, K.B. (2025). Supernatural beings of Pomerania: postmodern mapping of folkloristic sources. Journal of Maps 21 (1): 1-15, https://doi.org/10.1080/17445647.2024.2434015