Into The Carpathians

In The Carpathians, Patrice M. Dabrowski narrates how three highland ranges of the mountain system found in present-day Poland, Slovakia, and Ukraine were discovered for a broader regional public. This is a story of how the Tatras, Eastern Carpathians, and Bieszczady Mountains went from being terra incognita to becoming the popular tourist destinations they are today. It is a story of the encounter of Polish and Ukrainian lowlanders with the wild, sublime highlands and with the indigenous highlanders—Górale, Hutsuls, Boikos, and Lemkos—and how these peoples were incorporated into a national narrative as the territories were transformed into a native/national landscape. The set of microhistories in this book occur from about 1860 to 1980, a time in which nations and states concerned themselves with the "frontier at the edge." Discoverers not only became enthralled with what were perceived as their own highlands but also availed themselves of the mountains as places to work out answers to the burning questions of the day. Each discovery led to a surge in mountain tourism and interest in the mountains and their indigenous highlanders. Although these mountains, essentially a continuation of the Alps, are Central and Eastern Europe's most prominent physical feature, politically they are peripheral. The Carpathians is the first book to deal with the northern slopes in such a way, showing how these discoveries had a direct impact on the various nation-building, state-building, and modernization projects. Dabrowski's history incorporates a unique blend of environmental history, borderlands studies, and the history of tourism and leisure.

Finalist, 2021 Next Generation Indie Book Awards: Travel and Regional Non-Fiction categories. The journey continues in Part 2 of Into the Carpathians: an engaging and informative chronicle of a hiking and wildlife research expedition along the Carpathian and Sudety Mountains, from Romania to Germany, some 800 miles as the crow flies. Still on the trail of wolves, we now explore the enchanting mountain landscapes of Slovakia, Poland, and the Czech Republic, where encounters with wolves, bears, and lynx; lumberjacks, shepherds, and outlaws; poets, tyrants, and saints; nomads, nobles, and knights; sprites, spirits, and witches—and such ancient peoples as Neanderthals, Celts, and Quadi; and such imposing historical figures as Marcus Aurelius of the Roman Empire, Svatopluk I of Great Moravia, Stephen I of the Kingdom of Hungary, Bolesław the Brave of the Kingdom of Poland, and Jan Sobieski of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth—provide broad insight into the natural, historical, and mythological forces that have shaped, and continue to shape, the nations, cultures, and psyches along the way. 72 beautiful color photographs also emblaze this memorable trek.

Bronze Medal Winner, 2016 Independent Publisher (IPPY) Book Awards: Best Regional Non-Fiction - Europe. Finalist, 2016 Next Generation Indie Book Awards: Travel. An engaging and informative chronicle of a hiking and wildlife research expedition along the Carpathian and Sudety Mountains, from Romania to Germany, some 800 miles as the crow flies. (This volume, Part 1, covers the first half of the journey, through Romania and Ukraine.) On the trail of wolves, we are led deep into the misty hills, enchanting forests, and intriguing history of this fabled landscape, where encounters with wolves, bears, and lynx; werewolves, vampires, and witches; lumberjacks, shepherds, and outlaws; poets, tyrants, and saints; deities, demons, and sirens—and such ancient peoples as Proto-Indo-Europeans, Dacians, and Rus’, and such imposing historical figures as Attila the Hun, Vlad the Impaler, and Volodymyr the Great—provide broad insight into the natural, historical, and mythological forces that have shaped, and continue to shape, the nations, cultures, and psyches along the way. 63 beautiful color photographs also emblaze this memorable trek.

The Carpathian Mountains-legendary land of Gothic castles, eerie accents, and the depredations of vampires and werewolves. But what are the Carpathian Mountains really like? Enter Into the Carpathians to discover a beautiful and enchanting world of adventure, history, mystery, and more!

With Their Backs to the Mountains is the history of a stateless people, the Carpatho-Rusyns, and their historic homeland, Carpathian Rus’, located in the heart of central Europe. A little over 100,000 Carpatho-Rusyns are registered in official censuses but their number could be as high as 1,000,000, the greater part living in Ukraine and Slovakia. The majority of the diaspora—nearly 600,000—lives in the US. At present, when it is fashionable to speak of nationalities as “imagined communities” created by intellectuals or elites who may or may not live in the historic homeland, Carpatho-Rusyns provide an ideal example of a people made—or some would say still being made—before our very eyes. The book traces the evolution of Carpathian Rus’ from earliest prehistoric times to the present, and the complex manner in which a distinct Carpatho-Rusyn people, since the mid-nineteenth century, came into being, disappeared, and then re-appeared in the wake of the revolutions of 1989 and the collapse of Communist rule in central and eastern Europe. To help guide the reader further there are 39 text inserts, 34 detailed maps, plus an annotated discussion of relevant books, chapters, and journal articles.

A skiing trip to Romania with the new American ambassador becomes more exciting than they had planned when Constantine Kaye and his friend Helen visit the estate of Con's elderly Viennese neighbor and become involved in a rally of neo-Nazis in Romania.

A travel journal of a unique experience working on a conservation and research project in Romania. More info at: www.dreamingofwolves.com. Part travelogue, part memoir, part exposition of natural and cultural history, Dreaming of Wolves presents a unique and colorful story of adventure. Through a series of entertaining vignettes, the author paints an intimate and intricate picture of nature and life as it occurs in a fascinating part of Europe that has remained largely untouched by modern trends and undiscovered by western travelers, at least until recently. Whether joining the narrator as he tracks wolves in the forests of the Carpathian Mountains, or battles antagonistic shepherd dogs, or sits on the floor of a cave contemplating time and consciousness, or makes a journey through history to discover the real Dracula, as one reads Dreaming of Wolves one absorbs, almost without realizing it, a remarkable amount of factual information about wolves, about traditional and rural life in Romania, about the history of Romania, about animal behavior, and even about physics. Written in an understated style, the story is related with an honesty and a subtle sense of humor that derives from events perceived by a keen and sensitive eye. The book presents several sub-themes - such as, the importance of conserving wilderness, the value of discovering self through uncovering and pursuing one's dreams, the nature of time and consciousness - all of which are woven smoothly into the fabric of a well-told story. The author's beautiful color photographs of the people, animals and locales enhance the narrative and help the reader to understand the cultural and historical perspectives that influence life in Romania today.