This article begins by broadly examining the history of the emergence and subsequent evolution of equestrian monuments, in both their commemorative and celebratory functions. Then, the article seeks to reconstruct the events leading to the construction of the mounted monument of Bartolomeo Colleoni, designed by Andrea del Verrocchio, and of the creation of its replica, still present in Szczecin, ordered in the early years of the 20th century for the inauguration of the City Museum. The aim of the article is to present certain parallels in the destinies of the two artworks, both of which have fallen victim to politically motivated manipulations that result from efforts to “domesticate” the monument and erase traces of foreign influence upon the city. The origins of the very concept of equestrian monuments reach as far back as ancient times, while their sculptural typology encompasses art from geographically distant cultures, ranging from Europe to the Far East. In the Medieval period, the function of such monuments began to gradually shift, evolving from a commemorative and mnemonic one—related to funeral ceremonies and located in the burial places of the person immortalised in the sculpture itself—towards a more celebratory one, thus concluding a cycle that had begun in Antiquity. Throughout the Modern period, the monuments represented personas of the past characterised by particularly outstanding charisma and surrounded by an aura of virtue—personas that would embody the values propagated by the mercantile-focused bourgeoisie, as was the case with Szczecin’s statue of Colleoni.

This paper seeks to extend previous analyses of localism of candidates. To our knowledge, this is the first study of the ‘friends and neighbours’ voting (FNV) effect in Central and Eastern Europe employing the data of the candidate’s exact place of residence and using dispersion of votes between electoral precincts, as in Poland votes in each precinct are counted and published separately. The basic hypothesis of the paper was that the place of residence is a factor that significantly affects the spatial distribution of votes. Using spatial autocorrelation, we identify spatial clusters of votes for specific candidates. The conducted research indicates that the intensity of the FNV effect differs between candidates. This local bonus, which in fact is the FNV effect, is an attribute of selected candidates. It can be seen that a candidate’s locality is a more important attribute influencing voting results in certain city districts, while in others it is of limited importance. This mechanism may be explained to some extent by referring to the notion of motivation to win personal votes and party strategies of the selectors. Moreover, it was proved that the spatial distribution of votes of candidates who have their place of residence in the area from which they stand for election is significantly different from the distribution of votes among non-resident candidates.

The childhood and youth of Marian Jurczyk and his political socialization

The article discusses the biography of Marian Jurczyk in the context of the „primary principle” formulated on the basis of research on political socialization. The author first analyses the biography of the title character during his childhood and youth. Then he discusses Jurczyk’s trade union and political activities during the period when he became a public figure and performed a number of important functions, including: chairman of the regional „Solidarity” in Szczecin, senator of the Republic of Poland and the president of Szczecin. He points out those of its elements that testified to the way he was shaped as a child and young person as part of his political socialization.