Batiar (also sometimes spelled as ''baciar''), a popular name for a certain class of inhabitants of city of

Lviv Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine ...

. It is considered a part of the city's subculture, Lviv's "knajpa" lifestyle, and became a phenomenon at the beginning of the twentieth century although its roots go back to the mid nineteenth century. It declined after the Soviet occupation of Eastern Poland and its annexation to the Soviet Union as part of the

Ukrainian SSR The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...

in 1939 and again in 1945. The Soviet authorities expelled most of the Polish inhabitants and suppressed the local Polish culture. However, the use of the term continued, and it is a popular term of endearment in today's Lviv. Since 2008 Lviv celebrates "International Batiar Day", started by the "Dik-Art" company in cooperation with the Lviv City Council.

Roots of the term

Origins of the term may be Hungarian, since in 19th century Lviv was a part of the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

, some of its policemen were Hungarians and they brought the term to the local dialect from their native language. Definition by the

Encyclopædia Britannica The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various time ...

History

It was the name of lower-class inhabitants of Lwów (the "elite of Lviv's streets"). Batiars spoke their distinctive version of the

Polish language Polish (Polish: ''język polski'', , ''polszczyzna'' or simply ''polski'', ) is a West Slavic language of the Lechitic group written in the Latin script. It is spoken primarily in Poland and serves as the native language of the Poles. In a ...

, which was called ''Bałak'' and was a variant of the

Lwów dialect Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine ...

. A typical batiar in common imagination was usually financially challenged, but honest and generous urban citizen with a great sense of humor. Among most famous batiars, there were such names as radio personalities Kazimierz Wajda and

Henryk Vogelfänger Henryk Vogelfänger (4 October 1904 – 6 October 1990), stage name ''Tońko'', was a Polish actor. He lived in prewar Lwów (now Lviv, Ukraine) where he worked as a lawyer. Together with Kazimierz Wajda he was the star of the Polish Radio co ...

of the highly popular Wesoła Lwowska Fala radio show, as well as football star Michał Matyas, who played for

Pogoń Lwów LKS Pogoń Lwów is a former Polish professional sports club which was located in Lwów, Lwów Voivodeship (now Lviv in Ukraine), and existed from 1904 until the outbreak of World War II in 1939. It was the second oldest Polish football club beh ...

and the national team of Poland. The name is still in local use, but now in the

Ukrainian language Ukrainian ( uk, украї́нська мо́ва, translit=ukrainska mova, label=native name, ) is an East Slavic language of the Indo-European language family. It is the native language of about 40 million people and the official state langu ...

. Now ''batiars'' are the playboys of the ''Ukrainian

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

'', as

Eastern Galicia Eastern Galicia ( uk, Східна Галичина, Skhidna Galychyna, pl, Galicja Wschodnia, german: Ostgalizien) is a geographical region in Western Ukraine (present day oblasts of Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Ternopil), having also essential h ...

is sometimes referred to, and are easily identified by exquisite manners, stylish attire, and an obligatory attribute of every batiar, ''lyaska'' (

walking stick A walking stick or walking cane is a device used primarily to aid walking, provide postural stability or support, or assist in maintaining a good posture. Some designs also serve as a fashion accessory, or are used for self-defense. Walking sti ...

Quotes

''(Bohdan Rybka, batiar)''

''(Ivan Radkovets, Lviv Studies specialist)''

''(Miroslava Sydor, batiar's koliezanka)''

Cultural influence

The Batiar's Day in Lviv replaced the Soviet holiday of

1 May Events Pre-1600 * 305 – Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman emperor. * 880 – The Nea Ekklesia is inaugurated in Constantinople, setting the model for all later cross-in-square Orthodox churches. *1169 – N ...

(the Labor Day), the Day of Worker's Solidarity. Batiars also adopted the proletarian motto: ''Batiars of all countries unite!''. At the time of the rise of batiar's culture, Lviv's Polish-Jewish poet

Emanuel Szlechter Emanuel Schlechter (pseudonyms Eman, Olgierd Lech) (Emanuel Szlechter) (9 October 1904 – 1943) was born and died in Lwów. He was a Polish-Jewish artist, lyricist, screenwriter, librettist, writer, satirist, translator, composer and director. H ...

wrote lyrics for a song that became well known in Poland, ''Tylko we Lwowie'' ("Only in Lwów"; from comedy film '' The Vagabonds'') which became the anthem of batiars, and the accompanying music was written by another ethnic Jew, the Polish

Henryk Wars Henryk Wars (born Henryk Warszawski, after 1947 Henry Vars; 29 December 1902 – 1 September 1977) was a Polish composer. He composed scores for 50 films during the interwar period in Poland and 60 more in the United States. He composed dozen ...

. The Ukrainian repertoire of that song is performed by Yurko Hnatovsky (in

retro Retro style is imitative or consciously derivative of lifestyles, trends, or art forms from history, including in music, modes, fashions, or attitudes. In popular culture, the "nostalgia cycle" is typically for the two decades that begin 20–30 ...

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of ...

style) and Zosya Fedina.''Tilki u Lvovi'' (YouTube)
/ref>

Batiars of 21st century

The urban subculture of today's Lviv continues to develop with different styles arising out of its ferment. Among the most prominent representatives are ''

Vova zi Lvova Vladimir (russian: Влади́мир) is a masculine given name of Slavic origin, widespread throughout all Slavic nations in different forms and spellings. The earliest record of a person with the name is knyaz Vladimir of Bulgaria. Etymolog ...

'', ''Orest Lyutyi'', and many others.

References

Sources

Witold Szolginia, Batiar and his balak (in Polish)

Homo leopolensis essay from under the "microscope of pan Yurko"

Definition of Betyar by Encyclopædia Britannica

The Batiar's Day report by "UkrInform"

* ttp://postup.brama.com/010224/32_8_1.html Batiar's of the Ukrainian Lviv {{Lviv Culture in Lviv Social class subcultures