The Jan Laski Society of Lovers of the history of Polish Reformation in Vilnius (1918-1939). Genesis, legal and structure activity

ENThe Jan Laski Society of Lovers of the History of Polish Reformation in Vilnius, established in 1916, played a significant role in the propagation of history of the Reformation in Polish lands. This was achieved thanks to an intensive activity of its members, including numerous meetings and lectures. In addition, the Society published books on the Evangelical-Reformed Church and the impact of the Reformation on the emerging culture and language. An important part in setting up the association was played by Konstanty Kurnatowski. Initially, the Society was open, but after the German authorities decided to suspend its activities, a secret period began, which lasted until the end of 1918. The Society was managed by the General Assembly and Board. From January 1936 to August 1939, the Society issued its own periodical under the title of The Trail of Reformation. The seat of the editorial office was in Vilnius. The growing prestige of the Society can be testified by the fact that at the end of its existence it almost doubled its membership in comparison to 1918. Przemysław Dąbrowski, professor at the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn. He is the author of five books and several dozen of articles on Polish political thought and the Polish-Lithuanian relations in Lithuanian-Byelorussian lands in the latter half of the nineteenth and the first half of the twentieth centuries. Keywords: Reformation, The Jan Laski Society of Lovers of The History of Polish Reformation, Vilnius, Evangelical-Reformed Church.