“Changing the Hands”: The Julian Calendar and Petrograd Time in Occupied Galicia (1914–1915)

Abstract

Drawing on a wide range of sources, including archival materials, this article examines the measures taken by the Russian authorities to introduce the Julian calendar and Petrograd time in occupied Galicia during World War I, as well as the local population’s reaction to these innovations. Both aspects are illustrated primarily through the case of Lviv, where the changes were most perceptible. It was impossible to ignore the time change, at least in the Galician capital, as it affected the curfew, tram schedules, and the operations of city enterprises and institutions. However, the new calendar was slow to take root: Polish newspapers limited themselves to a formal mention of the “Julian” date in their headers, and many institutions and individuals continued to use the New Style even in official correspondence with the Russian administration. Remarkably, even Ruthenian Greek Catholics (Uniates), for whom the Julian calendar had long served as a key marker of distinction from the Poles, preferred the Gregorian calendar during the occupation. The Russian authorities, recognizing that the population could not adapt to such changes quickly, largely turned a blind eye to both the press’s noncompliance and the locals’ continued use of the New Style.

Received: 20.05.2025.
Revised: 08.02.2026.
Accepted: 17.03.2026.

Citation
Parfirev D. S. “Changing the Hands”: The Julian Calendar and Petrograd Time in Occupied Galicia (1914–1915) // Slavic Almanac. 2026. No 1–2. P. 120–134 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2026.1-2.05