ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I STARTED MY JOURNEY ON the Prussian Eastern Railroad (Ostbahn) in 1999 when I was an exchange student in Poland and regularly commuted between Frankfurt on the Oder and Toruń. At one of the run-down German stops, an information board told the line’s story as a crucial link between eastern and western Europe. At the time, I was intrigued but had other research plans; I returned to the Ostbahn only after I finished my PhD. Since then, dozens of people have accompanied me on my journey along the Ostbahn—intellectually, and also literally, on the tracks.

I am very grateful to my adviser, Karl Schlögel from Viadrina University, who encouraged me to write a second book. His intellectual support was crucial in the early steps of the project. As a colleague, he ensured I had enough time to pursue my research in Europe and beyond. My collaboration with colleagues from the Center for Interdisciplinary Polish Studies, the Center B/ORDERS IN MOTION, and the Institute for Applied History (all at Viadrina) created the perfect atmosphere to embark on interdisciplinary research on mobility and borders. In those early days of the research adventure, I organized a field trip along the historical route of the Ostbahn. The participants were from Germany, Poland, and Russia—and they changed my view on the railroad line and its lasting impact today. Many of the participants collaborated on a Polish-German exhibition that traveled to numerous places in Germany and Poland. I was especially inspired by Marcin Przegiętka, the co-organizer to whom I owe my insight into the interwar period.

For the sake of an international readership, Tim Parsons from Washington University in St. Louis suggested writing the book in English—not an easy task for someone who did everything to avoid taking English classes in German high school. My colleagues from the International Association for Railway History, such as Henri Jacolin, Ralf Roth, Paul Véron, and Ihor Zhaloba, shaped my understanding of railroads’ many international connections. Ihor is now defending his home country, Ukraine, against the Russian invaders. Klaus Weber from Viadrina encouraged me to go global and to include questions about migration. He took on the task of navigating me through the bureaucracies of the German habilitation procedure. Our Privatkolloquium at Viadrina discussed several chapters of the emerging book; I could not have written it without the valuable input of Michał Czapara, Clara Frysztacka, Christian Hörnlein, Franziska Müller, Jan Radler, Andreas Röhr, Hannah Sprute, Anka Steffen, Konrad Tschäpe, and Jutta Wimmler. I am especially grateful to Jesse Lillefjeld, who worked on my English, and Andreas Röhr and Anna Gatzke, who helped me with translations from the Russian.

In St. Louis, my colleagues in the International and Area Studies program and its migration research collaborative provided valuable input on several emerging chapters. I am especially grateful to Tabea Linhard, Nicole Svobodny, and Anika Walke for collaborating on two edited volumes.

The University of Pittsburgh was the truly unique place where I turned my raw manuscript into a legible text. I am grateful to all my colleagues at the Department of History; the European Studies Center; the Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies; the German Department; the Jewish Studies Program; the World History Center; and the Writing Center, who created an environment with fruitful discussions and ample freedom and resources to provide research. Colleagues like Alissa Klots and John Lyon assisted me with German and Russian translations, while Nate Michalewicz’s expertise was instrumental in creating the accompanying website.

At various German studies, study of nationalities, and eastern Europeanist conferences, I presented fragments of the book and received valuable feedback from fellow panelists and the audience. Several people read large sections of the book and shared their comments with me—such as the anonymous reviewers and colleagues like Kirsten Bönker from Bielefeld, Winson Chu from Milwaukee, Benjamin Schenk from Basel, and Gregor Thum from Pittsburgh. My extended research, conference, and teaching stays abroad would not have been possible without the generous support of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the Max Weber Foundation, the Volkswagen Foundation, and several grants from the University of Pittsburgh.

I am especially grateful for the privilege of discussing questions of mobility, borders, and migration with undergraduate and graduate students from Germany, Poland, Russia, the United States, and other places who inspired my thinking in many ways—beyond the history books and archival documents. The same is true for those literally working on the railroad, such as the countless conductors, engineers, and other railroad, customs, and border police employees I interacted with. They helped me to understand the machinery of the railroad. Along these lines, I am indebted to Bernd Kutzke and Manfred Nickel from the Railroad Association Letschin (Eisenbahnverein Letschin), Thomas Drewing from the Historical Association of Gusow-Platkow (Geschichts- und Heimatverein Gusow-Platkow), and Detlef Malzahn from Railroad Enthusiasts Frankfurt (Oder) (Eisenbahnfreunde Frankfurt (Oder)).

Research is only possible when you have excellent libraries and archives at your disposal. The staff at countless libraries did an amazing job in providing even rare books and manuscripts essential for my research: Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder), Collegium Polonicum in Słubice, the University of Warsaw, the University of Texas at Austin, Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Pittsburgh, the Berlin State Library, the Berlin Central and Regional Library, and the Russian National Library in St. Petersburg, to mention just a few. The same is true for the employees of the numerous archives listed in the bibliography. It makes a big difference whether the staff keeps to the rule of five files per day or is willing to interpret regulations more flexibly. I am equally grateful to the staff of Indiana University Press, who made the book publication such a smooth progress. Sophia Hebert, Bethany Mowry, and Angelique Dunn turned the manuscript into a real book. They did not shy away from difficult discussions on the title, contract, writing style, and illustrations.

Finally, this book would not have been possible without the continuous support of family and friends. My brother Frank scanned rare German books when I was trapped in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. Łukasz served as my plenipotentiary in all questions related to German and Polish mail. When I gave the manuscript a rest, the Alves, Gic, Goetze, Guzenda, and Hajłasz families made life bearable. They reminded me that there is a world beyond academia—with bigos, cytrynówka, Dibbekuche, cachaça, and grilled lamb.

Most importantly, I am immensely grateful to Wioletta, who endured my repeated research and conference travels and kept the family moving forward. At the same time, our kids, Laura, Adrian, and Antoni, accompanied us on shorter trips to Poland, Russia, and Japan and on longer professional stays in the United States—without much grumbling. Jesteście wspaniali!