How Kulchitsky, a Ukrainian, saved Vienna from destruction in 1683 (10/06/33)

HOW KULCHITSKY, A UKRAINIAN, SAVED VIENNA FROM DESTRUCTION IN 1683

September the 12th of this year marked the anniversary of one of the greatest events in the entire history of Europe, and that is - the repulse of a vast Turkish horde before the very walls of Vienna.

The whole civilized world knows how, in 1683, a combined Austrian and Polish Army of 50,000 men, under the leadership of the Duke of Lorraine and Jan Sobieski, a Polish king, defeated a huge horde of Turks consisting of over 200,000 men under the leadership of Kara Mustapha, before the very walls of Vienna, and thus saved the Western Christian Europe from the menace of the Mohammedans.

And yet, but a small portion of this world knows that the decisive role in this great battle was played not by the Austrians nor by the Poles, but by those specialists in Turkish and Tartar warfare - the Ukrainian Cossacks.

The reason for this lack of knowledge of the Ukrainian participation in this battle, as well as in other important events, lies in the dense ignorance which pervaded Western Europe regarding the history of Eastern Europe, which ignorance was reflected in the writing of chronicles which have served as sources of modern historiography concerning this part of Europe.

Yet, in connection with this battle before Vienna the fact remains clear and is supported by careful research, that when the situation became acute, as the Turkish horde approached closer and closer, a call for aid was sent to the Ukrainian Cossacks - who were well known throughout all of Europe for their special adaptability in fighting the Turks and the Tatars. The Cossacks quickly responded.

A number of Cossacks "polks" (bodies consisting of 1,600 to 4,000 men) soon came to the aid of Vienna, under the leadership of such famous "polkowniks" as Semen Paliy, Iskra, Samush, Abazin, and Hohol. The last named "polkownik" was the ancestor of the later world famous Ukrainian writer Nicholas Gogol whose writings in the Russian language so vividly described the life of the Cossacks.

Acting in conjunction with the beleaguered Viennese, the Cossacks together with the Austrian and Polish troops fell upon the Turks from the outside. The Turks, caught between two fires, after fighting desperately, broke and fled. Yet, their power was not broken and still remained a menace even in retreat.

To destroy this power and menace once and for all, the Cossacks were intrusted with the task. Pursuing the retreating Turks the Cossacks caught up with them at a little town known as Parkany - near Budapest. Here, after some terrible fighting, the Cossacks by force of their bravery and their peculiar Cossack tactics completely shattered the Turkish horde and thus removed forever the menace of an Asiatic invasion of Central and Western Europe.

In connection with the liberation of Vienna an incident took place at that time which is well worth relating.

As previously mentioned, when the Cossacks came to the aid of Vienna the Turkish horde was already around the city. The Cossacks joined forces with the Austrian and Polish troops who were also outside the city, and together they waited for an opportune time to attack. But before such an attack could be made, an understanding as to the time of the attack had to be made between the allied forces and the besieged Viennese. The attack had to be simultaneous from within the city and from without of it to succeed at all.

Some one from the city had to steal through the Turkish encampment, get to the allied forces and notify them when the joint attack was to be made.

Of the few who volunteered to undertake this exceedingly dangerous task, a Ukrainian trader and former Cossack, who at that time happened to be in Vienna, was chosen. His name was George Kulchitsky. He was chosen chiefly because he could easily pass for a Turk since he had previously spent ten years in Turkey, where he ran a coffee house.

Stealing out of the city walls on August 13th, Kulchitsky boldly started to walk through the huge Turkish camp, consisting of over 25,000 tents, singing various Turkish ditties and songs with which he was well acquainted. This impudence nearly proved to be his undoing, for his singing attracted the attention of a high Turkish officer, who, liking Kulchitsky's singing, asked him to step into his tent and entertain him further. After treating him with some coffee, the Turkish officer asked Kulchitsky who he was. Kulchitsky, without losing any of his equanimity replied that he was a Turkish buyer, who had joined the Turkish forces in order to perhaps run across some good business. He convinced the Turk so well that the latter even advised him how to get some business.

In this manner did Kulchitsky, principally because of his coolness and courage in the face of danger and because of his brazen effrontery, manage to reach the Ukrainian Cossacks and their allies, deliver his message, and then return the same way back to Vienna on the 17th of August. The rest is a matter of common knowledge. As a reward for his bravery Kulchitsky was awarded the huge stores of coffee which the Turks in their hurry had left. The Christians did not want it since in those days very few of them drank coffee.

With this coffee Kulchitsky opened up the first coffee house in Europe, which with the passage of time, grew to be very popular with the Viennese, and in Europe as well. Today, this original coffee house of Kulchitsky's still stands on the same spot in Vienna.

Stephen Shumeyko.

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