Mennonite Structures at Zabytek.pl

 https://zabytek.pl/pl/mapa is a treasure trove of information about old village houses across Poland.  Specifically for Mennonite history interests, the site includes plenty of information for villages in the Vistula River delta and valley.  Wonderful photos of Hollander and Mennonite houses can be found representing villages from Gdansk and Elblag in the north, all the way south to Torun.  Further, the Netzebruch villages and the Masovian villages are also represented.

In decades past, Polish researchers traveled across the countryside, presumably visiting each city, town, and village, documenting the oldest structures.  In many cases, photos were taken, sketches were made, and historical summaries were written, for each structure.  Again, for Mennonite history interests, files for the wonderful old Werder houses can be found, as well as housebarns, and in many cases, cemeteries are also listed.

For my own interests, housebarns are documented in Vistula River valley villages, including many associated with the Przechowko congregation and its daughter communities.  For instance:

Przechowko https://zabytek.pl/pl/obiekty/dom-(chalupa)-nr-141-(16-875964 

Deutsch Konopat https://zabytek.pl/pl/obiekty/dom-(chalupa)-nr-26-876818

Jeziorki https://zabytek.pl/pl/obiekty/dom-(chalupa)-nr-28-784946

Schönsee https://zabytek.pl/pl/obiekty/dom-(chalupa)-nr-6-872932

Jamerau https://zabytek.pl/pl/obiekty/dom-(chalupa)-nr-14-784164

Brenkenhofswalde https://zabytek.pl/pl/obiekty/blotnica-kosciol-ewang-ob-rzym-kat-fil-pw-sw-michala-ar

Franzthal https://zabytek.pl/pl/obiekty/cmentarz-ewangelicki-prz-683112

Deutsche Wymysle https://zabytek.pl/pl/obiekty/dom-mieszkalno-inwentars-781931

These are all structures built before the mid-19^th century and all likely Mennonite- or Hollander-built.

The Niedźwiedź house, now restored and standing at the Hollander museum outside Torun, can be seen here in situ https://zabytek.pl/pl/obiekty/dom-(chalupa)-nr-4-875536.  Note the strong similarity between this house and the Przechowko house above.

Looking at these structures can give us a better understanding of how our ancestors lived and help us envision how their farms looked.

Wouldn’t it be interesting to put these houses side by side and see how they compare?  We can actually do that since these Zabytek files include floor plans and dimensions for each house.