Vistula River Lowlands: Świecie/Chełmno

 Low German Mennonites began moving into the Świecie/Chełmno lowlands by the very last years of the 16th century.  This map, from 1893, shows the Vistula River floodplain in exaggerated 3-D.  The Village of Przechowko, here marked with its German name Wintersdorf, is outlined in red.

Przechowko sits on the left bank of the Vistula, on an ancient sandbar.  The land slopes gently downhill from the northern parts of the village to the south.  The houses and church were located centrally, along the roughly east-west road through the village.  

Przechowko Village

 

At the time of the First Partition, the population of Mennonites in Polish lands was between 10-12,000 persons and in 1772, 25% of agricultural land of the Vistula delta was in Mennonite hands.[1]  Przechówko village was enumerated for taxation purposes in March 1773.  By the date of this census the village had grown to a total population of 95 persons.[2]  Cultivated land equaled 13 Hufen.[3]  The 12 wirtschaften divided 10 Hufen averaging .8 Hufe individually.  Together they shared an additional 3 Hufen.  The villagers kept horses and a small number of livestock (primarily dairy cattle) and collected hay from the southern half of the village lands; the meadow stretched toward the canal about ½ mile (0.8 km) south of the main village road.  The hay fed the dairy cattle which were the primary source of income.  The villagers also grew rye in fields stretching out to the north of the farmyards.  By the late 18^th century, the Mennonites also leased the folwark[4] (Vorwerk) immediately east of Przechówko which was owned by the village of Przechowo.  On the fields of the 6-Hufen folwark (≈8.2 Hufen after 1774) the Mennonites primarily grew rye but also a small amount of wheat, barley, oats, and peas.  Hay was also gathered here.[5]

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[1] Shapansky, Henry. The Mennonite Migrations, pp 97, 109.

[2] Przechowka Village, 4 March 1773. Extracted by Glenn H. Penner, Translated by Sabine Akabayov.

[3] According to Adelbert Goertz, 1 Culmisch Hufe = 30 Morgen (=16.8 ha = ca 41.5 acres).  Goertz, Adalbert. FAQ: Preußen (Prussia).

[4] Folwark was also known as Przechowski Folwark and later called Marienhöhe.  Sulimierski, Chlebowski, Walewski, Et al. Geographical Dictionary, Volume IX, p127.

[5] Przechowka Village, 4 March 1773. Extracted by Glenn H. Penner, Translated by Sabine Akabayov.  Until 1774 the Mennonites lease 6 Hufen of the folwark, after 1774 they leased the entire folwark which amounted to approximately 8.2 Hufen according to Przechowo: Act of Granting the Hereditary Possession…1774.