In a very basic sense, Hollanders began to be imported into Polish-Prussia
(Polish controlled Royal Prussia) by the mid-16th century. Hollanders were settlers from the Dutch
lowlands, largely skilled agriculturalists, who also knew how to build and
maintain dikes, canals, and pumps. These
skills were necessary to transform the Vistula River lowlands into productive
farmland after the Poles overcame the Teutonic Knights. These Hollanders were Catholic, Lutheran, and
especially Mennonite adherents, anxious to leave the Dutch lowlands during the
16th century wars. Among
other attributes, the Hollanders were characterized by emphyteutic land leases executed according to Dutch law, and particularly with the Mennonites, these were a “people
apart” from the native populace.
By the mid-18th century, the Hollander Mennonites
came to control 25% of the agricultural land between Gdańsk and Toruń and they
contributed to the local culture in many different ways. Today, perhaps the last traces of these
Hollander Mennonites remaining in Poland are the ruins of their cemeteries,
dotting the land here and there along the northern Vistula.
Soon the final year of the restoration project at Przechówko cemetery will begin. Sponsored by the
city of Świecie, Poland, The Lower Vistula River Landscape Parks Complex, the
Doopsgezinde Stichting Nederland-Polen, and Lapidaria Association; Forgotten
cemeteries of Pomerania and Kujawy, the project seeks to restore the
Mennonite/Lutheran cemetery which is situated just west of Świecie.
The cemetery was first established by Hollander Mennonites
in the early 17th century. No
fewer than 400 souls were interred here until the early 20th century
after which point the village became uninhabited. The cemetery was forgotten and became lost in
the forest. Becoming lost was actually
to the cemetery’s benefit and today it has largely escaped vandalism and
destruction. Indeed, due to its bygone
past, today it may actually be the oldest Christian cemetery in all of
Poland. It has principally escaped the “recycling”
that typically happens at these old cemeteries and the collection of 18th
century, hand carved gravestones which are found here in situ, may be the most
substantial in the whole country.
Follow the 2025 restoration efforts here: https://www.facebook.com/przechowkomemory.
