Kujawy – Slownik Geograficzny Translations

Hello,

Below is my translation of the Słownik Geograficzny Krolestwa Polskiego entry for the Kujawy. This is an entry about a specific regional area with the major cities of Włocławek and Inowrocław. Any errors in the translations are completely my own.

Kujawy,

This is formerly part of Poland, located between the rivers Wisła and Noteć, and the Gopła Lake. Per Bolesław Krzywousty (the Wry-mouth), in 1139, it was a separate principality, which, after the death of Kazimierz Kujawski in 1268, his two sons received a share: Ziemomysł the Prince of Inowrocław, Władysław Łokietek the Duke of Brześć. Then in 1388, it was incorporated into the Polish Kingdom. During the reign of Władysław Jagiełło it was divided into two provinces (województwa): Brześć-Kujawy and Inowrocław. This division lasted until 1772, where the latter province (Inowrocław) fell to Prussia. For the Duchy of Warszawa, all of the former Kujawy belonged to the Bydgoszcz Department and formed that same department. The department was composed of 10 counties (powiaty), five of the counties were: Bydgoszcz, Brześć, Inowrocław, Kowal, and Radziejów. After the announcement of the Polish Kingdom and the separation from the collapsed Duchy of Warszawa, including 327 sq. mila (1 mila = 7.5 km) of the Poznań Department, some 211 sq. mila of the Bydgoszcz Department, the area went to the newly created Grand Duchy of Poznań. Again part of Kujawy remained in the Prussian Province. And the second part became part of the Mazowieckie Province (województwa), comprised of the Brześć-Kujawy district that was composed of the counties (powiat), later districts of: Brześć, Kowal, and Radziejów. This district, as a result of overall renaming in the country, was called county (powiat) afterwards and as such its original name Kujawy, only in 1848 was it transformed into Włocławek.

From time immemorial, Kujawy was known for a large production of grain, namely wheat. Also, Kujawy conducted trade with Gdańsk, where crops were initially transported by raft on Lake Gopła joined with the Warta and Wisła, and later just by the rivers. The surroundings have little forests, meadows, and a sufficient population. Its scantly industrial and has devoted handicrafts. They owe their prosperity to the mainly fertile and rich soil. The people in Kujawy are handsome, strong, able to work, and willing. Until recent times, they retained traditional dress that were beautiful but costly.

The Kujawy County (Powiat) or Brześć-Kujawy had their seat in the town of the same name. In the moment of organization, the Kingdom renamed the district. Yet for sometime, the towns retained their authorities; then of these, the Provincial Commissioner’s office in the delegate district and the courts together moved to Włocławek, with the jail left behind in Brześć, where by the year 1876 in this era, their retraction remained. As said above, in 1848, it lost its age old traditional Kujawy title and became first the district and then the Włocławek Powiat. In 1867, it was again divided into two counties (powiaty): Włocławek and Nieszawa.

The establishment of the Kujawy Diocese, of the Roman-Catholic denomination, is unknown as to which era it goes back to. The only thing known is that about 1160 its capital was moved from Kruszwica to Włocławek and that the first Bishop of Kujawy settled here, he was Enoldus. It is a vast diocese that stretches in three governorates (gubernia): Warszawa, Kalisz, and Piotrków, namely in two counties (powiaty) in the first (Warszawa), and seven counties in the second (Kalisz), and four counties in the third (Piotrków), which contain the same amount of deaneries as counties. There are 337 parishes, 34 branches, of these there are 17 churches after the collapse of the monasteries, and 15 of them are still occupied by monks of both genders.

According to the census of 1878, the total population of the diocese was 874,183 people, handling of which was 514 clergy and 204 secular monastics. There were three consistories; this was two general in Włocławek and Kalisz, and one formal in Piotrków. There is one seminary in Włocławek. This city is the Bishopric See, where the city has a Cathedral and is officially called Vladislaviensis. On the other hand, the residence of the intended suffragan is the city of Kalisz, where there is a collegiate church that bears this name. The Kujawy-Kalisz Diocese was formerly divided into the following Deaneries: Breść, Kowal, Izbica, Nieszawa, Radziejów, Kalisz, Koło, Konin, Lutomiersk, Sompoliński?, Sieradz, Słupca, Staw, Stawiszyn, Szadek, Uniejów, Wieruszów, Brzeżnica, Częstochowa, Krzepice, Piotrków, Radom, Tuszyn, and Wieluń.

We read the name Kujawy in documents only in the first half of the XII century; it probably comes from the soil (see Kujawa). Karłowicz in physiogn. memoirs (II,1882) writes, “In the Trans-Oder Slavic language area were the city and country of Kujawy (1012), as well as the Kujawiacy (Kujawian) settlement. In Moravia there is Kujawy villages. Some foreigners of Kiev wrote about Kujawy (Szafarzyk, Staroż. II, 497). Kolberg of Wójcice notes the word Kujawy, indicating the north wind, which when blowing should not sow (Kuj. I, 93). It is also mentioned by Haur (Oekonomika 1757, p.188) about the twisted wind, called Kujawy. Kolberg says (Krak. IV, 304): “Chaja, Chajawica, Chujawa, Chujawica, Kujawica, by highlanders Fujawica, means cold and rainy weather, windy foul weather, wet flag in the wind (see Myślenic, Zatora)”. In his 375 Songs of the Polish People, Number 216 reads songs from Czerniakowo: “From Kujawy the wind blows, the Kujawiacy rye sows”. Stęczyński in the Tatar Mountains also cites the word fujawica in the meaning of a snow storm; it is the same as Goszczyński in the Tatar Mountains, 132. For curiosity one can note, that in the Vedas we come across the name carrying the spirits of certain crop failure: Kujawa. Linde provides some proverbs about Kujawy under this expression. Also, Kolberg recorded the local expression: “There is no Kujawy without Żuławy”, i.e. no fertile land, and: “From Kujawy to Żuławy”, i.e. black earth from ridge to ridge; (Kuj. I, 203). The adjective “kujawy” supposedly means in Kujawy: cheerful or perky (Bibl. Warsz. I, 184). Read “The Tour to Kujawy, Wielkopolskie”, by Józef Łepkoeski (Bibl. Warsz. 1863, IV-385) and the special, but not critical although abounds in details of a monograph: “The land of Kujawy” by M. Borucki, (Włocławek, 1883 r.). Comparable to Inowrocław and Włocławek.

Słownik Geograficzny Krolestwa Poliskiego – Warsaw [1895, vol. 04, pp.850-852]. Retrieved from http://www.mimuw.edu.pl/polszczyzna/SGKP/SG04.djvu?djvuopts&page=850

Best Regards,
Al