Jan Trepczyk
Encyclopedia
Jan Trepczyk was one of the most accomplished Kashubian
Kashubians
Kashubians/Kaszubians , also called Kashubs, Kashubes, Kaszubians, Kassubians or Cassubians, are a West Slavic ethnic group in Pomerelia, north-central Poland. Their settlement area is referred to as Kashubia ....

 poets, and also a song writer, a Kashubian ideologist, lexicographer
Lexicography
Lexicography is divided into two related disciplines:*Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionaries....

, and teacher. He was a member of the Regional Kashub Association of Kartuzy, of the “Zrzeszeńcy” (“associationists”), and of the Kashub-Pomeranian Association. He compiled the Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...

-Kashubian
Kashubian language
Kashubian or Cassubian is one of the Lechitic languages, a subgroup of the Slavic languages....

 Dictionary and co-founded the Kashub-Pomeranian Literature and Music Museum in Wejherowo.

Early years

Born as the youngest of the five children to a farmer couple of Jan and Berta (maiden name: Hebel), between 1914 and 1921, he attended elementary school in Mirachowo
Mirachowo
Mirachowo is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Kartuzy, within Kartuzy County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It lies approximately north-west of Kartuzy and west of the regional capital Gdańsk....

 (first in German, later in the Polish language). It was where he met Aleksander Labuda for the first time. In 1921, he entered the state run Teacher’s Seminary for Males in Kościerzyna
Koscierzyna
Kościerzyna is a town in Kashubia in Gdańsk Pomerania region, northern Poland, with some 24,000 inhabitants. It has been the capital of Kościerzyna County in Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999; previously it was in Gdańsk Voivodeship from 1975 to 1998...

. Here, one of his teachers was a priest, Leon Heyke, who instilled in Trepczyk interest in the Kashubian culture
Kashubian studies
Kashubian studies is a philological discipline, a branch of Slavic studies, researching the language, literature, culture, and history of the Kashubians.The main centre for development of Kashubian studies is the University of Gdańsk, Poland...

. Following his graduation, Trepczyk started teaching at an elementary school in Kartuzy
Kartuzy
Kartuzy is a town in the historic Eastern Pomerania region of northwestern Poland, located about west of Gdańsk with a population of 15,472...

. In 1927, he accepted a teaching position in Miszewo, near Żukowo
Zukowo
Żukowo is a town in Kartuzy County, in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of northern Poland, with 6,236 inhabitants . It is located along the Radunia river in the historic Pomerelia region, about southwest of Gdańsk....

.

During the summer of 1928, together with A. Labuda, he paid Dr. Majkowski a visit and the latter soon became Trepczyk’s spiritual mentor. Along with A. Labuda and A. Stoltmann, Trepczyk organized a teachers’ conference in Kartuzy
Kartuzy
Kartuzy is a town in the historic Eastern Pomerania region of northwestern Poland, located about west of Gdańsk with a population of 15,472...

 which culminated with the establishment of the regional Association of the Kashubs. Elected its secretary, he later became one of the most active members of the “Zrzeszeńcy” organization. In 1930, Trepczyk married Jan Rompski’s sister Aniela with whom he fathered Bogusława, Mirosława, Damroka, Sława, Świętopełek, and Mestwin. Also in 1930, he debuted as an author in the Chëcz Kaszëbskô periodical, concurrently publishing in Grif Kaszëbsczi and Zrzësz Kaszëbskô (later becoming its editor in chief.)

In 1934, Trepczyk was ordered to move to Rogoźno
Rogozno
Rogoźno is a town in Poland, in Greater Poland Voivodeship, about 40 km north of Poznań. Its population is 11,337 . It is the seat of the administrative district called Gmina Rogoźno....

 and a year later, to Tłukawy in Wielkopolska as a result of the Polish government’s attempt to weaken the local Kashubian establishment accused of separatist tendencies. While “banned,” he released a tome of Kashubian songs; continuously publishing, he remained committed to his views on Kashubian matters.

World War II

September 1939 found Trepczyk in Tłukawy, where he was sentenced to live and work. In the summer of 1940, he returned to Kashubia
Kashubia
Kashubia or Cassubia - is a language area in the historic Eastern Pomerania region of northwestern Poland. Located west of Gdańsk and the mouth of the Vistula river, it is inhabited by members of the Kashubian ethnic group....

 accepting a job of a cashier at the Sianowo
Sianowo
Sianowo is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Kartuzy, within Kartuzy County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It lies approximately north-west of Kartuzy and west of the regional capital Gdańsk....

’s administration office. In Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 he associated with an Italian resistance unit. Later he joined the ranks of General Władysław Anders’ Polish Army.

Personal life, work and Kashubian activism

In June 1946, he returned to Kashubia and resided in Wejherowo
Wejherowo
Wejherowo is a town in Gdańsk Pomerania, northern Poland, with 47,435 inhabitants . It has been the capital of Wejherowo County in Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999; previously, it was a town in Gdańsk Voivodeship .-History:...

 (first on Bukowa St., then Kopernika St.) Here, for 20 years he worked as a music teacher in the Elementary School (school no. 4.) Apart from music, he also taught geography, arts, and mathematics. In 1951, following the death of his wife Adela, he married Leokadia Czaja, becoming a stepfather to her daughter Zofia. He retired in 1967 and two years later moved to a new house on Zwycięstwa Street. Along with some of his family members, he lived there until he passed away.

Following his post WWII return to Kashubia, from the very beginning, Trepczyk supported local cultural and social affairs. He continued publishing in Zrzesz Kaszëbskô, Echo Ziemi Wejherowskiej, Kaszëbë, and later also in Pomerania and a few other periodicals. He wrote short novels and sketches, but chiefly poems and songs featuring his own and other authors’ lyrics. His talent and melodic sense compensated the lack of formal musical training, something that’s prevalent especially in his choral compositions. Albeit better known for his singing skills, he also played piano and violin. Between 1952-54, he collected relics of Kashubian culture
Kashubian studies
Kashubian studies is a philological discipline, a branch of Slavic studies, researching the language, literature, culture, and history of the Kashubians.The main centre for development of Kashubian studies is the University of Gdańsk, Poland...

 in villages and towns. While focusing on Kashubian literature and language
Kashubian language
Kashubian or Cassubian is one of the Lechitic languages, a subgroup of the Slavic languages....

 (along with its grammar and vocabulary), he put forth an enormous effort to normalize its spelling. All in all, he soon became one of the most recognizable activists of the region.

In December 1965, while supporting the task of organizing the Kashub-Pomeranian Association, Trepczyk became president of its Wejherowo chapter. Finding for it a suitable downtown location, he expanded its engagement to include drama, music, lectures, and exhibitions. He asked to be relieved from his position at the Kashub-Pomeranian Association in 1961, following the accusations of holding separatist sentiments and sympathizing with German revisionists. Consequently, the organization he helped to establish, issued him a formal reprimand, thus temporarily crippling his cultural and artistic endeavors. Still, Trepczyk continued to write poetry and songs, patronizing the Wejherowo Sea Song Festival, instituting choirs and folklore groups, and striving to establish the Kashub-Pomeranian museum in Wejherowo. In 1967, he was awarded the “Stolem Medal” and in 1971, Poland’s Golden Cross of Merit. Rehabilitated to his former position at the Kashub-Pomeranian Association, he led it for two more cadences (1967-73).

Period of greatest activity

In the 1970s, for the first time after World War II, Trepczyk resumed publishing. He commenced with a volume of poems Mòja stegna (1970) followed by two song collections based on the work of a Lębork
Lebork
Lębork is a town on the Łeba and Okalica rivers in Middle Pomerania region, north-western Poland with some 37,000 inhabitants.Lębork is also the capital of Lębork County in Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999, formerly in Słupsk Voivodeship ....

-native musician, Juliusz Mowiński, entitled Rodnô Zemia (1974). He published Mòja chëcz in 1978, and the children's rhymes called Ukłôdk dlô dzôtk in 1975. However, his main accomplishment of this period was a substantial volume of poetry entitled Òdecknieni, published in 1977 and consisting of more than 80 poems. The preface to the book was written by Tadeusz Bolduan with Trepczyk’s biography added by Edmund Puzdrowski. Òdecknienié was important for Kashubian literature. In 1979, Trepczyk became a member of the Polish Writers Association. In 1980, his Ukłôdk dlô dzôtk was republished and the celebrated song collection Lecë choranko containing more than 80 songs was issued. Works by Trepczyk were also added to several anthologies, including the Kaschubische Anthologie (1973). In 1979, the author was honored by the publication of Pasja twórczego życia dedicated to Marian Mokwa and Aleksander Labuda. At the end of 1986, Trepczyk became an honorary member of the Kashubian-Pomeranian Association
Kashubian-Pomeranian Association
The Kashubian-Pomeranian Association is a regional non-governmental organization of the Kashubians , Kociewiacy and other people interested in the regional affairs of Kashubia and Pomerania in northern Poland...

.

Trepczyk’s late years were spent very fruitfully. He kept writing poems, songs, and memoir
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...

s while continuing publishing. He conducted various choruses, often performing solo or in small groups with his wife, daughter Zofia, and son-in-law, Edmund Kamiński. He completed his great Polish-Kashubian Dictionary and was looking for a publisher (unfortunately he did not live to see the publication.) He was also a translator of German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....

 texts into Kashubian language
Kashubian language
Kashubian or Cassubian is one of the Lechitic languages, a subgroup of the Slavic languages....

. Suffering from laryngeal cancer, he relied on a voice amplifier. In addition, toward the end of his life, he also suffered from shingles
Herpes zoster
Herpes zoster , commonly known as shingles and also known as zona, is a viral disease characterized by a painful skin rash with blisters in a limited area on one side of the body, often in a stripe...

. He died suddenly on 3 September, 1989 in Wejherowo, where he also is buried. His wife Leokadia died almost 10 years later, on 28 November, 1998.

Legacy

Jan Trepczyk will remain to be known as one of the busiest contributors to Kashubian culture
Kashubian studies
Kashubian studies is a philological discipline, a branch of Slavic studies, researching the language, literature, culture, and history of the Kashubians.The main centre for development of Kashubian studies is the University of Gdańsk, Poland...

, a man full of enthusiasm, extensive interests, and many talents. In his poetry, he praised Kashubian landscapes, its history, and inhabitants. His songs, classic and melodic, inventive, full of honest emotion, humor, and sometimes exaltation are inimitable. Trepczyk’s song collection consists of 133 recognized songs arranged mostly by Juliusz Mowiński and Zbigniew Szablewski. As a writer and lexicographer, he tried to preserve the riches of the Kashubian language
Kashubian language
Kashubian or Cassubian is one of the Lechitic languages, a subgroup of the Slavic languages....

, contributing to its vocabulary base by adding contemporary words (while retaining consistency with the language’s demands), and many archaisms. His work in this area cannot be overrated and, arguably, matches that of Rev. Bernard Sychta. The remaining artistic legacy often becomes canvas for the artistic endeavors for the new generations of Kashubian artists. Similarly, his maxim “Pòjmë w przódk z kaszëbizną” to this day reverberates in the hearts of the Kashubian activists.

Słownik Polsko-Kaszubski was published post mortem in 1994. It contains about 60 thousand entries and has an impressive addendum written by prof. Jerzy Treder. This dictionary is in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 too. Republished in 1997, in its augmented version, was Trepczyk’s song collection “Lecë choranko” accompanied by an audio cassette including 27 songs while in 2004 some of these songs were released on a CD entitled “Mòrze. Kaszubskie piesni o morzu.” On 18 June 2004, Miszewo Elementary School, were Trepczyk had been a teacher for seven years, was given his name. Similarly, the Wejherowo
Wejherowo
Wejherowo is a town in Gdańsk Pomerania, northern Poland, with 47,435 inhabitants . It has been the capital of Wejherowo County in Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999; previously, it was a town in Gdańsk Voivodeship .-History:...

 Singing Association added Trepczyk’s name as an integral part of its name designation. In fact, the Wejherowo Singing Association’s debut performance took place in Miszewo during the school’s name change ceremony.

Due to the various anniversary celebrations, Trepczyk’s name kept returning to public conscience fairly regularly. Streets in Wejherowo, Rumia
Rumia
Rumia is a city in the Eastern Pomerania region of north-western Poland, with some 45,000 inhabitants. It is a part of the Kashubian Tricity and a suburb part of the metropolitan area of the Tricity...

, and Bolszewo
Bolszewo
Bolszewo is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Wejherowo, within Wejherowo County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It lies approximately north-west of Wejherowo and north-west of the regional capital Gdańsk....

 have been renamed to commemorate Trepczyk; he is also present in newspapers and periodicals. In 2008, his biography was released in “Feliks Marszalkowski i inni Zrzeszincy a rozwój jezyka oraz literatury kaszubskiej.” The 20th Sea Song Festival was the justification to the release of Trepczyks’ two song collections arranged for solo vocalist and chorus (“Hej mòrze, mòrze” and “Marika”). At the same time an anthology entitled “Jubileusz Ogólnopolskich Festiwali Piesni o Morzu w Wejherowie (1966-2008)” summing the songs performed at various festivals with the sea theme, was released. As evident in this work, Jan Trepczyk is the most popular composer in this category. A comprehensive biography of the author is being prepared by E. Kamiński.

(SC)
(transl. yurekh)

Publications

  • ’‘Kaszebskji pjesnjôk. Dzél I’‘, Rogoźno Wlkp. 1935 (32 songs)
  • ’‘Moja stegna’‘, Gdańsk
    Gdansk
    Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...

     1970 (28 poems)
  • ’‘Rodnô Zemia’‘, Gdańsk
    Gdansk
    Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...

     1974 (songs arr. by Juliusz Mowiński)
  • ’‘Ukłôdk dlô dzôtk’‘, Gdańsk
    Gdansk
    Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...

     1975 (9 songs)
  • ’‘Odecknienié’‘, Gdańsk
    Gdansk
    Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...

     1977
  • ’‘Moja chëcz’‘, Gdańsk
    Gdansk
    Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...

     1978 (5 songs arr. by Juliusz Mowiński)
  • ’‘Lecë choranko’‘, Gdańsk
    Gdansk
    Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...

     1980 (85 songs)
  • ’‘Ukłôdk dlô dzôtk’‘, Gdańsk
    Gdansk
    Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...

     1980 (reprint)
  • ’‘Słownik polsko-kaszubski’‘, Gdańsk
    Gdansk
    Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...

     1994
  • ’‘Lecë choranko. Pieśni kaszubskie’‘, Wejherowo
    Wejherowo
    Wejherowo is a town in Gdańsk Pomerania, northern Poland, with 47,435 inhabitants . It has been the capital of Wejherowo County in Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999; previously, it was a town in Gdańsk Voivodeship .-History:...

     1997 (extended release accompanied by audio cassette)
  • ’‘Hej mòrze, mòrze. Zbiór pieśni 1’‘, Wejherowo
    Wejherowo
    Wejherowo is a town in Gdańsk Pomerania, northern Poland, with 47,435 inhabitants . It has been the capital of Wejherowo County in Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999; previously, it was a town in Gdańsk Voivodeship .-History:...

     2008
  • ’‘Marika. Zbiór pieśni 2’‘, Wejherowo
    Wejherowo
    Wejherowo is a town in Gdańsk Pomerania, northern Poland, with 47,435 inhabitants . It has been the capital of Wejherowo County in Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999; previously, it was a town in Gdańsk Voivodeship .-History:...

     2008
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