Szczebrzeszyn
Encyclopedia
Szczebrzeszyn AUD is a city in southeastern Poland
in Lublin Voivodeship
, in Zamość County
, about 20 km west of Zamość
. From 1975–1999, it was part of the Zamość Voivodeship
administrative district. The town serves as the seat to Gmina Szczebrzeszyn
. A 2004 census counted 5,357 inhabitants. It lends its name to the Szczebrzeszyn Landscape Park.
, although archaeological evidence suggests the area had been settled for several centuries prior to this. Neighboring villages named in Nestor
's 11th century chronicle of Rus
further support that Szczebrzeszyn is much older, once lying beside a major commercial route running from south to north.
By 1492, trade had developed enough to warrant a special act imposed by Jan Olbracht
. The Act specified which roads Szczebrzeszyn merchants could use when traveling through Lesser Poland
with their wares. As merchants traveled through Szczebrzeszyn, they paid set taxes which proved to be an excellent source of revenue
. For example, the tax on a wagon with merchandise was 2 groschen
, on an ox: 1 groschen, and on a wagon with salt from Drohobycz: a measure of salt.
After Jan Amor of Tarnów
's death in 1500, Szczebrzeszyn stayed in the hands of the Tarnowski family for the next 20 years. Later it was included in a dowry
to the Kmita family. At that time, long-running feuds among family members re-ignited over the Szczebrzeszyn inheritance, while other magnate
s laid claims at this time. King Zygmunt August issued a binding decree to end this dispute in 1555, which allocated rights over the city to the Gorka family of Greater Poland
.
The Gorkas took a strong interest in religious matters, and granted freedom to all religious groups. They built a Greek Orthodox church, transformed the Roman Catholic parish church into a Calvinist
one, and opened a synagogue
nearby. Well-known supporters of the Reformation
from Szczebrzeszyn, Stankar and Felix Kreutziger, sought the protection of these feudal lords. During this time, Szczebrzeszyn reached the highest levels of development.
, which destroyed all of the documents relating to privileges granted by Andrzej Gorka. These privileges were quickly renewed by the reigning king, Stefan Batory
. The Gorkas also confirmed and expanded the Magdeburg Laws
, which benefited the citizens.
The last of the Gorkas, Stanislaw, died in 1592, after which the Szczebrzeszyn estates were taken over by the Czarnkowski family. In 1593, Jan Zamoyski
purchased Szczebrzeszyn, along with 35 surrounding villages, and integrated them into his Ordinate. Zamoyski founded a new capital city in his Zamość estates, and it was at this point that Szczebrzeszyn lost its significance and the decline began.
Despite the focus on Zamość, Zamoyski funded the Monastery of the Holy Franciscans and next to it the Cloister of the Holy Trinity, the modern day Cloister of Saint Katarzyna. Apart from this, he liquidated the Catholic Temple and returned the one-time parish Cloister to the Catholics.
During the 17th century, religious animosity increased, and a 1637 decree issued by Tomasz Zamoyski
resulted in the expulsion of the Arians
. The city was also assaulted by the Tatars
, Turks
, and Cossacks. In particular, the city was torched and plundered by Tatars in 1672. A multitude of epidemics decimated the population and victims of the Plague were taken to a separate cemetery outside of the city. At the time of the partition of Poland, Szczebrzeszyn had fallen into the hands of Austria.
was moved here, and a hospital treating peasants for venereal diseases also opened.
Education become an important part of life in Szczebrzeszyn. The district school was under the direct oversight of Stanisław Zamoyski who recruited both talented teachers and students. Lady Teofilia Reder opened a private school for girls that taught many advanced subjects. Due to the strength of the schools and the direction of Stanisław Zamoyski, Szczebrzeszyn suffered less from the politics of Russification
than other settlements did after the November Uprising
. For this precise reason, Russian authorities disbanded the provincial school in 1852.
When a national liberation movement developed before the January Uprising
in 1863, the greatest reaction in the entire Zamość Powiat occurred in Szczebrzeszyn. For years afterward, local residents were arrested under suspicion for being a part of the uprising.
The persecutions of the Uniates proved dramatic. An elderly peasant from Zurawnica told of a frightful scene, when one of his neighbors, a Uniate, agreed to accept the Russian Orthodox faith. The protests of his wife had no effect. Everything was arranged, all the formalities settled, but when the peasant was about to begin the communion
ceremony, his wife went mad from mental confusion, and attacked the priest. This had a fearful effect on her husband, who refused to complete the ceremony. Being much taken by these tales, effort was made to assemble details about the Uniates in Szczebrzeszyn. A notice from the year 1843 announces that the parish of the Uniates was very poor, because it had 'a small number of adherents to the Szczebrzeszyn church (tzerkva).' In December 1877, the priest, Aleksander Górski—who, it appears, did not belong to the resistance fighters—signed his letter as the 'Rector of the Szczebrzeszyn Orthodox Parish.' It was at that time that the Uniates and the Greek-Catholic Church were liquidated, and was transformed into a Russian Orthodox church.
Later on, the priest Timofei Tracz came as Rector, and a sorrowful era was initiated for the Polish Catholics, particularly the Uniates. Although the Rector himself was once a Uniate priest, he voluntarily converted to the Russian Orthodox church and became an ideological Russifier and disseminator of his new faith. He led an ascetic existence, and his activities had a fanatical character. Over time, he became extremely influential as he became known to the highest institutional authorities.
Everyone in the Zamość region feared him. He met with little resistance in his efforts to spread the Russian Orthodox faith, and he used any method necessary: promises, chicanery, threats, and violence.
Documents in the Zwierzyniec archives confirm that there never were any Russian Orthodox faithful residing year-round in Szczebrzeszyn, with the exception of officials, who would sometime spend time here. Apart from the Russian Orthodox church, which had been transformed, as previously mentioned, from a Greek-Catholic church, the Catholic Church near the hospital was remade as a Russian Orthodox church in 1883. The number of adherents to the Russian Orthodox parish grew quickly in proportion, and in that time totaled 486 individuals.
In the year 1905, in the first two months after the publication of the Tolerance Manifesto, 4,195 people in the Szczebrzeszyn parish converted from Russian Orthodoxy to the Roman Catholic faith, and 402 people from the outskirts of Zamość. The Tolerance Declaration was a severe blow to Tracz, as it undid all his efforts. He resisted the desertion, but to no avail; his health was damaged and he died in 1909.
During World War I, the Muscovites left Szczebrzeszyn and both Orthodox churches were locked down. The entire Russian Orthodox parish appeared to disappear; townspeople even changed the spelling on the grave stones of their kin, from Russian to Polish, in order to erase all traces of their former church affiliations. Even Tracz's gravesite and memorial were eradicated. In accordance with an order from the bailiff, someone during the night broke down the monument, and Trascz's coffin was transferred from the churchyard to the public cemetery.
The Rector of the Roman Catholic parish was at that time the priest, Grabarski. He was very popular, and known for his philanthropic activities—even for the benefit of Jews. He was very much beloved by the Jews. For many years, prayers were offered in synagogues on his behalf.
Life in Szczebrzeszyn during the time of the Russian rule was gray and sorrowful. The pressure of rule was felt heavily from the side of the Russian authorities. Community activity was minimal: there was no manner of spiritual movement. Despite this, a certain amount of conspiratorial activity did continue, such as illegal study. Certain organizations did exist: Mlodziez Szkolna, N.D., P.P.S.
The external character of Szczebrzeszyn was set down by the military; a Cossack battalion was stationed in the town. When World War II, military marched through the shtetl: Russian, Austrian, Russians again, and later a long time of Austrian occupation. Many forms of orientation manifested themselves: pro-Moscow, pro-Austrian, initiatives for independence. Part of the young people went off to military legions.
used the town's name in his poem entitled Chrząszcz
. The line with Szczebrzeszyn goes like this:
||Pl-w_Szczebrzeszynie_chrząszcz_brzmi_w_trzcinie.ogg|W Szczebrzeszynie chrząszcz brzmi w trzcinie}}
This roughly translates to: [In the town of] Szczebrzeszyn a beetle buzzes in the reed. The phrase has been incorporated in every day language as an epitome of Polish tongue twisters and is often presented by natives to foreign learners of Polish. A monument depicting a beetle playing the violin that was erected in Szczebrzeszyn refers to the poem.
In 2004 Philip Bibel (1909–2006), brother of painter Leon Bibel, published his Tales of the Shtetl, a memoir of early 20th century life in the shtetl of Szczebrzeszyn. Sample chapters can be read here:
Our Shabbos in Shebreshin
Noise, Music, and Klezmer
The Last Jew
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
in Lublin Voivodeship
Lublin Voivodeship
- Administrative division :Lublin Voivodeship is divided into 24 counties : 4 city counties and 20 land counties. These are further divided into 213 gminas....
, in Zamość County
Zamosc County
Zamość County is a unit of territorial administration and local government in Lublin Voivodeship, eastern Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its administrative seat is the city of Zamość, although the city is not part...
, about 20 km west of Zamość
Zamosc
Zamość ukr. Замостя is a town in southeastern Poland with 66,633 inhabitants , situated in the south-western part of Lublin Voivodeship , about from Lublin, from Warsaw and from the border with Ukraine...
. From 1975–1999, it was part of the Zamość Voivodeship
Zamosc Voivodeship
Zamość Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in years 1975–1998, superseded by Lublin Voivodeship.Capital city: ZamośćMajor cities and towns :* Zamość * Biłgoraj...
administrative district. The town serves as the seat to Gmina Szczebrzeszyn
Gmina Szczebrzeszyn
Gmina Szczebrzeszyn is an urban-rural gmina in Zamość County, Lublin Voivodeship, in eastern Poland. Its seat is the town of Szczebrzeszyn, which lies approximately west of Zamość and south-east of the regional capital Lublin....
. A 2004 census counted 5,357 inhabitants. It lends its name to the Szczebrzeszyn Landscape Park.
Early history
Szczebrzeszyn's history can be traced back to 1352, during the reign of Casimir IIICasimir III of Poland
Casimir III the Great , last King of Poland from the Piast dynasty , was the son of King Władysław I the Elbow-high and Hedwig of Kalisz.-Biography:...
, although archaeological evidence suggests the area had been settled for several centuries prior to this. Neighboring villages named in Nestor
Nestor the Chronicler
Saint Nestor the Chronicler was the reputed author of the Primary Chronicle, , Life of the Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Caves, Life of the Holy Passion Bearers, Boris and Gleb, and of the so-called Reading.Nestor was a monk of the Monastery of the Caves in Kiev from 1073...
's 11th century chronicle of Rus
Primary Chronicle
The Primary Chronicle , Ruthenian Primary Chronicle or Russian Primary Chronicle, is a history of Kievan Rus' from about 850 to 1110, originally compiled in Kiev about 1113.- Three editions :...
further support that Szczebrzeszyn is much older, once lying beside a major commercial route running from south to north.
By 1492, trade had developed enough to warrant a special act imposed by Jan Olbracht
John I Albert of Poland
John I Albert was King of Poland and Duke of Głogów .-Life:John was the third son of Casimir IV Jagiellon, King of Poland, and Elisabeth of Austria, daughter of Albert II of Germany. As crown prince, he distinguished himself by his brilliant victory over the Tatars at Kopersztyn...
. The Act specified which roads Szczebrzeszyn merchants could use when traveling through Lesser Poland
Lesser Poland
Lesser Poland is one of the historical regions of Poland, with its capital in the city of Kraków. It forms the southeastern corner of the country, and should not be confused with the modern Lesser Poland Voivodeship, which covers only a small, southern part of Lesser Poland...
with their wares. As merchants traveled through Szczebrzeszyn, they paid set taxes which proved to be an excellent source of revenue
Revenue
In business, revenue is income that a company receives from its normal business activities, usually from the sale of goods and services to customers. In many countries, such as the United Kingdom, revenue is referred to as turnover....
. For example, the tax on a wagon with merchandise was 2 groschen
Groschen
Groschen was the name for a coin used in various German-speaking states as well as some non-German-speaking countries of Central Europe , the Danubian principalities...
, on an ox: 1 groschen, and on a wagon with salt from Drohobycz: a measure of salt.
After Jan Amor of Tarnów
Tarnów
Tarnów is a city in southeastern Poland with 115,341 inhabitants as of June 2009. The city has been situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship since 1999, but from 1975 to 1998 it was the capital of the Tarnów Voivodeship. It is a major rail junction, located on the strategic east-west connection...
's death in 1500, Szczebrzeszyn stayed in the hands of the Tarnowski family for the next 20 years. Later it was included in a dowry
Dowry
A dowry is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings forth to the marriage. It contrasts with bride price, which is paid to the bride's parents, and dower, which is property settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage. The same culture may simultaneously practice both...
to the Kmita family. At that time, long-running feuds among family members re-ignited over the Szczebrzeszyn inheritance, while other magnate
Magnate
Magnate, from the Late Latin magnas, a great man, itself from Latin magnus 'great', designates a noble or other man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or other qualities...
s laid claims at this time. King Zygmunt August issued a binding decree to end this dispute in 1555, which allocated rights over the city to the Gorka family of Greater Poland
Greater Poland
Greater Poland or Great Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska is a historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief city is Poznań.The boundaries of Greater Poland have varied somewhat throughout history...
.
The Gorkas took a strong interest in religious matters, and granted freedom to all religious groups. They built a Greek Orthodox church, transformed the Roman Catholic parish church into a Calvinist
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
one, and opened a synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
nearby. Well-known supporters of the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
from Szczebrzeszyn, Stankar and Felix Kreutziger, sought the protection of these feudal lords. During this time, Szczebrzeszyn reached the highest levels of development.
Rise and fall
A variety of reasons lead to the halting of development and, later, a steep decline. In early September, 1583, a fire swept through the castle keepKeep
A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word keep, but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
, which destroyed all of the documents relating to privileges granted by Andrzej Gorka. These privileges were quickly renewed by the reigning king, Stefan Batory
Stefan Batory
Stephen Báthory was a Hungarian noble Prince of Transylvania , then King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania . He was a member of the Somlyó branch of the noble Hungarian Báthory family...
. The Gorkas also confirmed and expanded the Magdeburg Laws
Magdeburg rights
Magdeburg Rights or Magdeburg Law were a set of German town laws regulating the degree of internal autonomy within cities and villages granted by a local ruler. Modelled and named after the laws of the German city of Magdeburg and developed during many centuries of the Holy Roman Empire, it was...
, which benefited the citizens.
The last of the Gorkas, Stanislaw, died in 1592, after which the Szczebrzeszyn estates were taken over by the Czarnkowski family. In 1593, Jan Zamoyski
Jan Zamoyski
Jan Zamoyski , was a Polish-Lithuanian nobleman, magnate, 1st duke/ordynat of Zamość. Royal Secretary since 1566, Lesser Kanclerz ) of the Crown since 1576, Lord Grand-Chancellor of the Crown since 1578, and Grand Hetman of the Crown since 1581...
purchased Szczebrzeszyn, along with 35 surrounding villages, and integrated them into his Ordinate. Zamoyski founded a new capital city in his Zamość estates, and it was at this point that Szczebrzeszyn lost its significance and the decline began.
Despite the focus on Zamość, Zamoyski funded the Monastery of the Holy Franciscans and next to it the Cloister of the Holy Trinity, the modern day Cloister of Saint Katarzyna. Apart from this, he liquidated the Catholic Temple and returned the one-time parish Cloister to the Catholics.
During the 17th century, religious animosity increased, and a 1637 decree issued by Tomasz Zamoyski
Tomasz Zamoyski
Tomasz Zamoyski was a Polish-Lithuanian nobleman and magnate.Tomasz was the 2nd Ordynat of the Zamość estates. He was voivode of Podole Voivodeship in 1618, voivode of Kijów Voivodeship in 1619, starost of Kraków in 1628, Deputy Chancellor of the Crown in 1635, as well as starost of Knyszyn,...
resulted in the expulsion of the Arians
Polish Brethren
The Polish Brethren were members of the Minor Reformed Church of Poland, a Nontrinitarian Protestant church that existed in Poland from 1565 to 1658...
. The city was also assaulted by the Tatars
Tatars
Tatars are a Turkic speaking ethnic group , numbering roughly 7 million.The majority of Tatars live in the Russian Federation, with a population of around 5.5 million, about 2 million of which in the republic of Tatarstan.Significant minority populations are found in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,...
, Turks
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, and Cossacks. In particular, the city was torched and plundered by Tatars in 1672. A multitude of epidemics decimated the population and victims of the Plague were taken to a separate cemetery outside of the city. At the time of the partition of Poland, Szczebrzeszyn had fallen into the hands of Austria.
New development
The beginning of the 19th century saw a renewed interest in Szczebrzeszyn. With Zamość no longer functioning as the seat to the Zamoyski estates, the family transferred several functions to the city. The relocation of the provincial school and Holy Mercy Hospital stimulated growth and new buildings were constructed to accommodate the increasing population. The Chief PhysicianChief Physician
A Chief Physician, also called Head Physician, Senior Consultant, Chief of Medicine, is a physician in a senior management position at a hospital or other institution. In many institutions, it's the title of the most senior physician, but it may also be used as the title of the most senior...
was moved here, and a hospital treating peasants for venereal diseases also opened.
Education become an important part of life in Szczebrzeszyn. The district school was under the direct oversight of Stanisław Zamoyski who recruited both talented teachers and students. Lady Teofilia Reder opened a private school for girls that taught many advanced subjects. Due to the strength of the schools and the direction of Stanisław Zamoyski, Szczebrzeszyn suffered less from the politics of Russification
Russification
Russification is an adoption of the Russian language or some other Russian attributes by non-Russian communities...
than other settlements did after the November Uprising
November Uprising
The November Uprising , Polish–Russian War 1830–31 also known as the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in the heartland of partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. The uprising began on 29 November 1830 in Warsaw when the young Polish officers from the local Army of the Congress...
. For this precise reason, Russian authorities disbanded the provincial school in 1852.
During the uprising
Pedagogue Wincenty Dawid wrote in his 1887 memoir about the November Uprising:
"In the end, our tranquillity and working lives were disrupted and the model order of the Szczebrzeszyn schools was wrecked. The news, that an uprising had broken out in Warsaw, and that the Russians had abandoned the capitol city, and also the borders of the kingdom, elicited an unheard of exhilaration among everyone. The quiet shtetl, which knew of no other politics other than making appeals to the nobility, immediately felt demands to step out into the political arena together with the entire land.
"In the course of one hour, the black eagles on top of the Magistrate Building were torn down and smashed, as well as from other institutions. The old swords were unearthed, and pistols, they were cleaned off, and made ready. In the smithies, the blacksmiths worked even on holidays. Agricultural implements were beaten into pikes. Scythes were mounted on long poles.
"The intelligentsiaIntelligentsiaThe intelligentsia is a social class of people engaged in complex, mental and creative labor directed to the development and dissemination of culture, encompassing intellectuals and social groups close to them...
, the professors and the Rector himself, call the youth to arm themselves. A rededication of the flag was celebrated, praying in the courtyard of the school. The Rector, Zenkowski gave a speech to the lined up rows of citizens and students, armed with all sorts of ammunition, that each individual was able to make for himself. At the end of the ceremonies, 'Jeszcze Polska nie zginela' was sung. This took place in the middle of December, and immediately, Prof. Kowalski, and many older students, went off with Zenkowski to the Polish military. Only a small number of students remained in the school, only children.
"After Christmas, a movement of the Russian military began. The first to enter Szczebrzeszyn were the Dragoons, whose wild, beard-covered physiognomies made a frightful impression on us. We looked with fear upon these huge men, who camped out on the same place where the battle-ready youth had stood.
"Immediately, news reached us about the decisive battles between the Polish military and its heroic leaders in the field, from Grochów, behind WawerWawerWawer is one of the districts of Warsaw, located in the south-eastern part of the city. The Vistula river runs along its western border. Wawer became a district of Warsaw on October 27, 2002 .Wawer borders Praga Południe and Rembertów from the north, Wesoła from the east and Wilanów with Mokotów...
. Every bit of news was transmitted with great fervor from hand-to-hand, comments were made, and plans were made for the future, as is usual in a small shtetl. The joy became even greater in the spring, when our military [forces] entered LithuaniaLithuaniaLithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
with Dembinski and Gieldung at their head, when [Wojciech] Chrzanowski and [Jozef] Dwernicki entered the LublinLublinLublin is the ninth largest city in Poland. It is the capital of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 350,392 . Lublin is also the largest Polish city east of the Vistula river...
region, marching on Wolhyn, on the second side of the Bug RiverBug RiverThe Bug River is a left tributary of the Narew river flows from central Ukraine to the west, passing along the Ukraine-Polish and Polish-Belarusian border and into Poland, where it empties into the Narew river near Serock. The part between the lake and the Vistula River is sometimes referred to as...
, stopping along the way to conduct general battles outside of Czaczki, and Old-Zamość.
"On the same Schulhof, on that great Thursday, Dwernicki's Uhlans and the Krakusi billeted themselves, placing several cannons around the place, which it seems to me had been plundered from Czaczki. We spiritedly approached our riders, and played with their weaponry. For several days, food and drink was carried to them from the city. They were accepted as brothers.
"When the spring and summer heat set in, a choleraCholeraCholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
epidemic spread through the city here for the first time. Horse manure was burned in the marketplace and in the streets as a remedy against the cholera, but it didn't help. Many families left the city for the surrounding forests. Prayers were offered in the cloisters to end the epidemic, or prayers of thanksgiving for those victories from the arresting of the disease. The young priest Nowakowski, a fiery orator, would tell the worshippers after prayers about the heroic deeds of our leaders. He punished and accused those young people, who withheld themselves from the military, calling each of them by their name...
"Zamość, the nearby fortress, and other points, were threatened with encirclement. Many clashes took place in Szczebrzeszyn. The Cossacks would fall upon the city, plundered, beat the JewsJewsThe Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
, and the townsfolk. A minute later, the Uhlans or the Krakusi would arrive from the direction of Zamość. Once, the Cossacks, as a response to such an attack, decided to take revenge on the city, while the youth of the city took part in these clashed between the Polish military and the Cossacks. At night, the Cossacks drew near in order to torch the city and carry out a slaughter among its residents. A tumult arose in the city, and half the city's residents fled to the nearby forests. One could already hear the shooting from the direction of Janów.
"However confusion elicits wonder. The aggressive people armed themselves. The municipal policeman, an older military man, together with the sexton of the cloister, raised an alarm. Banging on the cloister drum, they gave orders in a loud voice, and in doing so, gave the impression that there was a large military detachment present. The Cossacks and Dragoons, which were already positioned outside the city, decided to pull back. Later orders restrained them from acts of vengeance."
When a national liberation movement developed before the January Uprising
January Uprising
The January Uprising was an uprising in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth against the Russian Empire...
in 1863, the greatest reaction in the entire Zamość Powiat occurred in Szczebrzeszyn. For years afterward, local residents were arrested under suspicion for being a part of the uprising.
Russification methods
After the failure of the Uprising, the Russian authorities began to implement a severe policy of Russification, supplanting things which were not Russian. Elderly people were asked to record their recollections of that time, but as the majority were illiterate, younger literate townspeople often had to transcribe verbal memoirs from their elders. The war interrupted these efforts.The persecutions of the Uniates proved dramatic. An elderly peasant from Zurawnica told of a frightful scene, when one of his neighbors, a Uniate, agreed to accept the Russian Orthodox faith. The protests of his wife had no effect. Everything was arranged, all the formalities settled, but when the peasant was about to begin the communion
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
ceremony, his wife went mad from mental confusion, and attacked the priest. This had a fearful effect on her husband, who refused to complete the ceremony. Being much taken by these tales, effort was made to assemble details about the Uniates in Szczebrzeszyn. A notice from the year 1843 announces that the parish of the Uniates was very poor, because it had 'a small number of adherents to the Szczebrzeszyn church (tzerkva).' In December 1877, the priest, Aleksander Górski—who, it appears, did not belong to the resistance fighters—signed his letter as the 'Rector of the Szczebrzeszyn Orthodox Parish.' It was at that time that the Uniates and the Greek-Catholic Church were liquidated, and was transformed into a Russian Orthodox church.
Later on, the priest Timofei Tracz came as Rector, and a sorrowful era was initiated for the Polish Catholics, particularly the Uniates. Although the Rector himself was once a Uniate priest, he voluntarily converted to the Russian Orthodox church and became an ideological Russifier and disseminator of his new faith. He led an ascetic existence, and his activities had a fanatical character. Over time, he became extremely influential as he became known to the highest institutional authorities.
Everyone in the Zamość region feared him. He met with little resistance in his efforts to spread the Russian Orthodox faith, and he used any method necessary: promises, chicanery, threats, and violence.
Documents in the Zwierzyniec archives confirm that there never were any Russian Orthodox faithful residing year-round in Szczebrzeszyn, with the exception of officials, who would sometime spend time here. Apart from the Russian Orthodox church, which had been transformed, as previously mentioned, from a Greek-Catholic church, the Catholic Church near the hospital was remade as a Russian Orthodox church in 1883. The number of adherents to the Russian Orthodox parish grew quickly in proportion, and in that time totaled 486 individuals.
In the year 1905, in the first two months after the publication of the Tolerance Manifesto, 4,195 people in the Szczebrzeszyn parish converted from Russian Orthodoxy to the Roman Catholic faith, and 402 people from the outskirts of Zamość. The Tolerance Declaration was a severe blow to Tracz, as it undid all his efforts. He resisted the desertion, but to no avail; his health was damaged and he died in 1909.
During World War I, the Muscovites left Szczebrzeszyn and both Orthodox churches were locked down. The entire Russian Orthodox parish appeared to disappear; townspeople even changed the spelling on the grave stones of their kin, from Russian to Polish, in order to erase all traces of their former church affiliations. Even Tracz's gravesite and memorial were eradicated. In accordance with an order from the bailiff, someone during the night broke down the monument, and Trascz's coffin was transferred from the churchyard to the public cemetery.
The Rector of the Roman Catholic parish was at that time the priest, Grabarski. He was very popular, and known for his philanthropic activities—even for the benefit of Jews. He was very much beloved by the Jews. For many years, prayers were offered in synagogues on his behalf.
Life in Szczebrzeszyn during the time of the Russian rule was gray and sorrowful. The pressure of rule was felt heavily from the side of the Russian authorities. Community activity was minimal: there was no manner of spiritual movement. Despite this, a certain amount of conspiratorial activity did continue, such as illegal study. Certain organizations did exist: Mlodziez Szkolna, N.D., P.P.S.
The external character of Szczebrzeszyn was set down by the military; a Cossack battalion was stationed in the town. When World War II, military marched through the shtetl: Russian, Austrian, Russians again, and later a long time of Austrian occupation. Many forms of orientation manifested themselves: pro-Moscow, pro-Austrian, initiatives for independence. Part of the young people went off to military legions.
After the Zamosc Uprising
In July the Polish resistance carried out the country-wide Operation TempestOperation TempestOperation Tempest was a series of uprisings conducted during World War II by the Polish Home Army , the dominant force in the Polish resistance....
, and in the ZamośćZamoscZamość ukr. Замостя is a town in southeastern Poland with 66,633 inhabitants , situated in the south-western part of Lublin Voivodeship , about from Lublin, from Warsaw and from the border with Ukraine...
region the town of Szczebrzeszyn and Zamość itself were freed by the partisans.
In literature
The name Szczebrzeszyn is infamous for being very difficult to pronounce for non-native speakers. Polish poet, Jan BrzechwaJan Brzechwa
Jan Brzechwa , , born Jan Wiktor Lesman in Żmerynka, Podolia to a Polish family of Jewish descent was a Polish poet and author, mostly known for his contribution to children's literature....
used the town's name in his poem entitled Chrząszcz
Chrzaszcz
Chrząszcz by Jan Brzechwa is a poem famous for being one of the hardest to pronounce texts in Polish literature, and may cause problems even for adult, native Polish speakers....
. The line with Szczebrzeszyn goes like this:
||Pl-w_Szczebrzeszynie_chrząszcz_brzmi_w_trzcinie.ogg|W Szczebrzeszynie chrząszcz brzmi w trzcinie}}
This roughly translates to: [In the town of] Szczebrzeszyn a beetle buzzes in the reed. The phrase has been incorporated in every day language as an epitome of Polish tongue twisters and is often presented by natives to foreign learners of Polish. A monument depicting a beetle playing the violin that was erected in Szczebrzeszyn refers to the poem.
In 2004 Philip Bibel (1909–2006), brother of painter Leon Bibel, published his Tales of the Shtetl, a memoir of early 20th century life in the shtetl of Szczebrzeszyn. Sample chapters can be read here:
Our Shabbos in Shebreshin
Noise, Music, and Klezmer
The Last Jew
People
- Józef BrandtJózef BrandtJózef Brandt was a Polish painter, best known for his paintings of battles.Brandt studied in Warsaw in the school of J.N. Leszczynski and at the Noblemen's Institute. In 1858 he left for Paris to study at the Ecole centrale Paris but was persuaded by Juliusz Kossak to abandon engineering in favor...
(1841–1915), painter, born in Szczebrzeszyn - Leon BibelLeon BibelLeon Bibel was an American painter and printmaker during the Great Depression. His themes were the social condition of workers and the politics of protest and war, although cityscapes and landscapes were included among his works. He later developed works in wood of especially Jewish themes...
(1913–1995), painter, born in Szczebrzeszyn - Kazimierz Kelles-KrauzKazimierz Kelles-KrauzKazimierz Kelles-Krauz was a Polish philosopher and sociologist, member of the Polish Socialist Party. He was one of the most significant Marxist thinkers at the end of the 19th century....
(1872–1905), philosopher, sociologist, born in Szczebrzeszyn - Zygmunt KlukowskiZygmunt KlukowskiZygmunt Klukowski was a Polish physician, historian and bibliophile. Born in 1885 in Odessa, he spent much of his life in Szczebrzeszyn...
(1885–1959), physician, bibliophile and historian, lived in Szczebrzeszyn