Wilamowice
Encyclopedia
Wilamowice w is a small town
in southern Poland
, situated in the Bielsko County
, Silesian Voivodeship
(since 1999, previously in Bielsko-Biała Voivodeship, 1975–1998). The endangered language
of Wymysorys is spoken here by about 70 native speakers, the majority of them elderly. The language was the main one of the town until the early communist
period (1945–1956), when authorities repressed it. The inhabitants identifying themselves with the original culture are Wilamowiczanie
.
). The town was settled and populated in the course of the German
Ostsiedlung
. The settlers came from Flanders
, Friesland
, Holland and even Scotland
. Since the 15th Century the village was known by two German
names : Wilmeshau Wilmesdorf. The place name was subject to many changes until the 18th Century when the name Wilmesau prevailed. Due to endogamy and the geographical isolation of the village lying inside the Polish language
area of Bielsko-Biala
the local language developed as a distinct regional dialect, which was used until the Second World War in everyday life.
After the war almost all the Germans
were driven out of the area and the village was renamed Wilamowice. The residents of Wilmesau / Wilamowice were allowed to stay by the Polish
government because they were not of German
descent. However the local language was banned and the population faced linguistic Polonization
until 1956.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in southern Poland
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...
, situated in the Bielsko County
Bielsko County
Bielsko County is a unit of territorial administration and local government in Silesian Voivodeship, southern 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 Bielsko-Biała, although the city...
, Silesian Voivodeship
Silesian Voivodeship
Silesian Voivodeship, or Silesia Province , is a voivodeship, or province, in southern Poland, centering on the historic region known as Upper Silesia...
(since 1999, previously in Bielsko-Biała Voivodeship, 1975–1998). The endangered language
Endangered language
An endangered language is a language that is at risk of falling out of use. If it loses all its native speakers, it becomes a dead language. If eventually no one speaks the language at all it becomes an "extinct language"....
of Wymysorys is spoken here by about 70 native speakers, the majority of them elderly. The language was the main one of the town until the early communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
period (1945–1956), when authorities repressed it. The inhabitants identifying themselves with the original culture are Wilamowiczanie
Wilamowiczanie
Wilamowiczanie or Wilamowianie are an ethnic group of Poles living in the town of Wilamowice near Bielsko-Biała, who speaks the Vilamovian language, has their own national costume and traditions. The name Wilamowiczanie is for inhabitants of Wilamowice who identify themself with the cultural...
.
History
The town was first mentioned in 1325 as Novovilamowicz. The current place name is distinct from Antiquo-Willamowicz (now Stara WieśStara Wies
Stara Wieś may refer to the following places in Poland:*Stara Wieś, Silesian Voivodeship *Stara Wieś, Subcarpathian Voivodeship...
). The town was settled and populated in the course of the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Ostsiedlung
Ostsiedlung
Ostsiedlung , also called German eastward expansion, was the medieval eastward migration and settlement of Germans from modern day western and central Germany into less-populated regions and countries of eastern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The affected area roughly stretched from Slovenia...
. The settlers came from Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
, Friesland
Friesland
Friesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the ancient region of Frisia.Until the end of 1996, the province bore Friesland as its official name. In 1997 this Dutch name lost its official status to the Frisian Fryslân...
, Holland and even Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Since the 15th Century the village was known by two 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....
names : Wilmeshau Wilmesdorf. The place name was subject to many changes until the 18th Century when the name Wilmesau prevailed. Due to endogamy and the geographical isolation of the village lying inside the Polish language
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
area of Bielsko-Biala
Bielsko-Biala
-Economy and Industry:Nowadays Bielsko-Biała is one of the best-developed parts of Poland. It was ranked 2nd best city for business in that country by Forbes. About 5% of people are unemployed . Bielsko-Biała is famous for its textile, machine-building, and especially automotive industry...
the local language developed as a distinct regional dialect, which was used until the Second World War in everyday life.
After the war almost all the Germans
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
were driven out of the area and the village was renamed Wilamowice. The residents of Wilmesau / Wilamowice were allowed to stay by the Polish
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...
government because they were not of German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
descent. However the local language was banned and the population faced linguistic Polonization
Polonization
Polonization was the acquisition or imposition of elements of Polish culture, in particular, Polish language, as experienced in some historic periods by non-Polish populations of territories controlled or substantially influenced by Poland...
until 1956.
Famous people
- Józef BilczewskiJózef BilczewskiSt. Jozef Bilczewski was a Catholic archbishop of the city of Lviv, Ukraine, a professor of theology at the Lviv University and a rector of that school...
(1860–1923) - archbishop of Lwów, born in Wilamowice - Florian BiesikFlorian BiesikFlorian Biesik created a literary standard for Vilamovian, trying to prove it did not derive from German origin, but possibly Dutch, Frisian, or Anglo-Saxon....
(1849–1926) - writer, born in Wilamowice