Some South Kaszuby Villages

Key Map

Map of Poland showing the location (in red outline) of the map at right

Presented here are descriptions of villages that are associated with the webmaster's paternal grandmother's ancestors, the Kl'opotek-Gl'ówczewskis, from the Kaszuby region of Poland. The descriptions are translated from the Polish from the Sl'ownik Geograficzny [Geographical Dictionary of the Former Kingdom of Poland and other Slavic Lands], a gazetteer published between 1880 and 1902 by Filip Sulimierski.
Map of South Kaszuby Villages

A detail of the area immediately to the north of Brusy, near Chojnice, Kujawy-Pomorze province, Poland (Brusy is lower middle right). The villages described are boxed in red outline. North is up; the area covered by the map is approximately 15 km x 15 km [9 mi. x 9 mi.]. Source: R V Verlag Euro-Reiseatlas Polen, 1994.


All Saints Church, Brusy; Photo courtesy of Miecysl'aw Kl'opotek
  • Brusy (parish of the Kl'opotek-Gl'ówczewskis),
    "in the German, Bruss, Brusz, a peasant village in Chojnice county, with a school, a mayor, a registry office, a church, and a post office, from which post office mail [goes] to Chojnice and to Kos'cierzyna...

    "...in 1864 [there were] 374 buildings, 120 houses, 1261 inhabitants, 1127 [of them were] Catholic; in 1875, 1318 inhabitants; mostly Polish, engaged in farming, tending cattle, all very meticulously. [Brusy] is well-known for its trade in geese...

    "In 1878, a new church was built [see the photograph]. Since 1872, there has existed here a Polish company, called the Brusy-Les'no [Savings and] Loan Association, which had 76 members in 1878, and gave 6 percent on deposits, took 7 percent [on loans], and had 15,749 marks in assets; [there are] 2 yearly fairs and a weekly market."

  • Czapiewice (birthplace of one of the webmaster's great-aunts), "a knightly village in Chojnice county, parish and post office in Brusy, a half mile from the Chojnice-Kos'cierzyna county line; [it] includes 3133 mórgs [1977 acres], 41 inhabited houses, 334 Catholics, 6 Protestants."
    Kaszubian Costume; Courtesy Syrena Polish Folk Dance Web Page


  • Czarnowo (birthplace of another of the webmaster's great-aunts; the village name was a key to finding the Kl'opotek-Gl'ówczewskis), "a knightly village in Chojnice county; nearby lies the source of the Niechwarz stream, where on the right bank it passes by the Czarnej wody [Blackwater]. It [Czarnowo] exists from Pomeranian ducal lands, truly Polish; in 1377 Winryk von Kniprode, a great Teutonic knight, issued new privileges [to Czarnowo?] under Chelmiñski law. Czarnowo has 2567 mórgs [1620 acres] of land, 23 inhabited houses, 237 Catholics livng within; the parish is in Brusy..."

  • Gl'ówczewice (the "nest" of the Kl'opotek-Gl'ówcewskis), "in the German, Glowszewitz, a [former] knight's village on a small parcel [of land] in the northern part of Chojnice county, close to the border of Kos'cierzyna county, in a wooded and sandy area. It is 1/6 mile off of the Chojnice-Kos'cierzyna road. It contains 2825 mórgs [1783 acres] of land, 52 buildings, 23 inhabited houses, 205 Catholics and 18 Protestants. The parish is in Les'no, the school is in Raduñ in Koscierzyna county, [and] the post office is in Brusy.

    "In the year 1370, Zygfryd von Gerlachsheim, count of Tuchola, bestowed 20 wl'ókas [379 acres] to the honest "Glopze"...

    "In 1570, [people who] owned [land] here [were]: Andrzej Korda Gl'ówczewski, 10 wl'ókas [190 acres]; Jan Gl'ówczewski, 2 wl'ókas [38 acres]; Jerzy Kl'opat, 3 3/4 wl'ókas [71 acres]; Krzysztof Kozak, 3 1/2 wl'ókas [67 acres]; and Bartl'omiej Najez, 1 wl'óka [19 acres]."

    Sanctuary of Holy Cross Church, Les'no
  • Les'no (a later parish of the Kl'opotek-Gl'ówczewskis), "also called Leszno; in the days of the Teutonic knights, called Leyste, a knightly peasant village in Chojnice county, between two lakes: a small one and a large one, the large one, Lake Lubowo, also called Lubañ, from which flows the Zbrzyca stream; all [of it] within a wooded and sandy area near the border of Kos'cierzyna county, close to the Chojnice-Kos'cierzyna road.

    "The area contains 8579 mórgs [5414 acres], 72 buildings, 26 houses, 300 Catholics and 12 Protestants. The parish and school are in the village; the post office is in Brusy. [Somewhat] isolated in the Teutonic times, it counted 468 hectares [1155 acres] of arable farmland, 152 h. [375 acres] of meadows, 329 h. [813 acres] of pasture, 967 h. [2388 acres] of forest, 41 h. [101 acres] of nonarable land, 104 h. [257 acres] of water: 2062 h. [5089 acres] total area, all inherited by Pawel' Sikorski...

    "...In 1354, Winryk von Kniprode, grand master Teutonic knight, bequeathed to his heirs some property under Chel'miñski law, 40 wl'ók [757 acres] in Leyste [Les'no] and the small lake Lubowo Dytryków which were marked with a boundary. The larger lake, Lubañ, was retained for use by the peasantry...

    "...In 1664 we read, 'In Les'no there are 40 wl'ók, 4 headmen, 4 priests...'

    "...A new wooden church was built in 1710 [see the photograph], affiliated with Brusy parish; it was only in 1859 that Les'no became a separate parish, dedicated as such on 10 February of that year by Jerzy Jeszki, auxiliary bishop of Chel'mno. Les'no parish numbers 2748 strong, the church is named Holy Cross, under government patronage; there is no knowing when we will fund it...The hospital is run by 4 poor [religious] brothers, since 1861. Parish villages: Les'no, Orlik, L'amk, Gl'ówczewice, Warsin, Kaszuba, Widno, L'aska Stara, L'aska Nowa, Rol'bik, Kruszyn, Paszyn, Windorp, Peplin, Skoszewo, Zwanghof, Le,dy, Wysoka, Kl'oniecznica, Trzebuñ, Raduñ, Dunajki. Catholic schools: in Les'no, 77 Catholic children, the teacher is also the church organist; in Trzebuñ, 78 [children]; in Windorp, 84; in Widno, 55; in Raduñ, 67..."

  • Widno (slightly off the map, to the west of Rolbik; birthplace of the webmaster's great-grandfather, Anton Gl'ówczewski [1842-1917]), "a village on the Zbrzyca river (popularly called the Szypryca), in Chojnice county. The post office is in Brusy, the Catholic parish is Les'no, and the Catholic school is in the village. There is 895 hectares [2210 acres] of land (122h. [301 acres] of arable farmland, 22h. [54 acres] of meadows, 51 h. [126 acres] of forest); in 1885, there were 11 houses, 21 stove chimneys, 118 inhabitants, of which 109 were Catholics and 9 were Protestants. The soil is sandy. The village lies in a valley of lakes; from the adjacent meadowlands, peat is obtained. From the year 1710, one reads about the priest from Les'no who used to collect "scyphum butiri" [a crock of butter] [from the villagers]. In 1789, the village had 5 houses."

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