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Timeline

On the territory of the Sieradzka and Wielunska Lands the settlement under the Dutch law (related indirectly to the Hollander colonisation on the Leczycka Land) developed between 1779 and 1793. The second partition of Poland constitutes the upper limit of typical Hollander villages' establishment. The settlements founded as a result of the Prussian colonisation were of a different character.2
On the territory of the Sieradzkie Voivodeship, including the territory of the Sieradzka and Wielunska Lands, besides three Dutch villages established in Ostrzeszow Poviat, Wielunska Land, we know of only several cases of colonist settlements, located in the former Szadek Poviat, Sieradzka Land. It was certainly due to the distance separating them from the main areas covered with colonisation: Zulawy, Mazovia, Wielkopolska or Kujawy. Only a few colonists came from those areas (they originated mainly from Silesia).3 The character of the Hollander colonisation on this territory was also different. It practically did not cover the areas of crown lands, where dense forests constituting important economic value were located. This is the reason why the number of villages founded by the Hollanders was so low (in comparison with the remaining areas).
The tendency to restrain the Dutch colonisation did not limit the demand for new settlers. The most often the tenancy agreements were concluded with local peasants (strongly restricted to grant benefits to landowners). However, in places where land was difficult, only Hollanders were able to cultivate it. Therefore the colonists established their villages also in the crown lands. In 1783, on the territory of the Wielunska Land, in Ostrzeszow Poviat, Grabow Starosty, the Hollanders founded Radziwilly settlement. Similarly in the Ostrzeszow Starosty, near the village of Siedlikow, 19 Hollanders settled among the forests.4 At the same time, Hollander colonists from Silesia appeared in the gentry village of Przedborow. 5 On the territory of the Szadek Poviat in the Sieradzka land, three villages were founded in the church property. In 1784, among forests and bogs spreading between Pabianice and Dobronia village, in the area completely deserted and uncultivated, the Hollander settlement Chechlo was established and, several years later, another one, named Pawlikowice. After the loss of independence, a numerous Evangelical commune existed there, composed of local Hollanders and German colonists that arrived later.
Bringing the Hollander colonists to some areas was closely related with establishment of their settlments on the territory of the neighbouring Leczycka Land. This was the case of Rozniatow, owned by standard-keeper of Leczyca, Rupert Dunin - a great partisan of tenancy on his lands6. In 1789, he concluded a preliminary contract with the Hollanders brought to Rozniatow, who were supposed to increase his income from the property he owned.
In 1791, in Kiki, near the village of Sakowa, another Hollander village was founded. A year later, other settlements appeared in Paprotnia, Rajkow and Mrowno. As Jakub Goldberg quotes, the Hollanders were located in Sunday forests7. It was not the only case where Hollanders were settled in order to extirpate forests and cultivate wet lands, constituting the object of disputes or even belonging to other owners.8
The last (few) Hollander settlements were established after the third partition of Poland, when waste and deserted lands were settled mainly by German colonists.






2 J. Goldberg, Osadnictwo olęderskie w dawnym województwie łęczyckim i sieradzkim, Zeszyty Naukowe Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego, Seria I, Nauki Humanistyczno - Społeczne, z. 5, s. 92.
3 J.w., s. 90.
4 J.w., s. 91.
5 J.w.
6 Spośród 6 posiadanych przez siebie na obszarze woj, łeczyckiego wsi 5 było olederskich, za; J. Goldberg, Osadnictwo, j.w., s. 91.
7 J.w.
8 J.w.





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