A cottage and a barn built in their immediate vicinity form the core of the Dutch homestead. Before we start describing the buildings, it shall be explained where the name ,,Dutch'' (''olendry") comes from. It derives from the form of colonisation which used to be very popular on Nowotomyski Lowland, farther called the depression. Dutch settlement was caused by the religious persecution of Protestants in Holland (the United Netherlands) after the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). Although settlers came to Poland from Germany, Bohemia and Silesia, it were the Dutch who started the colonisation. It was also something more than the exceptional architecture and nationality because above all some unique laws characteristic for the colonisation were implemented and that was why the name was taken on after the Dutch.
With the beginning of 18th century first settlers appeared on Nowotomyski Lowland. Till the first partition of Poland (1772) they lived in over fifty places within a wide belt of land between Pniewy and Wolsztyn. They occupied marshy areas, often still uninhabited, thanks to long-standing privileges. Having necessary knowledge and skills to cope with difficult lands, they controlled the local nature without problems and took up farming and breeding.
So far we have gained and moved two objects: the barn and the cottage. Both come from Sękowo, 3 km west of Nowy Tomyśl. To complete the Dutch homestead we shall additionally erect other breeding stock buildings, including: a pigsty, a barn, a stable with coach house as well as a special attic. Our Dutch homestead used to be a multi-storey building with a high attic, which served for storing hops, commonly cultivated in the region. A well will be a finishing element of the whole. |
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The cottage dates back to 1770 (date on a ceiling beam) and measures 15,5 x 7,2 m. Such a sizable object is typical for the architecture. Another characteristic feature is a L-shaped room.. In the centre of the room there is an open chimney, at top of which we are going to reconstruct the so called black kitchen. Currently we are trying to raise funds to finish the cottage's interior, but lack of iconography and descriptions of interiors make the reconstruction difficult.
Dutch barns used to be definitely bigger than average ones met in the region. The one we exhibit is from 1816 and measures 19,8 x 7,9 m. At the moment we are presenting two workshops there. A wheelwright's workshop belonged until the twenty-forties to Jan Tomiński from Siedlec and a cooper's to Stanisław Żurek from Wolsztyn who worked in the craft over 60 years. Both trades used similar tools and technology. If you are interested, you can find more information included on boards on the coach house's doors.
In the back of the barn there are other machines and devices used by farmers for different farm work. |
