Wiele ( csb, Wielé) is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

in the administrative district of

Gmina Karsin __NOTOC__ Gmina Karsin ( csb, Kôrsëno) is a rural gmina (administrative district) in Kościerzyna County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. Its seat is the village of Karsin, which lies approximately south of Kościerzyna and south ...

, within

Kościerzyna County __NOTOC__ Kościerzyna County ( csb, Kòscérsczi kréz, pl, powiat kościerski) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Pomeranian Voivodeship, northern Poland. It came into being on 1 January 1999 as a result of ...

Pomeranian Voivodeship Pomeranian Voivodeship, Pomorskie Region, or Pomerania Province ( Polish: ''Województwo pomorskie'' ; (Kashubian: ''Pòmòrsczé wòjewództwò'' ), is a voivodeship, or province, in northwestern Poland. The provincial capital is Gdańsk. The ...

, in northern Poland. It lies approximately north-west of

Karsin Karsin ( csb, Kôrsëno; formerly german: Karschin, (1939-45): ''Karßin'') is a village in Kościerzyna County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Karsin. It lies appr ...

, south of

Kościerzyna Kościerzyna (Kashubian and Pomeranian: ''Kòscérzëna''; formerly german: Berent, ) is a town in Kashubia in Gdańsk Pomerania region, northern Poland, with some 24,000 inhabitants. It has been the capital of Kościerzyna County in Pomeranian ...

, and south-west of the regional capital

Gdańsk Gdańsk ( , also ; ; csb, Gduńsk;Stefan Ramułt, ''Słownik języka pomorskiego, czyli kaszubskiego'', Kraków 1893, Gdańsk 2003, ISBN 83-87408-64-6. , Johann Georg Theodor Grässe, ''Orbis latinus oder Verzeichniss der lateinischen Benen ...

. It is located in the Zabor Land, a southern part of the ethnocultural region of

Kashubia pl, Kaszuby , native_name_lang = csb, de, csb , settlement_type = Historical region , anthem = Zemia Rodnô , image_map = Kashubians in Poland.png , image_flag ...

in the historic region of

Pomerania Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to t ...

. The village has a population of 1,175.

History

The village was already established as early as 1300. The area is hampered by poor, sandy soil, which is why the primary crops are rye, hay and potatoes. Wiele was a royal village of the

Polish Crown The Crown of the Kingdom of Poland ( pl, Korona Królestwa Polskiego; Latin: ''Corona Regni Poloniae''), known also as the Polish Crown, is the common name for the historic Late Middle Ages territorial possessions of the King of Poland, includi ...

, administratively located in the Tuchola County in the

. It was annexed by

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...

in the First Partition of Poland in 1772. In 1800 there was a church, saw-mill, bakery and flour mill which defined the Village. In 1835-36 farmers were liberated from serfdom under Prussian Law and a few farms were established. From 1871 the village was part of Germany and then it was restored to Poland, after it regained independence following

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

in 1918. The area is the home of Farmers and Artisans.

Sights and culture

The museum of Zaborland lies here, displaying local folk art and contemporary Kashubian artistry. The greatest attraction in the area is the Wiele Calvary with station chapels built in 1915.

Kashubian Emigration to America

During the Kashubian diaspora, many families from Wiele emigrated to the area of

Winona, Minnesota Winona is a city in and the county seat of Winona County, in the state of Minnesota. Located in bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf. The city is named after legendary figure Winona, who s ...

in the United States, beginning in the late 1850s. The most famous of Winona's immigrants from Wiele was

Hieronim Derdowski Hieronim Derdowski (March 9, 1852, Wiele, Pomeranian Voivodeship, German Empire – August 13, 1902, Winona, Minnesota, America) (Kashubian ''Hieronim Derdowsczi'' or ''Jarosz Derdowsczi''), Kashubian-Polish intellectual and activist, was born t ...

, famed Kashubian poet and, after emigration to the United States, editor of the Winona Polish-language newspaper Wiarus. Many also travelled to

Wilno, Ontario Wilno is a settlement in the Madawaska Valley, Ontario, Township Municipality of Madawaska Valley, Renfrew County, Ontario, Canada. Geography Wilno is nestled in the rolling, picturesque terrain of the Madawaska River (Ontario), Madawaska valley ...

, Canada and the Brudenell Township.

References

"Kashubia "Homeland of the Baltic Slav" by Jaroslaw Ellwart English translation by John M. Hingst & Liesel Herchenroether Hingst Editing by Carol Alyce Kasischke" Villages in Kościerzyna County Kashubian-American history {{Kościerzyna-geo-stub