HISTORY OF SUVALKI DISTRICT

 

The development of settlements is the history of the Polish-Lithuanian borderland which includes the district of Suwalki. When Former inhabitants of this area-the Jadvingians-had perished their settlements were covered by a forest the colonization of which began only in the 16th century and ended in the 19th century. In the first section of his article the author discusses the initial stage of the re-settlement of the area in Which he distinguishes the following periods: (1) the period preceding the new settlements (up to the beginnings of the 16th century, (2) the beginnings of the permanent settlements along the Prussian border and the foundation of Bakalarzew and Raczki(1524), and (3) futher development of the settlements along the border, and the foundation of such towns as Filipow, Przerosl and Wizajny (1524 to 1655).

The author supposes that, despite such facts as the devastation of Jacwierz (Sudowia) by the Teutonic Knights in the 13th century, abduction of a part of the Jadvingian population to the interior of Prussia and emigration of some Jadvingians to Lithuania, Whiterussia, and Mazovia, it is not impossible That some number of the Jadvingian population actually remained in the deserted district. This population may be represented by the Wigrans discovered by Professor Falk on the isle of Wigry. Their Traces may be found in the solitary and mysterious places in the forest, known in the 16th century as sieliszcza ( sg. sieliszcze) or apidemia (sg. apidemium). This population was expelled early in the 15th century when the first forms of economic life began to be organized in the forest. The post-Jadvingian forests were the region across which the Teutonic Knights and Lithuanians used for a long time to travel forth and back with their expeditions. Only at the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries, after long disputes, an agreement was achieved according to wchich the post-Jadvingian area was divided into two parts by the Lithuanians and the Teutonic Knights, the Lithuanian part being larger. As early as the 14th century the forests were utilized by the population inhabiting the villages situated on the river Niemen, near Grodno and Merecz. Among those inhabitants were the descendants of the Jandvingias who, after having departed from their former land, undoubtedly maintained some connexion with it and used to travel there in order to get honey, fish and hay. After the division, the Lithuanian section was property of the Grand Duke of Lithuania who used to grant to his subjects the right to exploit the resources of the forest. Such a right was called “an entry”. In the forests the Lithuanian subjects were allotted meadows and grounds on which they could set up wild bees nests. For better management and supervision the forests were divided into zones stretching from the Niemno to the Teutonic border, each of them being allotted to the manors of the Grand Duke; the zones were subsequently named after the manors. The area of the presentday Suwalki district belonged partly to the Perstunska, Przelomska and Merecka Forest and its small part to the Niemonojcka Forest. At the same time a group of foresters was organized in order to look after the forest. The foresters, called osocznicy (sg. osocznik) were peasants living in the villages on the Niemno. For the Grand Dukes of Lithuania who often hunted in the forests was erected the manor at Wigry which was the first permanent settlement in region. Beside the manor there only existed the huts of the foresters and those who had the right “of entry”. In the Niemonojcka and Merecka Forest these were the Lithuanians, and in the Perstuńska and Przelomska-the Ruthenians. Hence the majority of Lithuanian namesin the northern forests and that of the Slavonic ones in the south. In the 15th century, especially in its latter part, the Grand Dukes began to grant the lakes and the right of “entry” to the nobility and by the 16th century most of the lakes became private property. This fact increased the number of people coming to the area and brought about the construction of a network of roads the most important of which were running from the east to the west.

At the beginning the advance of the settlements was set back and the forest were planned to remain as they had been in the past. The Grand Dukes were induced to undertake colonization by the Teutonic Knight who began to colonize their section in the latter of the 15th century and thus endangered the safety of the frontier. King Zygmunt I granted a part of the zone of the frontier forest to Bohdan Wollowicz in 1513, and its northern part to brothers Mikolaj Bakalarz and Stanislaw Raczkowicz and another part to brothers Szembel. These new owners started the colonization of the frontier zone of the Perstunska Forest where they set up such manor houses as Dowspuda Wollowiczowska, Dowspuda Raczkowska, Dowspuda Bakalarzowska and Szembelewo, and also some villages. The settlers were probably brought from the new owners` Ruthenian estates near Grodno, Lida and Wolkowysk. In order to defend the frontier two groups of Mazovian gentry, who were granted the statut of boyars, were established nearby. These were the first Poles who ever settled in the area of the later Suwalki district. Most probably at the same time the towns and parishes were set up in Dowspuda Raczkowska and Dowspuda Baklarzewska.

When, in 1524, Queen Bona took possession royal estates, including the post-Jadvingian forests, the awarding of the land in Poland was discontinued and even some former donations were withdrawn. It was probably in this way that the property of the Szembel brothers became royal estate again. Queen Bona carried on the colonization of the forest zone from the north to the south, and in the Merecka Forest-from the east to the west. The earliest information about the settlements on Lake Wizajny comes from the year 1549. Between 1558 and 1569 the land survey was carried out in the royal estates which in the Suwalki district included the Szembels` land consisting of several villages. The action started by Queen Bona was continued by King Zygmunt August whose plenipotentiaries, in order to better defend the forests, have before 1568 set up on their west side new villages of the foresters and also have colonized further section of the frontier zone in this way filling the gap between the southward and northward stretches of frontier settlements. Between 1562

And 1568 the towns of Filipow (municipal charter 1570) and Przerosl (municipal charter 1576) were established. Within some forty years most of the villages developed around these two centres. Filipow and the villages on the western edge of Perstunska Forest-the Przerosl starostship. Owing to some land grants conferred at the time there were established the estates of the Filipow, Przerosl, Raczkow and Bakalarzew parishes as well as some smaller private landed estates, such as Morsztynowizna, Mala Przerosl. Some villages connected with Laniewicze, Mroczkowizna and Masalszczyzna. In consequence of the lack of sources the names of the villages in former landed estates are known only from that period. After the setting up of the line of royal villages along the border between the private estates and the Perstunska Forest (belonging to the Perstun forest district), further colonization was stopped early in the 17th century. The colonization of the Przelomska Forest was discontinued as well. Only in the area stretching on the edge of the forest, allotmens of several hundred hectares were granted to former officials and functionaries as life estates. In this way, along the western border of the forest arose small manorial farms and settlements named Wolki (sg. Wolka) (Debski`s, Wyhowski`s Damiecki`s, etc.) the majority of which have not survived. The colonization of the Merecka Forest was continued. The earliest record concerning the existence of the city of Wizajny which most probably was founded c.1570 comes from 1606. Wizajny and newly set up villages in the vicinity formed the Wizajny starostship. On the eastern side of the Merecka Forest was established the city of Puńsk. The colonization of the forest on its both sides brough about the setting up of a number of new villages and complexes of royal landes estates. On the western side of the Forest the Kadaryszki starostship was established and on the eastern side-the Mackow starostship. A number of leascholds, such as Zyrwiny, Kleszczowek, Postawele, Ejszeryszki, etc. , were also set up here. Owing to the division of former royal estates into smaller leasehold units, numerous manorial farms were formed. In similar way the Niemonojcka Forest was being colonized where Burniszki, founded before 1576, was most probably one of the earliest localities. The aim of Zygmunt`s III policy of setting up such numerous small leascholds was apparently form a large group of poorer gentry dependent on the King. About the middle of the 16th century the Merecka forest practically ceased to exist except for a stretch between the rivers Szeszupa and Szelmenta which belonged to the Sejny-Merecz forest district.

The post-Jadvingian forest were colonized by the Poles, Ruthenians and Lithuanians. The Polish population reached this area through Rajgrod region and the state of the Teutonic Order where, in the southern districts, the Poles had been settled. The Poles, who were not numerous in the early period (the first villages were boyars` settlements), in the course of time began to populate the new towns, gradually playing more important role role in the rural areas and to some extent Polonizing the other national groups. The more to the south and west the greater was the influence of the Polish population. The Ruthenian population arrived here asa result of resettlement from the old to the new estates of the Ruthenian landlords and Polish kings. For example, Kurjanka near Raczki, a village of the foresters, was a colony of their old village Kurjanka near Grodno. Since the huge forest separated the old villages from the new ones the contact with the Ruthenian villages was not as close as with the Polish ones in Mazuria and this fact facilitated the process of Polonization. The Lithuanian population was most numerous in the Merecka and Niemnojcka Forest which were colonized intensely from the east and north. Here the wide forest zone did not separate the old villages from the new ones. Thus the Lithuanians were to little extent under the influence of the Poles. There is not doubt that the process of Polonization began in that period. It would be necessary to carry out special research to establish how many families of the first settlers have survived up to the present. The plagues and war destructions made the permanent settlements difficult. It is possible, however, to identify a dozen of families of the foresters and urban population who have lived in the same localities all the time.