Jednorozec
Encyclopedia
Jednorożec j is a large village (small town by European standards) in central Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, in Przasnysz County
Przasnysz County
Przasnysz County is a unit of territorial administration and local government in Masovian Voivodeship, east-central Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its administrative seat and largest town is Przasnysz, which lies ...
. Located in the Mazovian Voivodeship, the town is one of the centres of the historical region of Kurpie
Kurpie
Kurpie is one of a number of ethnic regions in Poland, noted for its unique traditional customs, such as its own types of traditional costume, traditional dance, and distinctive type of architecture and livelihoods...
. It lies approximately 18 kilometres (11 mi) north-east of Przasnysz
Przasnysz
Przasnysz is a town in Poland. Located in the Masovian Voivodship, about 110 km north of Warsaw and about 115 km south of Olsztyn, it's the capital of Przasnysz County. It has 18,093 inhabitants . One of the most important towns in Mazovia during the Middle Ages. City laws - 1427.-Famous...
and 102 km (63 mi) north of Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
.
Unicorn
The town was named Jednorożec (meaning “unicorn”) based on the local legend of a beekeeper who saw a unicorn in the area which was, at the time, a royal hunting preserve. According to the legend, Prince Janusz III Mazowiecki ordered the building of a hunting lodge on the spot, which he named Jednorożec (unicorn).The coat of arms and the municipal flag for Jednorożec consist of a unicorn, a mythical beast symbolizing wisdom, intelligence, courage, speed, nobility, and peace, accompanied by two bees. The unicorn is shown in the position of a Polish “battle” horse. The color green symbolizes the area’s forested Kurpie
Kurpie
Kurpie is one of a number of ethnic regions in Poland, noted for its unique traditional customs, such as its own types of traditional costume, traditional dance, and distinctive type of architecture and livelihoods...
past, as well as the current “green” values of the local inhabitants, and the green color also refers to the area as part of what was once “Poland’s Green Lungs.”
County seat
The village of Jednorożec is the seat of the Gmina JednorożecGmina Jednorozec
Gmina Jednorożec is a rural gmina in Przasnysz County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. Its seat is the village of Jednorożec, which lies approximately north-east of Przasnysz and north of Warsaw....
(administrative district) in Przasnysz County
Przasnysz County
Przasnysz County is a unit of territorial administration and local government in Masovian Voivodeship, east-central Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its administrative seat and largest town is Przasnysz, which lies ...
.
The Jednorożec municipal office is located at ul. Reborn 14, 06-323 Jednorożec, and may be contacted by phone or e-mail:
tel. (29) 751-70-30
fax. (29) 751-70-31
E-mail: gmina@jednorozec.pl
Web address: www.jednorozec.pl
Current departments include:
• Mayor
• Secretary
• Treasurer
• Finance and Budget Office
• Investment and Development Team
• Head of the Office of Civil Status
• Independent Workplace Affairs and Local Government Personnel
• Independent Position for Defense, Civil Protection and Economic Crisis Management
• Independent Workplace - Computer Science
• Stand-alone post for Land Reclamation
• Project Coordinator
History
Jednorożec has a history going back at least three hundred years, including surviving the Swedish invasion of Poland at the turn of the 17th century, as well as occupation by Russia and Germany.The area now known as Jednorożec (Unicorn in English) was part of a royal estate in the Kurpie
Kurpie
Kurpie is one of a number of ethnic regions in Poland, noted for its unique traditional customs, such as its own types of traditional costume, traditional dance, and distinctive type of architecture and livelihoods...
forest, and contained no permanent residents in the second half of the 16th century, only meadows and small huts of beekeeper
Beekeeper
A beekeeper is a person who keeps honey bees for the purposes of securing commodities such as honey, beeswax, pollen, royal jelly; pollinating fruits and vegetables; raising queens and bees for sale to other farmers; and/or for purposes satisfying natural scientific curiosity...
s. Beekeeping was highly regulated by law, and beekeepers were required to provide “forty hands of honey” (40 rączek miodu) per year as tribute to the estate. In addition, they were required to pay the estate a rent and to serve as serfs
Serfdom
Serfdom is the status of peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to Manorialism. It was a condition of bondage or modified slavery which developed primarily during the High Middle Ages in Europe and lasted to the mid-19th century...
for three days during harvest time. Nearby neighbors in Lipa
Lipa, Przasnysz County
Lipa is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Jednorożec, within Przasnysz County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland.-History:Lipa was originally a royal village, first noted in historical documents dated 1475...
and Małowidz, however, were required to serve as serfs three days a week.
Between 1609 and 1616 the heavily forested area was destroyed by violent storms and forest fires which put the beekeepers out of business. Beekeepers who suffered severe losses appealed to the royal court and were provided sixteen hectares of land, allowed the right to bear arms, and, along with settlers in Lipa and Małowidz, were removed from serfdom by the court. This special status and privilege, first started here, was later extended to other settlement areas in the Puszczy Zagajnica
Puszcza Kurpiowska
Puszcza Kurpiowska or Kurpiowska Forest, is the collective name of Poland's two wilderness areas: Puszcza Biała and Puszcza Zielona , located in the central basin of Narew and Kurpiowska Plain. It is bound by the rivers: Pisa , Narew and Orzyc . The north-end reaches the former border with East...
forest of Kurpie, and marked the beginning of agriculture in the area.
The Jednorożec settlement was officially incorporated as a village on August 7, 1650, by a decree from King John II Casimir Vasa, which allowed the beekeepers and farmers, who were already settled there, the official title to their land. The village grew from approximately 40 families in the early 1700’s to 80 families in 1781, and Jednorożec then became the second largest town of the parish, after Chorzele
Chorzele, Podlaskie Voivodeship
Chorzele is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Zambrów, within Zambrów County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, in north-eastern Poland. It lies approximately south of Zambrów and west of the regional capital Białystok.-References:...
. A census in 1827 indicated the town’s population was 693 inhabitants housed in 111 homes.
A resolution of the Duchy of Warsaw
Duchy of Warsaw
The Duchy of Warsaw was a Polish state established by Napoleon I in 1807 from the Polish lands ceded by the Kingdom of Prussia under the terms of the Treaties of Tilsit. The duchy was held in personal union by one of Napoleon's allies, King Frederick Augustus I of Saxony...
, dated March 12, 1808, allowed the creation of parochial school
Parochial school
A parochial school is a school that provides religious education in addition to conventional education. In a narrower sense, a parochial school is a Christian grammar school or high school which is part of, and run by, a parish.-United Kingdom:...
ing in Jednorożec, and, in 1809, the first school opened in the village in an old building. A newly built school was funded and established in 1817, and the teacher, John Krajewski, received 300 złoty a year, plus contributions. School attendance was low and often interrupted by the children having to remain at home to help with farm chores.
The settlement and surrounding area survived the Swedish invasion of Poland at the turn of the 17th century and, during the November Uprising
November Uprising
The November Uprising , Polish–Russian War 1830–31 also known as the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in the heartland of partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. The uprising began on 29 November 1830 in Warsaw when the young Polish officers from the local Army of the Congress...
and the January Uprising
January Uprising
The January Uprising was an uprising in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth against the Russian Empire...
of the years 1863-1864, many of the young men of the town joined the insurgency. During the January Uprising, the surrounding forests provided shelter to the insurgents. It is in this area, near Drążdżewo
Drazdzewo
Drążdżewo is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Krasnosielc, within Maków County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. It lies approximately north-west of Krasnosielc, north of Maków Mazowiecki, and north of Warsaw.-References:...
, the commander of the insurgents hid Zygmunt Padlewski
Zygmunt Padlewski
Zygmunt Padlewski was a Polish insurgent who participated in the January Uprising.-Early years:Padlewski was born in a mansion in Czerniawka Mała, Russian-partitioned Poland on January 1, 1836. His father, Władysław, took part in the November Uprising...
with his division after Padlewski’s defeat at Myszyniec
Myszyniec
Myszyniec is a town in Ostrołęka County, Masovian Voivodeship, Poland, with 3,032 inhabitants ....
. Russian czarist troops moved into the area, and a battle was fought which resulted in Padlewski losing the battle with 50 of his insurgents killed in action or drowned while escaping.
In 1867 a gmina
Gmina
The gmina is the principal unit of administrative division of Poland at its lowest uniform level. It is often translated as "commune" or "municipality." As of 2010 there were 2,479 gminas throughout the country...
(commune) was established with Jednorożec as its seat. Gmina Jednorożec
Gmina Jednorozec
Gmina Jednorożec is a rural gmina in Przasnysz County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. Its seat is the village of Jednorożec, which lies approximately north-east of Przasnysz and north of Warsaw....
contained 586 houses and 4,376 inhabitants (in 1882) and was contained within an area of 35,391 hectares. In the Jednorożec gmina were the chapel, the office of the municipality, the municipal court, post border guards, forestry office, four tar factories, three windmills, and two inns.
The village prospered well until the middle of the 19th century when natural disasters (drought, fire, hailstones) and resultant soil depletion caused an economic crisis. In addition, on May 18, 1848, a fire, initially caused by lightning, burned down 80 houses and injured 50 people. The economic situation became so desperate the church urged parishioners to “cease drinking vodka.” Education suffered during this period of Russian czarist occupation when the Jednorożec school was directed to teach all courses in the Russian language
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, which was strongly resented and opposed by the villagers. In addition, since villagers now had not the money to pay for school tuition, attendance fell to twenty percent by 1890. In 1889, Jednorożec contained around 118 farms and there were also 45 families with no land. In 1890 villagers refused to pay taxes, which resulted in the arrival of Russian troops to collect taxes by force.
Severe economic hardship continued through the end of the 19th century, causing many of the townspeople to emigrate to the United States or to seek seasonal work in Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
.
When World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
occurred, inhabitants of Jednorożec and nearby towns in the gmina were displaced and in turmoil in November and December 1914 when Germans and Russians fought fierce battles near Przasnysz
Przasnysz
Przasnysz is a town in Poland. Located in the Masovian Voivodship, about 110 km north of Warsaw and about 115 km south of Olsztyn, it's the capital of Przasnysz County. It has 18,093 inhabitants . One of the most important towns in Mazovia during the Middle Ages. City laws - 1427.-Famous...
. Many fled to nearby towns or hid in the woods until the fighting was over. Another fight broke out in early spring 1915. Until then, Jednorożec was occupied by Tsarist troops. German forces attacked on Feb. 17, 1915 in the direction of Jednorożec with the objective of attacking Przasnysz. As a result of heavy fighting on 24 February Przasnysz was captured, but soon the Russians went into a counteroffensive, but were not able to oust the Germans from the area. In early March, when the Russians attacked the Germans, Jednorożec was on the front lines and, by March 1915, more than half of the village was destroyed. A Polish resistance group, called “Polish Military Organisation
Polish Military Organisation
Polish Military Organisation, PMO was a secret military organization created by Józef Piłsudski in August 1914, and officially named in November 1914, during World War I. Its tasks were to gather intelligence and sabotage the enemies of the Polish people...
” (Polska Organizacja Wojskowa) was formed during the war and included a number of the village’s residents, including Franciszek Berk, Dąbski, Stanisław Kordyś, Konstanty Lewandowski, Władysław Mordwa, Jan Sobieraj, Antoni Wilga and Józef Wilga.
When, in August 1915 residents began returning to Jednorożec, which was now under German occupation until 1918, there were only three remaining buildings: the parsonage, a house and a granary. Inhabitants were dying of starvation, and efforts were made to reconstruct the town. Peace eventually returned to the area until August 1920, when, for a few days, the area was occupied by Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
troops.
Residents quickly rebuilt after the devastation of the village during the years 1914-1915. Jednorożec in the interwar period once again became economically strong and a thriving village with 160 houses and 869 inhabitants. All were of Polish nationality and observed the Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
faith.
Honoring emigration to America
A monument on the main street in town (photo below) is dedicated to all those who emigrated from the town to America during the mass emigration period of 1870-1910.Today's Jednorożec
Historic sites, monuments and buildings are well preserved by the townspeople who are proud of their Jednorożec heritage. A nearby cemetery is well-tended and visited often by residents, to honor their forebearers of the past centuries.
Celebrating its roots
The celebration was attended, not only by the local townspeople, but by Jednorożec descendants from America who came to pay honor to their heritage.
(Note American flag in photo at right.)
Historic Jednorożec families
Family surnames of those born in Jednorożec during the period 1700 to 1890 include:Antosiak, Bakula, Berk, Bilek, Bitkiem, Blaszkiewicz, Bolinski, Cesarz, Chudzik, Deptula, Duda, Dybinski, Forman, Frontczak, Giardow, Godlewski, Grabowski, Gwiazda, Kardas, Kiec, Kieszczyk, Krajewski, Krawczyk, Krulak, Kuligowski, Kulpan, Kuta, Maka, Maluchnik, Matusiak, Matwicki, Merchel, Mordwa, Mortwionek, Nowotka, Nowotkow, Obrebski, Olender, Opalach, Orzol, Ososki, Pazdrag, Piorkowski, Piotrak, Podym, Pogorzelski, Prusik, Przybylek, Przybytek, Renof, Rykoski, Sasin, Sedrowski, Sidwa, Sierpienski, Sobieraj, Sobiski, Sopech, Stancel, Stefaniak, Suchowiecki, Symolon, Szczepanik, Szewczyk, Szlaga, Sztambor, Wilga, Wroblow, Zaleski, Zokewski, Zygmunt.
Churches
Four churches, located in Jednorożec, serve the Catholic population of the town and vicinity:- Christ Redeemer, Polon 74
- Saint Anthony, Olszewka 79
- Saint Florian, ul. Koscielna 1 A
- Saint Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr, Parciaki 28
Local newspapers and publications
- Głos Gminy Jednorożec
- Źródła do dziejów Ziemi Jednorożeckiej
- Słowa najprostsze