Articles --> Ziemia Sieradzka

Cemeteries

Cemeteries, being the place of rest of the Dutch colonists, are an inherent element of the Dutch village landscape. They very often constitute the last testimony of the Dutch village and sometimes are the only element allowing connecting a given settlement with this colonisation.

Today, on the territory of the Sieradzka and Wielunska Lands there are only 3 necropolises that may be described certainly or with a high degree of probability as related to this colonisation. Their state is often very bad. Since the original inhabitants of the village left, the necropolises have been unkempt and often destroyed on purpose, what was encouraged by the cold war propaganda after the World War II. Although there are successful attempts to save and arrange them, this trend is not yet popular. Only in the Zulawy region several necropolises were tidied as a result of the wide social involvement and the activity of the Polish-Mennonite Friendship Society.

The attitude of the contemporary inhabitants to the Hollander cemeteries is influenced by the war experiences - they associate this heritage with the Germans, who in the 20th century constituted the majority among the settlers; the rest of the colonists, having Dutch and Mennonite roots, were lost in the general mass of this society.

The most often, cemeteries are located on the periphery of the village. They are usually small, with beautiful old trees, often classified as monuments of nature. The older the cemetery, the more beautiful trees are. Each of the numerous necropolises is unique and worth preserving.