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[to the triangle formed by the Vistula and San Rivers in Southeastern Poland. On a map, find Cracow (Krakow), then go straight east to Tarnow, east to Jaroslaw, and north to Sandomir (Sandomiers).] A group of six persons with ancestors from Czermin Kolonia (Hohenbach), Padew, and Sarnow (Reichsheim) visited these and other places between September 5 and 11, 2008. These were the children of Edmund Konrad (born 1897 at Padew) and Heinrich Konrad (born 1914 at Hohenbach) and families. For this excursion we had an outstanding organizer in Mr. Gasiewski, PhD, and translator in Mr. Rejman. Both of these gentlemen are high school teachers in Mielec (say Me uh lets, which lies in this area).
Czermin Kolonia (the between-the-wars name for the German village of Hohenbach, say Share meen): Czermin Kolonia is now part of the larger community of Czermin. The first contacts concerning the cemetery were established in 2004 with the mayor (wojt) of Czermin, Leon Getinger. The community felt civic pride in cleaning and beautifying this cemetery. We met the following people in our visit to Czermin: the mayor of (Greater) Czermin, Leon Getinger, the administrative mayor of Czermin (soltys), Ms. Krystina Milos, Councilman Jan Myak who is in charge of cemetery maintenance, and Jozef Czaja from Cermin Kolonia. 80 year old Mr. Czaja has many memories of the time before 1945. The first thing we did was to go to the cemetery and check on the improvements. Work has progressed to the point where about 50 tombstones have been found. These were lined up along the length of the cemetery. At the upper end were the tombstones, which are still legible. About ten tombstones showed inscriptions, and seven were quite legible. These seven tombstones are for the following persons:- Philipp Hauser (1861 – 1941) from House 31;- Heinrich Hauser (1822 – 1898) and his wife Katharina (born 1826), Houses 31 and 26;- Heinrich (1856 – 1918) and Barbara Hauser (1860 – 1913), House26;- Elisabeth Konrad, nee Senft (1860 – 1922), House 19;- Johann Georg Zimmerman (1841 – 1922), born at House 7, died at House 25, and his wife;- Maria Katharina Rudolf, nee Hauser (1819 – 1890), born at House 31, lived at 53, 44, and died at House 37; - Philipp Konrad Lauber (1815 – 1887), House 21. All tree stumps have been cleared. A few grave surrounds still exist. We had not been informed in advance on the status of the progress, and were very pleasantly surprised. The renovation can now proceed by incorporating the many old tombstones. After the inspection of the cemetery we walked around the village. We could see the changes, as many new two-family homes had been built, but many of the old houses still exist. About half of the houses are new. We took many pictures, both stills and videos. Mr. Czaja could name many of the former owners from memory.After this all 12 persons assembled at Mayor Getinger’s. He made an official speech, pointing out the improved relationships between Poles and Germans. He reminded that the war also wrought destruction in the heads of people. The current rapprochement was possible because “Time Heals All Wounds”. The Town of Czermin had erected a new obelisk to the fallen soldiers of the wars in front of City Hall. It was pointed out that the remembrance tablet for the WWI fallen soldiers, formerly in the village, is now mounted on the Czermin Cemetery Chapel wall.Mr. Czaja remembers many important events in the village, and people and their nicknames. For instance, his mother learned dressmaking in house of the carpenter Heinrich Senft (born 1900), house #63. He also remembered well playing soccer with the German children. He stated: “A person interested in history and politics is open to visits with Germans”. To help with visits from Germany and the US, I had prepared pamphlets in three languages, intended for visitors who drop in on the former German settlements. These unexpected visitors are to be directed to residents who are familiar with the history of the village. The pamphlets also list existing publications on the villages in German, English, and Polish. Two contacts in Germany are listed. From my collection “Abenteuer Galizien, Szenen aus dem Weichsel San Dreieck*” I presented the Hohenbach part with about 60 pictures. (*Adventure Galicia, Reminiscences from the Vistula-San-Triangle). All our Hohenbach stories are listed with sources. Further information is definitely wanted. Mr. Getinger informed us on Dr. Gasiewski’s recent doctoral dissertation with the topic “Deutsche Kolonisation auf dem Gebiete Mielec” (German Settlement in the Mielec Area). We could look through an example of the book. We will be getting our own copy. We are pleased that the German history in the Mielec area is being explored through their own archival material. In the evening we were guests of a family that we met in our 1994 visit. Orlow (say Orlof, Schoenanger) and Borowa (say Borova): We had time for only brief visits to these villages. The past can be seen in the cemeteries, where several names from the Orlow community can be found on well preserved tombstones. Sarnow (say Sarnooff, Reichsheim) and Tuszow (say Too shoff): We arrived in Reichsheim at the end of a church service. (Catholic) Pastor Jozef Weglicki met with us outdoors on a beautiful Sunday, and explained to us the history of the Catholic Parish Sarnow, which was started in 1942. Also present were the Director of the Library and Sikorsky Museum in Tuszow Narodowy, Renata Paterak, and the soltys (administrative mayor) of Sarnow, Zbigniew Lesniak. The three of them detailed the renovations which had taken place on the church building in recent years. The foundation, the roof, and several rotted beams needed to be replaced, as well as heating, electrical wiring, and the church pews. They next hope to purchase a small electronic organ. After that, we visited the old cemetery, which is located in a wood. There we saw several familiar tombstones, mostly of the Kurz family, as well as new fencing which fits the surroundings. We then visited the Sikorsky Museum, where Ms. Paternak lectured about the life of General Sikorsky and the museum. We learned that General Sikorsky, who was born in Tuscow, was the Prime Minister of the Polish Government in Exile in London during the war (WWII). In the library we were able to find out more about the Dr. Gasiewski’s dissertation. I left several stories on Reichsheim in German and English for future visitors. Ms. Paternak is open to continuing contact with German groups. In the Village Hall a museum room is currently being installed with historical documents of the village from 1783. Padew: (say Pah def): Mayor (wojt) Kazimierz Popiolek met with us, accompanied by Jan Piechota and Mrs. Anna Burghardt. Mr. Piechota was the neighbor of the family of Heinrich Jakob Duy (born 1877, House Nr. 16P). He could remember well the names of the children and their difficult circumstances in the 1930’s. Mr. Piechota regretted that there are few people left who remember those times. We could bring news of their US relatives to the Burghardt family. They had lost contact some time ago. A descendant of the Padew Burghardt family was born in US in 1914. He wrote several books as a Jesuit Theology professor. One of these was published in Cracow. Possibly this books could be read in Padew. We visited the former property of Edmund Konrad, #23. The distinctive cellar-storage building has been torn down. The former German school stands out with a new green roof. It is now being used as village medical clinic. I presented Mayor Popiolek with the book of historical Padew pictures; it contains 170 pictures with captions, and also the Padew Stories from the “Adventure Galicia” collection. In turn we received two copies of a book on current Padew. Kolbuszowa (kole bush ova), Nowy Kamien (formerly Steinau) and Wola Zarzycka (Koenigsberg nearby): We took one day for brief visits to these villages. We had not seen these places before. Kolbuszowa, about 30km east of Mielec, is an “outdoor museum village” of considerable acreage. The home of Philipp Walz, born in 1871, from Goleschau is being re-erected. We have been asked to advise on the furnishings. We could help a bit already. An employee who speaks German was our guide through several Polish farmhouses and the Walz House. She also took us to Nowy Kamien and Wola Zarzycka. We could visit the Kamien cemetery restored in 2003, and met the former mayor Frantisek Pirog, who has hosted many former Steinauers. He showed us mail and German literature on Steinau. I had supplied Mr. Pirog in advance with the Steinau sections of the “Adventure Galicia” stories, which he can offer to future visitors. The centerpiece of his collection is a large map of the houses and fields of Steinau village from the year 1910. In Wola Zarzycka (Koenigsberg) we saw a memorial marker in the location of the former church and cemetery, which had been erected by the community in cooperation with several former Koenigsberg families. We briefly met with a local family who has been working with the restoration. In conclusion it can be stated, that we found interest in our shared history in many places. May these projects continue to bring mutual understanding.(Polish language diacritical marks could not be reproduced). A DVD Video CD and a digital picture CD are available from Alfred Konrad, Romingerweg 2, 70193 Stuttgart, Germany; phone 0711 65 99 147 within Germany. From US dial 011 49, and the German phone number WITHOUT the leading zero. Email:
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. The Cds can be delivered from a source in USA. Translated by Erika Paulson, USA.
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