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Abstract

Brzoza and Otłoczyn are villages located in the Vistula valley near Toruń. From the Middle Ages until the end of the 18th century they were the property of the bishops of Włocławek. In the first half of the 17th century, bishops Wawrzyniec Gembicki and Maciej Łubieński settled farmers called “Olędrzy”, in this area. This name was used to describe settlers who specialized in farming difficult to cultivate wetlands, which they used on a long-term lease basis. The article uses the rich source materials stored in the Diocesan Archives in Włocławek to present the most important issues related to the presence of the Dutch in Otłoczyn and Brzoza. The settlers appeared there much later than in the areas located in the lower section of the Vistula (Otłoczyn - 1613, Brzoza - 1631), this could have been related to the reluctance of the bishops towards foreigners who were also Protestants. The analysis of their surnames shows that Lutherans from German states were dominant among them. The Olędrzy received favourable economic rights typical for the so-called Dutch law, but were forbidden to practice religion publicly and to teach in the Protestant spirit. Nevertheless, the settlement of the Olędrzy people in both localities brought lasting and positive results. The conditions for the functioning of local Olędrzy communities did not change significantly until the first half of the In the 18th century, when bishop Krzysztof A. Szembek forced Protestants to leave both villages or convert to Catholicism, and then introduced new, less favourable principles of land lease. As a result of this decision, Otłoczyn and Brzoza experienced a period of economic stagnation in the following decades, and their populations became Polonized.