Wiele, Pomeranian Voivodeship


Wiele is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Karsin, within Kościerzyna County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It lies approximately north-west of Karsin, south of Kościerzyna, and south-west of the regional capital Gdańsk The Village is in the Zabor Land, a southern part of the Kashubian region of Poland. The village was already established as early as 1300. The area is hampered by poor, sandy soil, which is why the primary crops are rye, hay and potatoes. In 1800 there was a church, saw-mill, bakery and flour mill which defined the Village. In 1835-36 farmers were liberated from Serfdom under Prussian Law and a few farms were established. The area is the home of Farmers and Artisans. The museum of Zaborland lies here, displaying area folk art and contemporary Kashubian artistry. The greatest attraction to the area in Calvary Hill with station chapels built in 1915.
For details of the history of the region, see History of Pomerania.
The village has a population of 1,130.

Kashubian Emigration to America

During the Kashubian diaspora, many families from Wiele emigrated to the area of Winona, Minnesota in the United States, beginning in the late 1850s. The most famous of Winona's immigrants from Wiele was Hieronim Derdowski, famed Kashubian poet and, after emigration to the United States, editor of the Winona Polish-language newspaper Wiarus. Many also travelled to Wilno, Ontario, Canada and the Brudenell Township.