HISTORY OF AUGUSTOV DISTRICT
The history of the colonization is not only a chronological record of the
colonization of land by man its development, being, too, a narrative of the
hard, toil of peasant, who has transformed the primary landscape, virgin forests
and marshes into tillable fields and useful meadows during the multi-generation
lasting period. As far as the history of the district of Augustów is concerned,
the narrative of its colonization is essential. 6 periods can be distinguished
with regard to the colonization of that district: 1-the Fall of Sudovia, the
desuetude of Sudovian settlement and the years of abandonment (the 13th-the
beginning of the 15th centuries), 2-The beginnings of the new process of the
development of the 16th centuries, 3-The development of the colonization on the
lands among Rajgrod, The Netta River and on the Pruska River, the establishment
of the town of Augustów; the colonization coming from the east reaches the
Wolkusz River (the beginning of the 16th cent.-up till about 1560), 4-The start
of the settlement on marshy lands and on the Biebrza River (by 1560-1655), 5-the
reconstruction of the settlements by war and the development of the industrial
settlement in forest (1655-1710), 6-the reconstruction of the settlement and the
development of the colonization an agrarian type of forest (1710-1795). The
colonization of the lands belonging to the district of Augustów took place in
two periods. The territories situated west words from the Netta River were
submitted to the colonization in the first stage, mainly in 1509-1557. The
settlers coming from the east during the 15th and the first half of the 16th
century reached the marshes of the Wolkusz River as well as the environs of the
town of Lipsk, not penetrating, however, into the territories which today belong
to the district of Augustów. That settlement movement farther along the Biebrza
River to the territory of the Krasny Bor forests not earlier than at the close
of the 16th century. The second stage, which covers the 18th century,
constitutes the period in which there took place the reconstruction of the
population, destructed for the first time in the middle of the 17th century.
(The Swedish invasion) and the second time at the beginnings of the 18th century
(The Northern War and the plaque). Next comes the period of the colonization of
the part of lands on the Szczebra River in its lower course and southwards from
the Lake Sajno (by 1764-1783). The time beetwen the two above-mentioned stages
witnessed the development of the scattered colonization on the marshy lands on
the Biebrza and the Netta Rivers, and as fag, as the close of the 17th century
and the beginning of the 18th cent. are concerned, in the Jaminy Forests. The
whole period under consideration was marked with the establishment of small
industrial settlements in the whole sylvan territory, mainly on the small rivers
and among the lakes. They the whole sylvan territory, mainly on the small rivers
and among the lakes. They were the small ironworks and pitch-works; during the
18th century and especially in its second half there appeared the small
settlements of forest-personnel (of guardians and riflemen).
The beginnings of colonization coming both from the east and west were
characterized by small, scattered settlements. The biggest villages abundant
with arable land and inhabited by numerous peasant-families were established in
the region of Augustow during the first, main stage of the development of
colonization. The preponderance of the peasant-type of husbandry in agriculture
was accompanied by a preponderance of peasant-villages in the development of the
colonization. Two towns characterized by a large surface of the allotments,
namely Augustow and Lipsk were established in the anlysed period. The
development of the farm-type of husbandry in the second half of the 16th century
as well as in the begin-nings of the 17th century connected with the ever
increasing exploitation of peasant population resulted in the abandonment of
peasant villages and establishment of farm-settlements, the latters expanding on
the peasant-lands. The preponderance of the farm-type of husbandry as well as a
great number, of farms were typical of the whole 17th and considerable part of
the 18th century. In the second half of the 18th century we notice an
intensification of the peasant-settlement. New peasant villages appear in royal
estates formed at the outskirts of forests. The further existing and newly
formed farms constitute a hampering factor with regard to the continuation of
the development of peasant-type of the colonization and the increase of
population. A new, small gentry town Sztabin as well as the royal Szczebra were
both not self-sufficient and could not develop.
The lands of the district of Augustow were colonized mainly by the Polish
population deriving from Masovia with a certain admixture of the Russian
population from the environments of Grodno and of the mixed Polish-Russian,
which derived from the vicinities of Goniadz. The admixture of the Lithuanian
population, occurring near Rajgrod was of no importance. The lands on the
Biebrza River constituted the farthest western line reached by the Russian
population after its penetration to the lands of Krasny Bor and the Jaminy
Forests. The above-mentioned population reached, too, the environments of
Rajgrod and Augustow, being polonized there as early as in the 16th century.
Polish population penetrated in the territory of the Jaminy Forest and Karsny
Bor from the side, polonizing those lands in the course of the next centuries.
It was mainly the populations deriving from the environments of Goniadz as well
as from the lands on the Brzozowka River that colonized the Jaminy Forests. The
population of the sylvan, industrial villages was mainly Polish, and had come
there from Masovia and Podlasie, and in the 18th century, also from Mazury Land.
Seven Smaller sub-reions can be distinguished as far as the settlement in the
district of Augustow is concerned. The time of the colonization, the density of
the settlements the geographical conditions the origin of the population as well
as the differences with regard to both ownership and social relations constitute
the differentiation-criteria in this respect. From the Rajgrod region only one
part of land, namely those between the Drestwo Lake and the former frontier
belongs to the district of Augustow. It was colonized in the earliest period, in
15th and the beginnings of the 16th century, mainly by Polish population woth an
admixture of Russians and Lithuanians. The villages in the region under
consideration were colonized by peasant population, with a small number of small
gentry. Among the small-gentry-owned villages the above-mentioned were the most
northwards situated ones.
The environments on the Netta River, embracing the lands from the Drestwo Lake
and the former frontier up till the Netta River, the Necko Lake and the Pruska
River constitute a geographical continuation of the considered region. It is
characterized by big, densely populated villages of peasants who formerly
belonged to the King. The town of Augustow established in that region is, too,
characterized by a large-scale plan. The region was settled during the first
half of the 16th century, mainly in 1536-1557, with villages typical of the
Great Agrarian Reform. Their inhabitants were mainly Poles with a certain
admixture of Russian population. At the beginning the whole territory belonged
to the King. In the later period the alloments granted in the 16th century
resulted in a formation of concentrations of the estates belonging to gentry or
Church. The town of Augustow, together with its suburbs (Biernatki, Turowka,
Zarnowo and later singled out Uscianki) occupied a considerable part of the
territories in that region, constituting the main core of the district of
Augustow.
The south region (the third) comprises great uninhabited areas of marshes and
damp forests among the Jegrznia, the Biebrza and the Netta River and as little
as three villages situated in the marshy lands (Polkowo, Jasionowo, Kopytkowo,
established at the close of the 16th century). The eastern part of the region
belongs to the district of Grajewo. Formerly it belonged to the royal estates.
The inhabitants of the marshy lands were oblided to take care of meadows and
forests, being, however, free from socage for the whole time, though there took
place certain attemps from the part of bailiffs to impose certain obligations.
The above-mentioned three western regions formally belonged to Masovia after the
fall of Sudovia, constituting in turn, in the period covering 1409-1569 a part
of the Great Lithuanian Principality. Beginning with 1520 they constituted a
part of Bielsko lands in the Podlasie voivodship.
The Great Lithuanian Principality had occupied the following regions which
belonged to it within the district of Grodno in the Troki voivodship until the
partitions. The forth region, membracing the narrow stripe of lands lying
between the former frontier of the state and the Pruska and the Dowspuda (Rospuda)
Rivers became inhabited after the year 1513. The region belonged to the Dowspuda
estates (Wollowiczó and next Pacow) to which the estate Janowka was also added
from the moment of the allotment to it of a part of forests. Only the southern
pa of that region belongs to the distict of Augustow. The district was
colonized by Polish population with an admixture of Russians. The colonization
of the stripe constituted an important stage in the consolidation of the
frontiers the state.
The small, fifth region comprises the lands of the former Krasnybor forest
allotted in 1505 to the Chreptowicz`s family and colonized by them in the period
by 1580-1598. It constitutes an island of the settlements occupying the poor
lands on the Biebrza and the Lebiedzina Rivers which were (during the
year-lasting period) encircled by royal forests. The region was colonized by the
population of period) encircled by royal forests. The region was colonized by
the population of the Russian origin with the considerable admixture of Polish
population, which turn polonised it completely. The second period of the
colonization of that region falls on the second half on the 18th and the
beginning of the 19th century. The small private town of Osinki-Sztabin which
had been established in 1667, extended in the second half of the 19th century
but it never developed.
The sixth region constitutes the largest part of the district of Augustow any
embraces the former lands of the Perstuny forest, called today the Augustow
Forests. The region is marked with numerous lakes as well as both minor and maj
settlement-groups. The region extends from the environments of the town of Lipsk
and both the Wolkusz and the Czarna Hancza Rivers to the Netta River the Lake
Necko and the Dowspuda River. The first, contemporary settlements of apiarist
fishermen, mowers and peasants guarding royal forests were created in that
region in the 15th and the 16th centuries. The first ironworks and pitch-works
dating back to the 16th century were also created in that region, the majority
of the being established in the second half of the 17th century. The first
agricultural villages built among forests as well as small settlement-graupments
emerged among them during mainly the 18th century and particularly in its second
half. Numerous small settlements of the personnel of forest as well as of the
Augustow. Care appeared in the whole territory at the close of the 18th and
during the 19th century. Those localities were colonized in majority by Polish
population with the admixture of Russians. The region exluding the great number
of private lakes an meadows belonged to the royal estates with the interval in
the second half of the 17th century (the Camedulian rule)
A rather small, seventh region situated among the Netta and the Biebrza Rivers
comprisers marshes and forests together with a group of villages dating from the
close of the 17th and beginning of the 18th century. Those villages were settled
by people from the vicinities of Goniadz and the Brzozowka River, of Polish,
Russian and (a small percentage) Lithuanian origin. The region was called the
Jaminy Forests and belonged to the royal Nowy Dwor Forests.
The first, second and fourth regions constitute a territory of a compact
agrarian settlement from the 16th century. The third and seventh regions on both
sic of the Netta River constitute mainly marshes and a small number of
villages marshy lands dating from the close of the 16th century as well number
of villages marshy lands dating from the close of the 16th century as well as
the beginning of the 17th century. The regions: fifth and sixth remain to be
covered with forest with numerous settlements of forest-personnel and small
groups of agrarian settlements, the latter being in its considerable part the
transformed from the on industrial settlements dating from the 17th and the 18th
centuries. The agrarian settlements has not penetrated into the territory of the
district of Augustow, taking only better soil for arable purposes (mainly in the
16th cent.). The sandy large remained to be covered with the forests. The
transformation of the abandoned post-Sudovian territories into arable lands had
began the end of the 15th century, being accomplished mainly in the 18th
century. The colonization and development of the land continued during the 17th,
the 18th and 19th centuries. Thanks to the many generation lasting labour of
Polish peasant the former forests became the arable lands marked with numerous
settlements.
From: http://members.chello.pl/g.krupinski/opisy/augustow-eng.htm