Wilamowice
Wilamowice ( German Wilmesau, the local " Wilmesaurisch " Wymysoü ) is a country town in the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland with approximately 2,900 inhabitants.
The now endangered Wilmesaurisch is still spoken here by about 100 native speakers, most of them older vintage.
History
The place was first mentioned in 1325 as Novovilamowicz. The name can be seen as distinct from Antiquo - Willamowicz (now Stara Wies ). The town was settled in the wake of the German eastern settlement. The settlers should have come from Flanders, Friesland, Holland, and even Scotland. Since the 15th century the German name forms Wilmeshau and Wilmesdorf were used for the two places. The name was subject to numerous changes until the name Wilmesau prevailed in the 18th century. By endogamy and the geographical isolation of the past in the Polish language area village by the German linguistic enclave to Bielsko Biala a separate dialect formed out in Wilmesau, which was used until the Second World War in everyday life.
During the end of the Second World War almost all Germans of the area were expelled, the ancestral population could stay in Wilmesau. The local dialect but was forbidden and partially Polonized the population. Even if the language ban was lifted in 1956, an attempt was made to displace the wilmesaurischen dialect from public life. Today is the wilmesaurische dialect, spoken by about 70 residents.
Sons and daughters of the town
- Florian Biesik (* 1849 - betw 1924 and 1931), writer, poet
- Józef Bilczewski ( born April 26, 1860 † March 20, 1923 ) - Roman Catholic Archbishop
- Kazimierz Jonkisz ( born November 9, 1948), jazz musician
Community
The urban and rural community Wilamowice divided adjacent to the main town of the same name in the following districts:
- Pisarzowice ( Schreibersdorf )
- Dankowice ( Denkendorf )
- Stara Wies ( Altdorf, also Wilmesdorf )
- Hecznarowice ( Hetschnarowitz )
- Zasole Bielańskie