The Lębork Wedding Album
A collection of photographs donated by Lęborkers. They mostly depict young people who arrived in the Recovered Territories just after the Second World War.
Józefa and Jan Łappo (1932) by Photographer unknownMunicipal Public Library in Lębork
Welcome to the wedding aisle!
We are putting into your hands an unusual wedding album with photographs donated by Lębork residents. Each of them is a beautiful family memento of an important day, and at the same time a testimony to times gone by.
Let this album be a testimony to their lives and an inspiring story about the roots of the Lębork community, and let the moments of happiness immortalised in the photographs transport you into a world of memories.
Beautiful family heirlooms
They depict young people who arrived in the recovered lands just after the turmoil of the Second World War.
Stanisława and Kazimierz Król (1938) by Photographer unknownMunicipal Public Library in Lębork
They came here from all corners of Poland and the Eastern Borderlands
For them, Lębork was a hope and a chance for a new, often better life. It was this immigrant population, diverse in culture and customs, that created the mosaic that makes up the face of Lębork today.
Wedding customs and traditions
The immigrant residents of Lębork brought with them wedding traditions, superstitions and family customs, but also stories about the unusual circumstances of their weddings.
Wedding in the face of war
On 13 August 1939, the young Leocadia escorted her mobilised husband to the train in her wedding dress. One can only imagine the sadness of this parting. Happily, Jan returned from the war.
Repatriates
Among the newlyweds were many repatriates. Such as Zbigniew Buchowski - Irena's husband and long-time teacher at the Pedagogical Lyceum in Lębork.
Zofia and Stanislaw Bladowski (Photo no. 2) (1957) by Photographer unknownMunicipal Public Library in Lębork
Seventh son
Stanisław Bladowski (pictured with Zofia), according to a 1926 decree, as the seventh son, had as his godfather the very President of the Republic of Poland, Ignacy Mościcki.
Privileges of the presidential godchild
Presidential godchildren received a savings passbook from the state with 50 zloty. They were also entitled to free education, including higher education. In addition, they were entitled to scholarships, free travel and health care.
Jadwiga and Józef Kietliński (1964) by Photographer unknownMunicipal Public Library in Lębork
Military wedding
Joseph was a soldier in a unit in Siemirowice. Therefore, his civil wedding took place among the military, and only the church ceremony brought the whole family together.
Love under martial law
Amata and Stanisław Chrostowski said ‘I do’ to each other in exceptional circumstances - the memorable winter just after the introduction of martial law. They were not frightened by the country's difficult political and economic situation.
Helena and Włodzimierz Moskal (1950) by Photographer unknownMunicipal Public Library in Lębork
Firefighter's wedding
Włodzimierz was the first ambulance commander of the Professional Fire Brigade in Lębork. He arrived at the ceremony... in a fire engine with a motor-pump, straight from a firefighting action.
Elżbieta and Henryk Holender (1970) by Photographer unknownMunicipal Public Library in Lębork
Scouting wedding
After the wedding ceremony, Elizabeth and Henry walked through a line of uniformed scouts holding roses, bearing witness to their scouting roots.
Antonina and Ignacy Rau (1921) by Photographer unknownMunicipal Public Library in Lębork
Black wedding dress
In some regions of Poland (including Kashubia), back in the 20th century, a bride could still appear in a black outfit and this was not a bad omen.
Anna and Józef Kotłowski (1948) by Photographer unknownMunicipal Public Library in Lębork
Inviting to the wedding
had its established ritual. The wedding officiant would ride up to the house on horseback and honk or fire a gun into the sky. It also happened that he rode his horse directly into the house. He would deliver a witty oration and would not refuse the high-spirited refreshments.
‘Polterabend’ - noisy night
Before the wedding, guests gathered outside the bride’s house to break glass and porcelain. The more broken, the greater the chance of a happy marriage. For the prophecy to come true, the bride and groom must clean up and bury the glass themselves.
Agnieszka and Zygmunt Filipiak (1950) by Photographer unknownMunicipal Public Library in Lębork
Kashubian wedding
The photography fully captures the colour of a wedding in the Kashubian countryside. There is the immediate family, children, musicians. The wedding reception usually took place in the young couple's family home.
‘Groom don't be a coward, redeem the young slipper’.
can be heard at weddings in central Poland and northern Kashubia. During the wedding, guests steal the bride's shoes. The groom's task is to redeem them. This can take various forms - the conquerors set the task, or redemption for a bottle of liquor.
Collecting for the trolley
It's an interesting element of the wedding reception where the bride and groom take to the dance floor and witnesses collect money, for the proverbial trolley that the parents-to-be will drive their children in. The entertainment takes the form of a bounce dance, where wedding guests throw in redemption for a moment's dance.
Józefa and Jan Zielke (1946) by Photographer unknownMunicipal Public Library in Lębork
Posing for photographs
In the wedding photograph, the families of the newlyweds are specially arranged: on the left the Choszczów family, on the right the Zielków family. This custom has survived to this day in many Kashubian families.
Kazimiera and Józef Moskal (1950) by Photographer unknownMunicipal Public Library in Lębork
‘The wedding was successful, even the grandfather and grandmother were not missing’.
A custom in northern Poland where, after the feast, dancing began and costumed people appeared. Usually, a grandfather and grandmother came with a gift and showered the young couple with it (a good omen). Afterwards, they received a bottle with a known content and disappeared.
You are all set!
Your first Culture Weekly will arrive this week.