HISTORY OF SEJNY DISTRICT

The author describes the settlement history of the Sejny District from XV to XIX century, i.e. the history of the resettlement of that section of post-Sudowia lands on the basis of handwritten archives available for research. There are eight periods which the author singles out:

1. loose penetration into the wilderness (till the beginning of XVI century)

2. the start of permanent spread settlement (beginning of XVI century, 1547)

3. development of compact villages and settlement of of the Eastern part of the District (1547-1655)

4. resettlement of villages deserted after Swedish invasion and development of industrial settlement in the wilderness (1655-1710)

5. plague and resettlement of villages, beginning of colonizing the Western part of the District (1710-1764)

6. settlement of the Western part of the District (1764-1794)

7. end colonization of the Sejny District and granting land to peasants (1795-1864)

8. integration of land and splitting of villages into colonies (since 1864)

After the destruction of the Sudovians and the emigration of their remnants a wilderness covered their lands. That wilderness was exploited by the inhabitants of villages on the Niemen river, and among them by descendants of the refugeev Sudovians since XIV century. In 1422 the post-Sudovians lands were finally partitioned between the State of the Knights of the Cross and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The grounds of the Sejny District fell to Lithuania. The Grand Dukes of Lituania had hunted in the post-Sudovian wilderness and it was for them that the hunting manor in Wigry was built. In XV century the wilderness was divided into stripes running from the Niemen river to the borderline of the of the Cross and were assigned to single manors on Niemen. These stripes called wilderness got their names by the manor. On the area of the Sejny District there ran the borderlines of those wildernesses (from North to South): wildernesses of Merecz, Przelom and Perstun. The greater part of the District area belonged to the Przelom wilderness. A forester service got organized. In the villages on the river Niemen a group of people was selected and called game drivers who surveyed by the forester watched singled out parts of the wilderness, particulary backwoods where the game lived. Those people spent most of their lives in the wilderness. They lived in sheds near the ways crossing the wilderness and on the lakes. Another group of people whose stay in the wilderness was temporary were farmers from villages near Grodno, Przelom and Merecz who were authorized to use the riches of the wilderness (they possessed the so-called entry), i.e. haycrops and wild bees nests. The Grand Dukes only was using the fishery riches. In XV century the Grand Dukes started distribution of some lakes as well as bee and hay entries among different Lithuanian and Russian magnates. Thus on the area of wilderness there started appearing at certain times subjects of those magnates from far-away estates sometimes, such as from near the town of Wolkowysk. Those peasants temporarily living in the wilderness, in particular the game drivers, often gave names to wilderness parts, marshes and lakes. As There might have been among them the descendants of refugee Sudovians, some of the names might have dated as far back as the Sudovian era. In the Perstun and Przelom wilderneses watched by Russian game drivers and exploited by Russian farmers Slavonic denominations were spreading. In the Merecz Wilderness watched by Merecz game drivers and exploited by farmers of Merecz there were the Lithuanian denominations spreading which penetrated partly in the North East into of Przelom Wilderness. Arount the

Wigry manor ocated in the Przelom Wilderness where the Grand Dukes of Lithuania were living accompanied by their courts and servants, there too appeared the names belonging to Baltic languages.

At the beginning of XVI century Grand Duke Aleksander started distributing parts of the wilderness among the magnates. Around 1501 he donated the manor Liszkowo on the Niemen River and a part of Merecz wilderness situated beteen the lakes Wiejsieje and Holny to Michal Glinski. Thus together with private property the very beginning of permanent settlement appeared in the area of Sejny District. It is not known, however, on account of insufficient documentary sources, whether it was Glinski himself who founded there the manor Holny (nowadays Ogrodniki villages) or if that was done by his successors on the estate, Dukes Slucki (since 1509). Anyway, the manor was there in 1558. Around 1510 Mikolaj Pac, Governor of Przelom started on King`s order the settlement of the part of Przelom Wilderness near the Berzniki Lake. Pac founded for himself the Berzniki manor on the Klejwy Lake. Around 1516 the Governor of Przwaly, Kopoc Wasilewicz, founded a manor on the Sztabinki Lake in the Przelom Wilderness which he called Sztabinki. The King then donated that manor together with the adjoining considerable part of the wilderness. In 1522 King Sigismund I donated half a square mile in the Przelom Wildernes on the river Sejny to Duke Iwan Wisniowiecki. That was the very start of the Sejny estate, the first scat of which was the manor Upper Sejny. Together with the formation of estates by those donations in the part of the post-Jadzwing Wilderness a settlement began to develop then still dispersed as single, one major colonies on plots of better soil taken for cultivation.

The donation of post-Sudovian Wildernes by King Sigismund I to Queen Bona was the end of wilderness distribution. Queen Bona initiated in estates donated to her great economic reforms and good exploitation of the wilderness resources. This type of reforms in the SejnyDistrict has started only after Queen Bona had taken over the Berżniki estate in 1546. During thorough reform of relations in farmers` villages which reform was called harrow land measurement and was initiated by Queen Bona and concluded by her son King Sigismund Augustus, there were formed eleven compact village in the area of Berzniki estate between 1547 and 1561 instead of loose settlements. There was also a town founded in Berzniki which is the eldest town in the Sejny District. Undoubtedly, the harrow land measurement soon penetrated the area of private estate, i.e. Sejny, Sztabinki and Holny estates. Presumably it was then only that compact villages were formed. At the same time during Queen Bona`s reign the settlement penetrated the Northern part of the Sejny District which was Mereczwildernes. The Lozdzieje estate was founded there which comprised villages situated on the Western bank of the Galaduś Lake and the Sejwy estate. By 1559 there stands the Sejwy manor there. Till the second half of XVI century there was colonized the Eastern area of the District up to the line formed by Pomorze Lake, Sejna river, Pawlowka river, Klejwy Lake, Sejwy Lake and Punsk Lake. Further westward there spread the Royal Wilderness. In the villages on the area of Przelom Wilderness there settled mostly people of Ruthenian origin from the vicinity of Grodno, Przelom and probably remote old estates . In villages of the territory of Merecz Wilderness there settled Lithuanian population. On their border line both those groups of people had mixed, particularly in Sztabinki estate where Lithuanian settlement prevailed and near Boksza Lake (then called Black Sejwy Lake). During the process of harrow land measurement there appear the first Poles among Berzniki villagers and boyars of Berzniki estate. They found there small estates Zareby, today called Zaruby) and Siemieniszki (boyar Chrzanowski, todej called Swiackie). Boyar Bujwid of the Pac times was a Lithuanian and founded a small estate Podberzniki (to-day Otkieńszczyzna) and Sejny (today Budziewizna, Grudziewszczyzna, and Degucie). The origin of the small estate Sztabinszczyzna with the Skustele village is not know it probably also comes from Boyars.

In 1588 the royal estate was devided into royal income properties and counties donated to noblemen by the King. The estates of Berzniki, Sejny and lozdzieje were changed into counties. The wilderness was devided into separate leaseholds called forrestries (forrestry of Perstun, Przelom, Merecz-Sejwy, Lozdzieje). The forester of Przelom transfers his residence to the Pomorze manor, and the forester-of Merecz to the Nowy Punsk manor. On account of growing distance between the wilderness and the old villages of hunting drivers there are new village built inhabited by hunting drivers. A row of those new villages was set up on the borderline of the wilderness and private estates and counties. The Przelom wilderness was watched by hunting drivers from villages located on the outskirts of the wilderness between villages Giby and Boksze. The hunting drivers living in villages around the Punsk Lake watched the Merecz wilderness. Some of those villages are mentioned in the chronicles for the first time at the end of XVI century, others years later. Furthermore a few villages were set up between Sumow and Bialowiersnie for serf-peasants who worked on the Pomorze farm. The Merecz forester, Stanislaw Zaliwski, builds near Nowy Punsk manor the town of Punsk. The townsmen of Punsk are mentioned in the chronicles as early as 1606. In the year 1593 and 1602 one more town, however private, is being founded, the town of Sejny. Its original name Juriewo did not linger on. The town was built by the new proprietor of the Sejny estate, Jerzy Grodzinski who soon before his death, in 1602, donated his estate (1town, 3farms, 4 villages) together with with the lakes in the wilderness which he had purchased to the Dominican Fathers brought to Sejny. At That time parson estates are set up as a consequence of donations such as: estate of Berzniki parson (Olszanka) and Liszkowo and the estate of Punsk parson Soltany.

In the wilderness area there appear in XVII century the first sheds of lumbermen, pitch burners, tarmen and settlements of ore diggers in connection with exploitation of wood and iron ore. Those people are mostly Mazovians from Mazovia and probably from Prussia.

The Swedich invasion brings here also a population decrease. There are many villages deserted for years. At the same time under the management of the lady forester, Mrs. Konstancja Butler, the exploitation of the wilderness grows. The number of ore diggers and pitch burners settlements increasers. In 1667 King John Casimir founds on the island on Wigry Lake a hermitage of Camaldolites donating them the royal hunting manor. In 1679 the Cameldolites take over the forrestries of Perstun and Przelom Due to lack of people and because of the royal hunting right it was only towards the end of XVII century that the first agricultural farms are being founded on call spots with the consent of royal comissars. That, however, not on the territory of the Sejny District. The monks push the exploitation of wilderness resources and try to burden increasingly the hunting drivers of villages in the Sejny neighbourhood which causes the first Camaldolite trials. Other church estates are growing at the same time. The Dominican Fathers take over the Stabinszczyzna region with villages of Skustele, Budziewizna, and Grudziewszczyzna with Degucie village. The Berzniki parson gets the villages of Zaruby and Swiackie, and the Punsk parson gets sections of several villages. Old-time estates of magnates of Lithuania and Ruthenia fall into smailer ones which are taken over by middle gentry. Out of the large Holny estate a considerable section is being detached at unknown time and donated to Grodno Jesuit Fathers (Jesuit Holny estate, later on called Wolmer Holny estate). The names of numerous villages in those private estates are mentioned for the first time at the end of XVII and XVIII century and we do not know their earier existence only because of chronicle deficiency.

The plague brought to the country in the years 1710/11 during the North War again destroys a considerable percentage of the local population. At the same time the Camaldolites are suiting the royal employees for the forestries.

In 1715 King Augustus II takes the forestries away from Camaldolites, detaches a part of villages in different locations and a part of wilderness around Wigry Lake for a new donation to the Camaldolites. A number of royal villages around Sejny remains with Camaldolites. The villages inhabited by hunting drivers return to the King. Only about 1740, after recovery from the population losses there is the colonization started in the wilderness area to North and West of Wigry Lake granted to the Camaldolites. In the very heart of wilderness there is a settlements island founded. It is then that villages such as: Krasne, Remienkinie and Zubrowka are set up. In the wilderness section which was returned to the King and allotted to the Grodno economy, there were only a few new villages founded at that time, those of hunting drivers on the borderline of Camaldolite estate (among others Gremzdy, Serwski Las).

When Tyzenhaus took over the management of royal properties in 1765 a new settlement era started in a part of wilderness. In the second half of XVIII century a number of new agricultural farms is founded in the Northern part of Przelom wilderness. A new royal town of Krasnopol is built in 1770 for these new royal villages. The Southern part of the wilderness, except for some little isles was left untouched. The new settlers were inhabitants of neighboring older royal villages, peasants who escaped from private villages and numerous Mazurs coming from Prussia. Around 1780 there appear Filipon people of Great Ruthenia descent who also got in the area of Sejny District grounds for founding new villages (Buda Ruska, Gremzdy, and then Pogorzelec Biały, Białorzeczka). The settlement process is being continued till partitions also by the gentry received for life as estates some solitary places in the wilderness, mostly in the Northern part of Przelom wilderness. On the area of private estates and counties some new settlements appear mainly mill and inn plots. They are the core of villages which grow there in XIX century. In the forest owned by Dominican Fathers a few forest settlements called Lasanka are founded.

After Poland`s partition the Prussians confiscate church property, combine it with royal estate` and devide into economies. There is some German settlement process. The colonization still continued at the time of Warsaw Duchy and Polish Kingdom. Some older wilderness settlements are developing . Economic changes cause transformation of ore-diggers and pitch burners settlements into poor agricultural villages. The colonization in government estates involves first of all the forests which were left among villages founded earlier. The settlement of Filipow people is promoted and they found and inhabit several villages. The colonization of the wilderness is stoped and the wilderness then is given the name Augustow Wilderness. The only new settlements in the wilderness are forestries and game keeperss houses. On account of robberies in the forest industry, some of the wilderness villages develop. A part of former royal and church estates is being distributed among Russian dignitaries. The colonization shows some growth in private estates, possessing forests, such as Szejpiszki, Mejer Holny, Wolmer Holny and Krasnohruda. Mostly farms are being set up there. The renting of villages in government estates and donation properties in the first half of XIX century and their granting land to all peasant in brings about decay of estates and their limitation to farms and forests and furthermore disappearance of some villages and founding of others in consequence of separation shifting of peasants. These cases were few, however.

By the first half of XIX century an integration of land, particularly in government and donation estates had begun. The integration process grows in intensity in the second half of XIX century and lasts through XX century. Integration of land often causes falling apart of many compact villages into loose colonies. That often erased the location of old villages but did not erase settlement region which were set up during four centuries.

In the area of Sejny District there are five settlement regions to be singled out from the point of view of settlement chronology, ethnic belonging of the population, and belonging to estates.

The grounds in the Eastern part of the Distict, in the area of Berzniki, Pomorz Lake, Heret, Dmitrowo, Plaskie, Sejny, Zagowiec, Berzniki Lake and Berzniki comprise a region the colonization of which had started at the beginning of XVI century. In the years of harrow land measurement compact villages were set up here. Most of the settlers were of Ruthenian descent from the vicinity of Grodno and Przelom: they got polonized later on. This Region contains villages of the Berzniki country, of Przelom forestry, Sejny estate and small boyar estates and the property of Berzniki parson.

The second region contains lands to the North of the first region and to the East from the Plaskie Lake (Flat Lake), forest between Czarna river and Klejwy Lake-Sejwy Lake and Punsk Lake. The southern part of the region (Holny and Sztabinki estate) had been colonized since the beginning of XVI century. Its Northern part got colonized at time of harrow land measurement in the half of XVI century. Its settlers were Lithuanians from the vicinity of Merecz; they kept their ethnic character. The villages of the former estates of Holny, Sztabinki, Klejwy, Krasnohruda, Janiszki, Dowiaciszki, Reszecie apart of Szejpiszki, of counties of Lozdzieje and Sejwy belong to that region.

The third region comprises Northern section to the North-West of Boksze Lake and Punsk Lake. Its colonization started towards the end of XVI century. Further settlement chronology is not known. In principle it got colonized till the XVIII century. In the North there settled Lithuanians in the South Poles of Ruthenian descent, as in the fourth region. There are villages here which belonged to Merecz-Sejwy forestry, and later on to Kadaryszki-Maćkowo county, villages of small renters and of Punsk parson.

The fourth region located to the West of the Heret Lake line, Dmitrowo Lake, Czarna river, Boksze Lake, and to the North of Giby Lake line, Krasna village, Mackowa Ruda, Wigry Lake-was mainly colonized in the second half of XVIII century, and partly in the first half of XIX century. The first few permanent colonies of ore diggers and pitch burners were founded here in XVII century. The region belonged to Przelom forestry, temporarily to the Camaldolites. In 1715 a part of it went over the Camaldolites for good and its greater part to the Grodno economy. This area one time penetrated by Ruthenian hunting drivers and Ruthenian peasants from the vicinity of Grodno and Przelom got colonized by their Polish descendants, by descendants of Mazovia ore diggers and by Prussian Mazurs.

The fifth region is the Augustow wilderness comprising the remaining part of the Przelom and Perstun wilderness. We find in that region former colonies of ore diggers and pitch burners dispersed in the wilderness. There are new small forest colonies like gamekeeper`s houses and forestries and a large size clearing on Serwy Lake. This rare dispersed settlement dates back to XVII century, chiefly its second part.

A part of the settlements was founded in XVIII and XIX centuries only. Its used to be the territory of Przelom and Perstun forestry, owned for some time by the Camaldolites who obtained a part of it in 1715.

That region was settled by the same population as region four.