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Autochthon population
of Sadecka Land

Population of Jewish origin

The first documents about Jewish population in Nowy Sacz dates back to 1469 and 1503 years. Jewish community existed already before 1676.

According to Sigismund III (Polish Zygmunt III) will, the Jews had to take part in building the town fortification along with the other inhabitants. In 1765 Stanislaw August confirmed the privileges from 1673, 1699, 1754 that allowed the Jewish population to build houses on unoccupied land plots.

In 1746 the Large Synagogue was constructed. In 1765 609 people of the Jewish origin inhabit the area, and in XIX century a separate Jewish district was defined. Since in 1830 rabbi Chaim Halberstam (Chaim ben Arie Lejb Halberstam, 1793-1876, brother-in-law of rabbi Majzelsa from Krakow), father of the new direction in Hasidic Judaism who supported modesty and simplicity in everyday Jewish life, had settled here, Nowy Sacz became an important center for Hasidic Judaism culture and science. The Hasids from Sadecka land and their followers were called in ordinary parlance in another towns as Zanzer Chasidim.

In 1880, 5163 people of Jewish origin (46% of the population) lived in this area and were involved in tailoring, engraving, trade in wood and agriculture products. By the end of XIX century Gymnasium of Lord Hirsch Foundation was founded. In 1910 there were 7990 people of the Jewish origin (32% of population) and in 1921 - 9009 people (34%).

Various charity societies, orphan house and that for sick people as well as library and Theater Society ITAG, seasonal theater and sport clubs "Makabi" and "Spartakus", merchant corporations and trade unions existed here. The same refers to the political parties including the strongest Agudat Israel, Mizrachi, Hitachdut, Histadrut Hacijonit, Poale Syjon (right-wing and left-wing) as well as Bund. Just before the War about 10 thousand people of Jewish origin inhabited the town and another 5 thousand lived in the neighbourhoods.

Since the beginning of the occupation Jewish people were forced to slavery work, including that in the camps outside the town, in Chelmiec, Lipie, Roznow, Rytro as well as at ghetto plants. The closed area was finally marked out in 1941. It consisted of two parts: one being in the center of the town and another in the district called Pieklo.

The first execution of the Jews took place in May 1940 and then the following in January, June and August 1941. A group of Nowosadecki rabbis were sent to Oswiecim (Auschwitz). Several hundred people were shot on April 29th, 1942 at the Jewish cemetery. Another several hundred - outside the town, in Rdziostow and Mszana Dolna. In August 1942 the ghetto was liquidated and the Jewish population was sent to the camp in Belzec. From ghetto inhabitants only some people who had been hiding in the neighbourhoods managed to survive.

Lemkos

In Poland the most recognized theory of the origin of this ethnic group with its own language, culture and traditions is a so called theory of Vlachs migration. The theory says that starting XII century, along the main range of the Carpathian Mountains, from the territory of the present-day Romania, the Vlachs shepherds started its trip (the Vlachs colonization). On their way they mixed their blood with that of the people covering the territory of the today's Ukraine, and also accepted their religion and culture.

The current Polish territory saw these migrations at the turn of XIII and XIV centuries. The migration reached the territory of Silesian Beskids. This process was named as colonization on the Vlachs rights. Though the deeper they entered the Polish territory, the stronger influence of the local traditions they felt. The groups that reached the farthest western areas failed to preserve their ethnic and cultural identity. Between XV and XVII centuries, when migrations finally came to the end, the people arrived experienced the change of their traditions. And thus the wandering shepherds turned into the settled agricolist. By the end of XVI century most villages from the XX-century maps already existed. Lemkos called themselves Rusyns. The name "Lemko" appeared at the beginning of XIX century and derives from the common expression "lem" which means "only", "but". Initially only the neighbouring Boykos and Hutsuls used this name but soon it became widely known. Wincenty Pol called Lemkos "Czuchoncy", though both the name as well as the described territory considered to be a "total myth" by ethnographers.

Another theory of Lemkos origin is a so called White Croatians one. The theory believes that the Carpathian Mountains had been constantly inhabited by the Slavic population before V century that is proved, i.a. by the town in Trzcinica near the Ropa river and then till Wisloka before VII century. And only in VII century as a result of the arrival of the Western Slavic population or due to the natural expansion towards more fertile lands, the Croatian population occupied Dalmatia territory. This is indicated in the notes of the anonymous continuator of "De administrando imperio" by emperor Constantine Porphyrogennetos, where in the XXX part the arrival of this population from their motherland White Croatia located in the area of the present-day Krakow is described. This note was as often criticized as supported. As an example, P. Rittera Vitezovic in his chronicle Kronika aliti spomen vsega svijeta vikov (1696) provides a detailed description of the Croatians departure place called Babia Gora mountain. A number of authors (e.g. H. Paszkiewicz, P. R. Magocsi) position the Croatians near San and even in Przemysl.

Most probably that the Croatians covering a large territory along the Carpathians were divided by the strong migration of the Hungarians and Vlachs. As the time went these groups assimilated and changed their religions as well as accepted the language of the Aromanian Vlachs. So called Vlachs migration from XIII till XIV century was mainly migration of the Slavic Vlachs as well as the Slavs/ White Croatians that were leaving already not so friendly Hungarian Kingdom.

The White Croatian theory is one of the basics of the ideology of Carpatho-Rusyns population. It was firstly voiced by Slovak Adam F. Kollara (1718-1783) in his work Humillium promemoria de ortu, progressu et in Hungaria incolatu gentis Ruthenicae (1749). Ioannik Bazilowicz (1742-1821) as well as Daniel Babil in Historia Diocesana and Ioann Pastelij (1741-1799) in Historia Diocesis Munkatsiensis, as well as De origine Ruthenorum continued and developed this theory. Today it is, above all, supported by Paul Robert Magocsi.

Based on almost the same facts, the third theory appeared. It says that the White Croatians lived in the Poland Lesser Voivodoship till Krakow and identified themselves with the Kievan Rus. This serves as an evident for the ethnical territory of the Ukrainians. Rusyns were moved to the mountains by the "catholic expansion" and left to survive on the lands not good enough for the Polish colonization. This was the origin of "Lemkowszczyzna" and "Rus Szlachtowska". The above theory is promoted mostly by N. Grushevski and J. Tarnowycz.

The fourth theory offers the Thracians tribes living in the Carpathians already in Old Roman times to be the Lemkos origin. This population was mainly involved in the mountain grazing and herding and despite numerous migrations had to survive on the mountain pastures not so friendly to tribes looking for new territories. As the time went they assimilated with their Slavic neighbours. This theory is provided as an evidence for the common language elements (in particular the herding terms) and material culture. This theory was never treated seriously due to many inner mismatches of the theory facts. And finally the last theory partially developed by the Polish investigators (in particular AL. Bartoszczuk) about the Polish origin of the population living on the Baltic hills of the Carpathian Mountains. Lechites tribes as well as Polish migration of Casimir the Great times were russified due to the church and Slavic traditions influence. The theory says that the main part of the population was of Polish origin and only some of Vlachs/ Orthodox.

In 90-s XX century Prof. Paul Robert Magocsi as well as Prof. Paul Best classified this autochthonous minority as Carpatho-Russians. On the territory of present-day Poland, Slovakia, Ukraine and Serbia live about 1 200 000 people of Carpatho-Russian origin, including besides Lemkos, also Boykos and Hutsuls who managed to withstand ukrainization as well as still feel its Carpatho-Rusyns identity with the hope to become the fourth Eastern Slavic nation along with the Ukrainians, Russian and Belorussians.

The WW II times witnessed firstly freewill departures of Lemkos to the Soviet Ukraine and farther to USSR. In the times of resettlement this movement became stronger (due to the influence of the Ukrainian national propaganda) and even gained the forced character (agreement between Poland and Soviet Ukraine about the nation resettlement). Though only the Operation Wisla, basing on the blame of the Lemkos-Rusyns in the support of UIA (Ukraine Insurgent Army) in 1947, resulted in the deportation of the most Lemkos (about 40%) from so called Lemkowszczyzna (Lemkos territory) to the Regained territories. This process led to the fact that the Lemko families left in Poland, Ukraine or Russia often lost their national identity. Despite many difficulties older generation tried to save the native culture and language. This was particularly easy to do for Lemkos in Poland, as since 1956 after several "thaws", Lemkos could ask for permission to return to their original territories unless another Polish citizens sent to settle Lemkowszczyzna had not occupied it.

Nowadays larger settlements of Lemkos who feel their national identity can be found in the following towns of the Poland Lesser Voivodoship:
Losie, Krynica -Zdroj, Nowica, Zdynia, Gladyszow, Hanczowa, Uscie Gorlickie (former Uscie Ruskie), Bartne, Bielanka, Nowy Sacz, Maszkowice, Gorlice, Grybow, Muszyna, Dubne, Krolowa Gorna (former Krolowa Ruska), Bednarka, Rozdziele, Wysowa-Zdroj, Regetow, Konieczna, Kunkowa.