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Viehweg at Harpersdorf
*Note: Click on any picture to enlarge
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WHAT IT IS AND WHY WE CAREThe Viehweg at Harpersdorf [now Twardocice, Poland] is the burial ground of about two hundred Schwenkfelders who were forbidden Christian burial in the local church cemetery. Burial in this dumping ground or ‘Potter's Field’ was a symbol of disgrace to the families of the deceased. Then why were they buried there? In the post-Reformation period, efforts were made by both the Catholic and Lutheran Churches to compel the Schwenkfelders to become members and to present their children for baptism. Since they refused they were treated as heretics and severely persecuted. Refusal of Christian burial was part of the persecution. Between the years 1720 and 1741, more than two hundred Schwenkfelders were interred there. After the migration to America, Rev. Christopher Schultz, in 1772, expressed the hope that the Schwenkfelders would secure this property and convert it into a graveyard with an appropriate monument. Rev. Oswald Kadelbach, a friend of the Schwenkfelders, and a resident of that area, was also desirous that the desecration of this tract be prevented as it was considered a public dump. The local people even came there, gathering loads of soil and exposing the bones of those buried there. About ninety years later, in 1861, Dr. Solomon Schultz, who was visiting hospitals in Europe in preparation for his work at the State Hospital in Danville, Pennsylvania, visited Silesia and the Viehweg. Distressed by what he found, he communicated with Schwenkfelders in America. Money was raised, the ground was purchased, and an attractive monument was erected in 1863. The inscription on the monument reads: (English translation)
‘Here rest in God the faithful Schwenkfelders who
were buried in this Viehweg between 1720 and 1740. Pictures taken during the 1934 pilgrimage showed a well kept area in a grove of birch trees. (reprinted from The Schwenkfeldian, October 1977, pg. 4) |
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A group of Schwenkfelders made a pilgrimage to the Viehweg in 1972 and found the site had not been kept clear of debris and undergrowth. Soon after, the General Conference requested of U.S. Sen. Richard Schweiker (a Schwenkfelder member) that he help open negotiations with the Polish government to reestablish ownership of the ground upon which the monument sits and a process to maintain the grounds. Vice Consul Wiedemann of the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw, Poland, was able to determine that the ground had been awarded to a homesteader who was willing to sell a parcel for a price to be determined. Interestingly, the Germans from the Lutheran Church in Harpersdorf had their cemetery ‘liquidated’ for a farm cooperative storage yard by the Poles. Several exchanges of letters took place in 1976 and 1977 between General Conference, Sen. Schweiker, the U.S. Embassy in Poland, and the Polish government with the outcome that foreign organizations could not own land in Poland. However, the Office for the Protection of the Graves of Foreigners (known as BONGO) could be contacted to initiate restoration of the monument and maintenance of the grounds. The government could purchase the plot at a much more favorable rate from the homesteader and it would be kept as a graveyard memorial. Mr. Vincent Nyce; Dr. Claude Schultz, Jr.; Miss Florence Schultz; Rev. Thomas Byron; Dr. Fritz Richter; and Mr. Foster Schultz as members/representatives of the Viehweg Committee scheduled a visit to the office of the BONGO representative in August 1977 to make initial payment for the clearing and upkeep of the grounds. |
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WHAT IS HAPPENING TODAY AND WHAT YOU CAN DOTwardocice is an agriculture community primarily and people still take an interest in what is happening in the area. They inquired as to why the Viehweg Monument was being refurbished and what it represented. We hope they will recognize the significance their area played in Schwenkfelder history and will take an interest in the preservation. A local resident currently maintains the grounds around the memorial to help honor those who were buried there. The monument itself suffered deterioration over the years and was recently made the target of vandalism with carvings and markings destroying it even further. A few individuals who visited the site in 2001 were able to stimulate interest in restoration. Their Polish guide contacted a company, Grossular, who performed the renovation.
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This was achieved by first using a "wash" to remove algae and fungus and then the graffiti. Following that, they patched up the holes and cracks that had been made by bullets and vandals. The next step was to "sharpen" the lettering and images that had "softened" over the ages due to erosion from the rain and snow. They then carved the elements that had been broken off in the past with matching sandstone and attached them to the proper places on the monument. Finally, they added gold coloring to accent the lettering and placed a "coating" over the monument to protect it from early deterioration over the next few years. The monument as commissioned by Dr. Solomon Schultz in 1863 has been restored to its original splendor. The work was completed in December of 2001 while the snow lay on the ground. Additional funds are welcome to not only insure the completion of the current project but to maintain the area in the future. If this idea appeals to you, please send any contributions to:
Schwenkfelder Library and Heritage Center Checks should be made out to "Schwenkfelder Church" and noted that it is for the Viehweg Monument. If you wish further information, please write to the address above. |
AFTER CHEMICAL WASH & PARTIAL RESTORATION OF COAT
OF ARMS |
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INSCRIPTION BEFORE
English Translation |
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This page was last updated on
Saturday, September 30, 2006 .
© 2000-2002 Society of the Descendants of the Schwenkfeldian Exiles. All
Rights Reserved.
