Belchatow Parish History

Belchatow

(courtesy Omar Welke)

Settlement and history – The German colonies of Rassy Hol., Kalduny Hol. and Myszaki Hol. in Petrikau were first settled in 1795. Other colonies followed in the Belchatow area, including – Huta Poraj, Pawlow szkolny, and Szkolwierzyniec. But the first German evangelical Tuchmacher (cloth makers) and Handwerker (craftsmen) did not arrive until 1804. The same occurred in the nearby small city of Grocholice.

A much stronger colonization by German Evangelicals is apparent in 1824 to 1830 when evangelical entries in the Catholic Church books are very evident. The first evidence of an organized Evangelical Church in the Belchatow area dates to 1820. But the first Belchatow Parish was not established until 1837. Kle which had been part of the parish, broke away in 1847 and in 1850 Belchatow absorbed the former Reformed Church members of Zelow.

A mass exodus occurred from the parish between 1870 and 1875, and most of these souls headed for Volhynia. Whole settlements uprooted including Zwierzyniec, Stoki, Wola, Mikorska, Janow, Rassy, Kelchenhof.

Villages associated with Belchatow:

Zwierzyniec

Stoki

Wola

Mikorsk

Janow

Rassy

Kelchenhof

Huta Poraj

Pawlow Szkolny

Szkolwierzyniec

Kalduny

Myszaki

Pawlow