from 79 €
Mennonites in Poland trip. The tour takes between 5 and 7 hours. We are mostly visiting places located east from Gdansk. Some of them are Mennonite graveyards, traditional houses and settelments.
Mennonites in Poland lived in Żuławy named Werder in German, Poland’s largest area located below the sea level. The distance from Gdansk to Żuławy is very close. Actually eastern district of Gdansk are located on depression area. Żuławy is flat and green region situated by Vistula river delta, close to Baltic Sea. There are hundreds of canals, kilometers of dykes, network of pumps and locks allowed for removing water and gradual drainage of Żuławy territory.
A great share of this work has to be attributed to Dutch and Flemmish settlers – a hardworking, puritan community known as Polish Mennonites.
Mennonites in Poland represented one of the strictest branches of protestantism, which had a lot in common with Amish culture. The Dutch and Flemmish Mennonites lived in Żuławy for over 400 years. They came to Poland as refugees fleeing from religious conflict torn Holland. It was here where they could find new home, peace and freedom.