top of page

Former Rakoszyce

While looking for photos of old Rakoszyce, I found them on the website polska-org.pl (formerly dolny-slask.org.pl). Among them there is, among others, the photography of our school. Perhaps some of you managed to find other old photos of your town. Let's try to look for them, maybe we can still discover something really interesting.

Below is a photo gallery from polska-org.pl .
PS The gallery has also been updated with illustrations from other sources.

Galeria
Historia Rakoszyc
History of the village of Rakoszyce

Rakoszyce is a multi-road village located about 10 km south-east of Środa Śląska. Rakoszyce belongs to the commune of Środa Śląska, County Średzki, Dolnośląskie Province, formerly Wrocław Province. About 773 inhabitants live here. Rakoszyce is located in the Silesian Lowland. The geographic location is also known: 51 ° 6 'north latitude and 16 ° 40' east longitude.

In the 13th century, the Polish knight Radaco was the owner of the local goods. Rakoszyce was named after him. The name was changing - first it was Radacowicz, then Racowicz, Racwiz, Ragschiz, Rakschitz and Rackschütz. In 1324, Rakoszyce fell into the hands of the German von Falckenhayn, von Lest, from which it was the last male descendant of Hans Christoph von Lest who died in a duel with his brother-in-law (stabbed), as evidenced by a well-preserved stone plate with an inscription at the church. Until 1834, Rakoszyce was owned by the von Debschütz family, then the von Stoesser family, and passed into the possession of the von Kramst family from Chwalimierz. Georg von Kramsta was known for his social and charitable activities, he founded a hospital in Środa and a church in Rakoszyce. After his death in 1901 the goods passed into the hands of his son Hans Georg von Kramst. In the south-eastern part of the village there is a manor complex. From the beginning of the 18th century, the property frequently changed owners, most often through marriage of daughters. From the hands of Falkenhan - Buchow it passed to the von Lesses, then to the von Dobchützs, from 1838 to the von Stoessen, then the Mannas, and finally it was included in the Majorate of the von Kramsts from Chwalimierz.

In the 1970s, in the southern part of the village, west of the road to Świdnica Polska, a housing estate for state-owned farm workers was built according to typical designs made of prefabricated panels. The estate consists of eight apartment blocks with 126 apartments. In 1984, a health center was built next to the estate, also according to a typical design.

In the village there is a branch church of St. John of Nepomuk, built in the second half of the nineteenth century (1890/91 - the end of the construction of the church, 1893 - the church tower was added). Thanks to the inhabitants of Rakoszyce and the Wrocław Diocese, it was expanded in 1993.

A

ROUTES AND MEANS OF COMMUNICATION

A

One of the highest peaks in the vicinity of Rakoszyce is Mount Latosa (formerly Burkenberg - which meant the mountain of birches). Its height is 160.7 m.

The whole village rises to a height of 145 to 169 meters above sea level. jenkowice hill (or another name - windmill mountain). Unfortunately, in 1926 it was demolished for unknown reasons. From the beginning of the village's existence, the road system has not changed, only the surface has been improved over time. The oldest residents remember that these were asphalt and paved roads. A provincial road runs through Rakoszyce.

There are many bus stops in the village. The first stop was made in the 1950s, previously people traveled to nearby towns by carts. Since 2000, in addition to the PKS line, private (microbus) transport has been added to support the Środa Śląska - Kąty Wrocławskie route. Until March 2001, the nearest post office was in Świdnica Polska, and later in Środa Śląska. In the past (data from around 1933), postal communication was provided by a postal vehicle, which traveled the route Kąty Wrocławskie - Środa Śląska and back twice a day.

A

SOCIAL AND CULTURAL LIFE

A

Based on the data from 1933, we learn that the following organizations existed in Rakoszyce before the war:

  • Military union

  • People's union

  • volunteer Fire Department

  • Shooting organization

  • Organization of women

  • Organization of German girls

  • Evangelical choir

  • Evangelical organization of young girls

  • The beekeepers' union

  • Farmers' union

Until 1996, the Circle of Rural Housewives was active.

Currently, the TSO is active.

There is a primary school in Rakoszyce. Children learn in two buildings (the older one from the 20th century and the newly built one in the 1990s). The old school building was built in 1935. The building was one-story, brick, plastered, with a roof supported on a pillar creating an arcade, later built-up and glazed.

On February 9, 1945, the school was closed due to hostilities. After the fighting, there were traces of bullet marks on the building. In 1946, children from Rakoszyce and the surrounding villages attended a school in Świdnica Polska.

In 1947, the school in Rakoszyce was reopened in a building borrowed in the village. The school was re-opened thanks to Teresa Danowska (later Zmioch), who was the only teacher at this school. At that time, it was a 4-grade school attended by 57 children. There was a library in the school (about 50 volumes), and the village had 255 inhabitants at that time (i.e. 3.5 times less than today).

In 1951, scouting was organized for the first time on the premises of the school. In 1984, the Social Committee for the Expansion of Schools was established. At that time, the headmaster of the school was Henryk Graboń. In 1985, construction started and in December 1992 the new building was put into use. It was a 7-grade school, and in 1999 a gymnasium was also established. In the years 1993-4, the school received a computer lab. Today, 157 students study at school (2001), 90 students at junior high school.

After the war, the social and cultural life began to develop quickly.

The first mayor was Józef Latos (the hill near Rakoszyce was named after him).

The first councilor was Czesława Kusa, who fought to resume the school's activities, was active (20 years) in the Rural Housewives' club. At that time, the common room was located at the crossroads and then behind the cemetery. There were a lot of parties and dancing parties, weddings, harvest festivals, traveling cinema, theater, etc.

A lot of interesting information has been preserved to this day thanks to the German teacher Wilhelm Hoffman, who lived in Rakoszyce, who described the place in detail in a book published in 1933. We learn that at that time Rakoszyce was inhabited by 489 inhabitants (232 men and 257 women), of which 394 Evangelicals and 95 Catholics. 125 farms were owned by 800 ha, of which:

  • 175 ha of rye

  • 100 ha of wheat

  • 35 ha of barley

  • 85 ha of oats

  • 42 ha of forests

  • 10 hectares of gardens

  • 13 ha of home areas (courtyards)

  • 120 ha of potatoes

  • 50 ha of sugar beet

  • 15 ha of fodder beet

  • 45 ha of clover, alfalfa

  • 5 ha of legumes

  • 50 ha of meadows

A

Data on the possession of farm animals, dogs and bees:

December 1, 1932

June 16, 1933

A

  • 164 hives

  • 45 dogs

  • 254 geese

  • 118 ducks

  • 1247 hens

  • 91 horses

  • 525 pigs

  • 392 head of cattle (including 171 cows)

  • 47 goats

A

At that time, the residents owned 1 passenger car and 10 motorcycles. The largest plant in the town was the distillery, which could produce up to 250,000 liters of spirit annually. There was also a shooting range in Rakoszyce.

A

Northeast of the village, by the road to Pustynka, stood a gallows, later a wooden cross. There were also interesting natural monuments in Rakoszyce:

A

  • Napoleon's Poplar - a huge, tall tree that grew at the entrance to the village by the road to Kulin, reminded us of the march of Napoleon's troops. The poplar was then visible from Wednesday. During the construction of the Rakoszyce - Kulin road, it was cut, previously damaged by lightning.

  • Hitler's Oak - planted on May 1, 1933. in front of the Evangelical Church in honor of the chancellor - Adolf Hitler

  • A boulder from Scandinavia, transferred during the Ice Age, discovered during a school trip on March 25, 1930. It is located in the eastern part of the Kuliński forest. It measures 2.5 meters in height and 3.5 meters in circumference, and weighs 600 hundredweight (1 hundredweight = 40.55 kg). It is Swedish red granite. Unfortunately, despite the efforts of the schoolchildren, the boulder was not found.

A

In the manor complex there were farm buildings: outbuildings, stables, cowsheds and barns from the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, brick, plastered, one- and two-storey with gable roofs. At the time of use by state-owned farms, barns and barns were still used for the same purpose, while the stables were rebuilt and the so-called a social building, which housed a canteen, accommodation rooms and two common rooms. In the years 1989-92 there was also a class "0" division.

Source: "Historia Rakoszyc" published in 2001 by teachers and students of the Junior High School in Rakoszyce

(Copied from Rakoszyce.pl )

Rakoszyce Commune

Rakoszyce Commune, a former rural commune, existing in the years 1945-1954 in the voivodeship Wrocław (today's Dolnośląskie Voivodeship). The seat of the commune authorities was Rakoszyce.

The Rakoszyce Commune was established after World War II in the area of ​​the so-called Recovered Territories (the so-called II administrative district - Lower Silesia). On June 28, 1946, the commune - as an administrative unit of the Średzki poviat - became part of the newly created voivodeship Wroclaw.

A

As of July 1, 1952, the commune consisted of 15 clusters:

A

  • Budziszów,

  • Chwalimierz,

  • Gozdawa,

  • Jakubkowice,

  • Jugowiec,

  • Juszczyn,

  • Kryniczno,

  • Kulin,

  • Rakoszyce,

  • Samsonowice,

  • Siemidrożyce,

  • Szymanowice,

  • Świdnica Poland,

  • Wilków,

  • Wojczyce

A

The kehilla was abolished on September 29, 1954, along with a reform introducing clusters in place of communes. The unit was not restored on January 1, 1973 along with another reform reactivating the commune, and its former area was included mainly in the new commune of Środa Śląska.

A

Source: Wikipedia

Retrieved from: Rakoszyce.pl

Gmina Rakoszyce
History of the Catholic Church

Founder: Georg von Kramsta from Chwalimierz. Design: Felix Henry.

The church is in the style of the Dutch Neo-Renaissance. Oriental, single-nave with a pentagonal presbytery and a diagonally buttressed tower from the west, brick faced with brick. A gable roof on the nave, a five-slope on the presbytery, an octagonal spire on the tower, covered with sheet metal. The spire is topped with a pinnacle with a ball and a cross. There is also a cross on the wall, protruding above the roof from the chancel side. In the corners of the tower there are quarter-circular projections. The windows are closed with a semicircular framed with keystones. Crowning cornices. Three seventeenth-century tombstones are embedded in the outer walls of the church. von Falkenhayn and von Gentreich. Church equipment from the 19th and 20th centuries. Around the church, there is a cemetery fenced (information out of date) with a modern openwork steel fence. Several tombstones from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries have survived there.

To the west of the church, a tomb chapel with walls:

A

  • Carl Christoph von Lest epitaph from the second half of the 19th century.

  • Two plates with full-figure reliefs of a man and a woman from the Renaissance period

In the western corner of the cemetery there is a Maltese penitential cross 71 x 77 x 32 cm made of granite.

A

The seat of the parish office is Kulin.

A

Previously, the office of the parish priest was held from 1946:

A

  • Fr. Adam Dziedzic

  • Fr. Stanisław Kotoski

  • Fr. Cyprian Świątek

  • Fr. Roman Kojder

  • Fr. Bolesław Kostka

  • Fr. Edward Tużnik

  • Fr. Edward Ogrodowicz

  • Fr. canon Ryszard Cyman

  • Fr. Andrzej Plewa

  • Fr. Andrzej Lignar

  • Fr. Leszek Woźny

  • Fr. Mieczysław Kinaszczuk

  • Fr. Paweł Stypa

To the east of the church there is a building (formerly occupied by the Volunteer Fire Department) in the form of a rotunda from the end of the 20th century. Made of brick, plastered, with a conical roof topped with a pinnacle with a ball.

A

Source: Rakoszyce.pl

A

Kościół katolicki

Kościół. Widok współczesny

History of the Evangelical Church

The war and the post-war period impeded the construction of a new school building, so it was not built until 1935. On October 14, 1901, the construction of the church began. Bricks and tiles came from the brickyard in Chwalimierz, and the granite blocks from the quarries in Strzegom. The construction works were carried out by the construction company "Freytag" from Wrocław. Roof works were performed by an inhabitant of Rakoszyce Berneis, part of the carpentry work inside was done by a carpenter from Rakoszyce Kluge. The organ with fourteen votes was made by the company Schlag and sons from Świdnica. The bells were made in Bochum (Ruhr District), they had a diameter of 1.124 m, 0.890 m, 0.758 m and a weight of 610 kg, 300 kg and 200 kg. Construction costs were approximately 92,000 marks. 2/3 of the costs were borne by the founder Georg von Kramsta, the rest was borne by the faithful. On April 13, 1902, the cornerstone was ceremonially laid. Unfortunately, the founder G. von Kramst did not live to see this event. On August 2, 1903, Pastor Stelzer made a solemn consecration, for which the Empress founded a magnificent Bible with a personal dedication. The altar, pulpit and baptismal font still came from the old church. The painting on the altar "Christ on the Mount of Olives" was painted by Countess Waldersse from the neighboring Sikorski.

A

The church was equipped with:

A

  • central heating

  • electric lighting

  • 500 seats

  • a tower 50 meters high.


It was the only (?) Church in the entire territory of Lower Silesia. There were three choirs in the center, the first was the size of the entire church, the second was smaller, and the third was the organ. During World War II, a bullet hit the church. The tower was knocked down and there was a bullet hole in the dome. The local population wanted to renovate the church, but the commune council did not agree to it. If the parish priest from Kulina had ordained him, he would not have been dismantled. However, it was an Evangelical church, so the parish priest and Catholics had no right to decide about its fate. The council hired a team of builders for demolition. On the news of the demolition, the villagers gathered at the church. They rapped pots and pans, there were fights. The Church was defended in every possible way. Many have been arrested. Despite strong resistance, it was pulled down. The bricks were most likely taken to central Poland. There was an underground tunnel in the church leading to Chwalimierz (?).

Kościół ewangelicki
A vampire from the palace in Rakoszyce

A

In Rakoszyce, heading towards Budziszów, several dozen meters behind the church, you can see an inconspicuous building hidden behind trees on the right. It has been abandoned for many years, and it is known what awaits the object that has long been devastated and its condition is deteriorating every year. It is a palace in Rakoszyce.

Anyone who comes here will not notice anything noteworthy, and this impression will be enhanced by its uninteresting shape of a square block and empty window sockets. However, this object is quite interesting in terms of history and architecture, which can be seen by more insightful tourists. The village of Rakoszyce is mentioned in sources as early as 1301. It is not known exactly when there was a palace or a manor here, the first mention of it I know dates back to the 17th century, but the building may have existed here much earlier. This property had many owners. In the 15th century they were ruled by von Falkenhayn - Buchow, in the 16th century von Lest, from the middle of the 18th century. until 1837 the owner was Nickel Otto Ferdinand von Debschϋtz. In the following years, the von Stoessen and Mann families are mentioned. Eventually, it was included in the von Kramst Majorate and remained in his hands until 1945. After the war, the building was not very lucky, but it was not demolished. Immediately after the end of the war, his condition was terrible, almost everything was stolen. He went through several fires in his later years. Several renovations were carried out there, contrary to the conservator's recommendations, the effect of which can now be seen. Its present appearance dates back to around 1800, when Nickel Otto Ferdinand von Debschϋtz rebuilt an earlier palace from the 17th or 18th century, fragments of which are still preserved today, such as two barrel vaulted rooms in the north-west part and part of the cellars. The building was built of slate stone, it used to have a hipped roof covered with slate and a façade rich in ornaments. It is worth mentioning that it was once surrounded by a moat, which was filled in in the 1970s. Its fragment has been preserved nearby as a silted pool. There is also a bridge that used to lead to the palace. Many other historic elements have been preserved in the building, such as a sandstone door frame or a fragment of a fireplace in the interior, or rather a hole in the wall left by its stolen stone elements, a bas-relief of Atlas holding the ground. These remains testify to its former glory. In turn, in the nearby park there was an obelisk dedicated to Nickel Otto Ferdinand von Debschϋtz, one of the landrat of the Środa poviat. The building is currently owned by the Agricultural Agency and is undoubtedly one of the most valuable monuments of the village. Will it be another historical monument that will disappear from the maps of our poviat?

Who was the haunt there?

There were legends about this palace as one of the few in the poviat. According to legends, it was built in the 12th century, and its location and surroundings indicate that in the old days it was a fortress on the water. Therefore, before the war, it was supposed to have a secret, underground passage leading to one of the surrounding hills called Birkenberge. However, it collapsed as it was quite old and not maintained. Many, many years ago, the castle belonged to Mr. von Lest, who was called Lask by the people. Von Lest had to die in a duel, which is to be documented, and is buried in the Catholic cemetery in Rakoszyce. He was very cruel, he oppressed his subjects mercilessly and took revenge even after death. He appeared in the castle at midnight, giving no rest to the people who lived there. After some time, the inhabitants decided to get rid of the ghoul. They advised that the coffin with Lest be dug out and taken far into the forest and buried there again. They did so too. They loaded the coffin on a ox-cart, but as soon as they started moving, the figure of the deceased von Lest appeared in the upper window of the castle, telling them: "Don't treat the oxen badly." After these words, the oxen stopped as if they could not pull the wagon any further. Six more oxen were attached, but the coffin was only transported to the beginning of the forest known as Laski's forest. There, the villagers buried the monstrous lord and since then he stopped haunting the inhabitants of the castle. The legend says that when someone finds himself at the place of his burial at midnight, he will be lost, he will never leave the forest, because he will not find his way back. This legend, like many others, holds some truth. Von Lest actually lived in Rakoszyce and there is a tombstone in the local church to this day. The presented application is one of the few vampire stories in the district, although it does not talk about sucking blood, it has elements typical of stories about vampires.

A

Source: Gazeta "Roland" No. 11 November 2004, author of the article: Marek Włodarczyk

A

Wampir

Jeszcze jedną, bogato ilustrowaną relację możemy znaleźć na portalu Nieustanne wędrowanie: https://nieustanne-wedrowanie.pl/palac-w-rakoszycach/. Warto się z nią zapoznać. Poniżej jej fragment.

Nieustanne wędrowanie

Nieustanne wędrowanie

[...]

Pałac w Rakoszycach w rękach von Lesta

O tym właścicielu dóbr w Rakoszycach od wieków niesie się upiorna jego sława. Żeby nie było niejasności, Carl Christoph von Lest to postać autentyczna. Epitafium z jego danymi znajduje się na terenie rakoszyckiego kościoła, i kto chce, może tam przybyć i zobaczyć je na własne oczy. To właśnie z tej płyty grobowej wiemy, że von Lest urodził się w październiku AD 1610. Mając 42 lata, ożenił się z Urszulą z Falckenhaynów z Rakoszyc. Kiedy Ula zmarła, wziął sobie drugą żonę – Marię Elżbietę od Braunów z Komornik. Z drugą małżonką miał dzieci. Syna i córkę. Carl von Lest zmarł w czerwcu 1681 roku. Poległ podczas pojedynku. Więcej z płyty grobowej przeczytać nie możemy. A szkoda, bo byłoby o czym wspominać. Lest zapisał się w tej lokalnej historii jako upiór z piekła rodem. Jako ciemiężca bez litości i serca…

„To nie baśń, że to kawał dziada był…”

Tak skomentował tę postać mój znajomy, podczas jednej z dysput na jego temat. Nawet teraz, kiedy przybyłam do Rakoszyc po fotografię jego epitafium, zabarykadował się złośliwy dziad jeden. To oczywiście taki żarcik, jednak pisano już o nim w kronikach od 1677 roku, jak to po wizytacji z biskupstwa uradzono, że należy znaleźć sposób na zmuszenie Lesta do wyłożenia środków na kościelny remont. Najwyraźniej nie był zbyt chętny, skoro taka o to walka wtedy z klerem była.  Bał się prawdopodobnie wody święconej i na ofiarę nie chciał dać. W tym samym roku chłopi z pobliskiej wsi, na piśmie skarżyli się, że Lest i panowie z Gozdawy po polach na koniach polowania sobie urządzali i szkody straszne im w plonach robili…

Tyran z Rakoszyc. Historia prawie prawdziwa

No prawie, ponieważ od tamtego czasu minęło, jak by nie patrzeć, prawie 340 lat.  Żeby tropić taką historię, to naprawdę trzeba mieć wyobraźnię. Nie sposób w stu procentach ogarnąć legendy, która przez stulecia powtarzana była wielokrotnie i z całą pewnością zniekształcana. Jednak pewne rzeczy pozwalają się namierzyć, a nawet dotknąć. Posłuchajcie…

Von Lest zamieszkiwał zamek w Rakoszycach, który otoczony był wówczas wodą. Panował na tej ziemi z okrucieństwem, nie znając litości dla chłopów. Wymierzał surowe kary, zamykał tych biedaków w lochu. Gnębił lud tej ziemi niemiłosiernie. Jego rządy były straszliwym czasem dla mieszkańców wsi w tamtym okresie. Kiedy zmarł śmiercią tragiczną, pojedynkując się, tutejsza ludność odetchnęła z ulgą. Pochowano go na cmentarzu przykościelnym. Von Lest jednak nie zaznał spokoju po śmierci. Po zmroku ukazywał się w zamku, a także nawiedzał mieszkańców Rakoszyc. Szczególnie tych, z którymi wcześniej miał najwięcej do czynienia. Nie wystarczało mu, że za życia czynił im zło, mścił się nadal z zaświatów.

Pałac w Rakoszycach i upiorny karawan

Wtedy to uradzono, jak się upiora pozbyć z Rakoszyc. Nocą kilku śmiałków poszło na cmentarz i wykopali Lesta z ziemi. Trup jeszcze się nie rozsypał, ale już konkretnie cuchnął. Trumna nie była przegniła, więc wyjęli ją razem z ciałem i zapakowali na wóz, który miały ciągnął dwa woły. Planowano wywieźć denata daleko do lasu i tam zakopać, aby nie mógł znaleźć drogi do domu i przestał nękać żywych. Upiorny ten karawan ruszył w obraną stronę, mijając zamek Lesta. Wtedy to w oknie warowni ukazała się postać demona. Wychylił się i wyciągnął w ich kierunku zaciśniętą pieść. Krzyknął przeraźliwie: „Nie batożcie wołów!”. W tamtej chwili zwierzęta natychmiast stanęły jak wryte i nie chciały ruszyć dalej. Opierały się batożeniu i nie ruszyły nawet o krok. Sprowadzono więc kolejne i dopiero w sile ośmiu zwierząt pociągnięto wóz do lasu. Z każdym krokiem jednak ten przerażający ładunek stawał się coraz cięższy. Zwierzęta nie miały siły ciągnąć jednego ciała,  jakby jego waga równa był kilku tonom.

Pałac w Rakoszycach i tajemniczy grób w lesie

Zatrzymano się więc w lesie, w miejscu gdzie zwierzęta kategorycznie odmówiły dalszej wędrówki. Wieśniacy wykopali dół w ziemi i zakopali tam upiora z Rakoszyc. Legenda głosi, że po tym incydencie von Lest zniknął na zawsze ze wsi, jednak każdy, kto przez przypadek zagubił się nocą w okolicy leśnej mogiły, tracił orientację, nie mógł znaleźć drogi do domu i mieszało mu się w głowie. Wielu nigdy nie powróciło do wioski.

No tak. Legenda legendą, ale w Rakoszycach ona nadal żywa, ponieważ ludzie mówili nam o niej, a kiedy pytaliśmy o miejsce pochówku Lesta, wskazywali na las. [...]

Opowieści o rakoszyckim wampirze wersja druga

Wampir II
bottom of page