Folk Attire in Ziemia Sandomierz
The Great Sandomierz Forest Region of Historic Malopolska

Historic Malopolska originally had two regions: Ziemia Sandomierzska and Ziemia Krakowska. Since the beginning of written accounts of medieval Poland, residents have had their own unique and colorful  fashion style which distinguished them from folks in other regions. A late-coming group of settlers, the Lasowiacy, began pioneering the "Sandomierz Wilderness" or Great Sandomierz Forest later than the surrounding areas. In the 16th Century, settlers from Mazovia began to arrive here followed by prisoners of war from several countries. By the late 19th Century, the Lasowiacy were accepted to be a separate sub-ethnic group as they were for 100 years separated by political borders from the Sandomierzanie, another local subethnic group named after the town of Sandomierz, which deepened their isolation. The Lasowiacy folk attire is characterized by its reliance on the colors black, white, and red.


Historic Malopolska
Map of 14th Century Malopolska during the reign of King Casimir the Great

 


Background Music: "Witaj Majowa Jutrzenko"
Karen Wisniewski & Dennis Benarz, 2015