Kashubia, Kashebe and Kashubians. . .

I was wondering, what is the general impression of Polish people about Kashubians?

My impression is very positive. Last year we went to Kashuby region for summer holidays and it was great. Yes, it`s true they have their different language, but the culture seems more or less the same.

Besides, I remember from the books I have read about WW2 that most Kashubians considered themselves Polish and refused to become Volksdeutsche.

Most of them sided with the Polish in WWII and at lot of them paid a heavy price for it. URL

Unfortunately, their traditional homeland was slap bang in the middle of the Polish Corridor, and this territory was always historically disputed between Prussia (Germany) and Poland. However, there were a few kashubs, like Gunter Grass who did fight with the Nazi's.

I think for sure that they consider themselves both Polish and Kashubian. The language is an interesting mix though, with definitely some Germanic influences.


Regarding cultural differences, breaking lots of glass the night before a wedding and beating each other with birches at Easter rank as good ones!

Yes, we were there too and saw the monument.



You mean, they fought on Nazis` side. But Gunter Grass seems a true German to me, doesn`t he? Did he ever consider himself Kashub?



I didn`t know about those customs.

I believe so URL

Beating eachother with birch? For fun?

Ladies and gentlemen! We have found Europe's kinkiest region.


The Kashubian language usually seems to be defined as a language, ranking it alongside Polish, Sorbian, Czech and Slovak rather thn just a dialect. How many people actually speak it though? How many now speak Polish, and how many German as their main language?

It seems that the Polish language has Germanic influences too - at seemingly every available opportunity, Polish has been influenced by Germanic, Latin, French, English...

So what is so kinky about striking each other with birch branches, As long as I can remember that we too struck our ciotkas with willow branches on Easter monday ( DYNGUS). For this we rec eived a few pennies.. I was taught that this was a common practice in Poland.

I live in Minnesota and this is a place where many Kashubians came. There is a book available entitled The Kashubian Community of Southeast Minnesota.

Being a coastal people, does the salt of the sea run through Kashub veins?

Here's a map for your educational enjoyment.

that's actually an old pagan tradition not just kashubian. they retained it better then others.


sweet map osiol