14 Facts About Hieronim Derdowski

Hieronim Derdowski was a Kashubian intellectual and activist.

Hieronim Derdowski was born to Kashubian parents in the Pomeranian village of Wiele in the German Empire.

At the time Hieronim Derdowski was better known as a poet.

Hieronim Derdowski was born on March 9,1852 in Wiele, German Empire.

Hieronim Derdowski's arrival made Winona a major center of Polish-American intellectual life.

Hieronim Derdowski involved himself in the affairs of Saint Stanislaus Kostka Parish.

Tensions often rose, especially during the parish's rapid growth in the early 1890s and Hieronim Derdowski was in the thick of things, more often than not fanning the flames.

Pacholski as pastor, Saint Stanislaus returned to an even keel and Hieronim Derdowski played a more settled role in the life of Winona's Kashubian community.

Hieronim Derdowski combined, both in his life and in his writing, his devotion to both of his heritages: Kashubian and Polish.

Hieronim Derdowski supported the retention of old Kashubian ways, but considered that his native culture was viable only under the larger and more pervasive Polish culture; an educated Kashubian had to be an educated Pole:.

Hieronim Derdowski felt that knowledge of Polish among the Kashubs should be deepened, as it could act as their weapon of defence against Germanisation.

Hieronim Derdowski further insisted that Kashubian Americans were obliged to learn and observe both Polish and Kashubian traditions while becoming solid citizens of their new country.

Hieronim Derdowski's works were influential upon Dr Aleksander Majkowski and the Society of Young Kashubians; they continue to receive considerable attention from Kashubian and Polish scholars today.

Hieronim Derdowski's works were part of the anthology Modra struna.