Alexander Treichel (1837–1901) – zapomniany etnograf z pogranicza Kaszub i Kociewia
Abstract
Alexander Treichel was mostly known as an amateur archaeologist. His
truest passion was to portray customs of Pomerelian autochthons in 19th century.
Having graduated from law and economic studies in Berlin, he decided to return
to Pomerelia so as to inherit and run his parents manor in Wilcze Błota near
Stara Kiszewa. Throughout the years, he was wandering around the villages
around Kościerzyna, in which he wrote down pieces of the Pomerelian folklore
sung and told by local housewives. He shared knowledge of local customs
gained during these journeys at sessions of the Berlin Society for Anthropology
and the Danzig Research Society. Fortunately, glass negatives depicting Treichel
himself, as well as scenes of rural everyday life, including field works,
preserved the whirlwind of history. Unfortunately, however, his scientific output
remains to await discovery.
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