Dutch Influences
In the 16th and 17th centuries, settlers from the Netherlands and Friesland, often Mennonites, founded self-governing villages in Royal Prussia. This type of village organization became known as the "Olęder Law," and such villages were called "Holendry" or "Olędry." Inhabitants of these villages were called Olędrzy, regardless of whether they were of Dutch, German or other descent. There were two Mennonite communities in Mazovia: one at Wymyśle Polskie and one at Deutsch Kazun. Some Mennonite adherents lived in nearby villages where a substantial majority of the inhabitants were Lutheran Germans, such as Sady or Świniary, and there was some intermarriage between the two faith groups. These contacts may have contributed to Germanization of these Mennonites.
Read more about this topic: Vistula Germans
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