Friday, April 19, 2024

Upcoming Events

Sherlock's Genealogical Adventures

Follow Sherlock on his adventures into genealogical mysteries.

3 minutes reading time (581 words)

Jelenia Góra & Dwór Czarne

Poland Traditions & Interest

Tim Firkowski

Sunday, 16 August 2015

2900 Hits

3 Comments

Jacek Jakubiec and the entry to Black ManorToday my big adventure was a day trip to Jelenia Góra just an hour and a half west of Wrocław. I was planning to meet Jacek Jakubiec who is the curator of the museum for Dwór Czarne (Black Manor). I will explain in a moment why I was meeting Jacek. I also have family that lives in the area. I was hoping to meet some family. As it turned out Andrzej Musiał had a family wedding to go to, but Romuald Fabianski and his wife Izabella (Firkowska) would be able to meet me for a short time. They run an Inn and it was busy and were not able to take much time from their day. As I had learned earlier, it just so happens that Izabella knew Jacek Jakubiec.

The drive to Jelenia Góra was scenic and very enjoyable. I arrived exactly when I had calculated and Jacek, Romuald and Izabella were there waiting for me. Jacek had a friend Mr. Ludorowski who spoke English who would be able to be translator especially for more o fthe technical words. Everyone was pleasantly surprised that I was able to speak some Polish, and translations were not always necessary.

Jacek Jakubiec, Izabella Fabianska (Firkowska), Me & Romuald FabianskiAfter a short visit, Romuald and Izabella had to leave, but I am happy that we were able to say hello. I must thank them for the gift of a bottle of some good vodka.

Mr. Ludorowski was a big help with translations of legal and technical aspects of the discussion. I was also interviewed for an article in the community newspaper. I will share that article in a future Blog Post.

Now you are probably wondering why I was meeting the curator of a museum. At the end of 2013 I was contacted by Jacek Jakubiec to help with a mystery her had relating to possible someone from my family who is part of the history of Black Manor. I was in fact able to help him solve this mystery and he was able to finally finish writing a book on the hstory of Black Manor. You can read my previous Blog posts about how we met and the mystery was solved from the links below.

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4

Jacek presented me with an autographed copy of his book, which I was proud to receive. He made sure to mention my contribution to the completion of his book & the Polish American Journal is also mention in the bibliography because they published an article in that newspaper about Black Manor.

Eventually Mr. Ludorowski had to leave and Jacek and I were on our own for translations, but when we needed help with communication, I had the translation

In the courtyard.app on my iPhone that allowed voice translations. We spent another few hours chatting and I learned more about the Manor and its history. His wife Danuta prepared a delicious snack for us, so you will get another food photo!

Although renovations have begun on Black Manor, due to some legal entanglements due to some corrupt individuals, the renovations have been delayed.

Tomorrow, I leave early in the morning for about a three hour drive to Poznań,

Mr. Ludorowski (translator) & Romuald Fabianski

Entry door. The facade around the door was removed and put in a museum.

Black Manor

Short Description of the Manor in 4 languages. DSC01653a

Jacek's Book

Original Beams in the Manor

Racuchy (A type of Pancake) (yeast cakes) with a type of blackberry topping.

Tags:

About the author

Tim Firkowski

I have been doing genealogy research since 2002 & have worked full time as a Professional Genealogist since 2008. I specialize in Polish and American-Canadian Genealogy. As a member of APG, I was the 2010/2011 President of the New England Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists (NEAPG). I have Certificates of Completion for studies in "Foundations of Forensic Genealogy" and "Advanced Forensic Genealogy Techniques". I have been a volunteer librarian at the local Family History Center, and a genealogy research consultant at “Ask the Expert” Ancestry Road Shows. I have traveled to Poland numerous times & researched in churches and archives. At conferences and special events, you may find me dressed up in my Sherlock Holmes outfit, or my Kujawy (the folk costume from the region in Poland where my ancestors came from).

Author's recent posts

Comments 3

Guest - Mirek on Sunday, 16 August 2015 10:49

Hello, I'm Mirek Ludorowski, the translator of yesterday meeting.
It was nice to meet you, Tim and to change languange to some foreign. I haven't used it for some time, so some words have disapeared from my memory, but they quickly came back during the conversation. I was happy to join the discussion and mystery solving.
Jacek Jakubiec gave me information about your quick article on your blog, and I confirm that all you have written has happened and is true
I'm going to write something about our meeting soon and then I'll let you know.
Best regards
Mirek Ludorowski
ludor@wp.pl

0 Reply

Tim Firkowski on Sunday, 16 August 2015 22:35

Thank you for all your help with translation. It was a big help especially with legal and technical words!

0 Reply

Guest - Jacek Jakubiec on Monday, 17 August 2015 05:55

Tim, Ty działasz w imponującym tempie !
Congratulations !!!
Twój tekst - na ile mi moja znajomość angielskiego pozwala - przeczytałem. Mam tylko jedną watpliwość: używasz określenia "museum", ale jego tu jeszcze nie ma. Taka placówka jest tu dopiero planowana. Konkretnie, myślimy o muzeum tradycji rzemieślniczych. To ważne w związku z planem utworzenia w Dworze Czarne oraz w budynkach otaczajacych (dziś to szpetne ruiny!) centrum nauczacznia i doskonalenia rzemieślników w tradycyjnych zawodach budowlanych, renowacyjnych, konserwatorskich etc.
Piszę po polsku, ale mam nadzieję, że to zrozumiesz.
Serdecznie Cię pozdrawiam !

0 Reply