Olenders on the Rise: Dutch Settler Heritage as Cultural Practice in Poland

In Poland, a marked increase in interest has been observed in the Olenders – peasants from Flanders and Friesland – who began settling in the territories of the sixteenth-century Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The first settlements occurred in an area near the Baltic Sea . Settlers also moved along the rivers into other parts of the country. The so-called Olender settlement and subsequently the settlement under the Olender law (referring in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries to other ethnic groups and nationalities) brought positive economic effects in Poland, as well as permanently shaping the natural and cultural landscape that many Poles inhabit today. In addition to the characteristics of selected elements of this heritage, this article highlights the scientific, institutional, and cultural ways of its reconstruction, arguing that these practices contribute to the rising cultural visibility of Olenders. Combining a heritage studies approach with an imagological perspective, the article examines the recurring positive image of the Olenders and relates it to the Polish peasant turn. It argues that the image of the Olender as a free, industrious, and skilled farmer complicates representations of the peasant past centred on serfdom, poverty, and oppression. The article also examines why Olender heritage has gained visibility in contemporary Poland.