Deliverable 4.1 Wymysorys

The Vilamovian case: Museum of Vilamovian Culture

The Linguistic Landscape of Wilamowice

Wymysoü (Polish ‘Wilamowice’) is a small town (3000 inhabitants) located in Southern Poland on the borders of Silesia and Lesser Poland. It was founded in the 13th century by settlers of Germanic origin. Vilamovians were merchants and many of them travelled to Western and Southern European cities because of their businesses. In the 19th century, as national activists attempted to spread the idea of belonging to the German and Polish nations among the inhabitants of surrounding villages, the Vilamovians felt more of a belonging to their specific ethnic category. One of the most important symbols of their ethnic otherness was the Wymysiöeryś language, which developed from the vernacular tongue of the first settlers. The 19th century also saw the first attempts to standardize the language along with poets who wrote literature in the language. In 1945 the usage of the language was forbidden and Vilamovians were persecuted because of their ethnic difference. Many of them were imprisoned or expelled from their houses. The 1990s was a period of stagnation, where negative ideologies and attitudes toward minoritised languages blocked efforts to bring the Wymysorys language back into everyday usage.

The Museum of Vilamovian Culture

First in 21st century the bottom-up activities of the youngest generation, supported by the oldest native speakers and since 2014 by academics from University of Warsaw made the revitalization possible. One of the most important projects, among language teaching, Wymysorys language theatre group, is the Musem of Vilamovian Culture, opened in 2024.

The mission of Museum of Vilamovian Culture is much wider than a mission of a classic museum. The goal of this institution is not only the documentation of the past and presentation of collected exhibits, but also the support of language revitalization activism and creating safe space for usage of Wymysorys language, which has been marginalized in many domains, especially in public sphere. The role of the Museum as an official institution of culture is crucial in situation of lack of state support for Wymysiöeryś (it is not recognized by Polish law as a regional language).

Positive impact on the community

The existence of Museum and the bilingualism of the exhibition, as well as of technical messages (“toilet”, “parking space”, “exit”) is an impulse for strengthening of positive ideologies and attitudes toward Wymysiöeryś language. It made the Vilamovian culture and language more prestigious, and thanks to it, there are more and more people interested in joining the team of activists.

 Museum is a safe space to speak Wymysiöeryś, as well as for multilingualism. The multiple projects, coordinated by the Association “Wilamowianie”, which did not have a permanent space for organizing events, can be sheltered now in the building of the Museum. For example, meetings concerning Vilamovian music are organized every month, where 70-90 persons come to sing together in Wymysiöeryś and Polish and learn songs in the tongue, which has been spoken in the town.