Tołwin

Tołwin
Village
Tołwin
Coordinates: 52°30′N 22°57′E / 52.500°N 22.950°E / 52.500; 22.950
Country Poland
VoivodeshipPodlaskie
CountySiemiatycze
GminaSiemiatycze
Postal code
17-300[1]
Vehicle registrationBSI

Tołwin [ˈtɔu̯vin] is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Siemiatycze, within Siemiatycze County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, in eastern Poland.[2]

History

Local legend has it that the name of the village comes from an old inn that was located on the Eastern part, at the main crossroad of the village. The story goes that this inn was fully functional up until World War II, and that travelers going on the main route from Białystok to Siemiatycze, would stop at this inn to rest. However, the innkeeper, wanting to keep his clients longer than the usual—and wanting to make a few more pretty pennies—would keep them inebriated with cheap wine. The idea was that the drunken guests would buy more food. The innkeeper always kept large quantities of wine on the main table or "stół wina"—translated to a table full of wine. When these drunken guests would finally get on their way South or North, heavily inebriated, they were often asked by other passersby why they were so drunk. To which the answer was "stół wina" which sounds also like "z Tołwina" or "we are coming from Tołwin". As with all local legends, this story is passed down from generation to generation and has several variations. To which all variations have in common the "table full of wine" at the old inn. Since World War II, the inn has burnt down due to being abandoned. In its place now stands a small wooden cottage built after 1950.

According to the 1921 census, the village was inhabited by 360 people, among whom 330 were Roman Catholic, 22 Jewish, and 8 Orthodox. At the same time, 331 inhabitants declared Polish nationality, 22 Jewish and 7 Belarusian. There were 55 residential buildings in the village.[3]

Five Polish citizens were murdered by Nazi Germany in the village during World War II.[4]

References

  1. ^ "Oficjalny Spis Pocztowych Numerów Adresowych" (PDF). Poczta Polska (in Polish). Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2026.
  2. ^ "Główny Urząd Statystyczny" [Central Statistical Office] (in Polish). To search: Select "Miejscowości (SIMC)" tab, select "fragment (min. 3 znaki)" (minimum 3 characters), enter town name in the field below, click "WYSZUKAJ" (Search).
  3. ^ Skorowidz miejscowości Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej: opracowany na podstawie wyników pierwszego powszechnego spisu ludności z dn. 30 września 1921 r. i innych źródeł urzędowych., t. T. 5, województwo białostockie, 1924, s. 27.
  4. ^ Zestawienie Miejsc Zbrodni Popełnionych na Ludności Cywilnej przez Okupanta Hitlerowskiego na Ziemiach Polskich w latach 1939–1945 (in Polish). Warszawa. 2022. p. 246. ISBN 978-83-954388-3-7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)