Granau

(Granowo)

Granau (Kashubian/Polish: Granowo) today is a village in Poland, situated in the Pomeranian province, in the district of Chojnice, in the municipality of Chojnice near the railway line Chojnice - Tuchola (station "Racławka"). In the years 1975-1998 the area was in the region of Bydgoszcz.

Granau used to be a so called Zinsdorf in Koschneiderei area. It was founded by the Deutscher Ritterorden (Teutonic Order). The original corporate charter is not available anymore.

In 1400 Granau consisted of 23 Zinshufen (a German "Hufe" is old land measurement similar to old English oxgangs). In 1438 22 Zinshufen were documented. In 1724 chatelaine of Gdańsk, Marianna Tuchol‚czna from Sebbel near Knarzyn, Kreis Schlochau was the landlord of Granau, Lichnau and Schlagenthin. In 1772 there were nine farmers in Granau. In 1773 116 inhabitants were documented for Granau, including Schulz Jacob Rohde (Rhode) and the farmers Krüger (Krueger) Johann Kuchenbecker, Martin Wolschleger (Wollschl.), Paus Jarschke (Jascheke), Paul Nickel, Lorentz Gülcke, Paul Panscke, Georg Musolph (Gerge Musoph) and Michael Schreiber. In 1905 it consisted of 30 dwellings with 44 households. 244 of the 254 inhabitants were catholic, 230 inhabitants were German.

Schulzen (village majors, lat. sculteto) of Granau: In 1356 Hannus von Granau, in 1419 Niklas and in 1538 Andreas Rhode from Konitz bought the Granauer Schulzerei from Hans Wilm. In 1625 Christoph Rhode, in 1635 his son Lorenz Rhode, in 1652 Gregor Rhode, in 1695 Martin Ryzop from Osterwick, in 1698 his step son Andreas Rhode and in 1723 his son. Then Peter Rhode in 1758, in 1766 Jacob Rhode followed by his son Casimir Rhode and his brother August Rhode, followed by his nephew Paul Rhode who was officially made Gemeindesvorsteher in 1874.

One of the major Schulzen families of Granau was Rhode family (Rode, Rohde), who owned the Schulzengut Granau for about 400 years. Andreas Rhode purchased the Schulzengut in 1538. Two or three generations later Christoph Rhode was Schulze of Granau as documented in 1625 and 1637. His successors were Andreas Rhode in 1698, Andreas Rhodes son Paul Rhode, Paul Rhodes son Jacob Anton Rhode, his son Oberschulz Casimir Rhode, Franz Paul Rhode, his son Johann Mathias Rhode up to his son Johann August Rhode (April 19, 1884 - 31 Okt. 1952) who finally died in Büchen, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.

Map of Granau