, which is located on Lake Łebsko. Entering Kluki today, . A museum was created there so that tourists could feel the magic of old times in the restored village.
The idea of creating an open-air museum in this place, forgotten for years, arose in 1958 among museum workers and social activists involved in the “case of Słowiniec”, i.e. Kashubians. Ultimately, we managed to preserve several houses and farmsteads, where today you can see the equipment of rural homes, and even admire the people employed there, performing various works in costumes adapted to the climate and time of this place.
Kluki dates back to the 16th century and dates back to that time with its unique half-timbered houses with thatched roofs, reminiscent of a rural image known to many people from their childhood.
. In 2017, the project “Stop time – research on the intangible cultural heritage of Słowinice” was implemented there.
Interviews were then conducted with former residents of Kluki. During conversations with the indigenous people of Klukowice, information was collected about ancient rituals and customs, culinary traditions, beliefs and superstitions, folk medicine and childhood memories.
, inhabiting the area on the Gardno and Łebsko lakes, i.e. also Kluki, until years after World War II, initially called the village of Otok. They used the Slovinian dialect, which is part of the Northern Kashubian dialect of the Kashubian language. It is thanks to the Słowińska Village Museum in Kluki that the memory of them and their work is still cultivated.
One of the events that commemorates Słowiniec and the life of the old village is the Black Wedding.
The village of Kluki often organizes events that allow you to better learn about the history of this place and its inhabitants. Such a cyclical event is organized by the Słowińska Village Museum in Kluki.
However, the Black Wedding has no connection with getting married. So where does this name come from and what does it mean?
To better understand what it is, you need to look at the organization of old life in the village of Kluki. , which, among others, was of great importance to the inhabitants of Kluki and was extremely necessary for the functioning of the village. It was the basic fuel material, used to fertilize soil and sometimes also as bedding for animals in stables or pigsty.
was a deeply rooted tradition until the beginning of World War II. But why was the beginning of May the time to dig peat?
It's all because of the area where the village of Kluki was built. It is very wet and clayey. In May, the groundwater level dropped enough to allow digging without sinking into the swampy ground. However, there was enough time until autumn for the peat to dry out and become suitable for fuel.
In addition to the ideal time for peat extraction, May was also a break for fishermen, who constituted a larger professional group of Slovincians. Then fishermen could also get involved in peat digging.
The entire project was carried out on the basis of mutual neighborly assistance. .
A wedding is a time of joy and feasting, a time for families to unite, and although digging peat has nothing to do with the wedding itself, it does contain some of its elements – in. Because digging peat together ended with feasting.
Hence the comparison to a wedding. With music and shared joy, after hard work, people sat down to tables with scrambled eggs, sausages, ham and baked goods, including Slovinian bread. There were also plenty of drinks to celebrate our shared work.
. Now that we know the historical and cultural context and the appearance of the peat, the name “Czarne Wesele” makes sense.
Today, the organizers provide, of course, a demonstration of peat extraction, but also performances by folk bands and the sale of regional products, cakes, meats and handicrafts.
It has been known in this modern version in Pomerania since 1995 and is becoming an increasingly popular tourist attraction. Tourists from all over Poland come to Kluki to travel back in time and see an old Slovinian village and its Black Wedding during the May weekend.