The forgotten heritage - Evangelical cemeteries in Kramsk Commune in the light of community...
Channel: Recording Archaeology
Date: 2023-06-12

Zuzanna Kafel & Julia Kozera (University of Adam Mickiewicz)

The aim of this paper is to present preliminary results of the research on four Evangelical 
cemeteries located in the area of Kramsk Commune in Greater Poland, Poland. These 
cemeteries are remains of the former border between the two partitions, which were inhabited 
by the Evangelic Community. These facilities have been forgotten and excluded from use as a 
result of the two World Wars and subsequent movements of populations. In 2021, the 
authorities of Kramsk Commune asked the Archaeological Faculty of Adam Mickiewicz 
University in Poznan to examine the cemeteries and then prepare an appropriate plan of 
preservation. Due to the very poor preservation of state of graves within cemeteries and scarce 
documentation in the archives, it has become necessary to obtain information from the local 
community. For this reason, in addition to non-invasive research and library queries, we also 
conducted interviews with the inhabitants of Kramsk. They were not only meant to provide us 
answers to specific questions about the sites, but also to check the status of these cemeteries in 
the memory of community population living in their vicinity. The results helped us to better 
understand the background history of cemeteries and their importance for the local community. 
When presenting the results of our work, we will focus on the aspect of local heritage, also 
discussing the importance of community archaeology in contemporary archaeological research.