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Coordinates: 45°30′41″N 77°33′37″W / 45.51139°N 77.56028°W / 45.51139; -77.56028
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{{Short description|Unincorporated settlement in Ontario, Canada}}
[[File:Wilno Ontario.JPG|thumb|250px|right|Wilno, Ontario]]
{{Other uses|Wilno (disambiguation)}}
The community of '''Wilno, Ontario''' is situated on the border of [[Killaloe, Hagarty and Richards, Ontario|Killaloe, Hagarty and Richards]] and [[Madawaska Valley, Ontario|Madawaska Valley]] townships in [[Renfrew County, Ontario]].
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Wilno
| official_name =
| settlement_type = [[List of township municipalities in Ontario|Township]] ([[List of municipalities in Ontario#Lower-tier municipalities|lower-tier]])
| nickname =
| motto =
| image_skyline = File:Wilno Ontario.JPG
| image_caption = Wilno, Ontario.
| image_flag =
| flag_size =
| image_shield =
| shield_size =
| image_map =
| mapsize =
| pushpin_map = CAN ON Renfrew#Canada Southern Ontario
| pushpin_mapsize =
| subdivision_type = [[Sovereign state|Country]]
| subdivision_name = {{CAN}}
| subdivision_type1 = [[Provinces and territories of Canada|Province]]
| subdivision_name1 = {{ON}}
| subdivision_type2 = [[County]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Renfrew County|Renfrew]]
| subdivision_type3 = [[List of municipalities in Ontario|Municipality]]
| subdivision_name3 = [[Madawaska Valley, Ontario|Madawaska Valley]]
| established_title = Settled
| established_date = 1858
| established_title2 =
| established_date2 =
| government_type =
| leader_title =
| leader_name =
| leader_title1 =
| leader_name1 =
| leader_title2 =
| leader_name2 =
| area_total_km2 =
| area_land_km2 =
| area_water_km2 =
| area_footnotes =
| population_as_of =
| population_footnotes =
| population_total =
| population_density_km2 =
| timezone = [[Eastern Time Zone|EST]]
| utc_offset = -5
| timezone_DST = [[Eastern Time Zone|EDT]]
| utc_offset_DST = -4
| postal_code_type = [[Canadian postal code|Postal Code]]
| postal_code = K0J
| area_code = [[Area code 613|613]]
| coordinates = {{coord|45|30|41|N|77|33|37|W|region:CA-ON|display=inline,title}}
| elevation_footnotes =
| elevation_m =
| website = {{URL|www.wilno.com}}
| footnotes =
}}
'''Wilno''' is a settlement in the [[Madawaska Valley, Ontario|Township Municipality of Madawaska Valley]], [[Renfrew County, Ontario]], [[Canada]].


==Geography==
==Geography==
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==History==
==History==
Wilno is the first and oldest [[Polish Canadian|Polish]] settlement in [[Canada]]. The original settlers in this area, circa 1858, were from the Kaszuby region [[Kashubians|Kashubian]] from the then Prussian area of Poland. They constitute an integral part of what has been called the [[Kashubian diaspora]].<ref>[https://www.mqup.ca/creating-kashubia-products-9780773547193.php Blank, Joshua C. Creating Kashubia: History, Memory and Identity in Canada's First Polish Community. (Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2019] </ref> One of the reasons they chose this area to settle was because of the landscape which reminded them of their original homes.
Wilno is the first and oldest [[Polish Canadians|Polish]]-Kashubian settlement in [[Canada]]. Most of the original settlers in the area came around 1858 from the Polish cultural region of [[Kashubia]]. ([[Prussia]] had annexed the region from [[Poland]] in 1795, but it is now part of Poland again.) They are an integral part of the [[Kashubian diaspora]].<ref>[https://www.mqup.ca/creating-kashubia-products-9780773547193.php Blank, Joshua C. Creating Kashubia: History, Memory and Identity in Canada's First Polish Community. (Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2019]</ref>
One of the reasons that they chose the area was that the landscape reminded them of their original homes.
[[File:Rollingmadawaska.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Rolling Madawaska Hills Hwy 60]]
[[File:Rollingmadawaska.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Rolling Madawaska Hills Hwy 60]]


Wilno's namesake was the city of [[Vilnius]] (Wilno in Polish), then in a [[Russian Empire|Russian]]-[[Partitions of Poland|occupied]] area of [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]], now capital of [[Lithuania]], the birthplace of Reverend [[Ludwik Dembski]], who was a prominent community spiritual leader and town founder, who would not have wanted the town named after himself. Therefore, the townsfolk, grateful for his contributions to their town, may have suggested the name of Wilno.<ref>[https://www.wilno.com/html/stories.html Stories of Wilno]</ref><ref>[http://ontarioplaques.com/Plaques/Plaque_Renfrew02.html Canada's First Polish Settlement]</ref>
Wilno's namesake was the city of [[Vilnius]], known in [[Polish language|Polish]] as ''Wilno'', which was then in [[Russian Empire]] in area that used to belong to [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]] and is now the capital of [[Lithuania]]. The city was a birthplace of Reverend Ludwik Dembski, who was a prominent community spiritual leader and town founder, who would not have wanted the town named after himself. Therefore, the townsfolk, grateful for his contributions to their town, may have suggested the name of Wilno.<ref name=WilnoStories>{{cite web |title=Stories of Wilno |website=wilno.com |url=https://www.wilno.com/html/stories.html |access-date=2020-08-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230531003034/https://www.wilno.com/html/stories.html |archive-date=2023-05-31 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>[http://ontarioplaques.com/Plaques/Plaque_Renfrew02.html Canada's First Polish Settlement]</ref>


The first church, known as ''St. Stanislaus Kostka Church'', was built in 1875, destroyed by fire in 1936 and rebuilt as ''Saint Mary - Our Lady of Czestochowa.'' It is now known as ''St. Marys Catholic Church''. The first general store and post office was initially operated by Adam Prince (1855-1933) who arrived became the community's first postmaster in 1885. The settlement was initially named Princetown before being renamed Wilno. Flora’s Store was started by Flora Bank in 1937; it was destroyed by fire in 1940 but rebuilt. The business went through several owners and changes but was closed down in 2015.<ref>[https://www.wilno.com/html/stories.html Stories of Wilno]</ref><ref>[http://www.stmaryswilno.com/history.html  
The St. Stanislaus Kostka Church was built in 1875, destroyed by fire in 1936 and rebuilt as Saint Mary - Our Lady of Czestochowa. later renamed St. Mary's Catholic Church. The first general store and post office was initially operated by Adam Prince, who became the community's first postmaster in 1885; the settlement was initially named Princetown before being renamed Wilno. Flora's Store was started by Flora Bank in 1937; it was destroyed by fire in 1940 but rebuilt. The business went through several owners and changes but was closed down in 2015.<ref name=WilnoStories/><ref>[http://www.stmaryswilno.com/history.html Witómë w Wilno - Witamy w Wilno - Welcome to Wilno]</ref>
Witómë w Wilno - Witamy w Wilno - Welcome to Wilno]</ref>
In 1894 the Canadian Atlantic railroad arrived in the Madawaska Valley.<ref>[https://www.wilno.com/html/stories.html Stories of Wilno]</ref> Previously, [[John Rudolphus Booth]]'s [[Ottawa, Arnprior and Parry Sound Railway]] ran through the town mainly serving the lumber industry. The first hotel near the Wilno rail station was the "Stopping Place"; a new owner added more rooms and a dining room, and re-named it the "Exchange Hotel". Subsequent owners modified the property and it became the "Wilno Tavern" in 1979 and the "Wilno Tavern Restaurant" more recently.<ref>[https://www.wilno.com/html/stories.html Stories of Wilno]</ref> The restaurant remained in operation as of 2020; Corinne Higgins has owned it since 1981.<ref>[https://diningoutwithhistory.com/tag/wilno-tavern-restaurant/ Dining Out With History]</ref>
In 1894, the Canadian Atlantic Railroad arrived in the Madawaska Valley.<ref name=WilnoStories/> Previously, [[John Rudolphus Booth]]'s [[Ottawa, Arnprior and Parry Sound Railway]] ran through the town mainly serving the lumber industry. The first hotel near the Wilno rail station was the "Stopping Place." Anew owner added more rooms and a dining room, and renamed it the "Exchange Hotel." Subsequent owners modified the property, which became the "Wilno Tavern" in 1979 and the "Wilno Tavern Restaurant" more recently.<ref name=WilnoStories/> The restaurant remained in operation as of 2020, and Corinne Higgins has owned it since 1981.<ref>[https://diningoutwithhistory.com/tag/wilno-tavern-restaurant/ Dining Out With History]</ref>


The former train route has now been redeveloped into a recreational path. Where the former trainwas located, an early settler building and museum that present the early history of the town has been built. The museum and open air wooden skansen (Swedish for "ethnographic museum") contain the history of the first Kashubian people as well as their immigration to Canada, freedom and eventually, after many hardships, <!--[http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/grosse-ile-immigration/index-e.html [[Grosse Isle, Quebec]]] --> their settlement journey to the Wilno area. The Polish Kashub Heritage Museum & Skansen opened in 2002; it is open to visitors during July and August and in May, the annual Kashub Day event is held here.<ref>[https://madvalleycurrent.com/2019/05/05/sun-shines-on-kashub-day-2019/ The sun shines on Kashub Day 2019]</ref><ref>https://www.wilno.org/museum.html Discover Canada's Polish Kashub Heritage]</ref><ref>[https://ottawaroadtrips.com/2014/06/11/wilno-a-little-slice-of-poland-in-the-madawaska-valley/ Wilno: A little slice of Poland in the Madawaska Valley]</ref>
The former train route has now been redeveloped into a recreational path. The former train station has an early settler building and museum presenting the early history of the town. The museum and open air wooden skansen (Polish: "open-air museum") contain the history of the first Kashubian people as well as their immigration to Canada, freedom and, after many hardships, <!--[http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/grosse-ile-immigration/index-e.html [[Grosse Isle, Quebec]]] --> their settlement journey to the Wilno area. The Polish Kashub Heritage Museum & Skansen opened in 2002. It is open to visitors during July and August. In May, the annual Kashub Day event is held here.<ref>[https://madvalleycurrent.com/2019/05/05/sun-shines-on-kashub-day-2019/ The sun shines on Kashub Day 2019]</ref><ref>[https://www.wilno.org/museum.html Discover Canada's Polish Kashub Heritage]</ref><ref>[https://ottawaroadtrips.com/2014/06/11/wilno-a-little-slice-of-poland-in-the-madawaska-valley/ Wilno: A little slice of Poland in the Madawaska Valley]</ref>


[[File:WelcomeWilno.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Wilno, Folk Dancers Aug 3 2008]]
[[File:WelcomeWilno.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Folk dancers in Wilno on 3 August 2008.]]
[[File:Wilno Settlers Renactment Polanie Dance group .jpg|thumb|250px|right|Wilno, Folk Dancers Aug 3 2008]]
[[File:Wilno Settlers Renactment Polanie Dance group .jpg|thumb|250px|right|Folk dancers in Wilno on 3 August 2008.]]


[[File:KaszebeGrifon.jpg|thumb|150px| right|Kaszub Griffin]]
[[File:KaszebeGrifon.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Kashubian griffin.]]


A professor of Slavic Languages, [[Jan L. Perkowski]], reported on rumours of vampires in the Kashubian culture in a study completed in 1969, and published in a paper titled "Vampires, Dwarves, and Witches among the Ontario Kashubs".<ref>{{cite news |title=How to Kill a Vampire: An excerpt (and guide) from Liisa Ladouceur's book of the same name |date=2013-10-31 |newspaper=[[National Post]] |url=https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/books/how-to-kill-a-vampire |access-date=2020-08-16}}</ref> According to the professor, the Ontario Kashubs believed that one "must open the tomb of the vampire at midnight, and drive a long nail into his forehead, or, better still, cut off his head with a sharp spade and put it between his feet....".<ref name=Para>{{cite web |title=The Vampire in Ontario - Wilno's Vampiric Legends |first=Susan |last=Demeter |website=ParaResearchers.org |url=https://www.pararesearchers.org/index.php/folklore-a-mythology/48-the-vampire-in-ontario-wilnos-vampiric-legends |access-date=2020-08-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230605201952/https://www.pararesearchers.org/index.php/folklore-a-mythology/48-the-vampire-in-ontario-wilnos-vampiric-legends |archive-date=2023-06-05 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 1973, a Catholic priest in Wilno told [[CBC News]] that "We get a big laugh out of it, we know the people who have manufactured the story just by reading it... My impression is that [Perkowski] probably stuck a microphone under their noses and to get rid of him they'd made up these tales".<ref name=Para/>
Other noted Kashubes include the Kashubian-Canadian priest and historian, Rev [[Aloysius Rekowski]] (1921–2006) who was born and raised in Wilno and, [[Martin Shulist]],<ref>Makowski, William. The Polish People in Canada: A Visual History. "V: Ontario: A Century of Courage and Tenacity." Montreal: Tundra Books, 1987. 53-73</ref> who talks of the traditions behind [http://www.wilno.org/culture/crosses.html The Holy Crosses of Wilno] and their significance to the settlers of this area. Every August in Wilno, Canada's [[Kashubians|Kashubian]] community celebrates their heritage.


In April 2010, Poland's Prime Minister [[Donald Tusk]] agreed to visit Wilno but an airplane crash, the [[Smolensk air disaster]], that took the life of President [[Lech Kaczyński]], and that of 95 others, led to cancellation of the plan.<ref>{{cite web |title=Polish tragedy puts cloud of sorrow over Ottawa Valley |date=2010-04-12 |website=[[CTV News]] |url=https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/polish-tragedy-puts-cloud-of-sorrow-over-ottawa-valley-1.501660 |access-date=2020-08-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230822091317/https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/polish-tragedy-puts-cloud-of-sorrow-over-ottawa-valley-1.501660 |archive-date=2023-08-22 |url-status=live}}</ref> Tusk visited Wilno in May 2012, commenting that he was the "first Polish prime minister to meet with the minority living there and cultivating its customs since the 19th century".<ref>[http://archiwum.thenews.pl/1/10/Artykul/99230,PM-Tusk-on-Canada-visit PM Tusk on Canada visit]</ref><ref>[https://www.gettyimages.ca/detail/news-photo/polish-prime-minister-donald-tusk-greets-resi dents-may-13-news-photo/144370350 Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk]</ref> He toured the Catholic cemetery and later said, "We felt as if we were visiting the graves of our dearest, our relatives, our beloved, because these names, these figures, those stories were our stories."<ref>{{cite news |title=Polish PM's visit stirs emotions on Parliament Hill |first=Terry |last=Milewski |author-link=Terry Milewski |date=2012-05-15 |work=[[CBC News]] |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/polish-pm-s-visit-stirs-emotions-on-parliament-hill-1.1218121 |access-date=2020-08-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202044537/https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/polish-pm-s-visit-stirs-emotions-on-parliament-hill-1.1218121 |archive-date=2017-02-02 |url-status=live}}</ref>
A professor of Slavic Languages, [[Jan L. Perkowski]], reported on rumours of vampires in the Kashubian culture in a study completed in 1969, and published in a paper titled "Vampires, Dwarves, and Witches among the Ontario Kashubs". According to the professor, Kashubs believe that "the only remedy against this kind of future vampirism was to extract the teeth from the infants. The Kashubs also feared those born with a red caul, a piece of amniotic membrane that naturally surrounds an unborn baby in the womb".<ref>[https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/books/how-to-kill-a-vampire How to Kill a Vampire: An excerpt (and guide) from Liisa Ladouceur's book of the same name]</ref> Kashubians in Wilnow interviewed by a journalist in 2019 "vehemently [denied] that they still adhere to this medieval remnant of the Fatherland. What’s less ambiguous is that fact that there are some Ontarians do believe in vampires… some say, with good reason".<ref>[https://www.mysteriesofcanada.com/ontario/vampires-in-ontario/#:~:text=Most%20of%20Wilno's%20residents%20are,of%20their%20unique%20Pomeranian%20heritage. Vampires in Ontario?]</ref>


===Triple murder===
In April 2010, Poland's Prime Minister [[Donald Tusk]] agreed to visit Wilno but an airplane crash, the [[Smolensk air disaster]], that took the life of President [[Lech Kaczyński]], and that of 95 others, led to cancellation of the plan.<ref>[https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/polish-tragedy-puts-cloud-of-sorrow-over-ottawa-valley-1.501660 Polish tragedy puts cloud of sorrow over Ottawa Valley]</ref> In May 2012, however, Tusk did visit Wilno and said that he was the "first Polish prime minister to meet with the minority living there and cultivating its customs since the 19th century".<ref>[http://archiwum.thenews.pl/1/10/Artykul/99230,PM-Tusk-on-Canada-visit PM Tusk on Canada visit]</ref><ref>[ https://www.gettyimages.ca/detail/news-photo/polish-prime-minister-donald-tusk-greets-resi dents-may-13-news-photo/144370350 Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk]</ref> He toured the Catholic cemetery and later said, "We felt as if we were visiting the graves of our dearest, our relatives, our beloved, because these names, these figures, those stories were our stories."<ref>[https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/polish-pm-s-visit-stirs-emotions-on-parliament-hill-1.1218121 Polish PM's visit stirs emotions on Parliament Hill]</ref>
In September 2015 three women{{snd}}Carol Culleton, 66, Anastasia Kuzyk, 36, and Nathalie Warmerdam, 46{{snd}}were murdered in and near Wilno. The killer, Basil Borutski, was convicted of the crimes in 2017.<ref>{{cite news |title=Basil Borutski guilty of murdering 3 women in shocking killing rampage |first=Kristy |last=Nease |date=2017-11-25 |work=[[CBC News]] |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/basil-borutski-trial-triple-murder-verdict-1.4407526 |access-date=2020-08-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230628083902/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/basil-borutski-trial-triple-murder-verdict-1.4407526 |archive-date=2023-06-28 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In September 2015 three women; Carol Culleton, 66, Anastasia Kuzyk, 36, Nathalie Warmerdam, 46 were murdered in and near Wilno. The killer, Basil Borutski, was subsequently charged and convicted of the crimes.<ref>[https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/basil-borutski-trial-triple-murder-verdict-1.4407526 Basil Borutski guilty of murdering 3 women in shocking killing rampage]</ref>


===Historical plaque===
===Historical plaque===
The government of Ontario erected a historical plaque in Wilno, providing these specifics:<ref>[http://ontarioplaques.com/Plaques/Plaque_Renfrew02.html Canada's First Polish Settlement]</ref><ref>[https://www.brazolotmigration.com/blog/2017/09/wilno-ontario-canadas-first-polish-settlement/ Wilno, Ontario – Canada’s First Polish Settlement]</ref><blockquote>The first group of Polish immigrants to Canada, some 300 in number, established a settlement in this area in 1864. Adverse social conditions and political unrest in their partitioned homeland had encouraged them to leave. They cleared the land and rapidly established a thriving agricultural community. During the 1880's the village founded here was called Wilno after the birthplace of the Reverend Ludwik Dembski one of their spiritual leaders. In 1875 the parish of Wilno was organized and a chapel dedicated to the polish saint Stanislaus Kostka, was built. The Canadian Atlantic Railway linked Wilno with Ottawa in 1894. This district, which received a new wave of Polish immigrants in the early 1900's, retains much of its cultural heritage.</blockquote>
The government of Ontario erected a historical plaque in Wilno, providing these specifics:<ref>[http://ontarioplaques.com/Plaques/Plaque_Renfrew02.html Canada's First Polish Settlement]</ref><ref>[https://www.brazolotmigration.com/blog/2017/09/wilno-ontario-canadas-first-polish-settlement/ Wilno, Ontario – Canada’s First Polish Settlement]</ref><blockquote>The first group of Polish immigrants to Canada, some 300 in number, established a settlement in this area in 1864. Adverse social conditions and political unrest in their partitioned homeland had encouraged them to leave. They cleared the land and rapidly established a thriving agricultural community. During the 1880s the village founded here was called Wilno after the birthplace of the Reverend Ludwik Dembski one of their spiritual leaders. In 1875 the parish of Wilno was organized and a chapel dedicated to the polish saint Stanislaus Kostka, was built. The Canadian Atlantic Railway linked Wilno with Ottawa in 1894. This district, which received a new wave of Polish immigrants in the early 1900s, retains much of its cultural heritage.</blockquote>


== Annual Chicken Supper on the Labour Day Weekend ==
== Annual Chicken Supper on the Labour Day Weekend ==
[[File:St Mary's church in Wilno, Ontario.jpg|thumb|150px|right|St Mary's Church, Wilno]]
[[File:St Mary's church in Wilno, Ontario.jpg|thumb|150px|right|St Mary's Church, Wilno]]
This supper has been an annual event since 1936. Approximately 2,000 people have been served each year during [[Labour Day#Canada|Labour Day Weekend]]. The food is authentic Kaszebe–Polish fare; one source states that it includes "boiled chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, fresh vegetables, such as carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, pickles, and of course choices of apple, raisin, and coconut cream pies".<ref>[https://www.wilno.com/html/events.html Wilno Events]</ref> In 2019, some 3,000 meals were served by volunteers; the 550 pies were also baked by volunteers.<ref>[https://thevalleygazette.ca/thousands-flock-to-annual-chicken-dinner/ Thousands flock to annual chicken dinner]</ref>
This supper has been an annual event since 1936. Approximately 2,000 people have been served each year during [[Labour Day#Canada|Labour Day Weekend]]. The food is authentic Kaszebe–Polish fare; one source states that it includes "boiled chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, fresh vegetables, such as carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, pickles, and of course choices of apple, raisin, and coconut cream pies".<ref>{{cite web |title=Wilno Events |date=2017-05-06 |website=wilno.com |url=https://www.wilno.com/html/events.html |access-date=2020-08-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230531005525/https://www.wilno.com/html/events.html |archive-date=2023-05-31 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2019, some 3,000 meals were served by volunteers; the 550 pies were also baked by volunteers.<ref>{{cite news |title=Thousands flock to annual chicken dinner |first=Mark |last=Jones |date=2019-09-03 |newspaper=The Valley Gazette |location=[[Barry's Bay]], Ontario |url=https://thevalleygazette.ca/thousands-flock-to-annual-chicken-dinner/ |access-date=2020-08-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924051139/https://thevalleygazette.ca/thousands-flock-to-annual-chicken-dinner/ |archive-date=2021-09-24 |url-status=live}}</ref>


== Notable people ==
The 2020 event was cancelled due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario]].<ref>[https://www.algonquineast.com/index.php?whichpage=annual Annual Event Cancellations]</ref>
* [[Aloysius Rekowski]] (1921–2006), priest and historian


== See also ==
== See also ==
* [[William Kurelek]]
* [[Polish Canadians]]
* [[Polish Canadians]]
* [[Vilnius]]
* [[Vilnius]]
Line 47: Line 105:


== References ==
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}<!--added under references heading by script-assisted edit-->
1. Source: Makowski, William. The Polish People in Canada: A Visual History. "V: Ontario: [http://www.polishheritage.ca/polishpeople_9.aspx A Century of Courage and Tenacity]." Montreal: Tundra Books, 1987. 53-73


== External links ==
== External links ==
{{Wikivoyage|Wilno}}
{{Wikivoyage|Wilno}}
* [http://www.wilnovillager.on.ca/ The Wilno Villager] Official Tourist Site
* [http://www.wilno.com/ Wilno unofficial website]
* [http://www.wilnovillager.on.ca/ Wilno Heritage Trails]
* [http://www.wilno.org/ Wilno Heritage Society]
* [http://www.wilno.org/ Wilno Heritage Society]
* [http://www.wilno.org/culture/food.html Annual Chicken Supper held at St. Mary's Church in Wilno.]
* [http://www.chcr.org/ CHCR Homegrown Community Radio]
* [http://www.chcr.org/ CHCR Homegrown Community Radio]
* [http://www.interment.net/data/canada/ontario/renfrew/hagarty/stmary/index.htm Saint Mary Cemetery] at [[Interment.net]]
* [http://www.polishheritage.ca/polishpeople_9.aspx A Century of Courage and Tenacity The Kashoubs of Renfrew]
* [http://www.interment.net/data/canada/ontario/renfrew/hagarty/ststan/index.htm Saint Stanislaus Pioneer Cemetery] at [[Interment.net]]

{{coord|45.5114|-77.5602|type:city_region:CA-ON|display=title}}

See http://www.interment.net/data/canada/ontario/renfrew/hagarty/stmary/index.htm to See Saint Mary Cemetery
Wilno, Hagarty Township, Renfrew County, Ontario, Canada @ www.interment.net/Canada/Ontario recorded by Marty C Byzewski, Apr 30, 2009. Home of Polish Pioneers and also see http://www.interment.net/data/canada/ontario/renfrew/hagarty/ststan/index.htm
Saint Stanislaus Pioneer Cemetery
Wilno, Hagarty Township, Renfrew County, Ontario, Canada The original Polish Pioneer Cemetery


{{authority control}}
{{authority control}}

Latest revision as of 14:12, 6 June 2024

Wilno
Wilno, Ontario.
Wilno, Ontario.
Wilno is located in Renfrew County
Wilno
Wilno
Wilno is located in Southern Ontario
Wilno
Wilno
Coordinates: 45°30′41″N 77°33′37″W / 45.51139°N 77.56028°W / 45.51139; -77.56028
Country Canada
Province Ontario
CountyRenfrew
MunicipalityMadawaska Valley
Settled1858
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
Postal Code
K0J
Area code613
Websitewww.wilno.com

Wilno is a settlement in the Township Municipality of Madawaska Valley, Renfrew County, Ontario, Canada.

Geography

[edit]

Wilno is nestled in the rolling, picturesque terrain of the Madawaska valley which was largely shaped during the demise of the Laurentide Ice Sheet at the end of the last North American Ice Age.

History

[edit]

Wilno is the first and oldest Polish-Kashubian settlement in Canada. Most of the original settlers in the area came around 1858 from the Polish cultural region of Kashubia. (Prussia had annexed the region from Poland in 1795, but it is now part of Poland again.) They are an integral part of the Kashubian diaspora.[1]

One of the reasons that they chose the area was that the landscape reminded them of their original homes.

Rolling Madawaska Hills Hwy 60

Wilno's namesake was the city of Vilnius, known in Polish as Wilno, which was then in Russian Empire in area that used to belong to Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and is now the capital of Lithuania. The city was a birthplace of Reverend Ludwik Dembski, who was a prominent community spiritual leader and town founder, who would not have wanted the town named after himself. Therefore, the townsfolk, grateful for his contributions to their town, may have suggested the name of Wilno.[2][3]

The St. Stanislaus Kostka Church was built in 1875, destroyed by fire in 1936 and rebuilt as Saint Mary - Our Lady of Czestochowa. later renamed St. Mary's Catholic Church. The first general store and post office was initially operated by Adam Prince, who became the community's first postmaster in 1885; the settlement was initially named Princetown before being renamed Wilno. Flora's Store was started by Flora Bank in 1937; it was destroyed by fire in 1940 but rebuilt. The business went through several owners and changes but was closed down in 2015.[2][4]

In 1894, the Canadian Atlantic Railroad arrived in the Madawaska Valley.[2] Previously, John Rudolphus Booth's Ottawa, Arnprior and Parry Sound Railway ran through the town mainly serving the lumber industry. The first hotel near the Wilno rail station was the "Stopping Place." Anew owner added more rooms and a dining room, and renamed it the "Exchange Hotel." Subsequent owners modified the property, which became the "Wilno Tavern" in 1979 and the "Wilno Tavern Restaurant" more recently.[2] The restaurant remained in operation as of 2020, and Corinne Higgins has owned it since 1981.[5]

The former train route has now been redeveloped into a recreational path. The former train station has an early settler building and museum presenting the early history of the town. The museum and open air wooden skansen (Polish: "open-air museum") contain the history of the first Kashubian people as well as their immigration to Canada, freedom and, after many hardships, their settlement journey to the Wilno area. The Polish Kashub Heritage Museum & Skansen opened in 2002. It is open to visitors during July and August. In May, the annual Kashub Day event is held here.[6][7][8]

Folk dancers in Wilno on 3 August 2008.
Folk dancers in Wilno on 3 August 2008.
Kashubian griffin.

A professor of Slavic Languages, Jan L. Perkowski, reported on rumours of vampires in the Kashubian culture in a study completed in 1969, and published in a paper titled "Vampires, Dwarves, and Witches among the Ontario Kashubs".[9] According to the professor, the Ontario Kashubs believed that one "must open the tomb of the vampire at midnight, and drive a long nail into his forehead, or, better still, cut off his head with a sharp spade and put it between his feet....".[10] In 1973, a Catholic priest in Wilno told CBC News that "We get a big laugh out of it, we know the people who have manufactured the story just by reading it... My impression is that [Perkowski] probably stuck a microphone under their noses and to get rid of him they'd made up these tales".[10]

In April 2010, Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk agreed to visit Wilno but an airplane crash, the Smolensk air disaster, that took the life of President Lech Kaczyński, and that of 95 others, led to cancellation of the plan.[11] Tusk visited Wilno in May 2012, commenting that he was the "first Polish prime minister to meet with the minority living there and cultivating its customs since the 19th century".[12][13] He toured the Catholic cemetery and later said, "We felt as if we were visiting the graves of our dearest, our relatives, our beloved, because these names, these figures, those stories were our stories."[14]

Triple murder

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In September 2015 three women – Carol Culleton, 66, Anastasia Kuzyk, 36, and Nathalie Warmerdam, 46 – were murdered in and near Wilno. The killer, Basil Borutski, was convicted of the crimes in 2017.[15]

Historical plaque

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The government of Ontario erected a historical plaque in Wilno, providing these specifics:[16][17]

The first group of Polish immigrants to Canada, some 300 in number, established a settlement in this area in 1864. Adverse social conditions and political unrest in their partitioned homeland had encouraged them to leave. They cleared the land and rapidly established a thriving agricultural community. During the 1880s the village founded here was called Wilno after the birthplace of the Reverend Ludwik Dembski one of their spiritual leaders. In 1875 the parish of Wilno was organized and a chapel dedicated to the polish saint Stanislaus Kostka, was built. The Canadian Atlantic Railway linked Wilno with Ottawa in 1894. This district, which received a new wave of Polish immigrants in the early 1900s, retains much of its cultural heritage.

Annual Chicken Supper on the Labour Day Weekend

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St Mary's Church, Wilno

This supper has been an annual event since 1936. Approximately 2,000 people have been served each year during Labour Day Weekend. The food is authentic Kaszebe–Polish fare; one source states that it includes "boiled chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, fresh vegetables, such as carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, pickles, and of course choices of apple, raisin, and coconut cream pies".[18] In 2019, some 3,000 meals were served by volunteers; the 550 pies were also baked by volunteers.[19]

Notable people

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Blank, Joshua C. Creating Kashubia: History, Memory and Identity in Canada's First Polish Community. (Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2019
  2. ^ a b c d "Stories of Wilno". wilno.com. Archived from the original on 2023-05-31. Retrieved 2020-08-16.
  3. ^ Canada's First Polish Settlement
  4. ^ Witómë w Wilno - Witamy w Wilno - Welcome to Wilno
  5. ^ Dining Out With History
  6. ^ The sun shines on Kashub Day 2019
  7. ^ Discover Canada's Polish Kashub Heritage
  8. ^ Wilno: A little slice of Poland in the Madawaska Valley
  9. ^ "How to Kill a Vampire: An excerpt (and guide) from Liisa Ladouceur's book of the same name". National Post. 2013-10-31. Retrieved 2020-08-16.
  10. ^ a b Demeter, Susan. "The Vampire in Ontario - Wilno's Vampiric Legends". ParaResearchers.org. Archived from the original on 2023-06-05. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
  11. ^ "Polish tragedy puts cloud of sorrow over Ottawa Valley". CTV News. 2010-04-12. Archived from the original on 2023-08-22. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
  12. ^ PM Tusk on Canada visit
  13. ^ dents-may-13-news-photo/144370350 Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk
  14. ^ Milewski, Terry (2012-05-15). "Polish PM's visit stirs emotions on Parliament Hill". CBC News. Archived from the original on 2017-02-02. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
  15. ^ Nease, Kristy (2017-11-25). "Basil Borutski guilty of murdering 3 women in shocking killing rampage". CBC News. Archived from the original on 2023-06-28. Retrieved 2020-08-16.
  16. ^ Canada's First Polish Settlement
  17. ^ Wilno, Ontario – Canada’s First Polish Settlement
  18. ^ "Wilno Events". wilno.com. 2017-05-06. Archived from the original on 2023-05-31. Retrieved 2020-08-16.
  19. ^ Jones, Mark (2019-09-03). "Thousands flock to annual chicken dinner". The Valley Gazette. Barry's Bay, Ontario. Archived from the original on 2021-09-24. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
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