Reformation ideas were imported to Poland in the second half of the 16th century. Whereas Osieczna's owner Andrzej Górka showed only a friendly attitude towards Protestantism, his sons became devoted Protestants. When the Górka family publicly renounced Catholicism, the faith of their ancestors, the burghers followed in their wake. Under pressure from German propagators, Stanisław Górka (Andrzej's son) deprived the Catholics of their parish church and gave it to the Protestants. Osieczna became the scene of religious strife and conflicts.
When Stanisław Górka died in 1592, his nephew Andrzej Czarnkowski inherited Osieczna. The new owner managed to settle the religious conflicts. Catholic masses could be celebrated again, and Catholic and Protestant services were probably held in turns in the same parish church. Protestantism developed in Osieczna mainly thanks to newcomers from Germany.
The first Protestant graveyard lay probably in present Jeziorna Street. Anyway, traces of old graves were discovered at this place when new foundations were being dug. According to Father E. Frankiewicz, a new evangelical graveyard was founded in 1793; others assume that this happened in the early 19th century.
The mentioned graveyard lies on the outskirts of the town, in the fork of the roads to Leszno and Poniec. At present, the graveyard borders a CPN petrol station in the north-west, a road and historical windmills in the west, and a bakery in the south-west.
The graveyard with an area of 1.8 ha lies on a hill. It is surrounded with a metal fence with concrete posts. The fence dates back to the second half of the 19th century and the gate to the first half of the 20th century. The former graveyard chapel, which did not have any significant architectural features, was converted into a storehouse of the petrol station. The graveyard resembles a park with an irregular arrangement of graves and lanes. Altogether, there are 26 old trees here, including eleven chestnut trees, ten birch trees, four limes and one acacia. The health state of the trees is satisfactory. In the graveyard there also grow self-sown trees, mainly acacias.
The graveyard has two lying gravestones from the second half of the 19th century, four detached tombstones from the same period and eight detached tombstones from the first half of the 20th century. Four detached tombstones do not have inscription plates (no marble or glass plates).
The tombstones include a family grave of the Heydebrandts, who owned the estate Osieczna from the second half of the 19th century to 1945.
The remaining two gravestones are made of sandstone and date back to 1895 - 1924. One gravestone with dimensions 1.9 x 0.9 m is now missing, and two with dimensions 2.5 x 1.4 m, which are shown in the photographs, can still be seen in the graveyard.
The family grave consists of two large gravestones with profiled sides. The gravestones are surrounded with a low, rectangular wall, unfortunately in a slowly deteriorating state.
The gravestones of the von Heydebrandt family have following inscriptions:
Gisela von Heydebrandt geb. 19 Februar 1891, gest. 20 März 1895. The tombstone does not exist any longer.
Tassilo von Heydebrandt und der Lasa Kaiserlicher wirklicher Geheimer Rath, geb. 17. October 1818, gest. 27. Juli 1899.
Heinrich von Heydebrandt und der Lasa Kgl. Kammerherr geb. October 1861 gest. 17. Februar 1924.
The oldest tombstone in the graveyard dates from 1853. It has a form of a rectangular obelisk. The inscription plaque has a separate base and an inscription engraved in the material of the tombstone. The tombstone is made of sandstone. The text of the inscription reads as follows: Hier ruht in Gott der Pastor Johann Karl Traugott Koppeheel geb. d. 7. Februar 1812 gest. d. 20 April 1853 Dan v 3.
The framing of about ten graves is in good condition, of further five there are only residues left. There is also a framing in the form of a low wall of red bricks (clinker) left of a grave which does not exist any longer.
Some tombstones have signatures of the stonemasons: P. Rohr - Rawitsch (Rawicz), J. Kittel - Schmiegel (Śmigiel), H. Bissing - Lissa (Leszno).
The former evangelical graveyard is partly devastated; fragments of the fence are missing. The preserved tombstones are randomly scattered. The graveyard is untidy and overgrown.
One of the survived tombstones. No plaque, the former location unknown.
Traces of the stonemasons from Leszno and Śmigiel visible on the survived tombstones.
The gravestones are scattered in the whole graveyard.
Some of the gravestones lean against trees.
Their condition is not bad, but it is bound to deteriorate unless some measures are taken.
Overgrown tombstones, the last ones survived. The rest was devastated.
The last survived graves.
In the photographs you can see five graves which are visible only in spring.
Based on the materials published in Zeszyty Osieckie No 6/98
Author: Norbert Dudziak
Photographs of the tombstones: Sławomir Skrobała, Norbert Dudziak, Janusz Wróblewski
