Kałowice. Residents decided that there would be no change in the village name in Przylesie

Instead of Kałowice, it was supposed to be Przylesie. 68 people from 96 authorized ones came to the referendum. Half were against the change of the village name. Two voices were invalid and they decided.

On June 6 in Kałowice in the commune of Zawonia in Lower Silesia a voting was held on the change of the name of the village. The head of the commune Agnieszka Wersta suggested that the vote be secret and not to give birth to conflicts. Residents received cards asking whether they were in favor of changing the name of the town in Przylesie or against or stop. For the voice to be valid, one had to put a XW sign of one grid ..

There are 96 people entitled to vote in the village, but the municipality has prepared 140 cards. Also for those who built houses in Kałowice and have already come here, but they have not completed the formalities and have not yet registered, and who pay real estate tax, water fees and garbage disposal.

The referendum was convened at 19:00 that people could return from work. However, there was no crowd.

– 68 people came, most of the elders – says Wersta. – went on razor blades, as for presidential elections. 34 people voted against changing the name. For the former 32. Two votes were invalid, one empty card and one incorrectly circled – told us the headmaster.

“So they stay Kałowice,” she announced.

Feces, or swamp

– The most popular etymology derives the name of this castle from the Press Slavic core “Kal”. (…) Today's equivalent of this is feces, but in relation to the local name, we must have an association with a swamp, a damp, grassy ground – said Professor Jan Miodek, a linguist a few years ago on his program on TVP.

Miodek spoke about Kalisz, but the same origin has different names of the place with the word feces. Męcikał in Pomerania or Białykał and Kałowice in Lower Silesia.

Sołtys Kałowice Wiesław Sędkowski knows perfectly well where the name of his village comes from. – I don't care about other languages. Falls are known what Polish means today. There are sake in schools, children complain – he cuts off the etymological discussion.

– We are used to this name here, he does not offend us. But these are these children – explains the head of the village. – The problem begins when children go outside the commune, to secondary schools. Young people can be cruel. Hate appears due to associations with the name of this town.

At every village party there was talk in Kałowice about the change of name, but ended with talking. Finally, one of the younger residents, 30 years old, took matters into her own hands. – I sent to SMS residents asking if they were in favor of a change. I went to those who were in favor. It took me two evenings. I collected 61 signatures – says the initiator of the Friday referendum (she asked for anonymity).

61 signatures were enough, because to start the procedure of changing the name of the place, it is enough to support more than half of the inhabitants, entitled to vote, i.e. adults and registered.

They were mainly young people. The elders were afraid of bureaucracy, which is entitled to a change in the address, running around institutions. But, as the village head assures, residents will only have to bother to the bank, change the address in online stores if they use them. You do not need to exchange your ID card, because there is no address.

Przylesie, because by the forest

The list with signatures in mid -March landed on the desk of the commune head. The next step was to convene a meeting, conduct consultation and select an alternative name. There were 14 proposals, Przylesie was chosen from them. – 40 percent of our small commune are forests, and at the beginning of these forests there are just Kałowice – says the village head.

– There are no monuments with us, but we have a charming area. Half the village near the woods, half in the forest. I live here for 26 years and see how beautiful it is. A lot of outlined and they care about nice – says Sołtys.

– I live here almost from birth. If the name of the village is not changed, I am considering moving out – its initiator told us just before the referendum.