In 1995 the Jamunder Tracht was chosen by the Verein’s Board of Directors as the Pommerscher Verein Central Wisconsin’s official costume.  The character of the tracht is the striped fabric of the man's vest and hat and the women's bodice and cap.  The main color of this fabric is red with fine stripes of black, green, yellow, blue and white.  

The search across the United States for a fine wool fabric to meet our needs lasted for years.  A break came when, during the Verein’s 1998 Roots Tour, we met Irene Hackbarth of Solingen, Germany, an authority on the subject, and co-author of the book "Pommersche Volkstrachten" that describes the tracht of several different regions in Pomerania.  She gave us the name of a small German weaving mill able to make specialized fabric.  Probsteiner Handweberei Ruckert-Dulski from Schoenberg, Germany, produced 10 meters for us at a cost of DM 1,243 or approximately $65.00 per yard.

The women's Jamunder Tracht is completed with a fine wool skirt in black with a red band at the bottom and a white apron.  The man's Jamunder Tracht has white knicker length pants with a red band at the bottom.  Both have white shirts with full cut sleeves and black boots and stockings.  

The book "Pommersche Volkstrachten" also gave us more information about the village of Jamund, where this tracht originated and was first documented in 1279.  It most likely was developed around a cloister or nunnery.  The culture of the cloister had a lot to do with the tracht.  In 1331 Jamund was given (deeded) to the neighboring town of Köslin by Bishop Friedrich von Eickstedt Stadteigentumsdorf. The peasants who worked the land were given more freedoms, including being able to own land.  They were proud families who made a good income in wheat. 

The village of Jamund is on higher ground on a hill located between Köslin and the Baltic Sea.  It was a typical Middle Ages village, developed in a circular fashion with fields extending out from the buildings.  Completely surrounding this hill is a moor (peat moss-like swamp) which made outside travel impossible unless it was a very dry season or the ground was frozen in winter.  In 1899 the first road through the moor was completed from Jamund to Köslin, a distance of about 4 miles. 

Riches and isolation of the village led to their own culture, which blossomed until the end of the 19th century and died quickly thereafter.  A big part of the culture, and the village, was lost in multiple fires. 

A 1931 movie "A Fight for the Homeland", advertising Jamund and Grossmodlen, showed the tracht and costumes of the villages. It documented the rich and fantastic Jamund culture.  

There was a sizable exhibition of the Jamund culture in museums in Berlin and Stettin that was lost in World War II. Today the Köslin Museum has a few items.  What remains shows a wealthy background of artistically skilled carvings on furniture and beautiful embroidery.  

--Carol Kleinschmidt, updated by Don Litzer