3. Commerce

3.1. Dorfkrug Tavern

The village tavern had the obligation to keep a stable and overnight quarters available. Since the old tavern no longer met these requirements, a KASCHUBOWSKI built a new one of pressed clay in about 1860. KASCHUBOWSKI soon sold the new tavern and the later occupants were, as far as I (Emil Trapp) know: LENTZ, WEIHS, SCHRÖDER, WEGNER, VEHLOW (who had earlier had the ROSEN's tavern), FRITZ WOITA and MEINKE The last lessees were SCHIEFELBEIN and FRITZ WEYERKE. MEINKE's son-in-law, FRITZ HOLZ, was required to give it up to the Poles in 1945. Cultivated and pasture land (that had belonged to the tavern) was sold little by little. A PROCHNOW had purchased the out-lying building and about 80 Morgen of cultivated and pasture land. Following him was a POLZIN, who came from Morgenstern and at the last a son-in-law of POLZIN's successor, KNITTER, who also died before the last war. His son, HUGO KNITTER, fell in the last war. The Poles expelled the successors of KNITTER. JOHANN JUTRZENKA received another part of the cultivated land and was at the last succeeded by his son, MAX POLZIN, who was the last occupant. A small part remained with the tavern. In about 1890 the pastures were sold.

3.2. Gasthof Much

In the years 1860-1870 MUCH had built a second tavern and a grocery store. He sold this tavern to HERMANN VEHLOW, who came from Kreis Schlawe. In about 1888 VEHLOW sold it to ADOLF ROSEN and bought the Dorfkrug tavern from WEGNER, who sold it in about 1912 to FRITZ WOITZ. He bought what was left of an estate and his son remained there until he was expelled in 1945 and the Poles took it. During the last war ROSEN sold the business and fields that belonged to it to OSKAR GENEE, who was forced to give it up to the Poles.

3.3 Wolf Grocery Store

This business consisted of a store and two-storied residence and in about 1887 was owned by ABRAHAM WOLF. At the end it was WOLF's widow and two daughters who ran the business and these were known to me (Emil Trapp). NATHAN JAKOBI bought it from them and he kept it until 1906. His successor was BRUNO POLZIN from Bütow, a son of HERMANN POLZIN of Groß Tuchen. BRUNO POLZIN was a butcher and he set up a butcher shop. After some years he sold it all to his brother, OSWALD POLZIN, who leased the butcher shop to HERMANN MÜLLER of Tangen (Note from Emil Trapp: His father and other sons went by the name of MÜLLER, but this one was mistakenly recorded as MÜLLER at the registry office). MÜLLER and his brother (an apprentice) fell in World War I. The widow MÜLLER gave up the butcher shop and his brother, LEO MÖLLER took it over. OSWALD POLZIN sold it all to OTTO SCHLUTT, the oldest brother of ALBERT SCHLUTT, from the Groß Tuchen addition. After World War I ALBERT SCHLUTT sold it to MAX DEUBLE.. DEUBLE died in 1946 in a Polish prison. Mrs. DEUBLE and a son, GÜNTER, had already died from mistreatment at the hands of the Poles.

3.4. Butcher Shop

After World War I WILHELM LIMBERG built a second butcher shop on land owned by his brother, OTTO LIMBERG, which he later sold to LEO MÖLLER, who sold the butcher shop on the DEUBLE property to KARL SCHLAAK. MÖLLER and SCHLAAK were expelled by the Poles in 1945.

3.5. Bakery

There had been a bakery in the RUHNKE house, later it belonged to BERTHOLD BIASTOCH. After World War I ALBERT DOMBRAWA built a second bakery, which was taken by the Poles.

3.6. Medical Services

Even before World War I there were medical services in Groß Tuchen, a medical practice that was served by 3 doctors, one after the other. The practice was closed during the war. After 1919 Dr. HARTHUN again opened a new practice, which was taken over by Dr. WEGNER and then by Dr. MARKOSE. In 1945 Dr. MAROSKE was the last.

3.7. Pharmacy

The administration in Köslin gradually became convinced that a pharmacy should be opened in Groß Tuchen. Through agreements with the pharmacist HOSSENFELDER and Guild of Blacksmiths, the former police station was sold to HOSSENFELDER and he would make the necessary changes to use it as a pharmacy. His successor, KRÜGER, was the last pharmacist in 1945.

3.8 Blacksmith Shops

The old village smithy was a farm cooperative in which the blacksmith would either accept money or farm products in payment. The blacksmith was also permitted to work for others. In that way the old smiths in Groß Tuchen were able, one after the other, to purchase land. GOTTLIEB GROTH was able to build his own smithy, house and barn in Groß Tuchen. It was all taken over by his son-in-law, R. MIX, and afterwards by his grandson. In 1888 GROTH fashioned the crown of thorns for the Lutheran Church. Later blacksmiths at the farm cooperative smithy were MAROTZ from Franzwalde, JORDAN from Barkotzen, TILLY from Moddrow and RÖSKE, who later began his own smithy in Groß Tuchen, and BOTH, who was the last one.

3.9 Wheelwright (Wagonmaker)

The earlier wheelwrights were TOTZKE and GUSTAV REDDIES. The son, WILHELM REDDIES built for himself a new dwelling and shop near the saw mill and remained there until the expulsion.

3.10 Tailor Shop

Before World War I PAUL POLZIN was the busy tailor in Groß Tuchen. He fell in the war. Afterwards the tailor was FRANZ LIMBERG, who purchased a house near the train station and set himself up as master tailor. He sold his property and relocated to West Germany. His successors were FRITZ LIETZ and PAPKE.

3.11 Obermühle (Upper Mill)

In the beginning the Obermühle was called the "Paper Mill". It is shown on the Lubinschen Map of 1618 as "Papirmolen". Earlier the mill had belonged to a VON DOMARIUS family. There, besides grinding grain, paper was manufactured from scraps that were delivered by scrap collectors who also lived in Groß Tuchen. VON DOMARIUS sold the mill in about 1860, I (Emil Trapp) do not know the exact date, to STUBBE. His son later had mills in Stolpmünde and Schmolsin in Kreis Stolp. STUBBE leased the mill with the sawmill to NEIENBRANDT, who was in possession when it burned down in 1885. In the meantime STUBBE had leased the estate in Zemmen. He had to give up the lease and rebuild the mill. In 1888 he sold the mill with 260 Morgen of cultivated and pasture land to SCHRÖDER, who had had the Dorfkrug (Gasthof FRITZ HOLZ) in Groß Tuchen. While in SCHRÖDER's possession the barn and sheds burned down again. SCHRÖDER sold out to WOLTER, who came from Rügenwalde. WOLTER died soon after and his son, ERICH, was his successor. In the meantime the Groß Tuchen village mill burned down in 1899 and was rebuilt by VOELZKE and competed with WOLTER. ERICH WOLTER sold 200 Morgen of cultivated and pasture land to the bank and gave the mill property to the bank as collateral for money. That is how the properties of WOLFF, PELZ and RADDE came to be. The remaining 60 Morgen of cultivated and pasture land, as well as the gristmill and the sawmill were sold by WOLTER to GROSS, who died soon after, leaving as heiress a child, GISELA GROSS. The widow GROSS later married BRUNO BARSKE. At the time of the Russian attack the entire mill burned down, and that was the end of the Obermühle for the present.