Tomasz from Gubin – the first commune administrator of Poznań

Rulers assigned the task of bringing settlers to new cities and organising life in them to the so-called zasadźcy [land allocators]. In Poznań such a man was Tomasz from Gubin (Thomas von Guben). Although not much is known about him, he must have been experienced in founding cities, which is why he earned the trust of the dukes from the Wielkopolska Region.

Tomasz from Gubin charted the map of Poznań, marking the street layout and some space for building houses. He organised trade and craft work, collected charges for the duke and governed the new settlement. For fulfilling these duties, he received income from rent, legal fees and mills. For the next 150 years the office of Poznań’s commune administrator was held by his descendants – Rajnold, Tylon and Przemko.

Tomasz, the first commune administrator of Poznań, came from Gubin (today located on the Polish-German border). Gubin, a lithograph based on a drawing by A. Fischer, Saxonia Museum für saechsische Vaterlandskunde, Dresden 1839, public domain