Jewish Quarter in Leszno was located in the northwestern part of the city. Its boundaries were established in 1626 by the charter of the then owners: Rafał V and Bogusław Leszczyński. The quarter's perimeter was delimited by the following streets: ul. Kościańska, ul. Łaziebna, ul. Grodzka, and ul. Wałowa. According to the city authorities' recommendation, the Jews were ordered to develop vacant spaces within the quarter, which they were required to do within three years from the charter's issuance. It was also prohibited for individual members of the community to own more than one house or reside outside the designated quarter. The first case of a Jew residing outside the "ghetto" occurred in 1768 (L. Lewin, Geschichte der Juden in Lissa, Pinne 1904, pp. 5–6, 133–141).
The legal status and prevailing property relations in the quarter were determined by relevant agreements. Both Christians and Jews could be parties to these agreements. However, the authorities sought to ensure that Jews built on vacant plots or purchased properties from their fellow co-religionists rather than from Christians (B. Świderski, Dzieje gminy żydowskiej w Lesznie, Leszno 1974, pp. 5, 10–11).
One example of such an agreement is a document stored in the collections of the District Museum in Leszno. It takes the form of a standing rectangle (a folded sheet in half) and is written on handmade ribbed paper. The handwritten text is in the Hebrew language. The pages bear two positive watermarks: the Prussian eagle with a crown and a royal monogram on its chest, as well as the initials "IGK."
The receipt pertains to the sale of a plot of land located on Grodzka Street (ul. Grodzka, formerly known as Herrengasse or Pańska), intended for a garden. The plot was owned by Joel Zelthis(?), son of Isaak.
At the top edge of the agreement, there are two partially preserved round official seals: 1) in the upper left corner, there is a revenue stamp with the image of the Prussian eagle in the field and a German inscription in the surround: "SZEŚĆ DOBRYCH GROSZY"; 2) in the upper right corner, there is an ornate monogram of King Frederick William III topped with a crown.
The document was handed over to the employees of the Judaica Department of the Museum in Leszno in 1994. It was a gift from Edmund Jankowski, a collector and local government activist from Leszno, who served as the city's president (1975–1979) and Deputy Provincial Governor of Leszno (1979–1990).
Dariusz Czwojdrak
