In 1883, Kolberg wrote about inhabitants of the Lublin and Chełm regions (at that time the area belonged to the Lublin Governorate, an administrative unit of the Kingdom of Poland): “The western part of the Lublin Governorate is inhabited by the Polish people who follow the Latin rite; whereas the south-east part includes the Ruthenian people who follow the Eastern Greek rite”.

The culture of Polish people was described in ‘The Lublin Region’. Kolberg visited those areas regularly in the years 1848-1870. During his first voyages he stayed in Żyrzyn, Osiny and Puławy. The most fruitful field research in this region was conducted while staying in Gałęzów in the district of Lublin with the family of Koźmian. The ethnographic material from this place was collected not only by Kolberg, but also by the daughter of the manor owners, Józefa Koźmianówna.

Kolberg was impressed by the way the inhabitants of the Lublin region spoke:

“Their language, apart from the characteristics inevitable for every region is rather clearer and more resounding than in other regions of Poland”.