Pilsner as name variant for Pilzno?

[markparmerter]

Hello!  Has anybody encountered Pilsner / Pillsner / Pillsmere as a name variant for Pilzno, Poland? I am wondering because because it is only minutes from Chotowa, were immigration records suggest my great-grandfather lived at one time, and in various other documents he explains that he was born in Pilsner / Pillsner / Pillsmere, Poland / Austria. But I cannot find historical or modern-day reference to anything other than Pilzno, which does have a few name variants. The family name was Noga. I am wondering if he (and his wife) had just enough of an accent so that when they pronounced the place name people wrote it down with a odd spelling? Thanks for whatever guidance you can provide...

[Jaga]

Dear Mark,

Pilzner might be a German variation of name Pilzno, since this town was founded on German law. I was in Pilzno and it is a charming town.
Pilzner is also a name of a beer.....

Noga means leg in Polish. You can find the dictionary on line with a right Polish spelling.

[Jaga]

Here is a very interesting history of this small town which I had a chance to visit:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilzno

Granted Magdeburg rights in 1354 by King Kazimierz Wielki, Pilzno has a rich history. In the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth it was the capital of a powiat, located in the Sandomierz Voivodeship. Most important historical building is St. John's church, with the famous Shrine and Painting of Our Lady of Consolation', founded around 1256. It is located near the medieval market square.
In the early days of Polish statehood, the area of Pilzno probably belonged to the Vistulans. The name of the town for the first time appears in 1105, in a document issued by Papal legate Gilles, who confirmed that Benedictine monks from Tyniec owned numerous villages and settlements along the Wisłoka river, including Pilzno. In 1328, Benedictine abbot Michał from Tyniec named first sołtys of Pilzno. In 1354, the village became a royal possession, and King Kazimierz Wielki granted it Magdeburg rights. At that time, Pilzno was conveniently located at the intersection of two busy merchant routes: west - east (from Kraków to Red Ruthenia), and north - south (from Sandomierz to the Kingdom of Hungary). The town belonged to the Duchy of Sandomierz, which later became Sandomierz Voivodeship. It was the capital of Pilzno County, which included Tarnów, Dębica, Ropczyce, Mielec, and Sędziszów Małopolski.
It is not known when the painting of Our Lady of Consolation was brought to Pilzno. It was already in the town in 1241, when Lesser Poland was invaded by the Mongols. The town was attacked by Asiatic hordes again in 1287, and the painting became famous. King Władysław Łokietek visited Pilzno’s parish church and prayed before the painting, and in 1340, knights of King Kazimierz Wielki, on their way to Red Ruthenia, stopped here as well. In 1386, the royal couple - King Władysław Jagiełło and his wife, Queen Jadwiga of Poland prayed here as well.

Pilzno was burned twice. First in 1474, during the Polish - Hungarian war, and then in 1498, during a Tatar raid. The painting was destroyed in 1474, and ca. 1500, it was re-created, by a German artist Lazarus Gertner. At that time, Pilzno was one of the most important towns of southeastern Lesser Poland.

On March 18, 1657, troops of Transilvanian Prince George II Rakoczi, together with their Cossack allies, attacked Pilzno, plundering the town and burning it to the ground. Like in virtually all towns and cities of Lesser Poland, the Deluge had a disastrous impact on Pilzno. Furthermore, there were several epidemics (1641, 1652, 1665, 1675), which decimated town’s population.

[markparmerter]

Jaga, thank you for your reply. I have seen that very interesting article, but thank you for sharing. You may be correct about the German variation; having spent countless hours with no luck finding the spelling I am looking for, I'm beginning to wonder if the spelling and pronunciation got mishandled in the dictation...

[Jaga]

Mark,

Pilzno and its region (Chotowa) were always Polish, but as you know, these areas were under Austrian rule for over 100 years until WW I, so I believe that they used Pilzner as a German variation.

By the way, you are aware of course of Czech's city called Pilzno in Polish. Here is the info in English about this big town:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plze%C5%88

[Jaga]

Here is another link to the declination of word "Pilzno"

pl.wiktionary.org/wiki/Pilzno

[markparmerter]

Thank you again for the further links, I just discovered the Czech city called Pilzno this week, very intriguing. I'll have to speak to some relatives about this, although they've always considered themselves to be Polish not Czech. Although one recently told me that, as a child, they were often questioned about being Czech because of their looks/facial appearance. Pilzner as a German variation of the Polish Pilzo seems logical to me, and remains the direction I'm heading in; the geographic connection to Chotowa remains a big influence. Thanks, very much, for your help!

[Jaga]

You are welcomed. Let us know whether you found somebody else. I still believe that it is probably the Polish Pilzno, still, it is good if it helps you and us to learn some geography