Monument of Jakub Wejher

He was the son of Jan Wejher, the Voivode of Chełmno, and Anna Szczawińska, the starostess of Mirachowo. He came from one of the most distinguished families in Pomerania. The founder of the town of Wejherowo and the calvary. He was married twice, first to Anna Elżbieta Schaffgotsch, and after her death, to Joanna Katarzyna of the Radziwiłł family. From his first marriage, he had two daughters: Cecylia Eleonora and Anna Teresa. None of them had male descendants. He completed his education at the Jesuit school in Braniewo and later at the University of Bologna. After his studies, he dedicated himself to a military career. He served in the army of the Catholic League of the Princes of the Holy Roman Empire, in various countries, including Malta, which may explain the Maltese cross in the Wejherowo coat of arms. Upon his return in 1632, he served in the Crown Army of King Władysław IV with the rank of colonel and took part in major military campaigns, including the Smolensk War (1632-34), the Polish-Swedish War (where he was the commander of the ports in Władysławowo and Kazimierzowo in 1635, and defended Puck in 1650 during the Swedish Deluge in 1655, he was appointed a general of the Prussian lands), and the Polish-Ukrainian War (he fought in the Battle of Berestechko in 1651 against the Cossack-Tatar forces led by hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky). He was also actively involved in political life. When he began the construction of Wejherowo, he could not have imagined that he had only a few years left to live. He died after a short illness on February 20, 1657, at the age of 47, leaving no male heir to his family. He had two daughters from his first marriage to Anna Elżbieta Schaffgotsch and one daughter from his second marriage to Joanna Katarzyna of the Radziwiłł family. His funeral was solemnly held in Gdańsk. He rests in an underground crypt of the Franciscan Church of St. Anne in Wejherowo.