% of Poles by municipalities
Number of Poles by municipalities
The
Polish minority in Lithuania () numbers 234,989 persons, and at 6.74% of the population of
Lithuania (the current population of Lithuania () is estimated at approximately 3,350,400 people), it forms the largest
ethnic minority in modern Lithuania and one of the largest Polish
diaspora groups in a former Soviet republic. Poles are concentrated in the
Vilnius Region (). People of Polish ethnicity have lived on the territory of modern Lithuania for many centuries.
The relationship between the two groups is long and complex. The countries were united during the era of the
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, but this ended after that state was
partitioned in the late 18th century. Both countries succeeded in regaining their independence in the wake of World War I, but
hostilities over the ownership of
Vilnius () and the surrounding region, broke out in 1920. The disputes became moot after the
Soviet Union exercised its authority over both countries during and immediately after World War II. Some tensions over the Vilnius Region resurfaced after Lithuania regained its independence in 1990, but have since remained at manageable levels. Poland was highly supportive of the Lithuanian independence, and became one of the first countries to recognize independent Lithuania, despite apprehensions over Lithuania's mistreatment of its Polish minority.
[Stephen R. Burant and Voytek Zubek, Eastern Europe's Old Memories and New Realities: Resurrecting the Polish-lithuanian Union, East European Politics and Societies 1993; 7; 370, ]Statistics
According to the Lithuanian census of 2001, the Polish minority in Lithuania numbers 234,989 persons.
[. Data from Statistikos Departamentas, 2001 Population and Housing Census.] The Polish minority (or
Polonia), forming 6.74% of the population of
Lithuania, is the largest
ethnic minority in modern Lithuania; the second largest being
Russian minority in Lithuania.
Poles are concentrated in the
Vilnius region. The vast majority of Poles live in
Vilnius county (216,012 people, forming 26% of the county's population);
Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, has 101,526 Poles, who form 19.3% of the city's population.
[. Data from Statistikos Departamentas, 2001 Population and Housing Census.] Especially large Polish communities are found in
Vilnius district municipality (61.3% of the population) and
Šalčininkai (Soleczniki) district municipality (79.5%).
Lithuanian municipalities which, according to the 2001 census, have a Polish minority exceeding 1% of the total population are listed in the table below:
Languages
Out of the 234,989 Poles in Lithuania, 187,918 (80.0%) consider the
Polish language to be their
mother tongue. 22,439 Poles (9.5%) speak
Russian as their first language, while 17,233 (7.3%) speak
Lithuanian. 6,279 Poles (2.7%) did not indicate their first language. The remaining 0.5% speaks various other languages.
[. Data from Statistikos Departamentas, 2001 Population and Housing Census.]Historical demographics
Education
As of 1980, about 20% of Polish-Lithuanian students chose Polish at school.
["Атлас Литовской ССР" 1981, Государственный плановый комитет Литовской ССР. Министерство высшего и среднего специального образования Литовской ССР. Главное управление геодезии и картографии при Совете Министров СССР. Москва 1981. ] In the same year, about 60-70% of rural Polish community chose Polish. However, even in towns with predominantly Polish population the share of Polish language education was less than the percentage of Poles. Even though, historically Poles tended to strongly oppose
Russification, one of the most important reasons to choose Russian language education was the absence of Polish language college and university learning in the
USSR, and during Soviet times Polish students were not allowed to get college/university education directly in Poland. Only in 2007, the first small branch of the Polish
Białystok University opened in Vilnius. In 1980 there were 16,400 school students instructed in Polish. Their number declined to 11,400 in 1990. In independent Lithuania between 1990 and 2001 the number of Polish mother tongue children attending schools with Polish as the language of instruction doubled to over 22,300, then gradually decreased to 18,392 in 2005
[Mercator - Education information, documentation, research. see: graph on p.16 (PDF file, 2.2 MB) Accessed 2008-01-14.].
History
People of Polish ethnicity have lived in Lithuania for many centuries. Many Poles in Lithuania today are the descendants of Polonized Lithuanians or Ruthenians. Historically, the number of Poles on modern Lithuanian territory has varied during different periods.
Polish culture began to influence the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania around the time of the
Union of Lublin (16th century), and during the time of the
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (1569-1795) much of the
Lithuanian nobility was
polonized and joined the
Polish-Lithuanian szlachta class.
Reformation gave another impetus to the spread of the
Polish language, as the
Bible and other religious texts were translated from
Latin to Polish. In 1697 Polish replaced
Ruthenian as an
chancellery language. In 19th century peasants of Polish nationality started to appear in Lithuania, mostly by Polonization of Lithuanian peasants in
Dzūkija and to a lesser degree in
Aukštaitija.
A large portion of the Vilnius area was controlled by the
Second Polish Republic during the
interwar period, particularly the area of the
Republic of Central Lithuania, which contained a significant Polish speaking population (for example, the
Wilno Voivodeship in 1931 contained 59.7% Polish speakers and only 5.2% Lithuanian speakers
[ See ethnic history of the region of Vilnius for details.]). From 1918 to 1921 several conflicts - such as the activity of
Polish Military Organization,
Sejny uprising (that was met with massive outrage in Lithuania
) and discovered attempted of Polish coup on Lithuanian government. From the documents stolen in POW headquarters safe in
Vilnius and given to
Prime Minister of Lithuania Augustinas Voldemaras it is clear, that this plot was directed by
Józef Piłsudski himself.
, the
Polish-Lithuanian War and
Żeligowski's Mutiny contributed to worsening of
Polish-Lithuanian relations; increasingly Polish people were viewed with suspicion in Lithuania. The loss of Vilnius was a stunning blow to Lithuanian aspirations and identity, and the unrelenting irredentist demand for its return became one of the most important elements of Lithuanian political and social life in the interwar period.
[Michael MacQueen, The Context of Mass Destruction: Agents and Prerequisites of the Holocaust in Lithuania, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Volume 12, Number 1, pp. 27-48, 1998, ] The irredentist campaign resulted in the emergence of feelings of hatred and revenge directed against the Poles in the Lithuanian society.
In fact, the largest social organization in interwar Lithuania was the League for the liberation of Vilnius (Vilniaus Vadavimo Safunga, or WS), which trumpeted the irredentist line in its magazine "Our Vilnius" (Mūsų Vilnius)."
Hence in the interwar period Polish minority was persecuted by the administration of independent Lithuania. The Lithuanian census of 1923 showed that Poles constituted 65,600 of Lithuania inhabitants (3.2% of total population). In interwar Lithuania, people declaring Polish ethicity were officially described as
polonized Lithuanians who merely needed to be re-
Lithuanianized, Polish-owned land were confistacted, Polish religious services, schools, publications, and voting rights were restricted.
During the
WWII expulsions and shortly after the war, the
Soviet Union, during its struggle to establish the
People's Republic of Poland,
forcibly resettled many Poles who lived in the
Lithuanian SSR and were seen as 'enemies of the state' into
Siberia. After the war, in 1945-1948, the Soviet Union allowed to leave 197,000 of Poles to Poland; in 1956-1959, another 46,600 were able to leave.
In 1950s the remaining Polish minority was a target of several attempted campaigns of
Lithuanization by
Communist Party of Lithuania, which tried to ban any teaching in Polish language; those attempts where however vetoed by
Moscow which saw them as too nationalistic.
The Soviet census of 1959 showed 230,100 Poles concentrated in the Vilnius region (8.5% of the Lithuanian SSR's population).
The Polish minority increased in size, but more slowly than other ethnic groups in Lithuania; the last Soviet census of 1989 showed 258,000 Poles (7.0% of the Lithuanian SSR's population).
The Polish minority, subject in the past to massive, often voluntary
Russification and
Sovietization, and recently to mostly voluntary processes of
Lithuanization, shows many and increasing signs of
assimilation with
Lithuanians.
However some young Poles don't speak Lithuanian fluently, so they prefer to study in Poland or in Polish language
University of Białystok branch in
Vilnius, rather than in Lithuanian universities.
Some Poles living southwards of Vilnius speak a dialect of Polish, containing many substratical relics from
Lithuanian and
Belarusian language.
[Valerijus Čekmonas, Laima Grumadaitė Kalbų paplitimas rytų Lietuvoje (The distribution of the languages in the east of Lithuania) in Lietuvos rytai; straipsnių rinkinys (The east of Lithuania; the collection of the articles) Vilnius 1993; p. 132; ISBN 9986-09-002-4]Current situation
Grey: Areas with majority Polish population in modern Lithuania. Red: pre-WWII Polish-Lithuanian border
The situation of the Polish minority in Lithuania has caused occasional tensions in
Polish-Lithuanian relations during the late 20th and early 21st centuries. When Lithuania declared its independence from the
Soviet Union in 1990,
Gorbachev sought help from the Polish minority.
[Understanding Ethnic Violence: Fear, Hatred, and Resentment in Twentieth-century Eastern Europe, Cambridge University Press, 2002, ISBN 0521007747, Roger Dale Petersen, ] Polish minority, still remembering the 1950s attempts to ban Polish language,
was much more supportive of the Soviet Union and afraid that the new Lithuanian government might want to reintroduce the Lithuanization policies.
According to surveys conducted in the spring of 1990, 47% of Poles in Lithuania supported the pro-Soviet Communist party (in contrast to 8% support among ethnic Lithuanians), while 35% supported Lithuanian independence.
[ ] The regional authorities in Vilnius and Šalčininkai region, under Polish leadership, with support from Soviet authorities, argued for the establishment of an
autonomous region in South Eastern Lithuania, a request that was declined by the Lithuanian government and left lasting resentment among some residents.
[ ] Government of Poland however never supported the separatist tendencies of the Polish minority in Lithuania.
Current tensions arise regarding Polish education and spelling of names. The United States Department of State stated, in a report issued in 2001, that the Polish minority had issued complaints with regard to its status in Lithuania, and that members of the Polish Parliament criticized the government of Lithuania over alleged discrimination against the Polish minority. In recent years, the Lithuanian government budgets 40,000 litas (~$15,000) for the needs of the Polish minority (out of the 7 million litas budget of the Department of National Minorities). In 2006 Polish Foreign Minister Stefan Meller asserted that Polish educational institutions in Lithuania are severely underfunded. Similar concerns were voiced in 2007 by a Polish parliamentary commission. According to a report issued by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights in 2004, Poles in Lithuania were the second least-educated minority group in Lithuania. Branch of University of Białystok in Vilnius educates mostly members of the Polish minority.
A report by the Council of Europe, issued in 2007, stated that on the whole, minorities were integrated quite well into the everyday life of Lithuania. The report expressed a concern with Lithuanian nationality law, which contains a right of return clause.[[https://wcd.coe.int/ViewDoc.jsp?id=1134263&BackColorInternet=DBDCF2&BackColorIntranet=FDC864&BackColorLogged=FFC679#P192_38971 Memorandum to the Lithuanian Government Assessment of the progress made in implementing the 2004 recommendations of the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights] Council of Europe, 16 May 2007.] The citizenship law was under discussion during 2007; it was deemed unconstitutional on 13 November 2006.
A report by the Council of Europe, issued in 2007, stated that on the whole, minorities were integrated quite well into the everyday life of Lithuania. The report expressed a concern with Lithuanian nationality law, which contains a right of return clause, and recommended additional financial support for translations of textbooks.
Lithuanian law stipulates that everyone who has Lithuanian citizenship and resides within the country has to forcibly Lithuanianise their name (i.e. spell it in the Lithuanian phonetics and alphabet); for example, the name Kleczkowski has to be spelled Klečkovski in official documents. Representatives of the Lithuanian government demanded removal of Polish names of the streets in Maišiagala (Mejszagoła), Raudondvaris (Czerwony Dwór), Riešė (Rzesza) and Sudervė (Suderwa). Tensions have been reported between the Lithuanian Roman Catholic clergy and its Polish parishioniers in Lithuania.
The situation is further escalated by extremist groups on both sides. Lithuanian extremist nationalist organization Vilnija[ ][ ][ ] seeks the Lithuanization of ethnic Poles living in the Eastern part of Lithuania.
In late May 2008, Association of Poles in Lithuania issued a letter, addressed to the government of Lithuania, complaining about anti-minority (primarily, anti-Polish) rhetoric in media, citing upcoming parliamentary elections as a motive, and asking for better treatment of the ethnic minorities. The Association has also filed a complain with the Lithuanian prosecutor, asking for investigation of the issue.
Lithuania has not ratified European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages .Culture
Surnames
The surnames of Lithuanian Poles are of Polish forms, many of them ending in suffixes -e/owski, -e/owicz, rarer -(ń)ski and more rare -cki (Lithuanian spelling -e/ovski, -e/ovič, -(n)ski, -cki), are commonly the same as their counterparts in Poland and usually has cognates among Lithuanian surnames, what reflects the historical living in the common cultural area, ethnic, cultural or linguistic assimilation, common use of the same Slavic patronymic suffixes: Pol. -e/owski, -e/owicz : Lith. -(i)auskas, -e/avičius : Belarusian -оўскі, -e/овіч. The suffixes -e/owski, -(ń)ski, -cki is historically characteristic to Polish names and -e/ovič − to Belarusian names. The surname ending -e/ovič, which is more frequent among Lithuanians (-e/-avičius), Belarusians and Lithuanian Poles is rarer in Poland.
The frequency of Lithuanian-specific surnames among the surnames of Lithuanian Poles is moderate. The sketchy examples include anthroponyms of two roots − Talmont, Narvoiš, Bowgerd, Dowgiało, Golmont, Žybort etc.; with Lithuanian patronymic suffixes – Pieciun, Wickun, Mikalajun, Masojć, Matulaniec; with Lithuanian diminutive suffixes − Jurgiel, Wierbiel, Jusel, Drawnel, Rekiel, Szuksztul; Lithuanian root − Garszwo, Plokszto, Pażuś, Gejgall, Szyllo, Wojsznis; Lithuanian root with a Slavic suffix − Mieżewicz, Pażusińskaja, Dziedulewicz, Gilewicz, Błaszkiewicz, Balsewicz, Dajnowicz, Tarejkowicz, Narkiewicz.
Measuring the historical ethnic "charge" of a surname has certain specific features, as, for example, there were many surnames made from the same Christian names and Slavic-form suffixes used by Lithuanian, Belarusian and Polish speakers, surnames could also be made from Lithuanian root and Slavic suffix, Belarusian-characteristic root and Polish-characteristic suffix and so on.Organizations
The Lithuanian arm of the "Polonia" diaspora is organized by several groups and associations.
The Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania (, ) is an ethnic minority-based political party formed in 1994, able to exert significant political influence in the administrative districts where Poles form a majority or significant minority. This party has held 1-2 seats in the parliament of Lithuania for the past decade; in the last general elections it got about 4% of votes. The party is more active in local politics and controls several municipal councils.[ . Encyklopedia Interia. Last accessed 20 January 2007.]
The Association of Poles in Lithuania () is an organization formed in 1989 to bring together Polish activists in Lithuania. It numbers between 6,000 to 11,000 members. It defends the civil rights of the Polish minority and engages in educational, cultural and economic activities.[ . Encyklopedia Interia. Last accessed 20 January 2007.]Prominent Poles
Prior to 1940
Today
See also
