|
Minority Names in Poland
Minority Place-Names in Poland
On 6 January 2005 the Polish Parliament passed an
“Act on national and ethnic minorities and on the regional languages”.
The act became valid on 1 May 2005. It is the first comprehensive Act
in Poland's post-war history to regulate issues of national, ethnic and
language minorities. Consistent with the definitions in this Act,
national minorities (Belarusian, Czech, Lithuanian, German, Armenian,
Russian, Slovak, Ukrainian and Jewish) and ethnic minorities (Karaim,
Lemko, Roma and Tartar) appear in Poland as well as a minority using a
regional language (Kashubian).
From the viewpoint of geographical names two of
this Act's regulations are important. The first concerns the use of
minority languages, the second geographical names in those languages.
SUPPORTING LANGUAGE
The Act lays down that communes in which persons
belonging to a national, ethnic minority or using a regional language
constitute at least 20% of the inhabitants can introduce a minority
language as an “supporting language” used in contact with commune
organs and in first-instance court procedures. At present only four
minorities (Belarusian, Kashubian, Lithuanian and German) account for
at least 20% of the inhabitants of 51 communes, among which 29
introduced supporting languages by 8 February 2010:
- Belarusian in Czyże commune,
Hajnówka urban
commune, Narewka and Orla communes in Podlaskie Voivodship
- Kashubian in Parchowo and
Sierakowice communes in Pomorskie Voivodship
- Lithuanian in Puńsk commune
in Podlaskie Voivodship
- German in 22 communes of
Opolskie Voivodship: Biała, Bierawa, Chrząstowice, Dobrodzień, Dobrzeń
Wielki, Głogówek, Izbicko, Jemielnica, Kolonowskie, Komprachcice,
Lasowice Wielkie, Leśnica, Murów, Prószków, Radłów, Reńska Wieś,
Strzeleczki, Tarnów Opolski, Turawa, Ujazd, Walce, Zębowice.
GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES
The Act also lays down that traditional names in a
minority language for localities, physiographic objects and streets may
be used as “additional names” alongside geographic names established in
the Polish language. The names of uninhabited localities, physiographic
objects as well as streets, squares etc in minority languages may be
established only for communes in which a name to be established
constitute at least 20% of the inhabitants. In the case of inhabited
localities, minority names may be set also for communes which do not
satisfy the quantitative requirement of minorities residing therein.
For such places an additional name in the minority language may be
introduced if in consultations more than a half of its residents were
in favor of the establishment of an additional name. Names of
localities and physiographic objects in minority languages may be
introduced throughout a whole commune or its part.
Names in minority languages may not be used
independently and must also appear following the official name in
Polish. Contradictory to names in Polish, names in minority languages
are not official names only “additional names” (“auxiliary names”).
Names in minority languages may not refer to names between 1933 and
1945 granted by the Third German Reich or the Soviet Union. All names
proposed by Commune Council must receive a positive opinion of the
Commission for Names of Localities and Physiographic Objects.
List of minority names
Legal base for
establishing minority names:
|
