% of Poles by municipalities

Number of Poles by municipalities

The Polish minority in Lithuania (Lithuanian: Lenkai; Polish: Polacy) numbers 234,989 persons and, at 6. Lithuanian ( lietuvių kalba) is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognised as one of the official languages of the European Union. Polish ( język polski, polszczyzna) is the Official language of Poland. 74% of the population of Lithuania, forms the largest ethnic minority in modern Lithuania. Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublika is a Country in Eastern often referred to as Northern Europe or in the Poles are concentrated in the Vilnius region (Polish: Wilno). Vilnius Region ( Lithuanian: Vilniaus kraštas, Wileńszczyzna generally refers to the territory in the present day Lithuania and Belarus 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, which ended after the Partitions of Poland in the late 18th century. The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, officially the Commonwealth of the Crown of the Polish Kingdom and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania also known as the Most Serene Republic The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the The alliance was at times uneasy. Both countries succeeded in gaining independence in the wake of World War I, but hostilities over the ownership of the Vilnius Region broke out in 1920. Vilnius Region ( Lithuanian: Vilniaus kraštas, Wileńszczyzna generally refers to the territory in the present day Lithuania and Belarus The disputes were addressed when the Soviet Union exercised its authority over both countries during and immediately after World War II. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Serious tensions resurfaced after Lithuania regained its independence in 1990^[1][2], but have since remained at manageable levels.

Statistics

The Polish minority in Lithuania numbers 234,989 persons. ^[3] The Polish minority (or Polonia), forming 6. Polonia, the name for Poland in Latin and many Romance and other languages refers in modern Polish to the Polish Diaspora 74% of the population of Lithuania, is the largest ethnic minority in modern Lithuania; the second largest being Russian minority in Lithuania. Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublika is a Country in Eastern often referred to as Northern Europe or in the ^[3] 187,918 people in Lithuania consider the Polish language to be their mother tongue. Polish ( język polski, polszczyzna) is the Official language of Poland. A first language (also mother tongue, native language, arterial language, or L1) is the language a human being learns from birth ^[4] Poles are concentrated in the Vilnius region. Vilnius Region ( Lithuanian: Vilniaus kraštas, Wileńszczyzna generally refers to the territory in the present day Lithuania and Belarus 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. Vilnius County (Vilniaus apskritis Okręg wileński is the largest of the 10 counties of Lithuania, located in the east of the country around the City 3% of the city's population. ^[5] Especially large Polish communities are found in Vilnius district municipality (61. Vilnius district municipality is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania. 3% of the population) and Šalčininkai (Soleczniki) district municipality (79. Šalčininkai district municipality (Šalčininkų rajonas is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania. 5%). ^[5]

Education

As of 1980, about 20% of Polish-Lithuanian students chose Polish at school. Rural areas can be large and isolated (also referred to as "the country" and/or "the countryside over the course of time Wikipedia_talkFeatured_lists#Proposed_change_to_all_featured_lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below --> Municipalities of Lithuania Lithuanian ( lietuvių kalba) is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognised as one of the official languages of the European Union. Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages Polish ( język polski, polszczyzna) is the Official language of Poland. Vilnius district municipality is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania. Šalčininkai district municipality (Šalčininkų rajonas is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania. Švenčionys district municipality is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania. The Trakai district municipality is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania. Varėna district municipality is a Municipality in southern Lithuania, Alytus County. Širvintos district municipality ( Širvintų rajono savivaldybė) is a municipality in Lithuania, it is in territory of Vilniaus Apskritis ^[9] 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 then 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. Russification (in Russian: русификация rusifikátsiya)is an adoption of the Russian language or some other Russian attribute (whether voluntarily The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Only in 2007, the first small branch of the Polish Białystok University opened in Vilnius. History University of Białystok was opened on June 19 1997. The University was established as a result of a transformation of the Branch of the 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 ^[10].

History

People of Polish ethnicity have lived in Lithuania for many centuries. Most researchers agree, that many Poles in Lithuania are the descendants of Polonized locals. ^[11][12] 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. The Culture of Poland is closely connected with its intricate 1000 year history. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Lietuvos Didžioji Kunigaikštystė old literary Lithuanian Didi Kunigiste Letuvos, Ruthenian: Wialikaje Kniastwa Litowskaje The Union of Lublin (Liublino unija Belarusian: Лю́блінская ву́нія Polish: Unia The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, officially the Commonwealth of the Crown of the Polish Kingdom and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania also known as the Most Serene Republic The Lithuanian nobility was historically a legally privileged class in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania consisting of Lithuanian (from historical Polonization (polonizacja is the acquisition or imposition The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, officially the Commonwealth of the Crown of the Polish Kingdom and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania also known as the Most Serene Republic Szlachta ( refers to the noble class in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (since 1569 semi-federal semi-confederal Reformation gave another impetus to the spread of the Polish language, as the Bible and other religious texts were translated from Latin to Polish. The Protestant Reformation was a reform movement in Europe that began in 1517 though its roots lie further back in time Polish ( język polski, polszczyzna) is the Official language of Poland. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. In 1697 Polish replaced Ruthenian as an chancellery language. Ruthenian (also In 19th century peasants of Polish nationality started to appear in Lithuania, mostly by Polonization of Lithuanian peasants. ^[13]

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. The Second Polish Republic or interwar Poland is the Republic of Poland between World War I and World War II. "Central Lithuania" redirects here This is an article about a former state 7% Polish speakers and only 5. 2% Lithuanian speakers^[14]). From 1918 to 1921 several conflicts - such as the activity of Polish Military Organization, Sejny uprising (that was met with massive outrage in Lithuania^[15]) and discovered attempted of Polish coup on Lithuanian government^[16][17]. Polish Military Organisation (Polska Organizacja Wojskowa POW was a secret military organization created by Józef Piłsudski in August 1914 and officially named in November The Sejny Uprising (Powstanie sejneńskie or Seinai Revolt refers to a 1919 From the documents stolen in POW headquoters 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 Prime Minister of Lithuania is the head of the executive arm of Lithuania 's government and is chosen by the Lithuanian parliament the Seimas. Augustinas Voldemaras ( April 16, 1883 May 16, 1942) was a Lithuanian nationalist political figure ^[18], the Polish-Lithuanian War and Żeligowski's Mutiny contributed to worsening of Polish-Lithuanian relations; increasingly Polish people were viewed with suspicion in Lithuania. Żeligowski's Mutiny (Bunt Żeligowskiego also żeligiada, Želigovskio maištas was a staged Mutiny led by Polish General Lucjan Żeligowski 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. ^[19] The irredentist campaign resulted in the emergence of feelings of hatred and revenge directed against the Poles in the Lithuanian society. ^[19] 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" (Mttsu Vilnius). " ^[19]

Hence in the interwar period Polish minority was persecuted by the administration of independent Lithuania. ^[20] The Lithuanian census of 1923 showed that Poles constituted 65,600 of Lithuania inhabitants (3. 2% of total population). ^[21] 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. Polonization (polonizacja is the acquisition or imposition Lithuanization (sometimes also called the Lithuanianization) is a process of Cultural assimilation - adoption either forced or voluntary of Lithuanian ^[22]

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. World War II evacuation and expulsion refers to forced deportation mass evacuation and displacement of peoples spurred on by the hostilities between Axis and Allied powers and the border The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The People's Republic of Poland or Polish People's Republic ( Polish: Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa, PRL Russian Repatriation of Polish population in the years of 1944–1946 (also known as the first repatriation, to contrast with the ''second repatriation'' in the years 1955–1959 The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (Lietuvos Tarybų Socialistinė Respublika Литовская Советская Социалистическая Республика Siberia (Сиби́рь Sibir) is the name given to the vast region constituting almost all of Northern Asia and for the most part currently serving 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. ^[23][24] 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. Lithuanization (sometimes also called the Lithuanianization) is a process of Cultural assimilation - adoption either forced or voluntary of Lithuanian The Communist Party of Lithuania (Lietuvos komunistų partija was a Communist party in Lithuania, established in early October 1918 Moscow (Москва́ romanised: Moskvá, IPA: see also other names) is the Capital and the largest city of ^[25] The Soviet census of 1959 showed 230,100 Poles concentrated in the Vilnius region (8. 5% of the Lithuanian SSR's population). ^[26] 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). ^[26] The Polish minority, subject in the past to massive, often voluntary ^[27] Russification and Sovietization, and recently to mostly voluntary processes of Lithuanization, shows many and increasing signs of assimilation with Lithuanians. Russification (in Russian: русификация rusifikátsiya)is an adoption of the Russian language or some other Russian attribute (whether voluntarily Sovietization is term that may be used with two distinct (but related meanings the adoption of a political system based on the model of soviets (workers' councils Lithuanization (sometimes also called the Lithuanianization) is a process of Cultural assimilation - adoption either forced or voluntary of Lithuanian A region or society where several different groups are spontaneously assimilated is sometimes referred to as a Melting pot. Lithuanians are the Baltic Ethnic group native to Lithuania, where they number a little over 3 million ^[26] 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. History University of Białystok was opened on June 19 1997. The University was established as a result of a transformation of the Branch of the

Some Poles living in the south of Lithuania speak a dialect of Polish, containing many substratical relics from Lithuanian and Belarusian language. Lithuanian ( lietuvių kalba) is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognised as one of the official languages of the European Union. The Belarusian language, or Belorussian,(беларуская мова BGN/PCGN: byelaruskaya mova, Scientific: belaruskaja mova ^[28]

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^[29]. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev ( Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachyov;; born 2 March 1931 in Privolnoye Stavropol Krai) is a Russian politician Polish minority, still remembering the 1950s attempts to ban Polish language,^[25] was much more supportive of the Soviet Union and afraid that the new Lithuanian government might want to reintroduce the Lithuanization policies;^[25] 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. ^[25] 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. An autonomous area is an area of a Country that has a degree of Autonomy, or freedom from an external authority ^[30] The same regional leaders later voiced support for the Soviet coup attempt of 1991 in Moscow. The 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt ( August 19 - August 21, 1991) also known as the August Putsch or August Coup was a three-day ^[30] Government of Poland however never supported the separationist tendencies of the Polish minority in Lithuania, and the former Polish ambassador to Lithuania, Jan Widacki, has criticized some Polish organizations in Lithuania as being extreme far-right and nationalist. The politics of Poland take place in the framework of a parliamentary representative democratic Republic, whereby the Prime Minister ^[31]

This situation is further aggravated by fringe Lithuanian extremist nationalist organization Vilnija. The term nationalism can refer to an Ideology, a sentiment, a form of Culture, or a Social movement that focuses on the Nation Vilnija is a Lithuanian political organization considered to be Extremist and Nationalist. ^{[32] [33] [34]} The organization was formed in 1988, and its primary aim was the Lithuanization of ethnic Poles living in the Eastern part of Lithuania. Lithuanization (sometimes also called the Lithuanianization) is a process of Cultural assimilation - adoption either forced or voluntary of Lithuanian The Polish people, or Poles, (Polacy) are a Western Slavic Ethnic group of Central Europe, living predominantly in Poland. Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublika is a Country in Eastern often referred to as Northern Europe or in the ^[25] The organization's goal is also to counter perceived growing Polish influence in Lithuania, which Vilnija sees as a threat to that nation. ^[25] Vilnija has been seen by Polish government and media to often organize or support anti-Polish actions. The terms Polonophobia, anti-Polonism, antipolonism and anti-Polish sentiment refer to a spectrum of hostile attitudes toward Poles. ^{[35] [36] [37]}

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. ^[38] 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). The litas ( ISO currency code LTL symbolized as Lt plural litai or litų) is the currency of Lithuania. ^[39] In 2006 Polish Foreign Minister Stefan Meller asserted that Polish educational institutions in Lithuania are severely underfunded. Stefan Meller (born July 4, 1942, in Lyon, France, died February 4, 2008, in Warsaw, Poland) ^[40] Similar concerns were voiced in 2007 by a Polish parliamentary commission ^[41]

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 Council of Europe (Conseil de l'Europe is the oldest International organisation working towards European integration, being founded in 1949 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 nationality law automatically grants citizenship to persons born within the current borders of Lithuania. The term right of return refers to the principle in International law that members of an Ethnic or National group have a right to Immigration ^[42] The citizenship law was under discussion during 2007; it was deemed unconstitutional on 13 November 2006. ^[43] A proposed constitutional amendment would allow the Polish minority in Lithuania to apply for Polish passports. ^[44].

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. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in ^[45] The Lithuanian government is obligated to ensure non-discrimination on the basis of The Declaration on Friendly Relations and Good-neighbourly Co-operation between the Republic of Poland and the Republic of Lithuania (Vilnius, January 13, 1992), which says: Both Parties will seek the possibilities of fully satisfying linguistic, cultural, religious and educational needs of the Polish minority in Lithuania and the Lithuanian minority in Poland, including studying in their mother tongue, educating minority members in their mother tongue on all levels of the school system, as well as to ensuring non-discrimination in political, social and economic life and also enabling persons belonging to minority to retain unrestricted contacts with the other country. ^[46]. Branch of University of Białystok in Vilnius educates mostly members of the Polish minority. History University of Białystok was opened on June 19 1997. The University was established as a result of a transformation of the Branch of the Ministry of Internal Affairs dissolves Vilnius district municipality causing protests. Vilnius district municipality is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania.

According to Tygodnik Wileńszczyzny Polish language weekly Lithuanian authorities don't respect EU convention [2]. Jurgis Jurkevičius, the representative of Lithuanian government in the Vilnius district municipality demands removal of Polish names of the streets in Maišiogala (Mejszagoła), Raudondvaris (Czerwony Dwór), Riešė (Rzesza) and Sudervė (Suderwa). Raudondvaris is a village on the Neman River bank in Kaunas district, Lithuania west of Kaunas. ^[47]

Tensions have been reported between the Lithuanian Roman Catholic clergy and its Polish parishioniers in Lithuania. ^[48][49][50]

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 of Poles in Lithuania (Związek Polaków na Litwie is an organization formed in 1989 to bring together members of Polish minority in Lithuania. The Association has also filed a complain with the Lithuanian prosecutor, asking for investigation of the issue. ^[51][52][53]

The situation of Polish minority causes occasional tensions between Lithuanians and Poles. The Lithuanians criticize the activities of the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania, whose Polish-Lithuanian officials often administer the Vilnius and Šalčininkai districts. Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania (Lietuvos lenkų rinkimų akcija Akcja Wyborcza Polaków na Litwie is a Political party in Lithuania and represents the Vilnius district municipality is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania. Šalčininkai district municipality (Šalčininkų rajonas is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania. The Poles on the other hand are critical of the Lithuanian government. Both groups criticize the other for discrimination and intolerance.

Organizations

Lithuanian Polonia has several organizations.

The Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania (Lithuanian: Lietuvos lenkų rinkimų akcija, Polish: Akcja Wyborcza Polaków na Litwie) 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. Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania (Lietuvos lenkų rinkimų akcija Akcja Wyborcza Polaków na Litwie is a Political party in Lithuania and represents the Lithuanian ( lietuvių kalba) is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognised as one of the official languages of the European Union. Polish ( język polski, polszczyzna) is the Official language of Poland. 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 Seimas is the Lithuanian Parliament. It has 141 members that are elected for a four-year term The party is more active in local politics and controls several municipal councils. A municipal council is the Local government of a Municipality. ^[54]

The Association of Poles in Lithuania (Polish: Związek Polaków na Litwie) is an organization formed in 1989 to bring together Polish activists in Lithuania. The Association of Poles in Lithuania (Związek Polaków na Litwie is an organization formed in 1989 to bring together members of Polish minority in Lithuania. Polish ( język polski, polszczyzna) is the Official language of Poland. 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. ^[54]

Prominent Poles

1918-1940

• Wiktor Budzyński - politician

Today

• Darjuš Lavrinovič - Dariusz Ławrynowicz, basketball player
• Kšyštof Lavrinovič - Krzysztof Ławrynowicz, basketball player
• Leokadija Počikovska - Leokadia Poczykowska, politician
• Artur Ludkowski, deputy mayor of Vilnius
• Jarosław Wołkonowski, dean of branch of University of Białystok in Vilnius
• Waldemar Tomaszewski, leader of Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania

See also

• Krajowcy
• Kresy
• Lithuanian minority in Poland

External links

• POLES IN LITHUANIA FROM THE SECOND HALF OF 1944 UNTIL 1946: CHOOSING BETWEEN STAYING OR EMIGRATING TO POLAND by VITALIJA STRAVINSKIENĖ, The Lithuanian Institute of History, January 19, 2006
• Chronology for Poles in Lithuania
• The Polish language in education in Lithuania
• (Polish) Organizacje Polonii na Litwie (Organizations of Polonia in Lithuania)
• (Polish) Polonia na świecie (Polonia worldwide) with section on Lithuania
• (Polish) Polacy na Litwie. Wiktor Budzyński (Lithuanian Viktoras Budzinskis) born March 7 1888 in the village of Eustachow near Vilkaviškis, died 1976 in Puszczykowo near Darjuš Lavrinovič (born November 11, 1979 in Vilnius, Lithuanian SSR, USSR) is a Lithuanian professional Basketball Kšyštof Lavrinovič (born November 11 1979 in Vilnius, Lithuanian SSR, USSR) is a Lithuanian professional Basketball Leokadija Počikovska-Janušauskienė (Leokadia Poczykowska born on September 24, 1955 near Hrodna in Belarus) is a Lithuanian politician Jarosław Wołkonowski is a Polish-Lithuanian Historian, Doctor of Philosophy with Habilitation affiliated with the University of Białystok History University of Białystok was opened on June 19 1997. The University was established as a result of a transformation of the Branch of the The Krajowcy (the "Regionalists" or "Locals" krajovcai was a group of mainly Polish-speaking intellectuals from the Vilnius Region who in the beginning The term Kresy, meaning Outskirts or Borderlands, was first used to define the Polish eastern frontier Lithuanian minority in Poland consists of 5639 people living chiefly in the Podlaskie Voivodeship in the north-eastern part of Poland (according to the Polish Archived from the original on 2005-04-03. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1043 - Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England. (Poles in Lithuania)
• (Polish) Losy ludności polskiej na Litwie (Fate of Polish population in Lithuania)
• (Polish) Jan Sienkiewicz, Przestrzeganie praw polskiej grupy etnicznej w Republice Litewskiej (Respecting the righs of the Polish minority in Lithuania)
• (Polish) Polacy na Litwie w prawie (Lithuanian law on minorities)

References

Bibliography

• Łossowski, Piotr; Bronius Makauskas (2005). Piotr Łossowski (1925 - present is a Polish historian and professor "Kraje bałtyckie w latach przełomu 1934-1944", Scientific Editor Andrzej Koryna (in Polish), Warszawa: Instytut Historii PAN; Fundacja Pogranicze. ISBN 8388909428.  
• Kupczak, Janusz M. (1998). "Z problematyki stosunków narodowościowych na Litwie współczesnej". Politologia XXII. ISSN 02396661.  
• Zbigniew Kurcz, "Mniejszość polska na Wileńszczyźnie", Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Wrocławskiego, Wrocław 2005, ISSN 0239-6661, ISBN 83-229-2601-4. The University of Wrocław (Uniwersytet Wrocławski Universität Breslau Universitas Wratislaviensis is one of nine universities in Wrocław, Poland