The bilingual status of gminas (municipalities) in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

is regulated by the ''Act of 6 January 2005 on National and Ethnic Minorities and on the Regional Languages'', which permits certain gminas with significant linguistic minorities to introduce a second, auxiliary language to be used in official contexts alongside Polish. So far 44 gminas have done this:

Polish/German

Polish/

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

bilingual gminas (''Gemeinden'') in *

Opole Voivodeship Opole Voivodeship, or Opole Province ( pl, województwo opolskie ), is the smallest and least populated voivodeship (province) of Poland. The province's name derives from that of the region's capital and largest city, Opole. It is part of Upper Si ...

(28 municipalities) ** Gmina Biała / Gemeinde Zülz (since 06.03.2006) **

Gmina Bierawa Gmina Bierawa, German Gemeinde Birawa is a rural gmina (administrative district) in Kędzierzyn-Koźle County, Opole Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. Its seat is the village of Bierawa, which lies approximately south-east of Kędzierzyn- ...

/ Gemeinde Birawa (since 23.04.2007) ** Gmina Chrząstowice / Gemeinde Chronstau (since 25.01.2006) **

Gmina Cisek __NOTOC__ Gmina Cisek, German Gemeinde Czissek is a rural gmina (administrative district) in Kędzierzyn-Koźle County, Opole Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. Its seat is the village of Cisek (Czissek), which lies approximately south of Kę ...

/ Gemeinde Czissek **

Gmina Dobrodzień __NOTOC__ Gmina Dobrodzień, German Gemeinde Guttentag is an urban-rural gmina (administrative district) in Olesno County, Opole Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. Its seat is the town of Dobrodzień, which lies approximately south of Olesno a ...

/ Gemeinde Guttentag (since 13.05.2009) ** Gmina Dobrzeń Wielki / Gemeinde Groß Döbern (since 22.04.2009) **

Gmina Głogówek __NOTOC__ Gmina Głogówek, German Gemeinde Oberglogau is an urban-rural gmina (administrative district) in Prudnik County, Opole Voivodeship, in south-western Poland, on the Czech border in Upper Silesia. Its seat is the town of Głogówek (O ...

/ Gemeinde Oberglogau (since 22.04.2009) **

Gmina Gogolin __NOTOC__ Gmina Gogolin is an urban-rural gmina (administrative district) in Krapkowice County, Opole Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. Its seat is the town of Gogolin, which lies approximately north-east of Krapkowice and south of the regio ...

/ Gemeinde Gogolin **

Gmina Izbicko __NOTOC__ Gmina Izbicko, German Gemeinde Stubendorf, is a rural gmina (administrative district) in Strzelce County, Opole Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. Its seat is the village of Izbicko, which lies approximately north-west of Strzel ...

/ Gemeinde Stubendorf (since 06.03.2006) ** Gmina Jemielnica / Gemeinde Himmelwitz (since 28.08.2006) ** Gmina Kolonowskie / Gemeinde Colonnowska (since 22.09.2006) ** Gmina Komprachcice / Gemeinde Comprachtschütz (since 04.06.2009) ** Gmina Lasowice Wielkie / Gemeinde Gross Lassowitz (since 18.10.2006) ** Gmina Leśnica / Gemeinde Leschnitz (since 17.05.2006) ** Gmina Łubniany / Gemeinde Lugnian ** Gmina Murów / Gemeinde Murow (since 22.04.2009) ** Gmina Pawłowiczki / Gemeinde Gnadenfeld ** Gmina Polska Cerekiew / Gemeinde Groß Neukirch ** Gmina Popielów / Gemeinde Poppelau ** Gmina Prószków / Gemeinde Proskau (since 11.07.2006) ** Gmina Radłów / Gemeinde Radlau (since 25.01.2006) ** Gmina Reńska Wieś / Gemeinde Reinschdorf (since 26.10.2006) ** Gmina Strzeleczki / Gemeinde Klein Strehlitz (since 17.05.2006) ** Gmina Tarnów Opolski / Gemeinde Tarnau (since 15.02.2007) ** Gmina Turawa / Gemeinde Turawa (since 12.09.2008) ** Gmina Ujazd / Gemeinde Ujest (since 28.08.2006) **

Gmina Walce __NOTOC__ Gmina Walce, German Gemeinde Walzen is a rural gmina (administrative district) in Krapkowice County, Opole Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. Its seat is the village of Walce (Walzen), which lies approximately south of Krapkowice and ...

/ Gemeinde Walzen (since 04.04.2006) ** Gmina Zębowice / Gemeinde Zembowitz (since 23.10.2007) *

Silesian Voivodeship Silesian Voivodeship, or Silesia Province ( pl, województwo śląskie ) is a voivodeship, or province, in southern Poland, centered on the historic region known as Upper Silesia ('), with Katowice serving as its capital. Despite the Silesian V ...

(3 municipalities) ** Gmina Krzanowice / Gemeinde Kranowitz ** Gmina Rudnik / Gemeinde Rudnik ** Gmina Sośnicowice / Gemeinde Kieferstädtel Other gminas in

and

which would be permitted by the Act to make German an auxiliary language are

Olesno Olesno is a town in Opole Voivodship, Poland about north-east of the city of Opole. It is the capital of Olesno County and seat of the Gmina Olesno. History The area near the ancient Amber Road had been settled since the Neolithic era. Olesn ...

and Pawłowiczki.

Polish/Kashubian

Polish/ Kashubian bilingual gminas in

Pomeranian Voivodeship Pomeranian Voivodeship, Pomorskie Region, or Pomerania Province ( Polish: ''Województwo pomorskie'' ; ( Kashubian: ''Pòmòrsczé wòjewództwò'' ), is a voivodeship, or province, in northwestern Poland. The provincial capital is Gdańsk. Th ...

: * Gmina Linia (''Gmina Lëniô''; since 23.04.2012) * Gmina Luzino (''Gmina Lëzëno''; since 21.02.2014) * Gmina Parchowo (''Gmina Parchòwò''; since 16.08.2006) *

Gmina Sierakowice __NOTOC__ Gmina Sierakowice ( csb, Gmina Sërakòjce) is a rural gmina (administrative district) in Kartuzy County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. Its seat is the village of Sierakowice, which lies approximately west of Kartuzy and ...

(''Gmina Serakòwice''; since 23.10.2007) * Gmina Żukowo (''Gmina Żukòwò''; since 17.07.2013)

Polish/Lithuanian

Polish/ Lithuanian bilingual gmina in

Podlaskie Voivodeship Podlaskie Voivodeship or Podlasie Province ( pl, Województwo podlaskie, ) is a voivodeship (province) in northeastern Poland. The name of the province and its territory correspond to the historic region of Podlachia. The capital and largest c ...

: *

Gmina Puńsk __NOTOC__ Gmina Puńsk ( lt, Punsko valsčius) is a rural gmina (administrative district) in Sejny County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, in north-eastern Poland, on the Lithuanian border. Its seat is the village of Puńsk, which lies approximately north- ...

(''Punsko valsčius''; since 25.05.2006)

Polish/Belarusian

Polish/ Belarusian bilingual gmina in

: *

Hajnówka Hajnówka (; be, Гайнаўка, ''Hajnaŭka''; uk, Гайнівка, ''Hainivka''; yi, האַדזשנאָװקאַ, ''Hachnovka''; russian: Хайнувка) is a town and a powiat seat in eastern Poland (Podlaskie Voivodeship) with 21,442 i ...

-urban gmina (''Гайнаўка'') on 3 December 2007 * Gmina Czyże (''Гміна Чыжы'') on 8 February 2010 * Gmina Hajnówka-rural gmina (''Гміна Гайнаўка'') on 28 May 2010 * Gmina Narewka (''Гміна Нараўка'') on 16 September 2009 * Gmina Orla (''Гміна Орля'') on 7 May 2009

Polish/Lemko

Polish/

Lemko Lemkos ( rue, Лeмкы, translit= Lemkŷ; pl, Łemkowie; uk, Лемки, translit=Lemky) are an ethnic group inhabiting the Lemko Region ( rue, Лемковина, translit=Lemkovyna; uk, Лемківщина, translit=Lemkivshchyna) of C ...

bilingual names of localities in Małopolskie Voivodeship: * Gmina Gorlice: Bielanka * Gmina Uście Gorlickie: Blechnarka, Gładyszów, Konieczna, Kunkowa, Nowica, Regietów, Ropki, Zdynia

Gallery

Image:Bielanka.jpg, Polish/Lemko place-name sign in Bielanka Image:Ulica_Księdza_Kossak-Główczewskiego,_Jastarnia_-_001.JPG, Polish/Kashubian street name sign in

Jastarnia Jastarnia ( csb, Jastarniô, german: Heisternest) is a resort town in Puck County, Pomeranian Voivodship, northern Poland. It is located on the Hel Peninsula on the Baltic Sea. It is a popular Polish seaside resort and small fishing port. The ...

Image:Dolina_Jadwigi_znak.jpg, Polish/Kashubian road sign with the village name ( Dolina Jadwigi) Image:Oleksze1.jpg, Bilingual Polish/Belarusian sign in Oleksze Image:Kosorowice.jpeg, Polish/German place-name sign in Kosorowice

References

External links

* Maciej Zych
''Minority place names in Poland''
United Nations Group of Experts in Geographical Names. Twenty-sixth session. Vienna 2–6 May 2011. Working Paper no. 3.
''List of minority place names in Poland according to Register of the communes where place-names in minority language are used provided by Ministry of Administration and Digitization as of April 9, 2019.''
{{Languages of Poland B Linguistic rights Languages of Poland Regions of Europe with multiple official languages