The bilingual status of gminas (municipalities) in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

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:

German

Polish/ German bilingual gminas (''Gemeinden'') in *

Opole Voivodeship Opole Voivodeship ( , , ), is the smallest and least populated voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship (province) of Poland. The province's name derives from that of the region's capital and largest city, Opole. It is part of Silesia. A relatively lar ...

(28 municipalities) ** Gmina Biała / Gemeinde Zülz (since 06.03.2006) ** Gmina Bierawa / Gemeinde Birawa (since 23.04.2007) ** Gmina Chrząstowice / Gemeinde Chronstau (since 25.01.2006) ** Gmina Cisek / Gemeinde Czissek ** Gmina Dobrodzień / Gemeinde Guttentag (since 13.05.2009) ** Gmina Dobrzeń Wielki / Gemeinde Groß Döbern (since 22.04.2009) **

Gmina Głogówek __NOTOC__ Gmina Głogówek () is an urban-rural gmina (administrative district) in Prudnik County, Opole Voivodeship, in southern Poland, on the Czech border in Upper Silesia. Its seat is the town of Głogówek (Oberglogau), which lies approximate ...

/ Gemeinde Oberglogau (since 22.04.2009) ** Gmina Gogolin / Gemeinde Gogolin ** Gmina Izbicko / 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 __NOTOC__ Gmina Lasowice Wielkie, German Gemeinde Gross Lassowitz is a rural gmina (administrative district) in Kluczbork County, Opole Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. Its seat is the village of Lasowice Wielkie, which lies approximately sou ...

/ Gemeinde Gross Lassowitz (since 18.10.2006) ** Gmina Leśnica / Gemeinde Leschnitz (since 17.05.2006) ** Gmina Łubniany / Gemeinde Lugnian **

Gmina Murów __NOTOC__ Gmina Murów, (German: ''Gemeinde Murow)'' is a rural gmina (administrative district) in Opole County, Opole Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. Its seat is the village of Murów (Murow), which lies approximately north of the regional ...

/ Gemeinde Murow (since 22.04.2009) ** Gmina Pawłowiczki / Gemeinde Gnadenfeld ** Gmina Polska Cerekiew / Gemeinde Groß Neukirch **

Gmina Popielów __NOTOC__ Gmina Popielów is a rural gmina (administrative district) in Opole County, Opole Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. Its seat is the village of Popielów, which lies approximately north-west of the regional capital Opole. The gmina ...

/ Gemeinde Poppelau **

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

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

Silesian Voivodeship Silesian Voivodeship ( ) is an administrative province in southern Poland. With over 4.2 million residents and an area of 12,300 square kilometers, it is the second-most populous, and the most-densely populated and most-urbanized region of Poland ...

(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 Voivodeship, Opole Voivodship, in southern Poland, about north-east of the city of Opole. It is the capital of Olesno County and seat of the Gmina Olesno, Opole Voivodeship, Gmina Olesno. History The area near the anci ...

and Pawłowiczki.

Kashubian

Polish/ Kashubian bilingual gminas in

Pomeranian Voivodeship Pomeranian Voivodeship ( ; ) is a Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship, or province, in northwestern Poland. The provincial capital is Gdańsk. The voivodeship was established on January 1, 1999, out of the former voivodeships of Gdańsk Voivo ...

: * 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 (''Gmina Serakòwice''; since 23.10.2007) *

Gmina Żukowo __NOTOC__ Gmina Żukowo () is an urban-rural gmina (administrative district) in Kartuzy County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. Its seat is the town of Żukowo, which lies approximately east of Kartuzy and west of the regional cap ...

(''Gmina Żukòwò''; since 17.07.2013)

Lithuanian

Polish/ Lithuanian bilingual gmina in

Podlaskie Voivodeship Podlaskie Voivodeship ( ) is a Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship in northeastern Poland. The name of the voivodeship refers to the historical region of Podlachia (in Polish, ''Podlasie''), and significant part of its territory corresponds to th ...

: * Gmina Puńsk (''Punsko valsčius''; since 25 May 2006)

Belarusian

Polish/ Belarusian bilingual gminas in

: * Hajnówka-urban gmina () on 3 December 2007 * Gmina Czyże () on 8 February 2010 * Gmina Hajnówka-rural gmina () on 28 May 2010 * Gmina Narewka () on 16 September 2009 * Gmina Orla () on 7 May 2009

Lemko

Polish/

Lemko Lemkos (; ; ; ) are an ethnic group inhabiting the Lemko Region (; ) of Carpathian Ruthenia, Carpathian Rus', an ethnographic region in the Carpathian Mountains and Carpathian Foothills, foothills spanning Ukraine, Slovakia, and Poland. Lemkos ...

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

Gallery

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

Jastarnia Jastarnia (, ) 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 place was mentioned as "Osternese" in ...

File:Dolina_Jadwigi_znak.jpg, Polish/Kashubian road sign with the village name ( Dolina Jadwigi) File:Oleksze1.jpg, Bilingual Polish/Belarusian sign in Oleksze File: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 Gminas of Poland Linguistic rights Languages of Poland Regions of Europe with multiple official languages Countries and territories where German is an official language Lithuanian language Kashubian language Belarusian language Rusyn language