The Cieszyn Vlachs (, ) are a Silesian ethnographic group living around the towns of

Cieszyn Cieszyn ( , ; ; ) is a border town in southern Poland on the east bank of the Olza River, and the administrative seat of Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodeship. The town has 33,500 inhabitants ( and lies opposite Český Těšín in the Czech Repu ...

and Skoczów, one of the four major ethnographic groups in

Cieszyn Silesia Cieszyn Silesia, Těšín Silesia or Teschen Silesia ( ; or ; or ) is a historical region in south-eastern Silesia, centered on the towns of Cieszyn and Český Těšín and bisected by the Olza River. Since 1920 it has been divided betwe ...

, the one mostly associated with wearing Cieszyn folk costume but not the only one speaking Cieszyn Silesian dialect. The name, " Vlachs" (), is probably not directly associated with that group (as

Gorals The Gorals (; Goral ethnolect: ''Górole''; ; Cieszyn Silesian dialect, Cieszyn Silesian: ''Gorole''), also anglicized as the Highlanders, are an ethnographic group with historical ties to the Vlachs. The Goral people are primarily found in thei ...

are) but was coined by adjacent groups as a nickname. The culture of this group blossomed in the second half of the 19th century. The exact extent of its habitat is hard to determine due to overlapping of various cultural elements with adjacent groups, especially on the borderlands. Cieszyn Vlachs dwell on Silesian Foothills and on the north-western slopes of Silesian Beskids in the watershed of

Vistula The Vistula (; ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest in Europe, at in length. Its drainage basin, extending into three other countries apart from Poland, covers , of which is in Poland. The Vistula rises at Barania Góra i ...

and Olza rivers, within Cieszyn Silesia, a: (also in the

Trans-Olza Trans-Olza (, ; , ''Záolší''; ), also known as Trans-Olza Silesia (), is a territory in the Czech Republic which was disputed between Poland and Czechoslovakia during the Interwar Period. Its name comes from the Olza River. The history of ...

region). Their neighbours include to north west, and Silesian Gorals to south.

Gallery

File:Jakub Alt Koło Cieszyna 1840.png, Jakub Alt: "Around Cieszyn" (1840) File:Henryk Jastrzembski Włościanie z okolic cieszyna 1846.png, Henryk Jastrzembski: peasants from around Cieszyn (1846) File:Babcia Agnes.jpg, A woman in Cieszyn folk costume (1914) File:Ostschlesisches Bauernmädchen 1.jpg, A woman in Cieszyn folk costume File:Skoczow-stroje lud.jpg, Women in folk costumes in Skoczów (1938) File:Festiwal pzko 1060.jpg, Olza folklore group on a parade File:POL Dębowiec Drzewiónka na Podlesiu.JPG, A traditional wooden house of Cieszyn Vlach in Dębowiec

References

Cieszyn Silesia Ethnic groups in the Czech Republic Ethnic groups in Poland {{Europe-ethno-group-stub