Silesian Gorals are a subgroup of the

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 ...

living in the

Silesian Beskids Silesian Beskids (, , ) is one of the Beskids mountain ranges in the Outer Western Carpathians in southern Silesian Voivodeship, Poland and the eastern Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic. Most of the range lies in Poland. It is separa ...

and

Moravian-Silesian Beskids The Moravian-Silesian Beskids (Czech: , ) is a mountain range in the Czech Republic with a small part reaching to Slovakia. It lies on the historical division between Moravia and Silesia, hence the name. It is part of the Western Beskids within ...

within the historical region of

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 ...

. They are one of the four major ethnographic groups of

History

Vlach colonization of the Silesian Beskids began in the late 15th century, roughly around the time when Brenna was first mentioned in 1490. It peaked in the following two centuries. The group shares many cultural traits with other

of the

Western Carpathians The Western Carpathians () are a mountain range and geomorphological province that forms the western part of the Carpathian Mountains. The mountain belt stretches from the Low Beskids range of the Eastern Carpathians along the border of Poland w ...

, stemming from a common way of living from

shepherd A shepherd is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations; it exists in many parts of the globe, and it is an important part of Pastoralism, pastoralist animal husbandry. ...

ing in mountainous pastures, but they are also characterised by various different cultural and spiritual elements like dialect, beliefs, customs, costume, etc.

Wincenty Pol Wincenty Pol (; 20 April 1807 – 2 December 1872) was a Polish poet and geographer. Life Pol was born in Lublin (then in Galicia), to Franz Pohl (or Poll), a German in the Austrian service, and his wife Eleonora Longchamps de Berier, from a ...

in his survey of Gorals in the middle of the 19th century subdivided Silesian Gorals into four groups: * Breniacy – in Brenna. * Wiślanie – in

Wisła Wisła (; ; ) is a town in Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland, with a population of about 11,132 (2019), near the border with the Czech Republic. It is situated in the Silesian Beskids mountain range in the historical region of ...

. * Jabłonkowianie (

Jablunkov Jablunkov (; , ) is a town in Frýdek-Místek District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,300 inhabitants. The town has a significant Polish minority in the Czech Republic, Polish minority. It is inhabited by a la ...

Gorals) – in mountain villages around

(Polish: Jabłonków) including Koniaków, Jaworzynka, Istebna, Bukovec (Bukowiec), Mosty,

Písek Písek (; ) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 31,000 inhabitants. The town is known for the oldest bridge in the country. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument z ...

(Piosek), Dolní, and

Horní Lomná Horní Lomná (, ) is a municipality and village in Frýdek-Místek District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 400 inhabitants. The municipality has a significant Polish minority. Etymology The name of the villag ...

(Łomna Dolna i Górna). * Morawianie (Moravians) – in the villages of Krásná, Morávka and Pražmo. Their dialect is transitional between the Polish and Czech language (see also:

Moravians Moravians ( or Colloquialism, colloquially , outdated ) are a West Slavs, West Slavic ethnic group from the Moravia region of the Czech Republic, who speak the Moravian dialects of Czech language, Czech or Czech language#Common Czech, Common ...

and

Lach dialects The Lach dialects, also known as Lachian dialects (, , ), are a group of West Slavic dialects that form a transition between the Polish and Czech language. They are spoken in parts of Czech Silesia, the Hlučín Region, and northeastern Mora ...

). Gorolski Święto is an annual international culture and folklore festival held in Jablunkov, aimed at presenting the folklore of the local Gorals.

Gallery

File:Henryk Jastrzembski akwarela Górale z Istebnej 1846.png, Henryk Jastrzembski: Gorals in Istebna (1846) File:Henryk Jastrzembski akwarela Górale z Brennej 1848.png, Henryk Jastrzembski: Gorals in Brenna (1848) File:Henryk Jastrzembski akwarela Góral z Wisły 1848.png, Henryk Jastrzemski: A Goral in Wisła (1848) File:Festiwal pzko 1078.jpg, ''Gorol'' men's choir from Jablunkov during a parade of

PZKO Polski Związek Kulturalno-Oświatowy (commonly known as PZKO; , meaning "Polish Cultural and Educational Union") is a Polish organization in the Czech Republic. It represents the Polish minority in the Czech Republic together with the Congres ...

(2007) File:Gorolsko drzewionka.jpg, Traditional Gorol wooden house (''drzewiónka'') in Silesian Beskids File:Katowice - Graffiti Jerzy Kukuczka.jpg,

Jerzy Kukuczka Józef Jerzy Kukuczka (; 24 March 1948 – 24 October 1989) was a Polish mountaineer, regarded as one of the greatest high-altitude climbers in history. In 1987, he became the second man (after Reinhold Messner) to climb all 14 eight-thousand ...

mural in Katowice. Kukuczka was an ethnic Silesian Goral.

Notes

References

Gorals Cieszyn Silesia Ethnic groups in Poland Ethnic groups in the Czech Republic Silesian Voivodeship Silesians {{Europe-ethno-group-stub

History

Gallery

See also

Notes

References