Where Have all the Germans Gone? Poland’s Diminishing German Minority

Karl Cordell

doi:10.56583/pig.3046

Data publikacji : 2025-12-31

Nr 6 (2025)

Where Have all the Germans Gone? Poland’s Diminishing German Minority

Karl Cordell

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5565-5248

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56583/pig.3046

Abstrakt

Following the end of the Second World War, Poland hosted many more former Germans than is commonly realised. Despite steady voluntary migration to Germany since the end of the post-war forced migrations in 19491 , Poland still hosts an indigenous German minority. The number of self-declared Germans residing in Poland today is a matter of conjecture. What does appear certain is that their number is diminishing. This paper seeks to establish why this is the case and argues that the answer is to be found in the nature of contemporary Polish society and the post-Communist value system. It also considers the role of evolving national identities in shaping minority self-identification.

Słowa kluczowe:

German minority in Poland, Post-war migrations, Self-identification, Post-Communist society, Poles in Germany

Inne teksty tego samego autora

Karl Cordell, Memories of Julian Chruszczewski (1924–2010) , Polonia Inter Gentes: Nr 6 (2025): Polonia Inter Gentes

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Zasady cytowania

Cordell, K. (2025). Where Have all the Germans Gone? Poland’s Diminishing German Minority. Polonia Inter Gentes, (6), 71–84. https://doi.org/10.56583/pig.3046

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Utwór dostępny jest na licencji Creative Commons Uznanie autorstwa – Bez utworów zależnych 4.0 Międzynarodowe.

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