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Poles in Germany: Roads to visibility

Magdalena Abakanowicz, Bambini, 1998. Ausstellungsansicht in der St. Elisabeth-Kirche, Berlin, Gallery Weekend 2015, Galerie ŻAK | BRANICKA, Berlin

Mediathek Sorted

Media library
  • Portrait in the Chapel of St John in Cologne Cathedral - At the tomb of Queen Richeza
  • Bavarian-Polish alliance coat of arms on St George's Gate - The coats-of-arms of Hedwig Jagiellonica and Georg the Rich of Bavaria-Landshut in the castle at Burghausen.
  • A stained glass painting in the Landshut town hall. - Window in the main staircase. They depict George the Rich and Hedwig of Poland.
  • Johannes a Lasco, 1567 - Born into the family of a Polish magnate in 1499, Jan Łaski, whose Latin name is Johannes a Lasco, is predestined for a prominent political and theological career.
  • Count Athanasius Raczyński - Painting of Carl Wilhelm Wach
  • The Raczynski Palace  - At Königsplatz in Berlin, ca. 1875
  • Empfang der Polen in Leipzig 1830 - Guillaume Thierry, Lithographie nach einer Zeichnung von Charles Malankiewicz, 39,8 x 48,7 cm, 1830/31
  • Transit routes - Transit routes taken by Polish fighters in the November uprising and the German organisations providing help to Poland 1831 – 1833 (overview). H. Asmus, 1981
  • The Most Memorable Days in the Year 1830, a memorial tablet in 12 tableaux - Verlag Johann Andreas Endter, Nürnberg, 1830, engraving, coloured, 30.3 x 43.5 cm
  • Anniversary stamp "175 years of the Hambach Festival" - Deutsche Post special-issue stamp
  • Ludwik Mierosławski - Ludwik Mierosławski (1814-1878), photo ab. 1850
  • Portrait of Kraszewski around the year 1879 -
  • Photo of the building -
  • „Chopin spielt im Salon des Fürsten Anton Radziwill in Berlin“ - Ein Gemälde von Henryk Siemiradzki (1843-1902), um 1880, Sankt Petersburg, Staatliches Russisches Museum
  • Wiarus Polski, Bochum - Ausgabe vom 3. Juli 1907
  • Sachsengänger - Sachsengänger bei der Ankunft in Berlin, 1909
  • Cover page of the first edition of “Narodowiec” - Herne, 2 October 1909, from: “Polak w Niemczech”, Bochum 1972, p. 44
  • Atelier von Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski in München, 1889 - Carl Teufel: Künstleratelier Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski, München 1889. Schwarzweiß-Fotografie vom Glasnegativ, 18 x 24 cm 
  • Kaiser Wilhelm II and Adolf v. Menzel in the atelier of the painter Adalbert von Kossak. - In: Berliner Leben. Zeitschrift für Schönheit und Kunst, Berlin 1899, p. 41.
  • Speaking at the International Socialist Congress in Stuttgart - Rosa Luxemburg, August 1907.
  • Helena und Stanisław Sierakowski, Hochzeitsfoto, 1910  - Stanisław Sierakowski - der erste Vorsitzender des Bundes der Polen in Deutschland "Rodło"
  • Wedding telegram, 1913 - Wedding telegram with two men in national costume and the cartouche with a white eagle, colour print, 1913.
  • Study record Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg - With contributions by Edmund Husserl, 1916
  • "Pola Negri - unsterblich", Dokumentation von 2017 - Eine Filmdokumentation über Leben und Schaffen eines der größten Stummfilmstars in Deutschland polnischer Herkunft.

    "Pola Negri - unsterblich", Dokumentation von 2017

    Eine Filmdokumentation über Leben und Schaffen eines der größten Stummfilmstars in Deutschland polnischer Herkunft.
  • „Drei Tage im November. Józef Piłsudski und die polnische Unabhängigkeit 1918“ - Von Magdeburg in die Unabhängigkeit Polens - ein Film über einen polnischen Mythos.

    „Drei Tage im November. Józef Piłsudski und die polnische Unabhängigkeit 1918“

    Von Magdeburg in die Unabhängigkeit Polens - ein Film über einen polnischen Mythos.
  • The House in the Magdeburg Fortress - The house in the Magdeburg Fortress where Józef Piłsudski was interned.
  • View of the “Red Salon” and the winter garden of the building - Radziwill Palais
  • The religious ceremony in Herne, 1930 - The religious ceremony of "Days of Faith of Our Fathers" in Herne, 1930
  • Werbeplakat für den Film "Ich liebe alle Frauen" (1935) mit Jan Kiepura  - Werbeplakat für den Film "Ich liebe alle Frauen" (1935) mit Jan Kiepura in der Hauptrolle
  • Dziennik Berliński - Ausgabe vom 10. November 1937 mit der Titelgeschichte über die Eröffnung des Polnischen Gymnasiums im ostpreußischen Marienwerder (polnisch Kwidzyń).
  • The Jankowski Family – Ruhr Poles in Herne 1936 - The Jankowski, parents with children, 1936 in Herne
  • Polnischer Zwangsarbeiter beim Milchfahren, ca. 1943 - Polnischer Zwangsarbeiter vom Hof Schweers (Kr. Borken) beim Milchfahren, ca. 1943, Sammlung Ignaz Böckenhoff: Das Dorf Raesfeld in den 1930er bis 1960er Jahren
  • Polish fashion magazine “Moda” in Niederlangen (Emsland), 1945 - The cover page of the magazine, which was created in the former prisoner of war camp for those involved in the Warsaw Uprising, announced a new fashion collection for summer 1945 (some of which were made from uniforms), shortly after their liberation by t
  • Wilhelmshaven, 1945 - Soldat der polnischen 1. Panzerdivision des Generals Stanissław Maczek auf dem Hof der Kaserne in Wilhelmshaven, Mai 1945.
  • Józef Szajna in Maczków - Józef Szajna in Maczków (Haren) on the Ems, 1946.
  • Friedhofskapelle im DP-Lager Flossenbürg, 1947 - Ein Kirchenfenster aus der durch polnische Displaced Persons 1946-47 erbauten Friedhofskapelle auf dem Gelände des ehemaligen KZ Flossenbürg (Detail) nach dem Entwurf von Władysław Płoskoń, 1947.
  • The film producer Artur ‘Atze’ Brauner - The photo was taken on 25th January 2002 in Leipzig when he was there for the mdr talkshow "Riverboat".
  • Artur Brauner - Ein Jahrhundertleben zwischen Polen und Deutschland - Eine Filmdokumentation über die legendäre Persönlichkeit des deutschen und internationalen Films.

    Artur Brauner - Ein Jahrhundertleben zwischen Polen und Deutschland

    Eine Filmdokumentation über die legendäre Persönlichkeit des deutschen und internationalen Films.
  • Tadeusz Nowakowski - Profile image.
  • Teresa Nowakowski (101) im Gespräch mit Sohn Krzysztof, London 2019. - Teresa Nowakowski (101) im Gespräch mit Sohn Krzysztof, London 2019 (auf Polnisch).

    Teresa Nowakowski (101) im Gespräch mit Sohn Krzysztof, London 2019.

    Teresa Nowakowski (101) im Gespräch mit Sohn Krzysztof, London 2019 (auf Polnisch).
  • Fronleichnam in der Siedlung für polnische Displaced Persons in Dortmund Eving, 1951 - Ein durch die polnische DP-Familie Sokołowski angefertigter Alter für die Fronleichnamsprozession, Dortmund Eving, 1951.
  • Stefan Arczyński (right) with a friend in Moscow, 1956 - Stefan Arczyński (right) with a friend in Moscow. Photographer unknown, 1956.
  • Mieczysław Wejman, „Der Schlaf ist Bruder des Todes“, Wildflecken, 1971 - Ein Fresco des Professors der krakauer Kunstakademie (Fragment) zum Gedenken an 428 polnische Kinder und 116 Erwachsene, die im DP-Lager Wildflecken 1945-48 verstorben sind, Friedhofskapelle Wildflecken, 1971.
  • Marcel Reich-Ranicki in the ZDF studio - Programme title: Due to the occasion - Marcel Reich-Ranicki talks to Thomas Gottschalk
  • Karol Broniatowski's memorial to the deported Jews of Berlin - Film by Liu Ke.

    Karol Broniatowski's memorial to the deported Jews of Berlin

    Film by Liu Ke.
  • Historical association flags of the Union of Poles in Germany - Photo from St Anne's Church of the Polish Catholic Mission in Dortmund. The flags are part of the Porta Polonica collection
  • Film "The Madman and the Nun" - St. Ignacy Witkiewicz, Filmstudio Transform, Director: Janina Szarek - Film "The Madman and the Nun" - St. Ignacy Witkiewicz, Filmstudio Transform, Director: Janina Szarek

    Film "The Madman and the Nun" - St. Ignacy Witkiewicz, Filmstudio Transform, Director: Janina Szarek

    Film "The Madman and the Nun" - St. Ignacy Witkiewicz, Filmstudio Transform, Director: Janina Szarek
  • WORMHOLE, 2008 - A video installation in a public space. Steel construction, glass, video, monitor, DVD player. Ø = 100 cm, H = 110 cm. Copyright: Karina Smigla-Bobinski.

    WORMHOLE, 2008

    A video installation in a public space. Steel construction, glass, video, monitor, DVD player. Ø = 100 cm, H = 110 cm. Copyright: Karina Smigla-Bobinski.
  • Andrzej Wirth in his apartment in Berlin - Andrzej Wirth in his apartment in Berlin.
  • Interview with Leszek Zadlo - German only

    Interview with Leszek Zadlo

    German only
  • “Cologne, Hohenzollern bridge” - From the series “Urban Spaces”, Inkjet photo print, 85 x 240 cm.
  • ZEITFLUG - Hamburg - From ‘Urban Spaces’, video: 12:00 min. Stefan Szczygieł. Courtesy: Claus Friede*Contemporary Art

    ZEITFLUG - Hamburg

    From ‘Urban Spaces’, video: 12:00 min. Stefan Szczygieł. Courtesy: Claus Friede*Contemporary Art
  • On the double bass 2. -
  • ill. 17b: Empty Images, 2000/2006 - Bild (Berlin), 12th January 2006.
  • Monika Czosnowska: Johanna - C-print, 78 x 66 cm, Marta Herford Collection.
  • Polonia Dortmund 2012 - Robert Lewandowski, Łukasz Piszczek and Jakub Błaszczykowski from Borussia Dortmund – Champion of Bundesliga 2012
  • ‘In blue’ - Watercolour, felt-tip pen on paper, 100 x 150 cm.
  • Katarzyna Myćka at her instrument - Photo during the concert.
  • Der Planet von Susanna Fels - Ein Kunstfilm von Susanna Fels mit den Fotos von u.a. Annette Hudemann, 2019.

    Der Planet von Susanna Fels

    Ein Kunstfilm von Susanna Fels mit den Fotos von u.a. Annette Hudemann, 2019.
  • Agata Madejska, RISE, 2018 - Agata Madejska, RISE, 2018. Installation view, ∼ =, Impuls Bauhaus, Zeche Zollverein, Essen, 2019.
Magdalena Abakanowicz, Bambini, 1998
Magdalena Abakanowicz, Bambini, 1998. Ausstellungsansicht in der St. Elisabeth-Kirche, Berlin, Gallery Weekend 2015, Galerie ŻAK | BRANICKA, Berlin

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The German Empire founded in 1871 offered its citizens equality of legal status, legal protection and free mobility within the borders of the Empire. Prussian Poland also made use of this: The influx of Polish-speaking citizens of the Empire into the industrial regions and mines of the Ruhrgebiet in the decades before the First World War – around 500,000 people – was, to that point, the largest compact migration of a non-German population in German history; it paved the way, so to speak, for all the economic migration that would later follow. But they were also migrating in a time in which, in the eyes of the nationalist parties and of some of the public, Poles, who were becoming the greatest enemies of the Empire, appeared to endanger the unity of the young country through their own national ambitions.

This mixture of cultural closeness and latent discrimination often resulted in Poles shying away from putting their Polish identity on show in predominantly German-speaking regions. Better not to speak Polish on the street, better not be conspicuous, better to quickly integrate into German society. The majority of children born to internal migrants learnt hardly any Polish. At the same time, these migrants were shaped not only by the Ruhr area society (in 1910 for example they represented a quarter of the population in Recklinghausen), but also by other emerging industrial centres, such as the large North German cities or Berlin. However, this group was in no way homogeneous: As well as the Catholic migrants, there was also a large migration of Protestant Masurians, particularly in Westphalia and, as well as the people from Poznań who spoke High Polish, Upper Silesians and Kashubians, with their characteristic dialects and languages, also moved there. The “Ruhr Poles” (westfalczycy), in particular, developed a rich life centred around clubs and associations, and Polish church structures, trade unions and political representation all sprang up.

In addition to the internal Polish migrants, Poles from abroad, from Austrian Galicia or from the regions annexed by Russia also arrived. At times, there were several hundred thousand of them working primarily as seasonal workers in farming, the so-called “Sachsengänger”.

Whilst this was almost exclusively a proletarian economic migration, representatives of the Polish elite also moved to Germany: As the capital, Berlin attracted representatives of the nobility (such as the Radziwiłł and Raczyński families), but Poles also had seats in the Reichstag and in the Prussian state parliament. At times, writers such as Adam Mickiewicz and Józef Ignacy Kraszewski chose to live in Dresden and students moved to the various universities of the Empire; some also had an academic career here. Not least, politicians in the Empire found a place to stay; the socialists Rosa Luxemburg and Julian Marchlewski were just two of many.

The “Munich School” was particularly well known in Poland. This term conceals the fact that between 1828 and the outbreak of the First World War more than three hundred Polish painters and sculptors were studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich and in its surrounds. Even if this was not a “school” in the true sense of the word, various contacts and references developed among the many prominent painters, such as Józef Brandt, Jan Matejko, Aleksander Gierymski, Maksymilian Gierymski, Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski and Wojciech Kossak. In his role as court painter, Kossak is said to have later played an important role in the capital’s art scene. Female artists, such as Olga Boznańska, were also able to improve their skills in Munich, even if there were few females there as women were not allowed to study at the Munich Academy before 1920.