Federal Union of European Nationalities
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Komeńskiego 4 • CZ-737 01 Czeski Cieszyn
+420 558711453

www.polonica.cz
Mariusz WAŁACH Chairman

Kongres Polaków w Republice Czeskiej meaning "The Congress of Poles in the Czech Republic" is a Polish organisation in the Czech Republic. The Congress fulfills two main tasks: It coordinates activities of other Polish organisations in the country, and represents Polish minority in negotiations with the Czech government. It is editor of the newspaper with the title "Glos ludu. Gazeta Polaków w Republice Czeskiej" with a circulation of 6,000 copies three times a week. The Congress was created on 3 February 1990 in Český Těšín, as Rada Polaków (The Council of Poles), and was renamed to the current name in 1991. The Congress is a member of FUEN since 1994.

The Polish minority, unlike the other minorities in the Czech Republic, lives concentrated in one geographical region, the Cieszyn region or Cieszyn Silesia (Těšínské Slezsko). The reason is the affiliation of the Region to Poland from 1938 to 1945. The area is also called Olza region, after the homonymous River Olza, which partly marks the border between Poland and the Czech Republic. According to the 2001 census, 51,000 Poles live in the Czech Republic, which corresponds to 0.5% of the total population. The proximity to the mother country and the good media and educational situation facilitate the preservation and promotion of the minority's language and culture. In addition, the aforementioned part of the Polish-Czech border area was designated a Euroregion in 1998. It comprises 12 municipalities on the Polish side and 16 municipalities on the Czech side and additionally promotes transnational exchange.

FUEN MEMBERS

OUR MEMBERS