 Polish quarter at the Kuki cemetery in Tbilisi | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 6,000 [1] (2007, est.) |
Poles in Georgia form a population estimated at 6,000 (as of 2007), [1] and are part of the Polish diaspora of the Caucasus region. Polish presence in Georgia dates back to the 18th century.
In the late 18th century, Poland lost its independence in the course of the Partitions of Poland, and its territory was annexed by Prussia (later Germany), Russia and Austria, while Georgia was annexed by Russia in the 19th century. [2] Already in 1794, the Russians were sending captured Polish prisoners of war from the Kościuszko Uprising to the Caucasus region, including Georgia. [3] Following the partitions and then following the unsuccessful Polish November Uprising of 1830–1831, many Poles who were forcibly conscripted to the Russian Army were sent to Georgia. [4] Since the 1830s, Polish officials, teachers, midwives, craftsmen, merchants and doctors also settled in Georgia, and many married local Georgians. [5] About 4,000 Poles, mostly soldiers, lived in Georgia as of 1840. [6] By the mid-19th century, Polish communities existed in various Georgian cities, including Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Gori, Signagi, and Telavi. [7] In 1870 a Polish Catholic church was built in Tbilisi, which served its Polish community. [2] Poles in Georgia were under the watchful eye of the Russian authorities, as they were constantly considered a potential threat. [8]
Poles made great contributions in the fields of architecture, geography, arts, botany and zoology in Georgia. In the 1840s, Pole Władysław Bahrynowski established a botanical garden in Sukhumi. [9] Great contributions to the botany and zoology of Georgia were made by Ludwik Młokosiewicz, a Pole, who initially came to Lagodekhi in 1853 to do his compulsory military service in the Russian Army, but eventually stayed permanently. [10] Młokosiewicz discovered various species of plants and animals on Georgian soil, and founded the Lagodekhi Protected Areas. [11] [12] He invented a method to eradicate malaria in Georgia, which earned him widespread respect among the Georgian people. [13] Młokosiewicz also expanded the knowledge of Georgian fauna and flora in Poland by maintaining contacts with museums and institutions in Warsaw, to which he sent Georgian botanical and zoological specimens, as well as through scientific publications. [14]
Józef Chodźko conducted pioneering geographical and geodetic surveys of Georgian lands. [15] Polish architects worked in various Georgian cities, including Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Batumi, Poti and Sukhumi, designing many residential houses as well as theaters, schools, courts, incl. the present Supreme Court of Georgia. [16] Aleksander Szymkiewicz even became a city councillor and the municipal architect of Tbilisi, while Józef Kognowicki became the municipal engineer of Tbilisi, responsible for constructing the city's modern water supply and sewage system. [16] Polish architects were also involved in the restoration of historic Georgian churches, and contributed to the construction of roads and railroads and the expansion of seaports in Poti, Batumi and Sukhumi. [16] Ferdynand Rydzewski headed the construction of the Surami Tunnel under the Surami Pass, the longest railroad tunnel in the Caucasus. [17] Before 1914 about 500 Poles were employed in the construction of railroads, roads, bridges, public buildings and pipelines on Georgian lands. [12]
Polish artists (musicians, writers, painters) also lived in Georgian cities, some being founders or co-founders of art schools in Tbilisi. [18] Polish painter Zygmunt Waliszewski spent his youth in Batumi and Tbilisi, and the first years of his career in Tbilisi, before returning to Poland after it regained independence. [8]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1939 | 3,167 | — |
| 1959 | 2,702 | −14.7% |
| 1970 | 2,565 | −5.1% |
| 1979 | 2,200 | −14.2% |
| 1989 | 2,014 | −8.5% |
| Sources: [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] | ||
As a result of repatriation of Poles to reborn independent Poland after World War II, their number in Georgia decreased from over 15,000 in 1914 to 3,000 in 1926. [2] Poles in Georgia were among the victims of the so-called Polish Operation and Kulak Operation, carried out by the Soviet Union during the Great Purge in 1937–1938. [2] Among the victims was painter, graphic artist and illustrator Henryk Hryniewski.
After Operation Barbarossa in 1941, many Polish refugees from Soviet-occupied eastern Poland ended up in Georgia, where they encountered local Poles as well as friendly Georgians. [24] After the Sikorski–Mayski agreement, the Polish embassy in Moscow was allowed to establish local offices in the Georgian SRR and organize care for the Polish population in Georgia. [25] Many Poles then joined the newly formed Anders' Army. [25] In July 1942 the Soviets liquidated the Polish offices in Georgia and then mostly arrested their officials in order to replace them with newly formed puppet Polish structures, subordinated to the communist authorities. [25] During the war, about 10,000 Polish refugees ended up in Georgia, however their number gradually decreased, as many Poles joined the Anders' Army, then the First Polish Army and also returned to Poland. [26] According to official data, in January 1945 there were still 1,879 registered refugees from Poland in Georgia. [27] After the war, in the years 1946–1948, 3,000 people were repatriated from Georgia to Poland. [28]
Notable buildings designed by Polish architects include:
Kutaisi is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and the third-most populous city in Georgia after Tbilisi and Batumi. Situated 221 kilometres west of Tbilisi, on the Rioni River, it is the capital of the western region of Imereti.
Assyrians in Georgia number 3,299, and most arrived in the Southern Caucasus in early 20th century when their ancestors fled present-day Turkey and Iran during the Assyrian genocide.
Ludwik Franciszek Młokosiewicz was a Polish explorer, zoologist and botanist, who studied extensively in the Caucasus Mountains and discovered various species of plants and animals.
Kote Marjanishvili State Academic Drama Theatre is a state theatre in Tbilisi, Georgia. It is one of the oldest and most significant theatres in the country, coming second perhaps only to the national Rustaveli Theatre.
Armenia–Poland relations are bilateral relations between Armenia and Poland. Both nations enjoy historically friendly relations, owing to their centuries-long cultural exchange and trade. Both countries are full members of the OSCE, the Council of Europe, the World Trade Organization and the United Nations.
The Greeks in Georgia, which in academic circles is often considered part of the broader, historic community of Pontic Greeks or—more specifically in this region—Caucasus Greeks, is estimated at between 15,000 and 20,000 people to 100,000 down from about 100,000 in 1989. The community has dwindled due to the large wave of repatriation to Greece as well as emigration to Russia, and in particular Stavropol Krai in the North Caucasus region of southern Russia. The community has established the Union of Greeks in Georgia and there is a Cultural Centre and a newspaper entitled Greek Diaspora.
The Church of the Mother of God in Batumi is a Georgian Orthodox cathedral, originally built as a Catholic church between 1898 and 1903. A Gothic Revival design, the church is located in the Black Sea city of Batumi in Georgia's autonomous republic of Adjara.
Georgia–Poland relations refers to foreign relations between Georgia and Poland. Both nations enjoy close and historically friendly relations, rooted in similar experiences, solidarity and shared struggles against foreign imperialism, especially that of Russia.
Art Palace of Georgia - Museum of Cultural History also referred to as Art Palace, is located in Tbilisi, Georgia. It is located on Kargareteli Street #6, and was the former Graph Oldenburg's Palace. The museum's exhibition halls are open from Tuesday till Sunday
Poles in Kazakhstan form one portion of the Polish diaspora in the former Soviet Union. Slightly less than half of Kazakhstan's Poles live in the Karaganda region, with another 2,500 in Astana, 1,200 in Almaty, and the rest scattered throughout rural regions.
There is a long history of Poles in Azerbaijan. Although the current Polish population of the Republic of Azerbaijan is lower than in former times, the number of people with Polish descent in the capital city Baku is around 2,000 and several thousand self-identified Poles live in Azerbaijan. Poles as an ethnic group have lived in Azerbaijan for centuries. The Russian Empire included Azerbaijan and parts of Poland, thus it could deport members of opposition of Polish nationality there, which explains the presence of Poles in Azerbaijan.
Aleksander Szymkiewicz was a Polish architect who worked in the Russian Empire in the 1880s–1900s. He was a member of the City Council and municipal architect of Tbilisi from 1885 to 1891.
Michael Vadbolsky was a painter, writer and researcher of chess history who contributed to the development of the Georgian Chess School. Born in Warsaw, he studied painting in Saint Petersburg. During the Civil war in Russia Vadbolsky's family was killed and Michael decided to settle in Georgia. Vadbolsky took an interest in Georgian emblems and the history of their creation. He painted the portraits of historical people of Georgia, Armenia and old Eastern countries.
Poles in Armenia form a small population of a few hundred, and are part of the Polish diaspora of the Caucasus region, with first Poles coming to Armenia in the 16th century.
Poles in Uzbekistan form a small population, although historically the second most numerous Polish diaspora of Central Asia. Polish presence in Uzbekistan dates back to the 19th century.
Poles in Turkmenistan form a small population of 501, according to the 1995 census, and Polish presence in Turkmenistan dates back to the 19th century.
Poles in Kyrgyzstan form a small population, part of the Polish diaspora in Central Asia. Polish presence in Kyrgyzstan dates back to the 19th century.
Poles in China form a small population, estimated at 1,000 and mostly concentrated in the major cities of Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Shanghai. First noted Polish people lived in China in the 17th century.
Poles in Buryatia form part of the Polish diaspora in Siberia. Polish presence in Buryatia dates back over 300 years.
Poles in Tajikistan form a small population, part of the Polish diaspora in Central Asia.
