Bilingual communes in Poland

The bilingual status of gminas (municipalities) in Poland is regulated by the Act of 6 January 2005 on National and Ethnic Minorities and on the Regional Languages, which permits certain gminas with significant linguistic minorities to introduce a second, auxiliary language to be used in official contexts alongside Polish. So far 44 gminas have done this:

Polish/German

Polish/German bilingual gminas (Gemeinden) in

• Opole Voivodeship (28 municipalities)
  • Gmina Biała / Gemeinde Zülz (since 06.03.2006)
  • Gmina Bierawa / Gemeinde Birawa (since 23.04.2007)
  • Gmina Chrząstowice / Gemeinde Chronstau (since 25.01.2006)
  • Gmina Cisek / Gemeinde Czissek
  • Gmina Dobrodzień / Gemeinde Guttentag (since 13.05.2009)
  • Gmina Dobrzeń Wielki / Gemeinde Groß Döbern (since 22.04.2009)
  • Gmina Głogówek / Gemeinde Oberglogau (since 22.04.2009)
  • Gmina Gogolin / Gemeinde Gogolin
  • Gmina Izbicko / Gemeinde Stubendorf (since 06.03.2006)
  • Gmina Jemielnica / Gemeinde Himmelwitz (since 28.08.2006)
  • Gmina Kolonowskie / Gemeinde Colonnowska (since 22.09.2006)
  • Gmina Komprachcice / Gemeinde Comprachtschütz (since 04.06.2009)
  • Gmina Lasowice Wielkie / Gemeinde Gross Lassowitz (since 18.10.2006)
  • Gmina Leśnica / Gemeinde Leschnitz (since 17.05.2006)
  • Gmina Łubniany / Gemeinde Lugnian
  • Gmina Murów / Gemeinde Murow (since 22.04.2009)
  • Gmina Pawłowiczki / Gemeinde Gnadenfeld
  • Gmina Polska Cerekiew / Gemeinde Groß Neukirch
  • Gmina Popielów / Gemeinde Poppelau
  • Gmina Prószków / Gemeinde Proskau (since 11.07.2006)
  • Gmina Radłów / Gemeinde Radlau (since 25.01.2006)
  • Gmina Reńska Wieś / Gemeinde Reinschdorf (since 26.10.2006)
  • Gmina Strzeleczki / Gemeinde Klein Strehlitz (since 17.05.2006)
  • Gmina Tarnów Opolski / Gemeinde Tarnau (since 15.02.2007)
  • Gmina Turawa / Gemeinde Turawa (since 12.09.2008)
  • Gmina Ujazd / Gemeinde Ujest (since 28.08.2006)
  • Gmina Walce / Gemeinde Walzen (since 04.04.2006)
  • Gmina Zębowice / Gemeinde Zembowitz (since 23.10.2007)
• Silesian Voivodeship (3 municipalities)
  • Gmina Krzanowice / Gemeinde Kranowitz
  • Gmina Rudnik / Gemeinde Rudnik
  • Gmina Sośnicowice / Gemeinde Kieferstädtel

Other gminas in Opole Voivodeship and Silesian Voivodeship which would be permitted by the Act to make German an auxiliary language are Olesno and Pawłowiczki.

Polish/Kashubian

Polish/Kashubian bilingual gminas in Pomeranian Voivodeship:

• Gmina Linia (Gmina Lëniô; since 23.04.2012)
• Gmina Luzino (Gmina Lëzëno; since 21.02.2014)
• Gmina Parchowo (Gmina Parchòwò; since 16.08.2006)
• Gmina Sierakowice (Gmina Serakòwice; since 23.10.2007)
• Gmina Żukowo (Gmina Żukòwò; since 17.07.2013)

Polish/Lithuanian

Polish/Lithuanian bilingual gmina in Podlaskie Voivodeship:

• Gmina Puńsk (Punsko valsčius; since 25 May 2006)

Polish/Belarusian

Polish/Belarusian bilingual gminas in Podlaskie Voivodeship:

• Hajnówka-urban gmina (Гайнаўка) on 3 December 2007
• Gmina Czyże (Гміна Чыжы) on 8 February 2010
• Gmina Hajnówka-rural gmina (Гміна Гайнаўка) on 28 May 2010
• Gmina Narewka (Гміна Нараўка) on 16 September 2009
• Gmina Orla (Гміна Орля) on 7 May 2009

Polish/Lemko

Polish/Lemko bilingual names of localities in Małopolskie Voivodeship:

• Gmina Gorlice: Bielanka
• Gmina Uście Gorlickie: Blechnarka, Gładyszów, Konieczna, Kunkowa, Nowica, Regietów, Ropki, Zdynia

Gallery

• 
  Polish/Lemko place-name sign in Bielanka
• 
  Polish/Kashubian street name sign in Jastarnia
• 
  Polish/Kashubian road sign with the village name (Dolina Jadwigi)
• 
  Bilingual Polish/Belarusian sign in Oleksze
• 
  Polish/German place-name sign in Kosorowice

References

External links

• Maciej Zych. Minority place names in Poland. United Nations Group of Experts in Geographical Names. Twenty-sixth session. Vienna 2–6 May 2011. Working Paper no. 3.
• List of minority place names in Poland according to Register of the communes where place-names in minority language are used provided by Ministry of Administration and Digitization as of April 9, 2019.