Goralenvolk
Encyclopedia
Goralenvolk was the name given by the German
Nazis in World War II during their occupation of Poland to the population of Podhale
in the south near the Slovakia
n border. They postulated a different ethnicity for that population, in an effort to divide the Polish people. The word was derived from the Polish word for people of the region, Górale
(the Highlanders). There Germans suggested this group were part of the Greater Germanic Race and worthy of separate treatment from the rest of the Poles.
were considered by the Nazis to be a part of the "Greater Germanic Race". Nazi ideology claimed that a significant fraction of their ancestry was descended from ethnic Germans who allegedly settled in this region during medieval times. For example, the 1885 Meyers Lexicon entry under Goralen states, that Germans (also) lived in that area in the 11th century and were slavicized.
in Podhale
) was annexed by Germany
immediately after the Invasion of Poland
in 1939. Later, the German authorities attempted to assimilate the population into the body of Volksdeutsche
, and to encourage collaboration with the occupying forces. Soon, a group of collaborators formed under the leadership of Witalis Wieder
, Henryk Szatkowski
, Wacław Krzeptowski, his cousins Stefan and Andrzej Krzeptowski and Józef Cukier
. The latter five proposed to establish a separate state for Goralenvolk during a visit to Governor-General
Hans Frank
on 7 November 1939.
A census conducted in 1940 showed that 72% of the local Goralenvolk population identified as Polish rather than ethnic German. This result was a great disappointment to the collaborators and the occupiers alike. After attempts to revive the idea during the following years proved unsuccessful, the Germans abandoned the project in 1943. With the arrival of the Allied troops towards the end of the war, the short-lived existence of the so-called Goralenvolk became a footnote of history.
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
Nazis in World War II during their occupation of Poland to the population of Podhale
Podhale
The Podhale is Poland's most southern region, sometimes referred to as the "Polish highlands". The Podhale is located in the foothills of the Tatra range of the Carpathian mountains, and is characterized by a rich tradition of folklore that is much romanticized in the Polish patriotic imagination...
in the south near the Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
n border. They postulated a different ethnicity for that population, in an effort to divide the Polish people. The word was derived from the Polish word for people of the region, Górale
Gorals
The Gorale are a group of indigenous people found along southern Poland, northern Slovakia, and in the region of Cieszyn Silesia in the Czech Republic...
(the Highlanders). There Germans suggested this group were part of the Greater Germanic Race and worthy of separate treatment from the rest of the Poles.
Origin
The Gorals (Górale)Gorals
The Gorale are a group of indigenous people found along southern Poland, northern Slovakia, and in the region of Cieszyn Silesia in the Czech Republic...
were considered by the Nazis to be a part of the "Greater Germanic Race". Nazi ideology claimed that a significant fraction of their ancestry was descended from ethnic Germans who allegedly settled in this region during medieval times. For example, the 1885 Meyers Lexicon entry under Goralen states, that Germans (also) lived in that area in the 11th century and were slavicized.
German occupation
The region inhabited by Górale (pre-war Polish Nowy Targ CountyNowy Targ County
Nowy Targ County is a unit of territorial administration and local government in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, southern Poland, on the Slovak border. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its administrative seat and largest town is...
in Podhale
Podhale
The Podhale is Poland's most southern region, sometimes referred to as the "Polish highlands". The Podhale is located in the foothills of the Tatra range of the Carpathian mountains, and is characterized by a rich tradition of folklore that is much romanticized in the Polish patriotic imagination...
) was annexed by Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
immediately after the Invasion of Poland
Invasion of Poland (1939)
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
in 1939. Later, the German authorities attempted to assimilate the population into the body of Volksdeutsche
Volksdeutsche
Volksdeutsche - "German in terms of people/folk" -, defined ethnically, is a historical term from the 20th century. The words volk and volkische conveyed in Nazi thinking the meanings of "folk" and "race" while adding the sense of superior civilization and blood...
, and to encourage collaboration with the occupying forces. Soon, a group of collaborators formed under the leadership of Witalis Wieder
Witalis Wieder
Witalis Wieder was a leader of the Goralenvolk during World War II. As a Reichsdeutscher, he acted as a collaborator for the Nazi occupiers even though he had been an officer in the Polish army. At the end of the war, he escaped to Germany.-References:...
, Henryk Szatkowski
Henryk Szatkowski
Henryk Szatkowski was a leader of the Goralenvolk during World War II. A self-proclaimed ethnic German, he was a sports and tourism activist from Zakopane who collaborated with the occupiers and fled to Germany at the end of the war....
, Wacław Krzeptowski, his cousins Stefan and Andrzej Krzeptowski and Józef Cukier
Józef Cukier
Józef Cukier was one of the leaders of the Goralenvolk during World War II. Having been a president of the Highlander Union before the German invasion, he tried along with Wacław Krzeptowski to establish an independent state for his ethnic group by collaborating with the occupiers...
. The latter five proposed to establish a separate state for Goralenvolk during a visit to Governor-General
Governor-General
A Governor-General, is a vice-regal person of a monarch in an independent realm or a major colonial circonscription. Depending on the political arrangement of the territory, a Governor General can be a governor of high rank, or a principal governor ranking above "ordinary" governors.- Current uses...
Hans Frank
Hans Frank
Hans Michael Frank was a German lawyer who worked for the Nazi party during the 1920s and 1930s and later became a high-ranking official in Nazi Germany...
on 7 November 1939.
A census conducted in 1940 showed that 72% of the local Goralenvolk population identified as Polish rather than ethnic German. This result was a great disappointment to the collaborators and the occupiers alike. After attempts to revive the idea during the following years proved unsuccessful, the Germans abandoned the project in 1943. With the arrival of the Allied troops towards the end of the war, the short-lived existence of the so-called Goralenvolk became a footnote of history.
External links
- 1939 proposal for a Goralenfolk flag (it was never officially accepted)
- "Goralenvolk", National Digital Archive