History / just before the war the Polish/Ukrainian szlachta learned Ukrainian [243]


You've forgotten of course Uniate Church which probably saved Ukrainians from being totally russified.

Genealogy / If your ancestors were in the "Wehrmacht"... [217]


OK. Nathan, I've read this essay by Venclova. But still didn't understand why you can consider Mickiewicz so mediocre personality.

History / Does Poland deserve credit for the 1989 Revolution? [87]


You still don't understand. I just dare to doubt if you're a Germanic German ;-) It would be so funny with all your pride and helmets high.

And as far as you're talking about Poles, I'm a Pole, but not a Slav.

Life / Why Do You Love Poland? [907]


Nice to hear it. But it is no wonder. I know £emkowynu very well. I was wandering many times through all its mountains. I especially remember one path through the hills near village Grab. It was November '84 and the path was fully covered with carrot colored needles of larch trees.

Posyłaju serdecznyja zaproszynia do odwydyn u £emkowyni !

History / Does Poland deserve credit for the 1989 Revolution? [87]


Uh, Solidarity?


Maybe Poles don't like to be treated as men from nowhere.


Geez! How boring it must be. 4 hours a week about Aborigines. What you're doing at that time? Trying to play didgeridoo?


So your family was here in Silesia in 1st century. Are you sure, BB? Or maybe you have a Slavic blood (or haplogroup, subclad - or how this DNA researchers call it) and your ancestor was just culturally assimilated. What about it, uh?

If you pretend to say that Silings along with Vandals, Rugii, Langobards, Swevi, Angles, Sax were Germans, you should consult it with Englishmen, Dutch, Belgians, Scandinavians and maybe even with Italians and Spanish. Big appetite you have. But you know, you are going so deeep of nowhere. What about if some new researches uncover the complete another story.

Genealogy / Szewczyk from Wara, Poland [6]

Wara is in Podkarpackie Voivodship
maps.google.pl/maps?q=Wara&ie=UTF8&hl=pl&hq=&hnear=Wara,+Brzozowski,+Podkarpackie&ll=49.758203,22.181396&spn=0.079623,0.219727&z=12

There are plenty of Szewczyks now in Poland: 41864 you can see where they live.

It could be difficult to find out which one is from your family.

Maybe you can start with asking this one:
Szew-Pol. PHU. Szewczyk J.
36-245 Wara 227
woj. podkarpackie powiat brzozowski gmina Nozdrzec
TEL (13) 4398834

And with this parish:
Parafia rzymskokatolicka
36-245 Wara 252
woj. podkarpackie powiat brzozowski gmina Nozdrzec
TEL (13) 4398530

Work / Average monthly salary in Poland is around 1000 PLN (few hundred bucks). [387]

There are some data about mean wage:


Median of month pay was 3 425 gross.
Half of employees were between 2 300 and 5 500 PLN gross.

But remember gross is not fully loaded - you must add ca 20% ZUS.
And on the other hand: from 5500 gross you have only ca 3500 net.

History / just before the war the Polish/Ukrainian szlachta learned Ukrainian [243]


Could you point your source for this statement.


In fact there were no Ukrainian big landowners. The land parcelled for veterans was state owned. And some Ukrainians received parcels also. Ukrainian nationalists blamed the government that the proportions of land granted to Poles & Ukrainians were not adequate to the local ethnic composition.

Wołyń had the administration which was most friendly to Ukrainians. Voyevod Józewski had very good relations with local Ukrainians, supported schools and institutions. However his work wasn't well received by nationalist hard-liners from Eastern Galicia. They wanted tensions and unrest to build clear frontier between two societies. They provoked tensions there, there were terrorist attacks. And nationalists succeeded. Police started retaliation - so called pacifications. And many Poles and Ukrainians started to look angrily at each other.

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4501]


Quite many guys now in Poland with Tutak surname. 1863 in total:

Most probably the name has origin in words: Tutaj, Tuta, Tutka = here; so we may interpret the name as 'a man of this place'.


All the names sound like toponymic from different village names. However they could also be a little bit made up to sound more noble. Potential place names are in turn from common nouns:

RYBCZYŃSKI: from small FISH
ZYMOWSKI: from WINTER
KOZ£OWSKI: from a BILLY-GOAT
MUSZYŃSKI: from a FLY

ŻYBCZYŃSKI is more problematic but could be changed form of ŻABCZYŃSKI: from FROG


Maybe it was £ukaszun:
I've found in google: Augustyn £ukaszun in matrimonial and death certificates for St. John's parish in Wilno in 1876: stankiewicze.com/index.php?kat=41&sub=615 and Anna £ukaszun: stankiewicze.com/index.php?kat=41&sub=623

Google knows!

And you have 70 people who have this family name in Poland now: moikrewni.pl/mapa/kompletny/łukaszun.html. They dispersed after WW2, but probably all were from Wilno and its surroundings. The name is probably of Lithuanian origin...

or even Latvian: Lukašunas

Which Borzymy?

17-322 Borzymy, siemiatycki, Podlaskie, Polska
18-411 Borzymy, łomżyński, Podlaskie, Polska
18-507 Borzymy, kolneński, Podlaskie, Polska
05-281 Borzymy, wołomiński, Mazowieckie, Polska

And the family name Tananis... You can find 20 persons with such a name in Poland now: moikrewni.pl/mapa/kompletny/tananis.html.

It could be of Lithuanian origin, as you may find in:

lithuaniangenealogy.org/databases/pa/st_george/index.html?letter=T
lithuaniangenealogy.org/databases/pa/stfrancis/index2.html?letter=T

UK, Ireland / Britain... What the Poles did for us. [444]


What a funny logic.
Polish Mikołajczyk was maybe recklessly optimistic or he was forced by the Ally. Anyway he was a brave man.
He was in fact framed in to this position by English-American policy to hide the fact, that Poland was left to Soviets. To hide the fact and to perform a 'democracy' show in which hundreds of his party members (PSL) were killed and thousand were imprisoned, vote count forged, civilians terrorized by Soviet secret policy...

The only field where Britons fulfilled their ally obligations was to take Mikołajczyk away from this Soviet paradise.


Harry you're wrong again. Piłsudski was a Head of State (14.11.1918-11.12.1922) when he said "Gentlemen I'm very sorry" on 15.05.1921. Will it be always that with you, factoid maker. I'm trying to respect your opinions, but you're ruining it with your fact manipulations.


So you think better make blah blah than nothing. But blah blah didn't work with such guys as Soviets.

Off-Topic / What's your connection with Poland? Penpals. [512]


Ate someone?

UK, Ireland / Britain... What the Poles did for us. [444]

What do you mean, Ksysia?

History / just before the war the Polish/Ukrainian szlachta learned Ukrainian [243]


Yes, indeed it was in Wołyń Voyevodship.

It wasn't true that Borderland noblemen learn Ukrainian just before the war. They spoke it. Of course there were a few incomers (wifes, husbands, buyers). My family is from the very pre-war border on Zbrucz from very mixed district, one of those 3 in Podolia where there was slightly more Poles than Ukrainians: Skałat, Tarnopol & Trembowla.

My grandfather spoke Polish, Ukrainian and some German & Yiddish. He wasn't however a noblemen but a burgher. Anyway he knew many landowners there, small and bigger ones. Everybody spoke Ukrainian at least to be understood in everyday business.

In fact there were some style or fashion to knew Ukrainian or Ruthenian (as it was called since the national Ukrainian identity wasn't wholly widespread) language, music and folk craftsmanship.

UK, Ireland / Britain... What the Poles did for us. [444]


The Malvines. You've meant 3000 Scots and millions of sheep.
If only UK wants to fight for it. It's our ally. Otherwise stop the alliance.
The ally could do stupid things, but since he's our ally, we must stand with him and fight.
We all tested it in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4501]


There few people with this name now: /mapa/kompletny/gina.

The etymology of it is obscure, but Polonius found some plausible clues.

UK, Ireland / Britain... What the Poles did for us. [444]

OK. Zaliznobokij. Don't cite me. And I won't either. Peace out!

UK, Ireland / Britain... What the Poles did for us. [444]

Thanks, Harry for the link hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1946/jun/05/foreign-affairs
And you have there:
Churchill: ...Let me be quite honest. We have not invited the Navy and the Army...

Yes, it's taken out from context, precisely how you used to do it, but still true and taken from this arrogant looser, Churchill.

And one again paragraph (very tasty):
I believe it is a fact, to put it mildly, that there is as much freedom in Spain under General Franco's reactionary regime- and actually a good deal more security and happiness for ordinary folk-as there is in Poland at the present time.

What a believer - he exactly knew it was far more worse in Poland.

UK, Ireland / Britain... What the Poles did for us. [444]


Damn! So you are one of this strong in mouth not in mind faggots who sees a woman in every man.

UK, Ireland / Britain... What the Poles did for us. [444]


Think before you shoot.
Are you even real or just an avatar of some polonophobe (maybe Harry) invented to illustrate Polish impetuosity, groundlessness, sabre-shaking.

Maybe you're just warming up to fight on a stadium or better in its proximity.
You should know you have the exact mirror shape just around the border. He's name is Zaliznobokij. you can try to beat him, and I even won't cheer you..

..and in any case him, anyway.

UK, Ireland / Britain... What the Poles did for us. [444]


Soviet puppets and mostly criminals.


They had inherited power from last elected government and held insignia. The same as most of governments in exile.

UK, Ireland / Britain... What the Poles did for us. [444]


It's difficult to explain cause I don't know who you are. If you're an Irish, I do understand why you didn't.

But in case you're a proud Englishman you could recall Wales, Scotland, Ireland (yes), not forgetting about Jersey, Guernsey et al., Gibraltar, Malta, Cyprus, Ionian Is., half of Africa, Arabian Coast (I'd prefer to omit Palestine for security reasons), 3 Indias, Ceylon, Burma, Malayas, Hong-Kong, King-Kong and some thousand isles more.

Poles were more docile. They just wanted to build some houses, sow some wheat and sell it to lackland Britons and Dutch.

News / Should 16-year-olds in Poland vote? [58]

21 years is a proper age to execute all citizen's prights.
If a young Polish male can't marry without supervision,
if he can't decide about himself, why he could decide about another's fate.

I wonder why in USA, someone who even can't choose a poison for himself,
can decide about what his government will do to another copatriots.

Right to vote is not about voter's liberty,
it's about limiting liberty of other citizens (or better said subjects).

UK, Ireland / Britain... What the Poles did for us. [444]


In fact you did shoot. Not with true facts. You shouldn't see it as a merit to give some true evidence. You did shoot because you hadn't even noticed the coincidence between the very fact that Lemberg was predominantly Polish on 1.11.1918 with an argument of self-determination and self-defence of these population.

The map you've produced is no ethnic map at all. Just administrative division with some districts where Ukrainians hadn't majority. Shame to you. There are some maps you could use in support of your claims.


Shame again to you, Nathan. You should go back some more hundred years to Mongols, Avars or Goths.

The fact is that Lwów was in Poland from 1349 to 1772 (423 years). All these changed it's demography and structure so deeply, that only a nuke can change it totally. And later despite of Austrian efforts to germanize the city it was still a vital economic and cultural centre of Polish subjects. Since 21.12.1867 (Dezemberverfassung) Galicia gained autonomy and Lemberg as capital of Galicia exploded with Polish institutions. And it lasted till 28.09.1939 and demographically even to 1946.

So you have 500 hundred years long Polish presence in Lwiw, Lwów, Leopolis, Lemberg. Let's wait to the year 2446 or if you prefer to 2439 and then evaluate as equal hosts there. But I wish you Ukrainians all the best and to win this comparison.

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4501]


There were no wandering Royal clerk of such kind. People used to have a head, so they were paying pogłówne (head tax), if they had a hut or house with a chimney, they were paying podymne (chimney tax). No need for surnames just pay and go away.


It isn't quite true in fact. In Old Poland there were indeed custom to get names with -ski endings only by noblemen. But as it was considered to be better name than other, many people from other estates started to use it: burghers and from XIX century even peasants. But there were some decent nobleman Walerian Nekanda Trepka who traced such cases. He wrote in 1624 Liber chamorum or Book of louts where he put all peasants and burghers who tried to pretend noblemen.

-icz ending is a patronymic form while -ski is a toponymic one. Firstly -icz was limited to Eastern Borderland as it is phonologically Ruthenian version of Polish -ic/-yc. Later it became more popular in all territories of the Commonwealth. And indeed it looks like -wicz was more 'democratic' and was widely used by burghers - especially of Ruthenian ancestry.

Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]


You're right. I see you know German very well. It should be written according to some Germanists as:
Beutelrattenlattengitterkofferhottentottenstottertrottelmutterattentä ter

It's from Tuwim's book "Pegaz dęba" and is allegedly of Namibian origin, where you had had German-Hottentot cohabitation and means:

The killer of the Hottentot mother of a moron and stammerer, who was held in a weave box for kangaroos.

UK, Ireland / Britain... What the Poles did for us. [444]


Yes, you're maybe right. The historic argument as in Czech case was more adequate in the East.


As you already stated in Lemberg there were 60:17 ratio of Poles to Ukrainians. You've shot in your own foot.

And some evidence about ethnic situation of the Cieszyn region you can find on this forum:
polishforums.com/free-translation-42/need-english-translation-birth-baptismal-document-42217/.

You can see from the baptismal certificate attached there what was the language of parish of Karwina now Karvina.

UK, Ireland / Britain... What the Poles did for us. [444]

BB don't be so strong relativist. Only true is interesting according to Józef Mackiewicz, very interesting but not a mainstream historian and journalist. And the true is...

Veritas est adaequatio rei et intellectus.

You can't stop people from warming over old stories. The only way to disarm these rusty grenades is to show facts. But you're of course right that some facts mean something to one party and not at all to another. Anyway without these old stories Europe would be...

...wouldn't be at all.

UK, Ireland / Why are Polish people, especially women, so disrespectful toward the English? [437]


Maybe the problem is with you, Nataliee.
You answered in your profile No thank god on the question, if you speak Polish.
You must hate Poles, and believe me it must be easily perceived by your Polish interlocutors. They give you tit for tat.

UK, Ireland / Britain... What the Poles did for us. [444]


It was well discussed in another thread. And the versions of the history in different idioms are different - yes it's true, so what. English historians ignore EE historians and vice-versa, especially pop-historians.

Serious historians try to write well documented, unbiased reconstructions of facts. But they aren't well paid, because their books are not selling well. So there aren't many of them. And gigantic gap in knowledge on the both sides need more work than few guys can do.

And what is selling well? Simplistic stories with emotional twist, demanding no further knowledge of facts. But who cares? Maybe you, Harry? You pretend you have the best knowledge of history of the Poland. According to your posts your basic knowledge of history is deposited on en.wiki (of course for safety reasons) and family tales.


Wrong question! Why Poles and Ukrainian fight each other - it's an unbiased question.
Austrian playing divide and rule rules supported you in making a coup d'etat in Lemberg on 1.11.1918 - this is how it was seen by local Poles. And next. Next logics of war triumphed.

Life / Giving tips in Poland [235]

I don't know what are you talking about. It's a practice to tip 10% in restaurants in Poland. Waiters are underpaid and tips make up a big part of their wage. Unless of course they make you angry.

There is no practice to tip anywhere else, even if servicemen try to suck it out from you.