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 Kyrgyzstan
Total population
1,400[1] (2007, est.)
Related ethnic groups
Poles in Kazakhstan, Poles in Turkmenistan, Poles in Uzbekistan

History

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Historical population
YearPop.±%
1890240—    
1926282+17.5%
1939808+186.5%
19591,086+34.4%
19701,448+33.3%
19791,961+35.4%
19891,389−29.2%
Sources:[2][3][4][5][6][7]

In 1890, 240 Poles lived in present-day Kyrgyzstan.[2] According to the 1897 census, the largest Polish community, with 188 people, was in Osh.[8]

In 1937–1938, the Polish community in the Kyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republic, which numbered between 300 and 700 people, was, like in other parts of the USSR, targeted by the genocidal Polish Operation of the NKVD.[2]

Following the joint German-Soviet invasion of Poland, which started World War II in 1939, the Kyrgyz SSR was one of the destinations for the deportations of Poles from Soviet-occupied eastern Poland. In 1941, also some 200 Polish families from Karelia were deported to the Kyrgyz SSR by the Russians.[2] In early 1942, the Polish Anders' Army along with thousands of civilians was relocated to the Kyrgyz and Uzbek SSRs.[9] The Polish Tank and Artillery Training Centres were based in Kayyngdy and Kara-Suu, respectively, and the automobile battalions were dispatched to Kara-Balta.[10] The Poles suffered from epidemics and famine and thousands died.[11] There is a Polish cemetery in Jalal-Abad. In 1942, the army with thousands of civilians was evacuated to Iran. As of 1943, there were still over 11,000 Polish citizens in the Kyrgyz SSR, according to Soviet data.[12] After the war, over 11,500 Poles were repatriated from the Kyrgyz SSR to Poland in 1946–1948.[13]

In the 1950s and 1960s, Poles deported to Kazakhstan in 1936 were moving to Kyrgyzstan because of the warmer climate.[2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Polonia w liczbach". Wspólnota Polska (in Polish). Archived from the original on 15 April 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e Abdrachmanow, Bołotbek Dżumaszowicz; Asekowa, Sałtanat Urumowna (2019). "Z historii "operacji narodowościowych" NKWD lat 1937–1938 w Kirgizji. Represje wobec mniejszości etnicznych (na przykładzie narodowości polskiej)". Przegląd Nauk Historycznych (in Polish). 18 (1). Translated by Głowacki, Albin. Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego: 113. ISSN 2450-7660.
  3. ^ "Киргизская АССР (1926)". Demoscope Weekly. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  4. ^ "Киргизская ССР (1939)". Demoscope Weekly. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Киргизская ССР (1970)". Demoscope Weekly. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Киргизская ССР (1979)". Demoscope Weekly. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  7. ^ "Киргизская ССР (1989)". Demoscope Weekly. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  8. ^ Первая Всеобщая перепись населения Российской империи, 1897 г. (in Russian). Vol. LXXXIX. 1904. p. 60.
  9. ^ Ocaleni z "nieludzkiej ziemi" (in Polish). Łódź: Instytut Pamięci Narodowej. 2012. p. 102. ISBN 978-83-63695-00-2.
  10. ^ "Tworzenie Armii Polskiej w ZSRS w 1941–1942" (PDF). Instytut Pamięci Narodowej (in Polish). Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  11. ^ Ocaleni z "nieludzkiej ziemi". p. 48.
  12. ^ Masiarz, Władysław (1997). "Przesiedlenie i repatriacja Polaków z Azji Środkowej w 1946 r.". Zesłaniec (in Polish). No. 2. Warszawa. p. 109.
  13. ^ Masiarz, p. 113