Polish at Heart is celebrating its 5th birthday this month. It's been an absolute whirl of activity in all those years: there is just so much to write about and it's...
March 31, 2022
The plight of people caught up in war in our lifetime is so difficult to watch, given what our parents and grandparents experienced. Poles and Ukrainians have a difficult history...
February 10, 2022
The deportation of Poles by the Russians to slave labour camps in the Soviet Union during WWII is well documented if not widely known. You can read the testimonies here....
December 30, 2021
When you hear the name Wyspiański or Wyczółkowski you may think of pastel portraits or paintings of Polish peasants in the vast landscapes of Poland. Sadly little is known outside...
December 21, 2021
As I wish you all Wesołych Świąt and a Happy Christmas in these uncertain times, let's look back at Polish Christmases of the past. In less than 100 hours, we...
November 30, 2021
Do you identify as an invisible Pole? In your social or professional life, would others see you as belonging to a Polish community? You may no longer have a Polish...
October 29, 2021
As the winds howl and the rain lashes against our Galloway steading (farm building) in south-west Scotland, I'd like to share with you a tale of three ladies. Their stories...
September 17, 2021
On 17 September 2021, to commemorate the day in 1939 when the Soviet Union invaded Poland from the east, a Museum has opened telling the history of Poles deported to...
August 31, 2021
My family's quest for finding pine forests is quite legendary. Since childhood, I've been taught to look for the sosna (pine-tree) on walks in the countryside. Whether for grzyby (funghi),...
July 31, 2021
"Stańcie do Apelu” - stand for the roll call always sends a shiver through my spine. The silence just before a soldier or scout reads this at 17.00 on the...
June 30, 2021
My Polish passport finally arrived last month! I've written previously about my identity as a Pole born abroad and my concerns that a Polish passport wasn't really for me -...
May 28, 2021
The portrait of Jan Matejko’s “Copernicus: Conversations with God” recently arrived at the National Gallery in London. It is the first work of a Polish artist to be on show there and...
April 20, 2021
It was moving to witness such an intimate family funeral of Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh. Much has been said about his Danish and German ancestry, yet even less about...
March 27, 2021
With Easter approaching, Palm Sunday for Poles, is as colourful as any feast due to the "palms"- bazie or palemki made from fresh branches of willow with catkins or "kotki" (little...
February 27, 2021
Recently I have been contacted by many of you interested in Polish citizenship. Although I’ve written about the process in my guide to citizenship, the paperwork is just the legal...
About This Site
Polish identity, culture, history and heritage for those of us born around the world. For more click here.
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1.Tracing Family History pre-WW2
2. Tracing Family History WW2