“Polak w Niemczech” (1925–1972). The press organ of the Union of Poles in Germany

 “Polak w Niemczech” and the Polish-language press in Germany
 

Relatively soon after it was founded, the Union set out to expand the Polish-language press in Germany. With this aim in mind, in April 1923, it organised a conference of the Polish press in the hope of bringing the Polish-language publications already in existence in the German Reich within the orbit of its own opinions and aims.[6] Such efforts were just the latest chapter in a three decades-long history of Polish press publications in Germany. At the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, there were a large number of Polish publications in Germany, such as the Polish-language daily newspaper “Wiarus Polski” from Bochum, the daily broadsheet “Dziennik Berliński” from Berlin or the Polish national newspaper for the Ruhr region, “Narodowiec” from Herne, all of which served larger, regional communities of Poles in Germany with different press products (Figs. 2 & 3).[7] At the start of the Polish press conference, the “Dziennik Berliński” reported on the particularly important tasks of the Polish-language press in Germany, which exerted influence over its readership when it came to conveying information as well as with regard to issues of cultural education and national politics.[8] On 1 July, a year after the instructions issued by the Union to the Polish press at the conference were accepted by a number of different Polish editorial boards, the Union finally issued the first publication of its press organ, the “Biuletyn”, which from 1 April 1925 was renamed “Polak w Niemczech” (Fig. 4).[9]

The Union's mouthpiece was issued to its members free of charge. The first edition ran to 10,000 copies, increasing just two years later to 18,500 copies, and 30,000 copies in 1931.[10] These figures clearly indicate the increasing popularity of “Polak w Niemczech” among the members of the Union of Poles. However, a Union periodical was not just of key importance when it came to documenting the Union’s work; it also helped raise the standing of the organisation, highlight ways in which its members could participate, and create a basis for communication for the Polish community that had come together under the auspices of the Union.[11]