Przemiany etniczne ludności polskiej na Kowieńszczyźnie

Abstract

The object of the paper is to show the ethnical changes of Polish minority at Kovno (Kaunas), Jonava and Kedainiai regions of Lithuania. First russian censuses in 1897 and 1909 showed that 25% of those regions’ inhabitants were Poles. Due to next teo censuses (Lithuanian - 1923 and occupational German - 1943) Polish minority in central Lithuania composed only 10% of population. The paper shows official census data and equivalent Polish estimations for the last decade of XIX cent and the 2nd decade of XX cent. The reasons of ethnical changes as assimilation, political oppresion during russian (till the Great War) lithuanian (up to World War II) and soviet (1945-1990) administration, incorrectness of particular censuses, soviet collectivisation of land and connected with it migrations and urbanization processes are shown by 90 interviews realized in Kovno (Kaunas) and 17 villages in 1998.