Poland Gazetteers

Back to Poland Page►

Gazetteers are dictionaries of place-names. They describe towns, villages, counties, provinces, and population sizes; parishes; and rivers, mountains, and other geographical features. They usually include only places that existed at the time of publication.

The place-names are generally listed in alphabetical order.

Gazetteers may also provide the following information about towns:


 * Local religious denominations and parishes
 * Postal facilities and other communication facilities (telephone, telegraph, and so on)
 * Local commerce, agriculture, manufacturing works, canals, docks, and railroad stations
 * Schools, colleges, and universities

You can use gazetteers to locate places where your family lived and determine the civil and church jurisdictions over those places. For example, Sarnów in Gliwice County is a small village that belongs to the Catholic parish of Toszek.

Because many places in Poland have the same or similar names, you will need to use a gazetteer to identify the specific town your ancestor lived in, the civil district it was in, and the jurisdictions where records about your ancestor were kept.

Gazetteers can also help you determine the county jurisdictions used in the Family History Library Catalog.

Finding Place-Names in the Family History Library Catalog
The Family History Library Catalog lists place-names under county (wojewódzstwo) jurisdictions used in the 1960s and 70s. Names are also listed under the German-Prussian province (Provinz) as of 1871–1914 or the Austrian province (Provinz) as of 1850–1915. To find the province that a town is filed under in the Family History Library Catalog, use the “see” references on the catalog’s first locality microfiche of each state. If you have the catalog on compact disc, use the “Locality Browse” search.

Each town is listed in the catalog with its district (powiat or Kreis) jurisdiction to distinquish it from other places of the same name.

Because of the many changes in place-names, the Family History Library uses one gazetteer as the standard guide for listing places in the Family History Library Catalog. Regardless of the names a place may have had at various times, all Polish places are listed in the catalog by the name they are listed under in:

Spis miejscowości Polskiej Rzeczypospolitej Ludowej(Gazetteer of the Polish People’s Republic). Warsaw: Wydawnictwa Komunikacji I Łaczności, 1967. (FHL book 943.8E5s; film 0844922.) This gazetteer lists locality names as they existed from the 1950s to the 1980s. Locality names are listed alphabetically in column 1; column 3 indicates district; column 4, province; column 5, post office location; and column 7 the location of the current vital records office. For former Polish towns that are now part of Russia, see the 1934 Listing of Localities of the Polish Republic by Bystrzycki listed below.

Modern Place-Names
For research purposes such as correspondence, learn which jurisdictions your ancestral town was under at various times. Current jurisdictions can help you find the ancestral town on modern maps. The following modern gazetteers are at most large libraries and archives:

Wykaz urz.dowych nazw miejscowości w Polsce (List of official place-names in Poland). Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Akcydensowe, 1980. (FHL book 943.8 E5wu; fiche 6053522.) This gazetteer lists the jurisdictions as they were from the 1980s to 1998. Towns are listed alphabetically, giving the distict and province they are located in and the post office location. No parishes jurisdictions are listed.

''Bystrzycki, Tadeusz. Skorowidz miejscowości Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej''(Listing of localities of the Polish Republic). 3 vols. Przemyśl: Wydawnictwo Książnicy Naukowej, 1934. (FHL book 943.8 E5sm; film 11343868.) This gazetteer, of the republic of Poland from 1918–1939, is the most accurate gazetteer for the territory. It is arranged alphabetically in the first column. Other columns include townships, districts, provinces, post offices, and railways.

The last column gives parish jurisdictions but not synagogues. It does not include towns in western Poland that were part of Prussia in 1934 (for these towns, see the 1967 gazetteer mentioned previously).

Similar national sources are listed in the Family History Library Catalog under:

POLAND - POSTAL AND SHIPPING GUIDES

Historical Place-Names
With changes in national boundaries and governments, many place names and jurisdictions in Poland have changed. The following gazetteers identify Polish localities as they existed under Austrian, German, and Russian administrations:

Austria
“Gemeindelexikon von Galizien” (Gazetteer of Galicia) Gemeindelexikon der in Reichsrate vertretenen Königreiche und Länder (Gazetteer of the crown lands and territories represented in the imperial council). Vol. 12. Vienna: K. K. Statistischen Zentralkommission, 1907. (FHL book 943.6 E5g; film 1187928.)

To use, find the village in the index, which gives the page number in the gazetteer. This will help locate the district given at the top of the page. In the appendix section, using the name of the district and the village, you can determine the parish town where the church records were kept for your village.

Germany
Uetrecht, E., Meyers Orts und Verkehrs-Lexikon des Deutschen Reichs (Meyer’s gazetteer and directory of the German Empire). Leipzig: Bibliographisches Institut, 1912–. (FHL book 943.E5mo; film 496640–41; fiche 6000001– 29.) This gazetteer lists places alphabetically, gives their former German province, and states whether a place has its own parish or synagogue. It also indicates the location of the vital records office.

Gemeindelexikon für das Königreich Preussen (Gazetteer for the Kingdom of Prussia). 13 vols. Berlin: Verlag des Königlichen Statistischen Landesamts, 1907–09. (FHL book 943.E5kp; film 1186701, 0806633–35.) Volumes for each Prussian province are arranged by district with an index at the end. The gazetteer is in German Gothic print. Information is given in columns and includes population figures as well as civil and ecclesiastical jurisdictions.

Russia (and many places in Austria and Germany)
Sulimierski, Filip, ed.Slownik geograficzny królestwa polskiego i innych krajów slowiańskich (Geographical dictionary of the Kingdom of Poland and other Slavic countries). 15 vols. Warsaw: Sulimierski i Walewski, 1880–1902. (FHL book 943.8 E5c; film 920957–72.) These locations are listed alphabetically with Polish text.

The following book gives name changes after World War I:

Kredel, Otto, and Franz Thierfelder, Deutsch-fremdsprachiges Ortnamenverzeichnis (German-foreign gazetteer). 3 vols. Berlin: Deutsche Verlagsgesellschaft, 1931. (FHL book 940 E5kt; film 0950387.) The purpose of this gazetteer is to locate place-name changes after World War I.

These sources are listed in the Family History Library Catalog under:

POLAND
Spis miejschowości Polskiej Rzeczypospolitej Ludowej. Polish gazetteer for 1968 (2 volumes). (FHL book 943.8 E5s; film 2037058 or fiche 6000369-6000383.)

Here is a translation of the columns used in this gazetteer:

Column 1 Name of town

Column 2 Name of next larger administrative unit

Column 3 County or district seat (powiat)

Column 4 Province (woj.)

Column 7 Vital records office

A list of common abbreviations:
dziel., dz., Dzielnica Miasta, quarter or section of the city

kol., Kolonia, Colony

m., miasto, city

m.st., miasto stoleczne, capital city

os,. osada, a smaller settlement

osied., osiedle, town, large village

os., m., osiedle mieszkaniowe residential area

p.m., powiat miejski, a powiat comprised of a city

w. m., miasto wyłączone z wojewodztwa, city not included in a województwo

przys., przysiółek, hamlet

p. przystanek kolejowy, railroad stop

Slownik geograficzny królestwa polskiego i innych krajów slowiańskych. Geographical dictionary of the Kingdom of Poland prior to WWI (15 volumes), Warszawa, 1880. (FHL book 943.8 E5c; film 920957-72.) Online versions of this gazetteer are available here and here. Vol. 1 Aa-Dereneczna 920,957 Vol. 2 Derenek-Gzack 920,958 Vol. 3 Haag-Kepy 920,959 Vol. 4 Kes-Kutno 920,960 Vol. 5 Kutowa-Malczyce 920,961 Vol. 6 Malczyce-Netreba 920,962 Vol. 7 Netrebka-Perepiat 920,963 Vol. 8 Perepiatycha-Pozajscie 920,964 Vol. 9 Pozajscie-Ruksze 920,965 Vol. 10 Rukszenice-Sochaczew 920,966 Vol. 11 Sochaczew-Szlurbowska 920,967 Vol. 12 Szlurpkiszki-Warlynka 920,968 Vol. 13 Warmbrunn-Worowo 920,969 Vol. 14 Worowo-Zyzyn 920,970 Vol. 15 Ababi-Janus addendum 920,971 Vol. 15 II Januszpol-Wola addendum 920,972

Skorowidz miejscowości rzeczypospolitej polskiej. A gazetteer of Poland between WWI and II (2 volumes). 1934. (FHL book 943.8 E5sm; films 2037057-8.) Index of locallities of the Polish Republic. This gazetteer is arranged alphabetically in Polish. Jurisdictional information is given in columns. The parishes are listed in the last column. &lt;br&gt;

Click here fo the online gazeteer.

Important abbreviations:

e Evangelical g Greek Catholic

loco in the locality

p Orthodox r Roman Catholic

Gemeindelexikon Der Im Reichsrate Vertretenen Königreiche and Länder. V. 12 (1900). (FHL book 943.6 E5g.) This gazetteer was based on the 1900 census of Austria-Hungary; arranged by district with an index of both German and non-German versions of place-names. Population and other figures are given in columns with headings in German. Between the main text and the index is an appendix which indicates the location of the church vital records office.

Genealogical Gazetteer of Galicia. Lenius, Brian, Anola, Manitoba, Canada (1999). (FHL book 943.65 E5L.) A gazetteer with localities in Galicia which are now either in Poland or Ukraine.

Gemeindelexikon für das Königreich Preußen. Königlichen Statistischen Landesamts. Ostpreussen, Westpreussen, Brandenburg, Posen, Schlesien, Pommern. (6 volumes) (1907). (FHL book 943 E5kp.) This set of gazetteers has volumes for each of the Prussian provinces arranged by Kreis (district) with an index at the end. The index gives the Kreis number and the number of the locality as it appears in alphabetical order within the Kreis. (line number) The gazetteer is in German with Gothic style print. Information is given in columns and includes population figures as well as civil and ecclesiastical jurisdictions. The parish is given in column 25 (Evangelical) and column 26 (Catholic).

Wykaz urzędowych nazw miejscowści w Polsce. V. 1. (FHL book 943.8 E5wu.)

Słownik nazw geograficznych Polski zachódniej i pólnocnej. Place name change dictionary of places taken from Germany after WW II and that were incorporated into Poland and Russia. V. 1. (FHL book 943.8 E5sn; film 847874.)

Roman Catholic parishes in the Polish People's Republic in 1984. Lidia Müllerowa, Chicago, Illinois. 1995. (FHL book 943.8 K24m.)

Alphabetisches Ortsnamenverzeichnis der Deutschen Ostgebiete unter fremder Verwaltung, Band 11. V. 1. 1955. (FHL book 943.8 E5b.)

Jewish Roots in Poland. Miriam Weiner, Secaucus, New Jersey. 1997. A listing of Jewish archival holdings. (FHL book 943.8 F2wm.)

Oficjalny Spis Pocztowych Numerów Adresowych, Warszawa 1993. Polish Postal Guide. (FHL book 943.8 E80.)

Slownik Geograficzny - Poland and Eastern Europe Gazetteer
Slownik Geograficzny  is a Polish language gazetteer. Its full title translated is “Geographic Dictionary of the Kingdom of Poland and Other Slavic Lands.” It was published in Warsaw between 1880 and 1903 in a series of 16 volumes, 14 alphabetical and two additional volumes with supplemental material.

This gazetteer is available online at The University of Warsaw and also at The Digital Library of Małopolska. Click here to read how to use The Geographical Dictionary on-line.

Slownik Geograficzny  has 15 to 20 thousand entries about regions, cities, and towns of Eastern Europe. The description starts by giving the geographic setting of the village in relation to nearby rivers or larger towns. It also describes local features of importance such as schools, churches, telegraph offices, industries, and fortifications. Other important information sometimes included is population count broken down by religion, and history of warfare in the area.At times  this information is given for multiple years in the village, giving a picture of how the village changed over time.

Slownik Geograficzny  also often traces the ownership of the village. These villages were usually owned by a Polish or Russian noble family. Sometimes the owners of these villages kept censuses of the residents of their lands. The papers of some of these large landowners have ended up in archival collections. AVOTAYNU ( http://www.avotaynu.com/ a Jewish Genealogy Organization) has a list of where known collections of such papers are located.

Slownik Geograficzny  is available in printed form in libraries with specialized Polish collections. It is available on films 9209957-9209971 at the Family History Library. The Polish Genealogical Society of America also produced a CD-ROM containing images from a limited production facsimile edition created in 1986-1987.

Although the Polish in Slownik Geograficzny is over 100 years old and contains some obscure vocabulary and abbreviations, websites of the organizations AVOTAYNU, PolishRoots, and the PGSA have created helper lists for a large number of these terms. Another important note is that the sources Slownik Geograficzny drew upon to create this work were not always accurate.

Source:

What can we learn from Slownik Geograficzny?

Richard M. Spector

<span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1241040361783_823">Call Number: <span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1241040361783_823">US 296.05 AV 79

<span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1241040361783_823">Spring 2006 V. XXII Number 1

Localities are listed alphabetically following the normal Polish alphabetical order except that o and ó are alphabetized as one letter. If there are several localities with the same name they are numbered; places in the Kingdom of Poland first, followed by places in Galicia, Ukraine, Belorussia, Prussia and other states. If the locality had a foreign name or alternate spelling it is indicated in italics after teh entry. Some entries will refer you to another entry with the abbreviation ob meaning "see".

Entries usually give the following information: 1. Description of the locality we, wies - village  os., osada- settlement  fol., folwark- manor  dobra-estate  mko, miasteczko - town  mto, miasto- city  jez., jezioro-lake  rz., rzeka-river  strumien-stream  2. District (pow, powiat)

This is given with a grammatical ending. Refer to A Gazetteer of Polish Adjectival Place-Names (Ref. 943.8 E5sd, also on Film no 1,181531 item 4)

3. Township or Community (gm.gmina)  4. Parish (par., parafia)

This is usually the Roman-Catholic parish (par. rz.kat.) unless otherwise specified: (par.ew.) Evangelical Lutheran., (par.prawos), Orthodox, (par.gr.k.) Greek-Catholic Uniate. If the parish is not specified in the entry then refer to the entry for a locality noted as being nearby.

5. Population figures, agricultural data, number of houses, distance from other localities and other information:

dm., domow-houses mk., mieszkancow-inhabitants  w. wiorst-werst (1.7 kilometers)  zyd., Zydow-Jews

Web Resources
ShtetlSeeker is a major search resource for place names throughout eastern Europe. The biggest advantage of this search is that it uses a specialized soundex system to find places. This can be very helpful if your spelling is not quite accurate. Keep in mind that not all the results will be of value. A soundex result is not intended to provide sounds-like results. You have to be judicious in selecting the correct place from the display page.

Kartenmeister only covers those parts of Poland formerly ruled by Prussia. It is especially useful because it is based on the Germanic place names that existed in that era. It does not have a soundex system but will allow searches with starting letters, or combinations of middle and ending letters. It provides current equivalent Polish place names where known.

The following sites allow for a variety of search options.

http://www.fallingrain.com/world/PL/

http://www.halgal.com/gazetteers.html

http://polandpoland.com/polish-villages-towns-cities.html

http://www.pgsa.org/Inter/lithres.htm