Poland "Jasna Góra" on the Dniester. Over 20 years of defending language, culture and memory

In Tiraspol, the capital of the separatist Transnistria, the "Jasna Góra" Polish Cultural Society has been operating for over two decades. It was established in 2004. from the need to find Polish roots, learn the language of their ancestors and preserve national traditions. Today, it conducts educational and cultural activities, brings together Poles from several towns, maintains the Polish Cultural Center in Tiraspol, and passes on Polishness primarily to children and youth. Still in 2025 the organization conducted further projects devoted to Polish history and literature.

Transnistria is a special place on the map of contemporary Europe. It lies primarily on the left bank of the Dniester and from the point of view of international law, it is part of the Republic of Moldova, although since the early 1990s it has de facto operated outside the control of the authorities in Chisinau. The capital of the region is Tiraspol.

It is in these complex realities that one of the most interesting Polish organizations in the East operates - the "Jasna Góra" Polish Cultural Society.

Beginning: meeting with the Polish consul

The history of the Society began with a meeting of Transnistrian inhabitants of Polish origin with the Polish consul in Moldova, Wojciech Biliński. As evidenced by materials devoted to the history of the organization, the conversation triggered the need not only for people aware of their Polish roots to meet, but above all to learn about Polish culture and language and strengthen national awareness.

The preparation of the statute and the registration procedure has begun. The organization was officially registered on August 17, 2004. as a non-governmental organization.

Its name was not accidental. The founders unanimously chose "Jasna Góra", referring to the Queen of Jasna Góra of Poland and the religious dimension of the Polish identity of the local community. In the preserved materials regarding the beginnings of the organization, it was explained that its members wanted to symbolically entrust their fate to the care of the Mother of God.

The first chairwoman was Olga Konop. She established contacts with the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Moldova, and representatives of "Jasna Góra" participated, among others, at the "Polish Spring in Moldova" festival. After Olga Konop left Tiraspol in 2007. elections were held and Natalia Siniawska-Krzyżanowska was entrusted with managing the Society. According to a study by the University of Warsaw, she would still perform this function in 2025.

From a dorm room to your own Center

The beginnings were very humble. The Society did not have its own headquarters or significant financial support. According to a study devoted to Poles in Transnistria, the first place of activity was a room in a dormitory in Tiraspol, then Natalia Siniawska's private apartment, and then rooms provided by Fr. Piotr Kushman.

Over time, the organization began to benefit from the support of the Polish Consulate, Sacred Heart priests and organizations operating in Poland. It also expanded its operations beyond Tiraspol. Sources describe its activity in Raszków and Sloboda-Raszków, and older materials mention three branches: in Tiraspol, Rashkov and Sloboda-Raszków. Newer study from 2025. indicates that the branch in Raszków still exists.

The breakthrough came at the end of 2018, when the "Jasna Góra" Polish Cultural Center was opened in Tiraspol. For the first time, the organization received a place that it could treat as its own home.

The center was located in a premises of approximately 200 square meters, located near the local Catholic church. The rooms needed serious work. Volunteers and young people associated with the Society were involved in the renovation. Some of the equipment was obtained through the "Help Poles in the East" Foundation.

The official opening of the Center took place in December 2018. Among the participants were representatives of Poland, and the rooms were consecrated by Fr. Piotr Kuszman from the parish of St. Holy Trinity in Tiraspol.

Language is the key

One of the most important tasks of "Jasna Góra" from the beginning was learning Polish.

This is of particular importance. The following decades of life in the Soviet Union meant that in many families the knowledge of Polish was weakened or completely interrupted. Polish origins may have survived in family memory, surnames, religion and consciousness of ancestors, but not necessarily in everyday language.

Therefore, the educational activities of the Society are not limited to organizing national celebrations. It is also about giving the young generation real contact with the language and culture of the country of their ancestors.

According to a report published in 2024. About 80 people benefited from Polish language lessons provided by the Center. Dance and vocal classes were also organized there, as well as help for children from poorer families.

Knowledge of Polish also opens up opportunities for further education for young people. In the materials celebrating the 15th anniversary of the organization, it was pointed out that young people, thanks to learning the language, were able to study in Polish schools and study at Polish universities. The Society also organized trips for children and young people to Poland as well as religious and historical pilgrimages.

Polishness through culture

"Jasna Góra" has chosen an activity model in which language is combined with music, theater, literature, history and religion.

A good example was the project "Academy of Polish Tradition and Culture - Primer of Polish culture and traditions for children and youth - summer academy", implemented in 2024. It was attended by 40 people associated with the Society, including children and youth aged 7 to 18 from Polish families living in Moldova. The program included intensive language learning through Polish art, culture and tradition. The project was co-financed by the Institute for the Development of the Polish Language from the funds of the Ministry of National Education.

The organization celebrates Polish national holidays. During the National Independence Day, its members participated, among others: in the "Independence to the Anthem" campaign, singing "Dąbrowski's Mazurek", and young people learning Polish language and culture prepared an artistic program with patriotic songs.

Henryk Sienkiewicz also holds a special place in the Society's activities. This is not a coincidence.

Raszków and traces of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

One of the most important places for the local Polish community is Raszków. Its history dates back to the times when these lands were located on the border of the Republic of Poland.

For the Polish historical imagination, Raszków also has significance related to the works of Henryk Sienkiewicz and the world of "Mr. Wołodyjowski". The Society operated there in the "Wołodyjowski" Polish House. Public readings of Sienkiewicz, cultural meetings and visits by guests from Poland were organised.

This tradition is not just a memory of earlier years. In 2025 members of "Jasna Góra" organized the Henryk Sienkiewicz Days. As part of the project, they went, among others: to Sorok, where the play "Faith for the Fatherland", based on "The Deluge", was presented. The event was attended by representatives of the Polish Embassy in Chisinau and guests from Poland.

Poles on both sides of the Dniester

The Society's activities increasingly extend beyond the borders of Transnistria itself.

December 14, 2024 A Multicultural Christmas Eve was held in Soroki on the initiative of the Polish Cultural Society "Jasna Góra" and in cooperation with the Association of Poles in Soroki. Poles living on both sides of the Dniester met there. The program included Polish Christmas carols and a theater scene called "Christmas Eve at Borynów" based on "Chłopy" by Władysław Reymont, prepared by a theater group operating at the Society.

This shows an important direction of "Jasna Góra"'s activities: the organization not only nurtures its own community, but also builds contacts between Polish communities in different parts of Moldova.

20 years of operation

In 2024 The Society celebrated its 20th anniversary. The anniversary was an opportunity to recall the journey the organization has traveled - from a small group of people looking for a way to rebuild ties with the Polish language and culture to an institution with its own Center and an extensive educational program.

Available sources show that the size of the community associated with the Society changed with the development of the organization. In 2009 Natalia Siniawska reported 82 members, 67 of whom had confirmed Polish origins. In the report from 2024. however, it was reported that only in Tiraspol and Bendery, 450 adults belonged to the organization, not including children and youth. These data come from various periods and sources, so they should be treated as an image of the development of the organization, and not uniform statistics of the contemporary Polish community in Transnistria.

Estimates regarding the entire population of Polish origin in the region require similar caution. Various numbers appear in publications, depending on, among others, depending on whether nationality declared in the census, documented origin or the broader criterion of Polish roots are taken into account. Therefore, there is no basis to unreservedly provide one number as the current size of the Transnistrian Polish community.

President from Raszków

A person particularly associated with the development of the organization is Natalia Siniawska-Krzyżanowska, from Raszków. He has been managing the Society since 2007; scientific source published at the turn of 2025 and 2026. confirms that she will remain president also in 2025.

Her own path to Polishness is typical of some of the inhabitants of these areas. In an interview published by the "Pomoc Polakom na East" Foundation website, she said that discovering her roots began through the Catholic Church and learning about her great-grandmother's religion, and that another important experience was a trip to Poland in the 1990s, which made her ask questions about her own identity.

For her activities on behalf of Polish culture, she was honored with the badge "Merit for Polish Culture".

An important role in cooperation with Poland was also played by Marek Pantuła from Przemyśl, an honorary member of the Society, for years involved in organizing projects, visits and undertakings connecting Poles from the country with the community in Transnistria. This cooperation began around 2010. and included, among others: cultural, educational and aid projects.

Geopolitics complicates everyday life

The situation of "Jasna Góra" is much more complicated than that of most Polish organizations operating in recognized countries.

Transnistria remains part of Moldova under international law, but actually functions under the control of the authorities in Tiraspol. The society was registered by the local administration. As the historical reportage from 2024 indicates, this specific legal situation may complicate formal assistance mechanisms, the work of volunteers or teachers coming from Poland.

The activities carried out on site by the residents themselves are even more important.

Not a museum, but a living community

It would be easiest to describe the Polish Cultural Society "Jasna Góra" as a Polish organization. However, this would be too narrow a definition.

From the available materials, an institution emerges that simultaneously serves as a language school, cultural center, meeting place, organizer of national celebrations, guardian of religious tradition, artistic community and a bridge between Transnistria and Poland.

What is particularly important is that the activity is not limited to the generation that remembers the Polish origins of their parents and grandparents. A large part of the projects are targeted at children and young people. They learn Polish, get to know literature, sing Polish songs, participate in performances, trips and activities devoted to history.

More than 20 years after registration, "Jasna Góra" is still operating. The latest materials I found document its activity also in 2025, including the Henryk Sienkiewicz Days and cooperation with representatives of Polish institutions. However, I have not found an equally detailed, reliable report covering the entire year 2026, so I do not attribute to the Society any projects from this year that could not be confirmed.

The history of "Jasna Góra" shows something else. Polishness on the former eastern borders of the Republic of Poland is not only the subject of historians' research or memories recorded in old cemeteries. In Tiraspol, Rashkov and other towns on the Dniester, it remains the experience of people who, after several generations of separation from the country of their ancestors, teach their children Polish, read Sienkiewicz, celebrate Polish holidays and try to preserve the memory of their own origins.

And that is why the name chosen in 2004. it has such a strong message. Hundreds of kilometers from Częstochowa, a second, symbolic "Jasna Góra" was established - not a stone sanctuary, but a community built around language, culture, faith and memory.