Roma Historical and Cultural Heritage Sites in Poland

This book provides introductory material about Roma history and culture in Poland, and an overview of the types, status, and condition of Roma-associated historical and cultural sites. The bulk of the book consists of summaries of information provided by Adam Bartosz in questionnaire form, based on site visits and interviews carried out in 2005.The book covers sites of martyrdom, sites associated with the lives of famous people, cemeteries, and settlements. Sites are arranged alphabetically within each category. The survey describes the sites, and gives some indication of their current condition and what work, if any, is taking place to improve their situations.The term "Roma" is used throughout this book instead of the more common "Gypsies," except in a few cases where translations of older inscriptions require the use of "Gypsy." The survey and report have made a considerable effort to differentiate different groups of Roma, and to indicate which groups are most associated with specific sites. Sometimes, the names of specific family groups are also given. The appellation "Sinti," which in common usage is sometimes used synonymously with the term "Roma," is sometimes used to refer only to Roma from Germany. It is used here sparingly, again mostly when an inscription clearly distinguishes between Roma and Sinti in some way, as is the case at the German World War II killing centers of Auschwitz and Belzec.In the text, place names are given in their common English forms when the place is well known (such as Warsaw), otherwise the Polish name is used. All addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses were correct at the time of the survey. Please note that these are, of course, subject to change.