Polish Argentines

File:XXXIV_Fiesta_Nacional_del_Inmigrante_-_desfile_-_colectividad_polaca.JPG in Oberá, Misiones.]]

It is not easy to determine the number of Poles who immigrated to Argentina. Before 1919, they were registered as Germans, Austrians, or Russians. Polish immigrants to Argentina were made up of three distinct groups: the Catholic ethnic Poles (25%), the Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Ruthenians (45-50%) and the Polish Jews (25-30%).{{citation needed|date=December 2022}} Between 1921 and 1976, 169,335 immigrants from Poland permanently settled in Argentina.{{cite web|url=http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/soc/soc237/papers/cookappendixr.pdf|at=p1 APPENDIX Table 1b. "Polish" |title=Migration and nationality patterns in Argentina|website=Sscnet.ucla.edu|access-date=January 14, 2018|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608073119/http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/soc/soc237/papers/cookappendixr.pdf|archive-date=June 8, 2011}}

The first Poles arrived in Argentina during the 19th century. In 1890, the first Polish organization in Argentina was founded (Towarzystwo Polskie). For many years, the Misiones Province was the major Polish center in Argentina.{{cite web|url=http://gu.us.edu.pl/index.php?op=artykul&rok=2006&miesiac=2&id=3586&type=nor|title=Strona główna - Gazeta Uniwersytecka|website=Gu.us.edu.pl|access-date=January 14, 2018}}

A significant wave of Polish immigration occurred after World War II, primarily composed of war-displaced civilians, professionals, and soldiers. Many arrived with provisional documents issued by military or civil authorities in Great Britain or the International Refugee Organization, rather than Polish passports. Although more than 20,000 Polish citizens came to Argentina during this period, only 9,000 were officially registered as Poles due to bureaucratic limitations.

This group can be divided into two categories: former civilians released from Soviet labor camps following the Sikorski–Stalin agreement in 1941, and Polish military personnel who fought under General Władysław Anders, including participants in the Italian campaign and the Battle of Monte Cassino. Many of them chose to settle in Argentina rather than return to Soviet-controlled Poland.

In 1947, the Polish Association of Engineers and Technicians (PSIT) was founded in Buenos Aires. As recalled by Professor Tadeusz Hajduk during its 15th anniversary, it was a unique historical moment in which hundreds of highly qualified Polish engineers, many of whom had worked for the Allied war effort, contributed their expertise to Argentine industry. The majority were employed by Fabricaciones Militares under the direction of engineer Witold Wierzejski, who had previously overseen arms production in Poland, France, and the UK.

Pyzik, Estanislao P. Los Polacos en la República Argentina y América del Sur desde el año 1812. Buenos Aires: Comité de Homenaje al Milenio de Polonia, 1966, pp. 275–278.

Today it is estimated that {{cite web |url=http://www.buenosaires.gob.ar/derechoshumanos/observatorio/colectividad-polaca |title=Polaca | Buenos Aires Ciudad - Gobierno de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires |access-date=2016-08-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160704155116/http://www.buenosaires.gob.ar/derechoshumanos/observatorio/colectividad-polaca |archive-date=2016-07-04 }}{{cite web |url=http://edant.clarin.com/diario/2004/04/27/t-749506.htm |title=La ampliación de la Unión Europea habilita a 600 mil argentinos para ser comunitarios |website=Clarin.com|date=April 27, 2004 |access-date=January 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312135237/http://edant.clarin.com/diario/2004/04/27/t-749506.htm |archive-date=2016-03-12 |url-status=dead}} 2 million{{cite web |url=http://www.clarin.com/diario/2004/05/03/elmundo/i-01801.htm |title=Polonia es la nueva puerta de entrada de argentinos a Europa |quote=Tampoco hay certeza de cuántos argentinos-polacos hay. La cifra más alta es de Alberto Sarramone en su libro Los abuelos inmigrantes: un millón. El embajador Ratajiski calcula la mitad|website=Clarin.com|date=May 3, 2004 |access-date=January 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070922184833/https://www.clarin.com/diario/2004/05/03/elmundo/i-01801.htm |archive-date=2007-09-22 |url-status=dead}} Argentines have Polish ancestry. Over a quarter of Misiones population has Polish roots (250,000 persons),{{cite web|url=http://www.misionesonline.net/paginas/listado.php?db=noticias2005&idEdicion=2331&especial=UMArriba|title=MisionesOnline|quote=Se mostró sorprendido por la cantidad de polacos que aquí viven en Misiones, estimando en 250 mil los descendientes del país europeo|website=Misionesonline.net|access-date=January 14, 2018|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719032143/http://www.misionesonline.net/paginas/listado.php?db=noticias2005&idEdicion=2331&especial=UMArriba|archive-date=July 19, 2011}} the highest concentration of Polish Argentines in the country. About 140,000 Poles live in Buenos Aires; other Argentine cities with large Polish populations include Córdoba, Rosario and Santa Fe.{{cite web|url=http://www.wspolnota-polska.org.pl/index.php?id=pwko|title="Stowarzyszenie Wspólnota Polska"|website=Wspolnota-polska.org.pl|access-date=January 14, 2018}}

A major organization of the Polish minority is the Polish Association in Argentina (Związek Polaków w Argentynie).

In 1995 the Argentine National Congress made June 8 Polish Settlers' Day.{{cite web |url=http://www.wspolnota-polska.org.pl/index.php?id=kw4_4_16 |title=Polish Argentines |language=pl|website=Wspolnota-polska.org.pl|access-date=January 14, 2018}}

{{Unsourced|section|date=April 2025}}

File:FC Salzburg gegen AS Roma (UEFA Euroleague play-off, 2023-02-16) 38 - Paulo Dybala (cropped).jpg, professional footballer.]]

• Carlos Bielicki, chess master
• Fabián Bielinsky (1959-2006), movie director
• John Bocwinski, football player
• Juan Pablo Brzezicki, ex tennis player
• Vladislao Cap (1934-1982), ex football player and manager
• Gisela Dulko, tennis player
• Paulo Dybala, football player

• Ryszard Dyrgalla, pre-war Polish glider pilot and aeronautical engineer, known as one of the country’s leading soaring champions in the 1930s. He later became a promoter of aviation culture in Argentina.[https://historiarumia.pl/lotnicy/ryszard-dyrgalla Historia Rumi – Ryszard Dyrgalla]

• Cristian Dzwonik aka "Nik", cartoonist
• Juan Foyth, football player
• Francisco Fydriszewski, football player
• Witold Gombrowicz (1904-1969), writer
• Guido Kaczka, TV presenter, radio host
• Enzo Kalinski, football player
• Diego Klimowicz, football player
• Bautista Kociubinski, football player
• Mariano Kowalczuk, influencer ("Viajero poco frecuente")
• Frank Darío Kudelka, football coach
• Miguel Najdorf (1910-1997), chess master
• Marzenka Novak, actress
• Mario Pasik, actor
• Chango Spasiuk, musician
• Ayelén Stepnik, field hockey player
• Fernando Troyansky, football player
• Rubén Wolkowyski, basketball player
• Ricardo Zielinski, ex football player and presently coach
• Tadeusz Witold Wierzejski, engineer and first president of the Polish Engineers and Technicians Center in Buenos Aires. He helped launch a multilingual technical journal and worked under contract for Argentina’s Fabricaciones Militares after WWII.Pyzik, Estanislao P. *Los Polacos en la República Argentina y América del Sur desde el año 1812*. Buenos Aires: Comité de Homenaje al Milenio de Polonia, 1966, pp. 275–278.

==See also==

{{Portal|Argentina|Poland}}

• Argentina–Poland relations
• Polish diaspora
• Argentines of European descent
• Zwi Migdal
• Florian Czarnyszewicz
• Witold Gombrowicz

{{Reflist}}

• [https://archive.today/20060510063523/http://www.polishroots.com/paha/poles_latinamerica.htm The Other Child: Poles in Latin America]
• {{in lang|es}} [http://www.elaguilablanca.com.ar/ elaguilablanca]
• {{in lang|pl}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20110724020049/http://www.buenosaires.polemb.net/index.php?document=41 Kultura polska w Argentynie]
• {{in lang|pl}} [http://gu.us.edu.pl/index.php?op=artykul&rok=2006&miesiac=2&id=3586&type=nor SZLAKIEM WYCHODŹCÓW]

{{European Argentine}}

{{Immigration to Argentina}}

{{Polish diaspora}}

{{Portal bar|Argentina|Poland}}

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