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Part 1: Turkey/Poland - Good relations

August 7, 2013

Poles facing political persecution have sought refuge in Turkey for centuries. During the Crimean War in the mid-nineteenth century, Polish émigrés even founded their own village there.

https://p.dw.com/p/19LJR
Das Ortseingangsschild von Polonezköy (türk. Adampol). Das polnische Dorf liegt inmitten der Türkei. Schon vor Jahrhunderten suchten politisch verfolgte Polen Zuflucht in der Türkei. Und während des Krimkrieges Mitte des 19. Jahrhunderts gründeten polnische Auswanderer ihr eigenes Dorf: Polonezköy liegt im Naturschutzgebiet, ganz in der Nähe von Istanbul (Juli 2013); Copyright: DW
Image: DW

Called Polonezköy, it’s located in a nature preserve just outside Istanbul. Even today, the village – which is called “Adampol” in Polish –features half-timbered houses, fenced-in gardens, and a Catholic church. The descendants of the original immigrants continue to uphold many of their old customs, even though they’ve now been Turkish citizens for three or four generations.

08.2013 DW European Journal Sommerserie Europe on the edge Turkey