Will Polish culture survive in North Ossetia?

The Polish National Society is a unique institution in North Ossetia. Located somewhere in the Old City of Vladikavkaz, the Polish Society is associated with European culture, Roman Catholicism, aristocracy, and courteous manners. However, there are fewer and fewer Polish people living in the North Caucasus.

"A lot of talented people have left Vladikavkaz," says the Director of the Polish National Society, Veronika Zelenskaya, "Last year the family of Olga Pototskaya, the former Art Director of the Polish National Ensemble, left for Moscow. The Ensemble was a unique one; it contributed much to the preservation of Polish culture in the
Caucasus".

The Polish diaspora in the North Caucasus appeared in Soviet times, when Polish people were forced to come here. That was how a whole Polish Quarter appeared in the center of Vladikavkaz. Polish people in the North Caucasus preserved their culture and faith. Roman Catholic schools and parishes were established.

Nowadays, the Polish National Society, also called the Polish House, is facing serious problems. One of the most acute of them is that more and more people are leaving the region for various reasons. Still, the administration of the society is doing its best to preserve Polish culture in North Ossetia.