Poland Research Resources
Researching family history in Poland requires navigating a complex and fragmented landscape of historical records. Due to the centuries of partitions by the Russian, German (Prussian), and Austro-Hungarian empires, and the subsequent border shifts, vital records, censuses, and cadastral maps may be found in numerous archives across Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, and Germany, often written in Polish, Latin, Russian, or German. This complexity necessitates familiarity with both historical geography and the specific archival structures of the former partitioning powers.
Jan Matejko - Portret trojga dzieci artysty- 1870 | Picryl description: Public domain image of children, kids, free to use, no copyright restrictions
The centralized Polish State Archives (Archiwa Państwowe) and collaborative indexing projects like Geneteka and the Poznań Project are indispensable for overcoming these challenges. The resources below provide direct access to digitized records, regional archive portals, surname dictionaries, historical maps (like those from Wojskowy Instytut Geograficzny - WIG), and specialized projects focusing on everything from the nobility to Holocaust victims and cemetery records. These tools are the foundation for any serious genealogical research in the Polish territories.
Archives and Vital Records Databases 🗃️
- Archiwa Państwowe - Search in Archives (Szukaj w Archiwach) (The main portal for searching digitized records across the Polish State Archives system.)
- Polish State Archives (Main Portal)
- Polish State Archives Databases
- Bydgoszcz (Bromberg) online archives
- Bydgoszcz and Toruń (Bromberg and Thorn) online archives
- Central Archives of Historical Records - Warsaw (AGAD)
- Księgi metrykalne z zasobu AGAD on-line - AGAD Online Registry Resource
- GenBaza (Database of digitized vital records, primarily for Eastern Poland)
- Geneteka.genealodzy.pl (Primary Indexing Project of the Polish Genealogical Society)
- Genealogy in Archive (Poland-Prussia)
- Posen - Poznań Marriage Search Project (1800-1899)
- Poznań Marriage Indexing Project
- Słupca, Poland Genealogy: Indexes to Births, Marriages and Deaths
- State Archive in Olsztyn
- Torun (Thorn) Archive
- JRI-Poland (Jewish Records Indexing - Poland)
- Lublin Archives Digital Collection (Includes significant vital records)
Maps, Surnames, and Historical Context 🗺️
- Dictionary of Surnames Currently Used in Poland
- Directories of Cities, Towns and Regions in Poland
- Map Archive of Wojskowy Instytut Geograficzny 1919 – 1939 (WIG Maps)
- Genealogy Indexer (Search engine for directories and address books)
- Handlowa ksiega adresowa Polski i Gdanska (Historical Trade Directory)
- Catalogue of monuments of Dutch colonization in Poland (Hollander settlements)
- Katalog Szlachty – Nobility Catalog
- DLibra - University Poznan (Digital Library Portal)
- PIONIER Network Digital Libraries Federation (Access to numerous Polish digital libraries)
- Malopolska Digital Library
- Elblągski Wortal Historyczny - Elbląg History Portal
- Opolskie (Opole-region history portal)
- Historical Gazetteer for Polish Territories (Kresy-Siberia Virtual Museum)
Specialized & Military Records 💂
- Polish Census Data (FamilySearch Wiki)
- Jewish Virtual Library, Poland
- PIASA - Archives in Poland (Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America)
- Polish Soldiers of Peasant Battalions (WW2 Resistance)
- Polish Soldiers of the Home Army (WW2 Resistance)
- Polish Union of Armed Struggle - WW2 German Resistance Group Members
- Polish Prisoners at Stutthof Nazi Concentration Camp 1939-1944
- Polish GULAG Testimonies
- Victims of repression under the German occupation in 1939-1945
- Polish Soldiers Who are Buried in France
Cemeteries 🪦
Poland – National
Poland – Regional
- Churches in Poland by City (Wikimedia)
- Kraków cemeteries
- Łomża cemeteries
- Grajewo municipal cemetery
- Trzebownisko Cemetery
Credits
Compiled by Mark Rabideau, Opa & Professional Genealogist.