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Most residential and general organizational telephone directories are not cataloged by the Library of Congress, even though the Library maintains a large collection of foreign and domestic directories. We have therefore compiled this list of directories from Poland as a finding aid for our staff and researchers.
We list of our phone books in various sections: the first covers the period 1939-45 and includes a full listing of cities, towns and villages during WWII. The second one lists directories for the entire country after 1945, and the third one is organized by regions. We also included in this guide directories that list businesses, and directories of persons from various times and places that are now part of Poland.
The many changes in Polish administrative districts over the years have resulted in variations in the titles for directories covering the same areas, so some regions are covered by more than one entry. Entries for directories possessing the same title are not repeated; only the individual years are added next to the entry.
The type of directory is indicated by the words "Residential" (listing home addresses or individuals), or "Organizational" for directories that list businesses, institutions, and government offices, or "Both" (listing home addresses as well as businesses, institutions, and government offices).
Polish diacritics are omitted. Abbreviations: "k"(kolo)=nearby; "n"(nad)=on (usually on the river)
In addition to the uncataloged directories listed in this guide, the Library also holds a handful that are cataloged and may be requested using the online catalog. To locate these directories, search the Library of Congress Online Catalog using subject keywords such as "Poland" or the name of a city and "directories," In addition to telephone directories, there are also business/address directories from Poland, some of which are listed in this guide.
These two directories have been microfilmed and cataloged:
Urze̦dowy spis abonentów państwowej sieci telefonicznej okre̦gu Krakowskiej i Katowickiej dyrekcyj poczt i telegrafów oraz sieci Zagłe̦bia Da̦browskiego Polskiej akcyjnej spółki telefonicznej i abonentów miast niem. Bytomia, Gliwic i Zabrza.nicznej oRetrospective telephone directories from Poland, 1939-1945'Emblem of Good Will'. A Polish Declaration of Admiration and Friendship for the United States of America. An Online Exhibit An extraordinary gift of 111 volumes presented to the United States by Poland on the 150th anniversary of American independence. These volumes consist of a declaration of admiration signed by an estimated 5,500,000 Polish citizens, representing more than one- sixth of the total population of Poland in 1926. Read the Library of Congress Information Bulletin article about the opening of the original exhibit at the Library.
The Independent Press in Poland 1976-1990 The European Division of the Library of Congress houses a collection of 865 titles, representing some 4,575 items.
Records from the Central Military Archives in Warsaw The online index to a microfilm collection of declassified records covering the early years of the Cold War, primarily 1945-50. They include letters, memoranda, policy papers of the Polish Cabinet of Ministers, the Minister of Defense, the General Staff, and other high military bodies. This and similar collections for Hungary and Romania are held in the Library's European Reading Room.
