Forest Germans: a forgotten ethnic group in the contemporary landscape of the Polish Carpathians

In the 1340s, the Kingdom of Poland expanded eastwards, prompting large-scale settlement in the Wisłoka and Wisłok river basins, formerly a borderland between Poland and Ruthenia. This initiative integrated German and Polish settlers, who became known as the “Forest Germans” (Polish: Głuchoniemcy). Led by King Casimir the Great and Lesser Poland magnates, Germans settled around Biecz, Krosno, and Łańcut, introducing advanced flax processing and contributing to the region’s development. Villages established under German law gained self-government, and village courts were formed. By the late 15th century, some German villages became Polonized, although German was still spoken in certain areas until the late 16th century. The 1624 Tartar invasion devastated the region, accelerating its Polonization. By the 20th century, the term “Forest German” had largely disappeared, and research into this community’s history and settlement patterns remains limited.