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    Can a minority become a democratic test?
    Lithuania

    Can a minority become a democratic test?

    The Polish community in Lithuania is often portrayed as an artificial construct, lacking historical or cultural legitimacy, while “real” Polishness is implicitly associated with centres such as Warsaw or Kraków. These attitudes have contributed to a broader erosion of prestige and self-confidence within the minority. They have also encouraged a condescending – and at times openly mocking – view of Polish culture in Lithuania.

    February 23, 2026 –
    Karolina Benedyk
    –
    AnalysisIssue 1-2 2026Magazine

    Polish minority in Lithuania

    Photo: Sfu (CC) Commons.wikimedia.org

    Dominika Baniewicz won a silver medal in breakdancing at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. During the closing ceremony, she carried the Lithuanian flag – a symbol of her civic belonging and civic integration. Baniewicz is a member of the Polish minority in Lithuania. Yet at the moment of her success, the Polish web portal Interia ran the headline: “A Polish woman with an Olympic silver medal, but for Lithuania.”

    The Polish minority in Lithuania has a history spanning centuries. Yet, in Poland its existence is not often acknowledged. In Lithuania, members of this community are sometimes stigmatized as “backward provincials” or associated with pro-Russian tendencies. This mutual ignorance fuels misunderstandings.

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    Lithuania, Polish minority, Vilnius

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