No changes in the West? Residents do not want Gorzów

The results of the survey and the consultation report on the renaming of Gorzów Wielkopolski to Gorzów are already known. The residents decided they did not want changes.

7,000 people spoke on this matter. That's only 6 percent. inhabitants of the city, but everything indicates that the Gorzów councilors, in whose hands the future of the city's name remains, will vote in accordance with their will. The data included in the report show that at the end of 2023, there were 109,877 people registered in Gorzów Wlkp., according to the Central Statistical Office, the actual number of inhabitants was 115,847 people.

According to Marta Liberkowska from the Gorzów Wielkopolski City Hall, 6,487 people took part in the online survey. 4,294 were against changing the city's name to Gorzów, 2,193 people were in favor. 606 forms were submitted in paper form, of which 590 were found to be correct. Here, too, the majority of people were against changing the name – 390, while 136 were in favor of the change.

Supporters of shortening the city's name argued that “the nickname does not have many advantages and causes only problems”, that “the shorter name is more concise and modern” and that the city is not located in Greater Poland. “The epithet “Wlkp.” misinforms and degrades the city to the level of a town near Poznań,” wrote one of the residents.

The name Gorzów Wielkopolski began to be used in the second half of 1945. “Adding the element of Greater Poland to the name Gorzów was not accidental. It is difficult to see the influence of historical events in it. It seems certain that the decisive factor were political issues related to the Polish state taking control of the western lands and striving to maintain this state, despite the lack of binding decisions regarding the establishment of Poland's western border in accordance with international law. The unquestionable proximity of the area where Landsberg was built to the oldest district of the country facilitated the promotion of the theory of belonging to the Polish state in the early Middle Ages and the illegal taking of these lands from the Piast state by the Germans,” explains Dr. Hab. Przemysław Słowiński from the Academy of Jakub from Paradyż.

An additional justification was the fact that until the end of the 1940s, Gorzów Wielkopolski belonged to the Poznań Voivodeship.

Interestingly, during public consultations, there were proposals to change the name of the city not only to “Gorzów”. Twelve people wanted the city to be called “Gorzów nad Warta”, two wanted “Gorzów Lubuski”, and one wanted the old German name – “Landsberg”.

For most of its history, Gorzów Wielkopolski was a German city. In the last days of January 1945, most of the German population left the city. The Russians entered Landsberg without a fight. “For the first weeks, the Polish administrative authorities used the name Landsberg, they also used German forms and seals. Then the names Gorzów and Gorzów nad Warta appeared. At the same time, the railways renamed the railway station Kobyla Góra,” writes Słowiński.

The name Kobyla Góra even appeared on some maps printed in 1945.

Stanisław Kozierowski was the first to use this name in the “Atlas of Geographical Names of the Western Slavic Region” from 1934.

“Edward Rymar, among others, wrote about Kozierowski's theory, showing the possible path of investigation into the origin of the name by the author of the Atlas, and at the same time refuting his theory proving that Kobyla Góra is the name of a settlement existing at the location or close to Landsberg in 1257.” – explains Słowiński.

The consultation report included, among others: information about the estimated costs that may result from changing the city's name. Residents participating in the consultations also drew attention to this problem. “I wouldn't like to change the name of the city because I run a company,” wrote one of the residents. Supporters of shortening the name countered by saying that “the costs for residents are practically zero”, and that, for example, road signs do not need to be replaced, but only… the word “Wielkopolska” should be glued to them.

The Gorzów municipality analyzed the regulations. They show that residents are not required to exchange documents such as an ID card, passport, driving license or registration certificate. However, if someone wanted to be sure that they would not have any problems by shortening the name and replaced these documents on their own, it would cost them PLN 294. Plus time spent standing in lines and filling out applications.

But for local entrepreneurs it would be a significant expense. The entrepreneurs themselves estimated the costs differently – from PLN 100,000 to PLN 100,000. Just changing the entry in the National Court Register costs PLN 300-350. And there are also, among others: exchanging stamps, boards, business cards, documents and promotional materials.

The Lubuskie Voivodeship Pharmaceutical Inspectorate, which supervises Gorzów pharmacies, announced that each pharmacy with the name Gorzów Wielkopolski on its license would have to renew the permit, the cost of which is the lowest in Poland (PLN 4,300). Pharmaceutical wholesalers would have to pay slightly lower costs (PLN 3,800).

The city calculated its costs at PLN 1.5 million. This amount included, among others: replacing plaques on buildings managed by the office, road signs, plaques on monuments and stamps.

Further costs would be borne by 28 public institutions in Gorzów. The expenses were estimated at PLN 2.1 million. Poczta Polska would have the highest expenses. (PLN 530 thousand) and Provincial Police Headquarters (PLN 230 thousand).

The citizens' committee sought to change the name of the city and delete the word “Wielkopolska”, and at the end of October 2023, it submitted an application to the president of the city in this regard.

Committee members want to return to the one used for several months after the war, as well as to the one appearing on Polish maps when the city was a German Landsberg. They add that Gorzów has never been in Greater Poland.

– We want to change the name of the city, or rather return to the name that was used for several months after the war, and also functioned on Polish maps when the city was a German Landsberg. Gorzów has never been in Greater Poland – said Jarosław Miłkowski, a journalist of “Gazeta Lubuska”, one of the 66 people who form the Citizens' Committee regarding the name of the city.

– People think that Gorzów is located in Greater Poland. After changing the name, this problem would not exist. This is also important from a marketing perspective, all campaigns such as “Gorzów – this is where I am from” or “Gorzów Przystań” do not have the adjective of Wielkopolska. Gorzów was never located in Greater Poland, and its historical name did not have this second part. People still say “Gorzów” or add “Wlkp.”, which is incorrect. The change has been talked about for many years, now signatures have been collected and the document has been sent to the president – explained Jerzy Korolewicz, one of the initiators of the change.

Korolewicz is a former activist of Solidarity Electoral Action and Law and Justice. From party lists Jarosław Kaczyński he ran in the 2006 elections. Previously, he was the deputy voivode of Gorzów. Currently – since 2005 – he is the president of the Western Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Gorzów Wielkopolski.

This is one of the reasons why opponents of the name change accused the committee of trying to make political capital on this topic.

In November last year, President Jacek Wójcicki decided to conduct public consultations.

“Acting with a sense of the importance of the topic we want to discuss with the residents, priority should be given to the widest possible inclusion of Gorzów residents in the dialogue, to present the validity of the planned changes and to jointly reflect on the issue of local identity of the residents of our city,” wrote the mayor of Gorzów Wielkopolski.

The consultations were scheduled for a period of almost four months – from May 6 to August 2, 2024.

– First, a broad information and educational campaign was planned. There will be separate materials for young people and older people. After that, we will ask you to express your opinions in surveys and online. Turnout doesn't matter here, but we still hope it will be high. After everything, a report will be prepared and it will be submitted to the city council session – explained Anna Bonus-Mackiewicz from the Gorzów Wielkopolski City Hall.

This is when the decision will be made. It was known that if the name were to be changed, the documents would still have to be sent by the voivode to the minister of interior and administration. The change would enter into force on January 1, 2025.

However, everything indicates that it will not happen.