Olchowiec, Podkarpackie Voivodeship

For other places with the same name, see Olchowiec (disambiguation).

Olchowiec
—  Village  —
Greek Catholic church
Olchowiec
Coordinates: 49°28′21″N 21°36′12″E / 49.4725°N 21.60333°E / 49.4725; 21.60333
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Subcarpathian
County	Krosno County
Gmina	Dukla
Population	60

Olchowiec [ɔlˈxɔvjɛt​͡s] is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Dukla, within Krosno County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in south-eastern Poland, close to the border with Slovakia. It lies approximately 12 kilometres (7 mi) south-west of Dukla, 26 km (16 mi) south-west of Krosno, and 69 km (43 mi) south-west of the regional capital Rzeszów.^[1]

Prior to World War II, this village was populated primarily, if not entirely, by Lemkos. During the Battle of the Dukla Pass in September-October, 1944, the village was totally destroyed by military operations.^[2] In the ethnic cleansing of the Lemkos by the Communist government of Poland in Operation Vistula in 1947, Olchowiec was one of a very small number of Lemko villages - perhaps only two, the other being Komańcza - from which the Lemko population was not deported to northern or western Poland.^[3]

The village has a population of 60, mostly Lemkos. The Kermesz Łemkowski, an annual festival of Lemko culture is held in the village.

References

1. ^ "Central Statistical Office (GUS) – TERYT (National Register of Territorial Land Apportionment Journal)" (in Polish). 2008-06-01. http://www.stat.gov.pl/broker/access/prefile/listPreFiles.jspa. 
2. ^ "R. Vladimir Baumgarten "The Carpatho-Dukla Operation" The Friends of Dukla Pass". http://www.dynamiclink.com/dukla/dukla_operation.htm. 
3. ^ Rieger, Janusz A. "The Lemkos (Rusyns) in Poland." In Sven Gustavsson and Harald Runblom, eds. Language, Minority, Migration. Uppsala: Uppsala University Centre for Multiethnic Research, 1995, pp. 134-140.

Coordinates: 49°28′21″N 21°36′12″E / 49.4725°N 21.60333°E / 49.4725; 21.60333