Tatars in Poland: Adopted Homeland

Almost two years after the roadtrip, when the podcast is finished after much work, Ewa and Maurits meet online to evaluate their findings. Was it what they expected? And what had they expected in the first place? At the same time, the world had changed radically with a continued war in Ukraine and an Israeli onslaught in Gaza turning in a genocide. How does that reflect on this Tatar community in...

Ewa and Maurits are heading back to Gdansk. During the long ride from Podlachia, they discuss everything they heard and Ewa makes a confession. Halfway the trip, they stop along the road to listen back to a few interviews. They realize that the Tatars are a vibrant community, but also insecure about their future: what will the next generation do? Will they continue the work of the people we have b...

Ewa and Maurits meet some of the leaders of the Tatar community, including the mufti. They learn how the Polish state structure works, and how the communist times still play a role in the manner that the Tatars organize themselves. They visit one of the few Polish imams who studied abroad, and who now works as a bus driver. Gradually a picture emerges of a community that is still in the process of...

Ewa and Maurits travel to Białystok, the symbolic heart of Tatar Islam in Poland. They begin at a strikingly modern mosque surrounded by grey communist-era apartment blocks—an architectural contrast that mirrors the conflicting impressions they have about the Tatars' Islam. Their walk through its empty corridors prompts the question: why to cover one’s hair in an empty mosque? Then they visit...

What does it really mean to be a Tatar in Poland today? In this episode, Ewa and Maurits explore the blurred lines between religion, culture, and identity among the oldest native Muslim community in Europe. They speak with theatre director Róża Chazbijewicz and members of a local Tatar association, unearthing contrasting views on whether being Tatar is a matter of faith, blood, or heritage. Along...

In this episode, Ewa and Maurits travel through Poland’s eastern borderlands of Podlachia (Podlasie)—once the heart of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, now a quiet region marked by layered histories. They visit grand palaces, mosques, and forgotten synagogues, exploring the multicultural past of Podlachia. But the journey takes a somber turn as they reach a remote Tatar cemetery where recently...

Ewa and Maurits travel to Kruszyniany, a quiet village on Poland’s eastern border—and the heart of the country’s Tatar heritage. What they find is part cultural revival, part tourist attraction. Over meals, mosque visits, and long conversations with local Tatars, they uncover stories of resilience, memory, and unexpected religious traditions. What does it mean to preserve identity in a place where...

In this opening episode, we begin our journey with the legendary trumpet call in Krakow and the story that frames the Tatars as ancient invaders. But the truth is far more complex. Hosts  Ewa Górska  and  Maurits Berger  trace the history of Tatar warriors who became part of the Polish nobility and military tradition. Along the way, they visit a mosque in Gdańsk, meet a Turkish imam, and reflect o...

Join hosts Maurits Berger and Ewa Górska as they introduce Tatars in Poland —a podcast exploring the rich, six-century history of Poland’s Muslim Tatar community. In this series, we travel across the country to meet Tatars from all walks of life, uncovering stories of faith, heritage, and identity in a largely Catholic society. This trailer sets the stage for a journey into one of Europe’s most ov...