„Płyniesz Olzo po dolinie“ ("Thou, Olza, Flowest Down the Valley") is a poem by Polish educator and poet Jan Kubisz. It is an unofficial anthem of

Cieszyn Silesia Cieszyn Silesia, Těšín Silesia or Teschen Silesia ( ; or ; or ) is a historical region in south-eastern Silesia, centered on the towns of Cieszyn and Český Těšín and bisected by the Olza River. Since 1920 it has been divided betwe ...

, particularly of the

Polish minority in the Czech Republic The Polish minority in the Czech Republic is a Polish national minority living mainly in the Trans-Olza region of western Cieszyn Silesia. The Polish community is the only national (or ethnic) minority in the Czech Republic that is linked to a sp ...

. Its theme is the

cultural assimilation Cultural assimilation is the process in which a minority group or culture comes to resemble a society's Dominant culture, majority group or fully adopts the values, behaviors, and beliefs of another group. The melting pot model is based on this ...

of, and loss of national identity by, local Poles. The lyrics are centered on the Olza River, symbol of

and

Trans-Olza Trans-Olza (, ; , ''Záolší''; ), also known as Trans-Olza Silesia (), is a territory in the Czech Republic which was disputed between Poland and Czechoslovakia during the Interwar Period. Its name comes from the Olza River. The history of ...

. It was published in 1889 as „Nad Olzą“ ("On the Olza"), part of the ''Śpiewy starego Jakuba'' (Songs of Old Jacob''') poetry collection.

Lyrics

Notes

References

Further reading