Zróżnicowanie wyznaniowe Ełku. Rys historyczny

Abstract

The foundation act for Masuria, understood as the south of the old East Prussia, inhabited by Polish-speaking evangelicals, was the adoption of Protestantism by Albrecht Hohenzollern. Contrary to older local literature, Protestantism at first did not separate Masuria from relations with Polishness. In Prussia, a very rich Protestant literature was written in Polish. With the exception of a few communes in the Działdowo land, Masuria was until the end of the 18th century a Protestant country. The characteristic feature of the nineteenth-century Masurian religious landscape was the strong gromadkarstwo movement (a „small group” movement). Before 1945, Catholics (migrants from the Catholic parts of the Reich, as well as from Warmia and Polish territories) were present in Ełk, and the Baptist community was active. The activity of the Ełk Jewish community was of great importance for the followers of Judaism and for the rebirth of the Hebrew language. After the war, religious relations changed drastically. Catholics took a dominant position, and those who had been absent by then – appeared: the Greek Catholics, the Orthodox and Methodists, who took over the care of the autochthonous Protestant population. Judaism has disappeared from the religious landscape of Ełk. A special role for the community of Greek Catholics in Poland was played by the activity of Fr. Mitrat Mirosław Ripecki in Chrzanów, located nearby Ełk. In addition to the aforementioned denominations, also Jehovah’s Witnesses have been active, as well as groups of Christians referring to the pentecostal tradition. Considering the existence of several religious communities, Ełk can be described as a religiously diverse town.