Poles settled in Yugoslavia demanded that the Polish authorities in their homeland establish a Polish bank in southern Europe that would grant loans to the Polish population on favorable terms. They also called for scholarships to study knowledge about Poland, the organization of summer camps for children from Yugoslavia, and so on. These were not excessive demands; they were intended to halt the denationalization of Poles living amid a foreign population, where elements of nationalism and hostility toward the settlers were emerging.
A detailed report from the Congress in Warsaw was distributed by "Ognisko Polskie" to all the larger Polish communities abroad. In 1936, the Union of Poles in Yugoslavia was established in place of "Ognisko Polskie". Juliusz Fiakier, director of the Oranowa weaving mill in the Zagreb district, became president of the Union; Jan Kumosz, later commander of a Polish battalion during the war, became vice-president; and Władysław Masłowski, an employee of the Consulate of the Republic of Poland in Zagreb, became secretary. The Union's headquarters were located in Zarzebie, with branches in the larger Polish settlements.
The Union organized courses for illiterate people and Polish-language courses. Conducting courses in the native language depended on the consent of the district authorities. Adam Urban was one of those who conducted such courses in Nowy Martyniec and Gumiery. Every day, he traveled more than 20 km to conduct classes. As remuneration, he received payment to employ someone to replace him on his farm as a so-called laborer. In 1928, Adam Urban was elected Vogt in Nowy Martyniec. As a state official, he was able to effectively defend Poles against excessive taxes and compulsory labor, as well as fines for using the forest without permission.
In addition, his activities included organizing branches of the Union of Poles in Yugoslavia and establishing new library outlets with Polish literature. Because there were not enough teachers in Bosnia, Honorary Polish Consul Artur Burda helped arrange for Jan Kumosz to attend the Teachers' Seminary in Zagreb. After completing it, Jan Kumosz was sent to Poland for a further training course in Polish. Upon his return, he became a teacher in the village of Stary Martinac and was later transferred to the village of Nowy Martinac.
Jan Kumosz and Helena Papla in the village of Rakowac did not have permission to teach Polish during official working hours, so they conducted extensive educational activities outside normal working hours, often organizing lessons in the private homes of the Polish population.
On March 15, 1939, the Second Congress of Polish delegates from throughout Yugoslavia was held in Prnjavor. Adam Urban hosted the Congress.
The Congress outlined a program of intensified activity by the "Union of Poles in Yugoslavia to preserve and popularize national traditions, the study of the Polish language, and the dissemination of current knowledge about Poland".
The outbreak of World War II prevented the full implementation of the Congress's ambitious program objectives. The ordeal of the occupation years began, along with an armed partisan struggle for the survival of the Polish community on foreign soil.
Based on materials by Józef Dolecki