In Bolesławiec, more and more people from Ukraine and other countries are living here. They work in local companies, run businesses, send their children to schools, use municipal institutions and, together with Poles, create the local community.
At the same time, attempts to pit different nationalities against one another are increasingly appearing in public debate. Politicians sometimes use divisions to build popularity and gain political support. Everyday life, however, looks different: Poles, Ukrainians and residents from other countries work together, live next door to one another, make friends and help each other. That is why the istotne.pl portal is launching full language versions in Ukrainian and English.
– We want Bolesławiec to be a good city to live in for all its residents. We believe that access to the same information brings people closer together. When we know what is happening in our city, we understand our neighbors better and feel that we are part of one local community – says Krzysztof Gwizdała, editor-in-chief of istotne.pl.
The most important part of the new language versions will be news from Bolesławiec and the region. Articles published on istotne.pl will be available in Polish, Ukrainian and English.
The new language versions will also include the portal’s most important sections and features, including weather, obituaries, camera streams and local practical information.
Advertisements and comments may still be published in the language in which users wrote them, but readers will be able to translate them into a language of their choice. As a result, someone looking for a job, apartment, car, services or local information will not be excluded simply because they do not yet know Polish well.
The Ukrainian version is particularly important to the editorial team. It is being created for people who came to Bolesławiec but have not yet had the opportunity to learn Polish well enough to read local news freely.
– We do not want anyone living in Bolesławiec to remain outside local life. The portal is meant to inform, but it can also bring people together. Shared knowledge of what is happening in the city promotes integration much more than political slogans and further attempts to create divisions – emphasizes Krzysztof Gwizdała.
The English version of the portal will serve, among others, foreigners living and working in the region, tourists and people interested in Bolesławiec who do not know Polish or Ukrainian.
Users will be able to choose the portal’s language themselves and use it in the same way as the existing Polish version.
For more than two decades, Istotne.pl has been reporting on life in Bolesławiec and the region. Now the portal will be available to an even larger number of residents – regardless of the language they use every day.
One city. Shared affairs. Three languages.