Gwiazdka Cieszyńska was a weekly Polish

Poles

thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...

 magazine published in Cieszyn

Cieszyn

Cieszyn is a border-town and the seat of Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. It has 36,109 inhabitants . Cieszyn lies on the Olza River, a tributary of the Oder river, opposite Český Těšín....

 in 1851-1939. After 1906 it appeared biweekly. It succeeded Tygodnik Cieszyński

Tygodnik Cieszynski

Tygodnik Cieszyński was a weekly Polish magazine published in Cieszyn in 1848-1851. It was the first local magazine in Cieszyn Silesia.The first issue appeared on 6 May 1848. The publisher was Ludwik Klucki, first editor was Andrzej Cinciała, who was in August replaced by Paweł Stalmach...

magazine which appeared in 1848-1851.

The magazine accented the Polishness of Silesia

Silesia

Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...

 and aimed to enlighten and emancipate the people of Cieszyn Silesia

Cieszyn Silesia

Cieszyn Silesia or Těšín Silesia or Teschen Silesia is a historical region in south-eastern Silesia, centered around the towns of Cieszyn and Český Těšín and bisected by the Olza River. Since 1920 it has been divided between Poland and Czechoslovakia, and later the Czech Republic...

, spread national consciousness among Poles and present the Polish history

History of Poland

The History of Poland is rooted in the arrival of the Slavs, who gave rise to permanent settlement and historic development on Polish lands. During the Piast dynasty Christianity was adopted in 966 and medieval monarchy established...

 and traditions. It however disavowed from the radical social slogans. During the absolutist

Enlightened absolutism

Enlightened absolutism is a form of absolute monarchy or despotism in which rulers were influenced by the Enlightenment. Enlightened monarchs embraced the principles of the Enlightenment, especially its emphasis upon rationality, and applied them to their territories...

 Bach system of 1850s-1860s of Austrian Empire

Austrian Empire

The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...

 it was the only Polish magazine in Cieszyn Silesia. In 1860s it had about 1,400 abonents, 300 of whom in Silesia, 600 in Galicia.

Since the 1880s Gwiazdka Cieszyńska presented almost exclusively Catholic views, this was related to the spiritual evolution of editor Paweł Stalmach, who on the deathbed converted to Catholicism. From 1888 it was financed by the Katolickie Towarzystwo Prasowe (Catholic Press Society).

Gwiazdka Cieszyńska later became the press body of Związek Śląskich Katolików (ZŚlK, Association of Silesian Catholics), which in February 1923 merged with the Polish Christian Democratic Party

Polish Christian Democratic Party

Polish Christian Democratic Party , was a political party of Polish right wing christian democracy faction existing in the first year of the Second Polish Republic. It leader and main activist was Wojciech Korfanty....

. Before his death, editor Józef Londzin entailed the magazine together with its whole property to the Dziedzictwo Błogosławionego Jana Sarkandra (Heritage of Blessed Jan Sarkander). In 1927 reactivated Związek Śląskich Katolików quarrelled with Dziedzictwo Błogosławionego Jana Sarkandra before the elections to the Silesian Sejm. In consequence ZŚlK lost its press body. In 1930 the magazine adopted the Polish Christian Democratic

Chadecja

Chrześcijańska Demokracja or Chadecja can refer to several parties in Poland that are connected to the Christian democracy movements:* Christian Democracy - Labor Party...

 stances.

The magazine stood also against the influence of the socialist movement

Socialist Movement

The Socialist Movement was an independent left-wing grouping in the United Kingdom that grew out the Socialist Conferences.The Socialist Conferences were held in Chesterfield, Sheffield and Manchester in the years following the defeat of Britain’s miners’ strike of 1984–1985...

.

Several regional writers, including Andrzej Cinciała, Andrzej Kotula, Ernest Farnik, Emanuel Grim

Emanuel Grim

Emanuel Grim was a Polish Catholic priest, writer and journalist from the region of Cieszyn Silesia. He was one of the most important figures of the Polish-Catholic political camp in Cieszyn Silesia in the interwar period.He was born in the coal mining town of Karviná to a coal miner's family...

, Jan Kubisz

Jan Kubisz

Jan Kubisz was a Polish educator and poet from the region of Cieszyn Silesia. His poem Płyniesz Olzo po dolinie , centered around the Olza River, became unofficial anthem of Cieszyn Silesia, especially Poles in Zaolzie.-Biography:Jan Kubisz was born 24 January 1848 in Końska, Austrian Empire...

 and Oskar Zawisza

Oskar Zawisza

Oskar Zawisza was a Polish Catholic priest, composer and educational activist.He was son of a teacher from Jablunkov. Zawisza finished German gymnasium in Bielsko and Theological faculty in Olomouc. He was a pupil of Czech composer Josef Nešvera. Zawisza was ordained as a priest on 23 July 1902...

 contributed to Gwiazdka Cieszyńska.

Editors

• 1851-1887: Paweł Stalmach
• 1890: A. Kusionowicz
• 1890: Józef Londzin
• 1901-1902: Kazimierz Wróblewski
• 1902-1929: Józef Londzin