Year of creation: 1895
Domain(s):

- oral traditions and expressions
- performing arts
- social practices, rituals and festive events
- knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe
- traditional craftsmanship

Safeguarding measures:

- identification, documentation, research (including inventory-making)
- promotion, enhancement
- transmission, (non-)formal education

Main countries where active:

Poland

Objectives:
Shaping conditions for the development of anthropological interests of members, popularization and support of anthropological knowledge in society.

The Society achieves its aims by:
1. Conducting researt:h and gathering materials and data concerning Polish folk culture and other peoples' cultures
2. Organizing meetings, symposia, lectures, tours related to its field of interest
3. Expressing its opinion on the status and needs of traditional and contemporary folk culture and current directions of activities in this area
4. Publishing activity in the field of ethnology and related sciences
5. Creating and maintaining collections and archives
6. Disseminating knowledge about the need for protection and conservation of ethnographic objects and cultural heritage
7. Popularizing knowledge of folk cultures
8. Liaising with other associations, scientific institutions and organizations in the country and abroad, about the same or similar nature.
Activities:
Polskie Tawarzystwo Ludoznawcze / Polish Ethnological Association (PTL afterwards) is a society of people interested in preservation and cultivation of folk culture heritage. Intangible heritage is a vital part of it. Cultural heritage has been collected and documented during fieldworks and reuslt of these acitivities has been published in the form of thousands of articles that appeared in assocation's official yearly journal "Lud" (Folk) - 93 volumes were published - hundreds of books. One of the most impressive
achievments is a publication of Collected Works of Oskar Kolberg who gathered folk songs, legends, myths and fairy tales in todays Poland, Western Ukraine and Belarus, Lithuania, Eastern Germany, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Romania, Hungary, Romania and the Balkans. So far 86 volumes has been published (62 under auspieces of PTL). Intangible heritage is systematically documented and published in Association Series
such as "Ethnograpfic Archives", "Folk Literature", "Ethnological Works", "Cultural Heritage" and "Ethnographic Works and Materials" (see below). Most members of PTL are professional ethnologists and anthropologists trained in collecting and preserving intangible cultural heritage. More than two hundreds members among work in academic institutions dealing with folk traditions.

PTE is a meber of the World Council of Anthropological Associations

Members of the Board of the Society (2008 - 2011):
Professor Michal Buchowski - President
Associate Professor Grazyna Karpinska - Vice-President
Dr. Malgorzata Michalska· Vice President
Associate Professor Teresa Smolinska - Vice President
Dr. Jerzy Adamczewski - Secretary General
Dr. Hubert Czachowski - Deputy Secretary-General
Or. Anna Weronika Brzezinska - Treasurer
Dr. Magdalena Rostworowska - Deputy Treasurer
Professor Derota Simonides
Dr. Andrzej Stawarz
Associate Professor Jan Adamowski

Recent activities:
PTL organizes yearly General Assembly Meetings and scientific conferences. The last one, 87th meeting took palce in the city of Wroclaw and the topic of the conference was: "Poles Beyond Their Homeland on the Threshold of XXI Century: Various Faces of the Polish Identity". It also co-sponsors local cultural events and scholar1y conferences related to folk cuture and cultural heritage.

List of publications:
Periodicals:
LUO - published since 1895
FOLK LITERATURE - since 1957
LODZ ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDIES - since 1959

Publication series:
"Ethnographic Works and Materials" - since 1934, ed. 36 volumes
"Ethnological works" - since 1947, ed. 21 volumes
"Atlas of Polish Folk Costumes" - since 1949, ed. 38 volumes
"Archives of Ethnography" - since 1951, ed. 49 volumes
"Library of Popular Science" - since 1958, issued 14 volumes
"Library of Exiles" - since 1991, ed. 23 volumes
"Comments to the Polish Ethnographic Atlas" - Since 1993, were more than 8 volumes
"Library of the Folk Literature" - since 1995, ed. 4 volumes
"Cultural Heritage" - since 1996, ed. 4 volumes
"Complete Works by Oskar Kolberg" - from 1968 to 1998, ed. 82 volumes
Cooperation:
PTL is in direct touch with local activists and folk culture practitioners thanks to it decetnralized
structure. Many members of local branches are cultural animators and participate in regional folk culture associations, folk song choirs and dance groups. They also preserve local traditions by organizing cultural events and passing down folk heritage to schoolchildren and young generation. Local PTL groups convene public lectures addresing folk culture and issues directly related to the preservation and transmition of intangible cultural heritage. Performing this task demands constant cooperation with local people, educational and political authorites as well as cultural organizations.

Membership: 697 (including 202 academic scholars)
- 18 local branches (Bialystok, Bielsko-Biala, Bytom, Ciechanow, Cieszyn, Gdansk,
Krakow, Lublin, Lodz, Mszana Oolna, Opoczno, Opole, Poznan, Torun, Warszawa,
Wrodaw, Zamosc, Zielona Gora);
- Library of J. Czekanowski, Wrodaw
- Scientific Archives, Wroctaw
- Centre of Ethnographic Documentation and Infonnation, Lodz