The Evangelical-Augsburg Church traces its origins to the 16th century, but during Poland’s national captivity found itself under the influence of the occupation authorities. In the Kingdom of Poland its organization was defined by the bill of 1849 which subordinated it to the rule of the Tsar. After Poland regained its independence the Church experienced a period of development and uninhibited activity. This was also a time for establishing relations with the reborn Polish state. The task was undertaken by Bishop Juliusz Bursche of the Evangelical-Augsburg Church. After many years of endeavors he succeeded in securing two significant rulings: the decree of the President of the Republic of Poland of 25 November 1936 and a supplementary directive of the Cabinet of 17 December 1936, which constituted an approval of the Basic Internal Law regulating in detail the crucial issues of the Church’s functioning. In the light of these documents the Evangelical-Augsburg communion obtained a coherent organizational structure consisting of 10 dioceses, 117 parishes and 40 filial churches. Additionally, Church nomenclature was Polonized. This period of development was brought to a halt by the outbreak of the Second World War, and after it ended, the communist system was installed in Poland. The act of 4 July 1947 definitively negated the pre-war achievements.
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