The first Polish emigrants came to Hamburg in the second half of the 19th century. Their brotherhoods and societies performed some informal educational activities. After the World War II the whole system of Polish education came to existence in West Germany. Several primary schools and secondary technical school were organized in Hamburg. Besides, about 120 Polish students studied at the University of Hamburg in the 1940s. Lubeka was a great Polish eductional centre. By 1950, however, most Polish school had already disappeared as a result of a new social situation. Some years later the Union of Poles in Hamburg reorganized the teaching of Polish. Since 1976 the Polish priest in Hamburg Jan Śliwanski has taken over all educational activities.