Yesterday, Mayor Rahm Emanuel met with Paulina Kapuścińska, the new Polish Consul General in Chicago. This was the first official meeting between Consul General Kapuścińska and Mayor Emanuel since she became the head of the consulate in September of this year. In 1960, Chicago and Warsaw, Poland’s capital, established the first Sister Cities agreement.

“Throughout Chicago’s history, we have had deep cultural, business and economic ties with our Polish friends,” said Mayor Emanuel. “Chicago is a city of immigrants and all of us are proud of this heritage. I am proud that Chicago is home to one of the largest and most dynamic Polish communities in the world, and I look forward to working with Poland to continue growing jobs and opportunity throughout Chicago’s neighborhoods.”  

In their meeting, Mayor Emanuel and Consul General Kapuścińska discussed educational and cultural cooperation opportunities and LOT Polish Airlines’ new addition of a Dreamliner to their non-stop service from Warsaw to O’Hare. On January 16th, the Dreamliner will perform its inaugural flight from Warsaw to Chicago, landing at O’Hare.

Chicago and Poland have kept close cultural and economic ties in the past several decades with trade between the two nearing $1 billion a year. Chicago is home to a large number of Polish American organizations located here, including: the Polish American Association, the Polish Museum of America, the Polish National Alliance and the Polish Highlanders Alliance of North America. The Chicagoland area has long being home to the largest Polish population outside of Poland, with nearly 743,000 people of Polish ethnicity living in the Chicagoland area and more than 200,000 in the Chicago alone.

Also in attendance at the meeting was Polish Vice Consul Konrad Zielinski.

###

Photo: Mayor Emanuel Meets with Polish Consul General In Chicago Paulina Kapuscinska

Photo Credit: Patrick Pyszka // City of Chicago