29/04/2026
The Role of the Mayors in the General Government
Polish mayors were an important group of officials in the administrative apparatus of the General Government, established after the German attack on Poland in September 1939. Alongside German county governors and city governors, they shaped local policies and played an important role in the persecution of Polish and European Jews, as well as in the exploitation of the General Government. Based on extensive archival research, the study assesses the actions of these mayors during the German occupation of Polish lands during the Second World War.