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'Český Těšín' (IPA: ; Polish: ) is a town in Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic, on the Olza River.

Contents

History

Population

The town today

People

Gallery

See also

Footnotes

References

External links

History

Main articles: History of Cieszyn and Těšín

Until 1918 the area was called ''Saska Kępa'' (local dialect: ''Sasko Kympa'', both meaning Saxon Hill) and was a small suburb of the town of Cieszyn (German: ''Teschen'') in the Duchy of Cieszyn, within Cieszyn Silesia of Austria-Hungary.
Following the fall of Austria-Hungary, local Polish and Czech self-governments were established. Both of them claimed that the whole Cieszyn Silesia belongs to Czechoslovakia or Poland respectively. To calm down friction which developed, the local self-governments concluded an interim agreement on division of the area running along ethnic lines. The division line imposed by the interim agreement was seen as unacceptable by the central Czechoslovak government (mainly because the only railway connecting the Czech lands with eastern Slovakia was controlled by Poland and access to that railway was crucial for Czechoslovakia at that time). Despite of the division being interim only, Poland decided to organise polls to Polish parliament in the area. Czechoslovakia claimed that no sovereign rule is to be executed in the disputed area before final solution is found and requested that the polls are not held in the area. Czechoslovak request was rejected by Poland and Czechoslovakia attacked the Polish part of the region on 23 January 1919^[1][2] and forced Poland, which was at that time in war also with the West Ukrainian National Republic, to withdraw from the bigger part of the so-called Zaolzie area. After a ceasefire both sides agreed to hold a plebiscite, which never took place, as the atmosphere in the region remained heated and turned violent. The entire area was divided by decision of the Spa Conference, thus creating a Zaolzie and leaving a sizeable Polish minority on the Czech side.
In 1938, following the Munich agreement condoning a Germany annexation of the Sudetenland as signed by the United Kingdom and France in accordance with their policy of appeasement, Poland coerced Czechoslovakia to surrender the city of Český Těšín, by issuing an ultimatum to that effect on September 30, which was accepted by Czechoslovakia on the first of October. Following negotiations with Czech authorities, who were given an additional 24 hours to evacuate the area, Polish troops and authorities entered it on October 2, 1938, and the territory was annexed by Poland.^[3]
After the German invasion of Poland in 1939, the entire territory was annexed by Germany. During the World War II it was a part of Nazi Germany.^[4] After the war, the 1920 borders were restored.
On 19 July, 1970 during heavy floods five Polish firefighters from Cieszyn died when a bridge with them fell into the Olza River.^[5]

Population

In 1849 the western part of Cieszyn was home to only 14.9% of town's total population, in 1880 24% and in 1910 33.4%.^[6]
Cieszyn and Český Těšín was known for its national and cultural diversity, comprising mostly of Polish, Czech, German and Jewish communities.
There was also a small but lively Hungarian community in the town comprised mostly of officers and clerks.
In 1938 there was a sizeable Jewish minority in the town, about 1500 in Cieszyn and 1300 in Český Těšín.^[7] Nearly all of them were killed by Nazi Germany in concentration camps.^[8] Most of the synagogues were destroyed. Today only one synagogue still stands in the town, used as a Polish cultural centre.[1] The Jewish cemetery in Český Těšín is abandoned (see the photos below). The sizeable German community fled or were deported to Germany after the war. There are no large Jewish nor German communities in the town today.

The town today

Today the Poles comprise a minority in Český Těšín, as 16.1% of town's population,^[9] although the number of people with Polish heritage is considerably higher, and the city retains a strong link with Polish culture. This number is decreasing because of continuing assimilation. Although a border town, there is no longer any real ethnic tension between Czechs and Poles. The town is an important Polish culture center of Zaolzie. The town has both a Polish primary school [2] [3] and a gymnasium [4]. Český Těšín's theatre [5] [6] has Polish and Czech ensembles. Plays are presented in both the Polish and Czech languages. Some of the actors in Polish plays are from Cieszyn. The town is a centre of the commerce and paper industry in the area.

People

★ Ludvík Aškenazy (1921-1986) - writer

★ Jaromír Hanzlík - actor

★ Norbert Heller - pianist

★ Jaromír Nohavica - musician (lived many years here)

★ Jiří Třanovský - Protestant scholar and poet

★ Viktor Ullmann (1898-1944) - musician

★ František Vláčil - film director

Gallery

See also

★ Dolní Žukov, a village, administratively part of town

★ Horní Žukov, a village, administratively part of town

★ Mistřovice, a village, administratively part of town

★ Mosty, a village, administratively part of town

★ Stanislavice, a village, administratively part of town

★ Svibice, in the past separate village, now administratively part of town

Footnotes

1. Długajczyk 1993, 7.
2. Zahradnik 1992, 59.
3. Nowa Encyklopedia Powszechna PWN 1997, vol. VI, 981.
4. Wawreczka et al 1999, 13.
5. Cicha et al 2000, 20.
6. Wawreczka et al 1999, 10.
7. Spyra 1999.
8. Wawreczka et al 1999, 11.
9. Czech Statistical Office (2001 census)

References

★ Olza od pramene po ujście, , Irena, Cicha, Region Silesia, , ISBN 80-238-6081-X

★ Zarys dziejów ludności żydowskiej w Cieszynie i okolicach, Żydowskie zabytki Cieszyna i Czeskiego Cieszyna

★ Těšín, Český Těšín na starých pohlednicích a fotografiích / Cieszyn, Czeski Cieszyn na starych widokówkach i fotografiach, , Henryk, Wawreczka, Wart, , ISBN 80-238-4804-6

★ Cieszyn wczoraj i dziś / Český Těšín včera a dnes, , Henryk, Wawreczka, Wart, , ISBN 80-238-7590-6

★ Korzenie Zaolzia, , Stanisław, Zahradnik, PAI-press, ,

★ 'Zaolzie', 'Nowa Encyklopedia Powszechna PWN' ISBN 83-01-11969-1

External links

★ Official municipal website

★ Official website

★ Documents and photographs about situation in Zaolzie in 1938

★ History of Cieszyn during the World War II

★ History of Český Těšín