'Silesia' (English pronunciation [], ; ; ; ;
Silesian: ''Ślůnsk'') is an
historical region in central Europe, located along the upper and middle
Oder River, upper
Vistula River, and along the
Sudetes,
Carpathian (
Silesian Beskids) mountain range. Most of it is now within the borders of
Poland (
Opole and
Lower Silesian Voivodeships), with small parts in the
Czech Republic (
Czech Silesia). The largest cities are
Wrocław and
Katowice.
Slavic peoples first arrived in this territory around the 6th century. It became the territory of
Greater Moravia and
Bohemia. Rulers of Bohemia received ducal authority by pledging allegiance to
Emperor Otto I in 950 AD. With the establishment of the
Piast Poland shortly thereafter,
Boleslaw I Chrobry united Silesia with the Polish state.
In the
Middle Ages, Silesia was divided among many independent duchies ruled by a cadet branches of the
Piast dynasty. During this time, cultural and ethnic
German influence increased due to
immigrants from the
German-speaking components of the
Holy Roman Empire. It subsequently became a possession of the
Bohemian crown under the
Holy Roman Empire in the 14th century, and passed with that crown to the
Habsburg Monarchy of
Austria in 1526. The Duchy of
Crossen was inherited by
Brandenburg in 1476 and, with the renunciation by King
Ferdinand I in 1538, it became an integral part of Brandenburg.
In 1742, most of Silesia was seized by King
Frederick the Great of
Prussia in the
War of the Austrian Succession. This part of Silesia constituted the
Province of Silesia (later the Prussian provinces of
Upper and
Lower Silesia) until 1945, when most of the German part of Silesia was seized by the Soviets and transferred to Poland after
World War II.
Austrian Silesia, the small portion of Silesia retained by Austria after the
Silesian Wars, is now within the borders of the Czech Republic.
Administration
Most of Silesia lies within modern Poland, whose part is divided within the following
voivodeships (provinces):
★
Greater Poland Voivodeship
★
Lower Silesian Voivodeship
★
Lubusz Voivodeship
★
Opole Voivodeship
★
Silesian Voivodeship
The Opole and Silesian Voivodeships are called
Upper Silesia. The small portion in the Czech Republic known as
Czech Silesia forms, with the northern part of
Moravia, the
Moravian-Silesian Region of that country, while the remainder forms a small part of the
Olomouc Region.
Traditionally, Silesia was bounded by the
Kwisa and
Bobr rivers, while the territory west of the Kwisa was Upper
Lusatia (earlier ''Milsko''). However, because part of it was included in the Prussian Province of Lower Silesia, in Germany the
Niederschlesischer Oberlausitzkreis and
Hoyerswerda are considered parts of Silesia. Those districts, along with the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, make up the geographic region of
Lower Silesia.
Etymology
In summary, the etymology of the name ''Silesia'' is not obvious. The issue seems to be politically or ethnically charged because of twists of history subsequent to the ancient formation of the name.
One theory claims that the name ''Silesia'' is derived from the ''Silingi'', who were most likely a
Vandalic (East Germanic) people migrated towards south of the
Baltic Sea along the Elbe, Oder, and Vistula Rivers in the 2nd century. When the Silingi moved from the area during the
Migration Period, they left remnants of their society behind.
The most evident remnants are in the names of places, which were imposed (in
Slavic form) by the new inhabitants, who were in fact
Slavic (; Old Polish: ''Śląžsk [-o]''; Old Slavic:
★ Sьlęžьskъ [<
★ sǐlęgǐskǔ], from
Old Vandalic ★ Siling-isk [land]). These people became associated with the place, and were thenceforth known as Silesians (using a
Latinized form of the Polish name, ''Ślężanie''), even though they had little in common with the original Silingi. Because
Goths, another East Germanic group, settled in eastern Silesia while Slavic
Wends lived in western Silesia during that time, the fortifications do not support any
nationalistic theory.
The other theory (supported by archaeological finds) claims that the original name of the region Śląsk, is derived from
Polish word 'ślągwa' meaning ''high humidity'' (to this day the region of Mountain Ślęża - the original Polish settlement - has coastal climate).
Archaeological finds from the 7th and 8th centuries have also uncovered former largely populated areas, protected by a dense system of fortifications from the west and south; the lack of such systems from the north or east supports the notion that Silesia was populated by early Polish tribes from the 5th to 13th centuries. Neither Polish name ''Śląsk'' nor German translation ''Schlesien'' show any resemblance to the alleged tribe of "Silingi". The Latin name ''Silesia'' originated in 11th century.
History
Early people
The first signs of genus Homo in Silesia date to between 230,000 and 100,000 years ago. The Silesian region between the upper Vistula and upper Oder was the northern extreme of the human penetration at the time of the last glaciation. The anatomically-modern Homo is estimated to have arrived in Silesia about 35,000 years ago
[1]. Subsequently, Silesia was inhabited by people who belonged to changing archaeological cultures in the
Stone,
Bronze, and
Iron Ages, and the ethnic identity of whose cannot currently be determined. The civilization of
Old Europe undoutedly included Silesia. Later, the Indo-European tribes of
Scythians and
Celts are known to have played a role within the Silesian territory.
The first written sources about Silesia came down from the Egyptian
Claudius Ptolemaeus (''
Magna Germania'') and the Roman
Gaius Cornelius Tacitus (''
Germania''). According to
Tacitus, the
1st century Silesia was inhabited by a multi-ethnic league dominated by the
Lugii, an
East Germanic tribe. The
Silingi were also part of this federation, and most likely a
Vandalic people (Germanic) that lived south of the
Baltic Sea in the
Laba, later Elbe,
Oder, and
Vistula river areas. Also, other
East Germanic tribes inhabited the scarcely populated region.
Middle Ages
After 500 the Great Migration had induced the bulk of the original East Germanic tribes to leave Silesia and wander through Southern Europe, while Slavic tribes began to appear and spread including the Silesian lands.
Early documents mention a few mostly
Slavic tribes probably living in Silesia (
Silesian tribes). The
Bavarian Geographer (ca. 845) specifies the following peoples: the
Slenzanie,
Dzhadoshanie,
Opolanie,
Lupiglaa, and
Golenshitse. A document of the Bishopric of
Prague (1086) also mentions the
Zlasane,
Trebovyane,
Poborane, and
Dedositze.
In the 9th and 10th centuries, the territory later called Silesia was part of
Great Moravia,
Moravia, and then
Bohemia, in the neighbouring area within today's
Czech Republic to the south. Ca. 990, some parts of Silesia were conquered and annexed into the newly-created Polish state by Duke
Mieszko I, (
see map), although some historians give this date as 999 and the rule of Duke
Boleslaus I. During
Poland's fragmentation (1138–1320) into
duchies ruled by different branches of the
Piast dynasty. Silesia was ruled by descendants of the former royal family.
In 1146, High Duke
Władysław II acknowledged the overlordship of the
Holy Roman Empire over Poland, but was driven into
exile. In 1163 his two sons took possession of Silesia with Imperial backing, dividing the land between them as dukes of Lower and Upper Silesia. They created two main Piast lines in Silesia, Wrocławska (of
Wrocław)) and Opolsko-Raciborska (of
Opole and
Racibórz. The policy of subdivision continued under their successors, with Silesia being divided into 16 principalities by the 1390s.
In 1241 after raiding
Lesser Poland, the
Mongols invaded Silesia and caused widespread panic and mass flight. They looted much of the region, but abandoned their siege of the castle of
Wrocław, supposedly after being fended off by
Blessed Czeslaw's "miraculous fireball." They then annihilated the combined Polish and German forces at the
Battle of Legnica, which took place at
Legnickie Pole near
Legnica. Upon the death of
Ögedei Khan, the Mongols chose not to press forward further into Europe, but returned east to participate in the election of a new
Grand Khan.
The ruling Silesian lords decided to rebuild their cities according to the latest administrative ideas. They founded or rebuilt some 160 cities and 1,500 towns and introduced the codified
German city law (
Magdeburg law and
Środa Śląska law) in place of the older, customary Slavic and Polish laws. They also made up for the recent population loss by inviting new settlers, mostly
German and
Dutch colonists from the Holy Roman Empire. Since the end of the 13th century or beginning of the 14th, Silesian dukes invited many German settlers to improve their duchies. Germans settled mostly in cities, as did
Jews and some
Czechs. In the countryside, especially in Upper Silesia, people of Polish origins still predominated. This policy of inviting Germans to colonize and cultivate the barren lands, and the assimilation of the ruling classes and the German and Slavic inhabitants, gave reason to Polish and German
nationalists for
ideological tensions between both nations in the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century.
In the second half of the 13th century, various knightly orders settled in Silesia — the
Knights of the Cross with the Red Star were the first, soon followed by the
Hospitaller and the
Teutonic Knights.
Silesian duchies
Many Piast dukes tried to reincorporate Silesia into the Polish kingdom and reunite Poland during the time of divisions. The first significant attempts were made by Duke
Henryk IV Probus of Silesia, but he died in 1290 before realizing his goal. Duke
Przemysł II of
Greater Poland united two of the original provinces and was crowned in 1295, but was murdered in 1296. According to his will Greater Poland was supposed to be inherited by Duke
Henryk Głogowski (of
Głogów) who also aspired to unite Poland and even claimed the title Duke of Poland. However, most nobles of Greater Poland supported another candidate from the
Kuyavian line of Piasts, Duke
Władysław I the Elbow-high. Władysław eventually won the struggle because of his broader support. In the meantime, King
Wenceslaus II of Bohemia decided to extend his rule and was crowned as King of Poland in 1300. The next half century was rife with wars between Władysław (later his son
Casimir III the Great) and a coalition of Bohemians, Brandenburgers and
Teutonic Knights trying to divide Poland. During this time most Silesian
dukes, despite their ties with Poland, ruled small realms that were unable to unite with Poland and thus fell under the influence of neighboring Bohemia.
In 1327 Duke Henry VI of Breslau and the Upper Silesian dukes recognized the overlordship of King
John I of Bohemia, while in 1335 King
Casimir III of Poland accepted Bohemian control of most of Silesia (Treaties of
Trenčín and
Visegrád). Over the following centuries the lines of the Piast dukes of Silesia died out and were inherited by the Bohemian crown:
★ Wrocławska (of
Wrocław) in 1335;
★ Świdnicka (of
Świdnica) in 1368;
★ Oleśnicka (
Oleśnica and
Głogów) in 1476;
★ Żagańska (of
Żagań) in 1504;
★ Opolska (of
Opole) in 1532;
★ Cieszyńska (of
Cieszyn) in 1625;
★ and Brzesko-Legnicka (of
Brzeg and
Legnica) in 1675.
Although Friedrich Wilhelm, the last male Silesian
Piast Duke of Teschen (
Cieszyn) died in
1625, rule of the duchy passed to his sister
Elisabeth Lukretia, wife of the duke of Liechtenstein, until her death in 1653 after which it reverted to the empire under the
Habsburg rulers.
By the end of the 14th century the country had been split up into 18 principalities:
Wrocław, Brzeg,
Głogów,
Jawor, Legnica,
Ziębice,
Oleśnica,
Świdnica and
Ścinawa in Lower Silesia;
Bytom,
Niemodlin,
Koźle,
Nysa,
Opole,
Racibórz,
Strzelce Opolskie,
Cieszyn and
Opava in the upper district. The petty rulers of these sections wasted their strength with internecine quarrels and proved quite incompetent to check the lawlessness of their feudal vassals. Save under the vigorous rule of some dukes of Lower Silesia, such as Henry I and
Bolko I, and the above-named Henry II and IV, who succeeded in reuniting most of the principalities under their sway, the country fell into a state of growing anarchy.
The inheritance of the Silesian duchies by
Bohemia incorporated the region into the
Holy Roman Empire. Under Emperor
Charles IV, Silesia and especially
Wrocław (Vratislav, Breslau) gained greatly in importance, as many great buildings and large
Gothic churches were built. From the
13th century onward the population of the region became increasingly
Germanized through the arrival of more German settlers and the assimilation of local rulers and peasants within this new German majority.
Between 1425 and 1435, devastation was caused by the
Hussite Wars in Bohemia. The
Hussites turned against the German population, and some regions, especially
Upper Silesia, became partly Slavic-speaking again. Despite the widespread nature of the conflagration, Silesia remained largely
Catholic, excluding
Cieszyn Silesia where Hussite ideas became popular.
Under later rulers the connection with Bohemia brought the Silesians no benefit, but involved them in the destructive
Hussite wars. At the outbreak of this conflict in 1420 they gave ready support to their king
Sigismund against the Bohemian Hussites, whom they regarded as dangerous to their German nationality, but by this act they exposed themselves to a series of invasions (1425-1435) by which the country was severely devastated. In consequence of these raids the German element of population in Upper Silesia permanently lost ground; and a complete restitution of the Slavonic nationality seemed imminent on the appointment of the Hussite,
George Podiebrad, to the Bohemian kingship in 1457. Though most of the Silesian dynasts seemed ready to acquiesce, the burghers of Breslau fiercely repudiated the new suzerain, and before he could enforce his claims to homage he was ousted by the Hungarian king,
Matthias Corvinus, who was readily recognized as overlord (1469).
Although part of the Holy Roman Empire, Silesia continued to have strong economic ties, especially through the
Jewish merchants in the cities, with the neighbouring
Kingdom of Poland during the
Renaissance period and beyond.
Matthias enforced his authority by the vigorous use of his mercenaries and by wholesale confiscations of the lands of turbulent nobles. By instituting a permanent
diet of Silesian princes and estates to co-operate with his vicegerent, he took an important step towards the abolition of particularism and the establishment of an effective central government. In spite of these reforms the Silesians, who felt severely the financial exactions of Matthias, began to resent the control of the Bohemian crown. Profiting by the weakness of Matthias' successor
Vladislav, they extorted concessions which secured them a practical autonomy. They still retained these privileges at the outset of the religious
Reformation, which the Silesians, in spite of their Catholic zeal during the Hussite wars, accepted readily and carried out with singularly little opposition from within or without.
But a drastic change in their government was imposed upon them by the German king,
Ferdinand I, who had been prevented from interference during his early reign by his wars with the Turks, and who showed little disposition to check the Reformation in Silesia by forcible means, but subsequently reasserted the control of the Bohemian crown by a series of important enactments. He abolished all privileges which were not secured by charter and imposed a more rigidly centralized scheme of government in which the activities of the provincial diet were restricted to some judicial and financial functions, and their freedom in matters of foreign policy was withdrawn altogether. Henceforth, too, annexations of territory were frequently carried out by the Bohemian crown on the extinction of Silesian dynasties, and the surviving princes showed an increasing reluctance to exercise their authority. Accordingly the Silesian estates never again chose to exercise initiative save on rare occasions, and from 1550 Silesia passed almost completely under foreign administration.
Protestant Reformation
Upper Silesia's historical coat of arms
The
Protestant Reformation of the 16th century took an early hold in Silesia, and most inhabitants became
Lutheran. Many Reformation pastors contributed to developing and reemphasizing Slavic culture and language in Silesia.
After the death of King
Louis II of Hungary and Bohemia in 1526,
Ferdinand I of the
Habsburg dynasty was elected King of Bohemia. In the same year he made the formerly
elected Bohemian crown an inherited possession of the Habsburg dynasty. In 1537 the Piast Duke
Frederick II of
Brzeg concluded a treaty with
Elector Joachim II of
Brandenburg, whereby the
Hohenzollerns of Brandenburg would inherit the duchy upon the extinction of the Piasts, but the treaty was rejected by Ferdinand.
The religious conflicts and wars of the Reformation and
Counter Reformation in the 17th century led many Silesian
Protestants to seek refuge in the then-tolerant
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Thousands settled in the province of Greater Poland, under the protection of powerful Protestant magnates like
Rafał Leszczyński. Silesian members of the
Czech Brethren, under the leadership of
Comenius, settled in
Leszno. Protestant Silesians often circumvented restrictive laws by building their churches on the Polish side of the border.
Thirty Years' War
Lower Silesia's historical coat of arms
The second "
Defenestration of Prague" in 1618 sparked the
Thirty Years' War, caused by King
Ferdinand II's attempts to restore Catholicism and stamp out Protestantism within Bohemia.
Although Ferdinand requested assistance from the mostly Catholic
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Polish ''
szlachta'' sympathized with the Bohemian and
Hungarian nobility despite their religious differences and refused King
Sigismund III Vasa's attempt to assist the Habsburgs. Finally, Sigismund decided to help the Habsburgs by sending an unemployed mercenary group called the
Lisowczycy in late 1619, hoping to regain parts of Silesia in exchange. The Lisowczycy's support would prove decisive during the
Battle of White Mountain in 1620. However, as the Habsburgs' situation improved, Emperor
Ferdinand II did not agree to any concessions in Silesia, nor did he help in Poland's war against the Ottoman Empire, and the Polish kings never received anything except a vague set of promises and several brides to keep them favourably inclined to the Habsburg dynasty.
After the end of the Thirty Years' War with the
Treaty of Westphalia in 1648, the Habsburgs greatly encouraged Catholicism and succeeded in reconverting to
Catholicism about 60% of the population of Silesia. By 1675 the last Silesian Piast rulers had died out.
Kingdom of Prussia
''Superior Silesia''
Upper Silesia map of 1746
In 1740, the annexation of Silesia by King
Frederick II (the Great) of
Prussia was welcomed by many Silesians, not only by Protestants or Germans. Frederick based his claims on the Treaty of Brieg and began the
War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748). By war's end, the Kingdom of Prussia had conquered almost all of Silesia, while some parts of Silesia in the extreme southeast, like the
Duchy of Cieszyn and
Duchy of Opava, remained possessions of the
Habsburg Monarchy. The
Seven Years' War (1756-1763) confirmed Prussian control over most of Silesia, and the Prussian
Province of Silesia became one of the most loyal provinces of Prussia. In 1815 the area around
Görlitz, formerly part of
Saxony, was incorporated into the province after the
Napoleonic Wars. By this time German had become the only popular language in
Lower Silesia, while dialects of Polish and Czech were used in most of the countryside of
Upper Silesia. German was the most common language in most Silesian cities.
Silesia in Germany and Austria
Imperial German Silesia 1905
As a
Prussian province, Silesia became part of the
German Empire during the
unification of Germany in 1871. There was considerable
industrialization in Upper Silesia, and many people moved there at that time. The overwhelming majority of the population of
Lower Silesia was by then German-speaking and many were Lutheran, including the capital
Breslau. There were areas such as the
District of
Oppeln (then
Regierungsbezirk Oppeln) and rural parts of Upper Silesia, however, where a larger portion or even majority of the population was Slavic-speaking and Roman Catholic. In Silesia as a whole, ethnic
Poles comprised about 30% of the population, but most of them lived around
Katowice in the southeast of Upper Silesia and in 1849 Poles made up 58% of population . Many people from Poland moved into Germany, coming through Silesia, often going to Berlin during Industrialisation. and particularly to get away from Russian Polish territory. The installation of trains made mass movements possible and there were times, that trains would not stop in the eastern parts of Germany in order to curb the massive onslaught of people moving in from the east. The
Kulturkampf set Catholics in opposition to the government and sparked a Polish revival, much of it fostered by Poles from outside of Germany, in the Upper Silesian parts of the province. The first conference of
Hovevei Zion groups took place in
Kattowitz (Katowice),
German Empire in 1884.
At the same time, the areas of
Ostrava and
Karvina in Austrian Silesia became increasingly industrialized. Most of the Polish-speaking people there, however, were Slavic Lutherans in contrast to the German-speaking Catholic Habsburg dynasty ruling
Austria-Hungary.
In 1900 the population of Austrian Silesia numbered 680,422, which corresponds to 342 inhabitants per square mile (132/km²). The Germans formed 44.69% of the population, 33.21% were Poles and 22.05% Czechs and Slavs. According to religion, 84% were Roman Catholics, 14% Protestants and the remainder were Jews. The local
diet was composed of 31 members, and Silesia sent 12 deputies to the
Reichsrat at Vienna. For administrative purposes Silesia was divided into 9 districts and 3 towns with autonomous municipalities: Troppau, the capital, Bielitz and
Friedek. Other principal towns were: Teschen,
Polnisch-Ostrau, Jagerndorf,
Karwin,
Freudenthal,
Freiwaldau and Bennisch.
In the
Treaty of Versailles after the defeat of Imperial Germany and Austria-Hungary in
World War I, it was decided that the population of Upper Silesia should hold a plebiscite in order to determine the future of the province, with the exception of a 333 km² area around
Hlučín (''Hultschiner Ländchen''), which was granted to
Czechoslovakia in 1920 despite having a German majority. The plebiscite, organised by the
League of Nations, was held in 1921. In Cieszyn Silesia firstly was an interim deal between ''Rada Narodowa Księstwa Cieszyńskiego'' and ''Národním Výborem pro Slezsko'' about partition past lands of the
Duchy of Cieszyn according to ethnic lines. However, that deal was not approved by the Czechoslovak government in
Prague. On
23 January 1919, Czechoslovakia invaded the lands of Cieszyn Silesia and stopped on
30 January 1919 on the
Vistula River near
Skoczów.
[2][3] The planned plebiscite was not organised and the division of Cieszyn Silesia was decided on
28 July 1920 by the Ambassadors' Council at the Treaty of Versailles, which instituted the present-day border between Poland and the
Czech Republic.
Interwar period
Military band walks under the sign made by Polish people of
Karwina during the 1938 annexation of
Zaolzie by Poland. The sign reads "We've been waiting for you 600 years".
After the referendum, there were three
Silesian Insurrections instigated by Polish inhabitants of the area, as a result of which the League of Nations decided that the province should be split with areas where majority voted for Poland going to Poland and areas where majority voted for Germany going to Germany. The League decided that the eastern-most Upper Silesian areas where majority voted for Poland, should become an autonomous area within Poland organised as the
Autonomous Silesian Voivodeship (''Autonomiczne Wojewodztwo Śląskie'') and with
Silesian Parliament as a constituency and Silesian Voivodship Council as the executive body. One of the central political figures that stirred these changes was
Wojciech Korfanty.
The
Silesian Uprisings 1919-
1921:
★
First Silesian Uprising:
16 August 1919-
26 August 1919
★
Second Silesian Uprising:
19 August 1920-
25 August 1920
★
Third Silesian Uprising:
2 May 1921-
5 July 1921
The major part of Silesia, remaining in
Germany, was reorganised into the two provinces of
Upper Silesia and
Lower Silesia. In Silesia the synagogues in
Breslau and in many other cities were destroyed during the
Kristallnacht of 1938. In October 1938,
Cieszyn Silesia (the disputed area west of the
Olza River, also called
Zaolzie in Polish - 876 km² with 258,000 inhabitants), was taken by Poland from Czechoslovakia following the
Munich Agreement that surrendered border areas of Czechoslovakia to
Nazi Germany.
Czech Silesia with
Ostrau was incorporated into the
Sudetenland Gau, while
Hultschin was incorporated into Upper Silesia province.
World War II
The
German Reich retook possession of these mostly Polish parts of Upper Silesia along with
Sosnowiec (''Sosnowitz''),
Będzin (''Bendzin'', ''Bendsburg''),
Chrzanów (''Krenau''), and
Zawiercie (''Warthenau'') counties and parts of
Olkusz (''Ilkenau'') and
Zywiec (''Saybusch'') counties in 1939, when the
invasion of Poland marked the beginning of
World War II. The local German populations frequently welcomed the
Wehrmacht. In 1940 the Germans started to construct the
Auschwitz concentration camp, which was later used as a death camp during the
Holocaust.
The
Groß-Rosen concentration camp, which had subcamps in many Silesian cities, was also constructed in 1940. The
Riese Project was later implemented, during which thousands of prisoners died.
Silesia after WWII
In 1945, all of Silesia was occupied by the
Soviet Red Army and
Polish People's Army, in the course of the
Silesian Offensives. By then a large portion of the German population
had fled or were evacuated from Silesia out of fear of revenge by Soviet soldiers, but many returned after the German capitulation. Under the terms of the agreements at the
Yalta Conference and the
Potsdam Agreement, both in 1945, German Silesia east of the rivers
Oder and
Lusatian Neisse Rivers was transferred to Poland (see
Oder-Neisse line). Most of the remaining Silesian Germans, who before World War II amounted to more than four million, were forcibly
expelled, some of them imprisoned in labour camps, e.g.
Lamsdorf (Łambinowice) and
Zgoda labour camp. Many perished in those camps. More than 30,000 Silesian men (majority of German roots, some having partially Polish roots) were deported to Soviet
mines and
Siberia, the majority of whom never returned. Others emigrated from Silesia in the years after the war (see
German exodus from Eastern Europe).
The industry of Silesia was rebuilt after the war and the region was repopulated by Poles, many of whom had themselves been expelled from eastern
Polish areas annexed by the Soviet Union.
A small German speaking remnant exists in the region around
Opole (''Oppeln''), as well as some Slavic speaking and bilingual remnants of the pre-1945 population of Upper Silesia. In official Polish census 153,000 people declared German nationality, though up to 500,000 are of German ancestry.
Natural resources
Silesia is a resource-rich and populous region.
Coal and
iron are both abundant, and a substantial
manufacturing industry is present. In post-communist times, however, the outdated nature of many of the facilities has led to environmental problems. The region also has a thriving
agricultural sector, which produces mainly
grains,
potatoes, and
sugar beets. The largest centre of
copper mining in Poland lies in Lower Silesia between the cities of
Legnica (''Liegnitz''),
Głogów, Lubin and Polkowice.
Demographics
Modern Silesia is inhabited mostly by
Poles, but also by minorities of
Germans,
Czechs,
Ukrainians, and
Moravians. The last Polish census of 2002 showed that the Slavic Silesians are the largest ethnic minority in Poland, Germans being the second — both groups are located mostly in Upper Silesia. The Czech part of Silesia is inhabited by Czechs, Moravians, and Poles.
Before the Second World War, Silesia was inhabited by Germans, Poles, Jews and Czechs. In 1905, a census showed that 75% of the population was German and 25% Polish. Most Jews were murdered in the Holocaust in the German concentration camps. The vast majority of German Silesians fled or were expelled from Silesia during and after World War II. Most ethnic German Silesians today live in the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany, many of them working as miners in the
Ruhr area, like their ancestors did in the Silesian mines. In order to smooth their integration into
West German society after 1945, they were organized into officially recognized organisations, like the
Landsmannschaft Schlesien, financed from the federal German budget. One of its most notable but controversial spokesmen was the
CDU politician
Herbert Hupka. The prevailing public opinion in Germany is that these organisations will achieve reconciliation with the Polish Silesians, which is gradually occurring. Many of the pre-war Germanised Slavic Silesians living in
Upper Silesia have remained culturally bound to and have sought work in the
Federal Republic of Germany after 1990, along with their
ethnic German Silesian countrymen. Examples of mixed Polish-German Silesians include
Miroslav Klose; fellow teammate
Lukas Podolski is also Silesian. Both are stars of the
German national football team.
Cities in Silesia
The following table lists cities in Silesia with a population greater than 100,000 (2006):
See also
★
List of Silesians
★
Architecture of Silesia
★
Silesian language
★
Silesian uprisings
★
Silesians
★
Union of Poles in Germany
★
History of Germany
★
Expulsion of Germans after World War II
Footnotes
1. Cavalli Sforza, "Genes, Peoples, and Languages", Scientific American, November 1991
2. Długajczyk 1993, 7.
3. Zahradnik 1992, 59.
References
★
Tajny front na granicy cieszyńskiej. Wywiad i dywersja w latach 1919-1939, , Edward, Długajczyk, Śląsk, , ISBN 83-85831-03-7
★
Korzenie Zaolzia, , Stanisław, Zahradnik, PAI-press, ,
Further reading
★ ''Documents on British Foreign Policy 1919-1939'', 1st Series, volume XI, ''Upper Silesia, Poland, and the Baltic States, January 1920-March 1921'', edited by Rohan Butler, MA, J.P.T.Bury, MA, & M.E.Lambert, MA, Her Majesty's Stationery Office (
HMSO), London, 1961 (amended edition 1974), ISBN 0-11-591511-7
★
★ ''Documents on British Foreign Policy 1919-1939'', 1st Series, volume XVI, ''Upper Silesia, March 1921 - November 1922'', edited by W.N.Medlicott, MA, D.Lit., Douglas Dakin, MA, PhD, & M.E.Lambert, MA,
HMSO, London, 1968.
★ ''Microcosm, Portrait of a Central European City'', by
Norman Davies and
Roger Moorhouse (
Jonathan Cape, 2002) ISBN 0-224-06243-3
External links
★
Republic of Silesia page
★
Silesian Autonomy Movement page
★
Silesia on Germany Map of 1600
★
Map of Silesia in 1763
★
Old postcards from Silesian towns
★
Photos from Silesian towns, villages and communities before 1946
★
Map of Silesia as of 2000
★
Silesia in maps of Europe
★
Silesian Digital Library
★
Combined European History Exhibit by Germans, Poles, Czech, Slovaks and Hungarians
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