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Silesia

Map of Silesia current

Map of Silesia in 1905

Coat of arms of Silesia

Silesia in Silesia , in Polish , in German , in Czech ) is a region that spans three states: the bulk is located in south-western Poland , part of which is beyond the border with the Czech Republic and a game in Germany.

History

Inhabited by Slavic tribes, the Slzanes that gave it its name, which could also come from lisiens or (H) Elise (Germano-Celtic people associated with Lugii which the city of Legnica (Lugidunum) takes its name), this region was in the ^tenth century the subject of conflict between Dynasty Czech Pemyslids and Polish dynasty Piast. In 990 , Mieszko ^I of Poland buys this region Boleslav II of Bohemia.

Belonging to Poland , Silesia was annexed in 1335 to the crown of Bohemia , then to Austria who dominated Bohemia from 1526 , then to Prussia in 1742 by the Treaty of Hubertusburg that ended the wars of Silesia.

The ^nineteenth century saw profound changes take place in the region where the coal has been mined in large quantities, with the birth of the great cities of Silesia around the metal. After 1871 it became part of Germany unified.

XX ^century

At the Treaty of Versailles , Silesia of Opole (Oppeln in German ), part of the Silesia inhabited by Polish speakers (especially in rural areas, cities are more Germanized), was subjected to a plebiscite , which resulted in many conflicts: Polish uprisings , German Freikorps interventions, particularly around the Annaberg. Populated by Germans (in Lower Silesia ) and Poles (in Upper Silesia and Opole in Silesia), the plebiscite of 21 March 1921 in Upper Silesia gave over 60% of the vote in favor of the Germany, according to a split is not conducive to a breakdown: towns as Katowice (Katowice) voting for Germany while regions far to the west, more rural, voted for Poland. The region was still divided along lines economically absurd. The League of Nations for fifteen years ensures protection of minorities (which allowed the Jews to escape certain persecution during the early years of Hitler's regime). This division created a strong tension between Germans and Poles. In September 1939 the Germans invaded the region and rattachrent the Reich not only the old Upper Silesia Prussia but also a whole area (including Auschwitz - city usually known by its German name Auschwitz) to the gates of Krakow (Krakau ) and the former New Silesia (Reichsgau Oberschlesien). Polish population (minority) was subject to discrimination (or even expulsion) if it was not part of the Deutsche Volksliste, and Jews were massacred.

After 1945

In January 1945, the Soviets took over the region of Upper Silesia , well known for its coal basin , almost intact. Further, especially in Breslau ( Wroclaw ) fiercely resisted the Nazis, leading to the destruction of part of the city. The Germans suffered the consequences of the policy ^of the Third Reich, in turn, they suffered discrimination, were murdered, imprisoned and then deported. Much of the native population of Upper Silesia (already there in 1939 ) still received the status of Aboriginal and could remain in Silesia. In Lower Silesia , where the overwhelming majority of the population was German, the region was completely emptied and repopulated with Poles expelled from the eastern regions ceded to the USSR , whose region of Lviv (Lvov). In Upper Silesia, the blunders of the communist government led a large number of Polish speakers (Silesian dialect) in the region to identify themselves as "Germans" (this was in addition to a powerful economic incentive, especially in the 1980s , years where living conditions in Poland deteriorated), and this enabled some to make applications for emigration to Germany. Since the recognition of the Oder-Neisse by Germany ( 1990 -91) and the integration of Poland into the EU , economic relations have been normalized.

After the German defeat of 1945 , the German population was so often driven to the west , or forced to emigrate to West Germany. Minors of German origin were also held in Poland in the 1950s to fill gaps in manpower, they formed themselves into associations (Landsmannschaften).

Map of the Czech part of Silesia

Today, Silesia is divided between:

Poland:
- Opole Voivodeship (Opolskie): Opole
- Silesia (lskie): Katowice
- Voivodship of Lower Silesia (Lower Silesia): Wrocaw
- Lubuskie (Lubuskie): Zielona Gra

Czech Republic:
- Moravian-Silesian : Ostrava

Germany:
- Upper Lusatia-Lower Silesia and Grlitz

The Czech Silesia , attached to the Third Reich from 1938 to 1945 in the region of the Sudetenland , was also stripped of its German inhabitants. It is currently inhabited by Czechs and Poles (Silesia Cieszyn - Tn in Czech , Teschen in German ). This is the region around the town of esk Tn in Czech Republic , it borders the Moravian north of the Czech Republic.

The German kept a tiny portion of Silesia between Hoyerswerda and Grlitz (main town), attached to the Land of Saxony , which recognizes the Polish language, which was already the case at the time of the GDR.