NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Austrian Silesia

Silesia (Polish Śląsk, German Schlesien, Czech Slezsko) is a historical region in central Europe. Most of it is now within the borders of Poland, but with a small part in the Czech Republic, and another small region, which only became part of Silesia in 1815, in Germany. Silesia is located along the upper and middle Oder (Odra) River and along the Sudetes mountains. In a local Silesian language or dialect it is called Ślonsk or Ślunsk. This is a list of major historical regions of Central Europe. ... 1815 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The Oder (or Odra) River (German: Oder, Polish/Czech: Odra, Ancient Latin: Viadua, Viadrus, Medieval Latin: Odera, Oddera) is a river in Central Europe (mostly in Poland). ... Karkonosze The Sudetes, also called Sudeten (German; SAMPA: [sudeIt@n]) or Sudety ([sudetI] in Czech, [sudetI] in Polish), is a mountain range in Central Europe. ... Silesian language can refer to the Silesian - a dialect of Polish, sometimes considered a separate Western Slavonic language related to Czech and Polish), or the Lower Silesian (a dialect of German). ...

The Polish portion of Silesia, which forms the bulk of the region, is now divided into the voivodships (provinces) of Lubusz Voivodship, Lower Silesian Voivodship, Greater Poland Voivodship, Lesser Poland Voivodship, Opole Voivodship, and Silesian Voivodship (see: [1]). The latter two are sometimes called Upper Silesia. The small portion in the Czech Republic is mostly joined with northern part of Moravia to form the Moravian-Silesian Region of that country, the remainder forming a small part of the Olomouc Region, while the Görlitz area now is a part of the German state of Saxony. Silesia lies directly adjacent to Saxony, Little Poland, Greater Poland, and Brandenburg. The largest city of Silesia is Wrocław. A Voivodship ( Romanian: Voievodat, Polish: Województwo, Serbian: Vojvodstvo or Vojvodina) was a feudal state in medieval Romania, Hungary, Poland, Russia and Serbia (see Vojvodina), ruled by a Voivod. ... Lubusz voivodship since 1999 The Lubusz Voivodship (in Polish województwo lubuskie) is an administrative and local government region or voivodship in the western part of Poland. ... Lower Silesian voivodship since 1999 Lower Silesia (Polish Dolny Śląsk, German Niederschlesien, Latin Silesia Inferior) is the north-western part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia in Poland, located along the middle Oder River and organized into Lower Silesian Voivodship, (Polish: województwo dolnośląskie) with capital Wrocław It was... Greater Poland Voivodship (in Polish wojewÃ³dztwo wielkopolskie) is an administrative region or voivodship of western-central Poland It was created on 1 January 1999 out of the former Poznan, Kalisz, Konin, Pila and Leszno voivodships as a result of Local Government Reorganization Act of 1998. ... The Lesser Poland Voivodship or Little Poland Voivodship (in Polish wojewÃ³dztwo maÅ‚opolskie) is an administrative region or voivodship in the south of Poland that contains core areas of the historical and geographical region of Lesser Poland (Malopolska). ... Opole Voivodship - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Silesian voivodship since 1999 Silesia or Silesian Voivodship(1) is an administrative region and local government unit in Poland, established in 1999 out of Katowice, CzÄ™tochowa and Bielsko-BiaÅ‚a voivodships as a result of Local Government Reorganisation Act of 1998 (effective 1 January 1999). ... Upper Silesia (Polish Górny Śląsk, German Oberschlesien, Czech Horní Slezsko) is the south-eastern part of Silesia, a historical and geographical region of Poland (Opole Voivodship and Silesian Voivodship) and of the Czech Republic (Silesian-Moravian Region). ... Moravia (Czech: Morava, German: Mähren, Polish: Morawy, Hungarian: Morvaország) is the eastern part of the Czech Republic. ... Moravian-Silesian Region (in Czech Moravskoslezský kraj) is an administrative unit (kraj) of the Czech Republic, located it the north-eastern part of its hitorical region of Moravia and in most of the Czech part of the historical region of Silesia. ... Olomouc Region (Czech: Olomoucký kraj) is an administrative unit (Czech: kraj) of the Czech Republic, located in the north-western and central part of its historical region of Moravia and in a small part of the historical region of Silesia. ... With an area of 18,413 kmÂ² and a population of 4. ... Lesser Poland voivodship since 1999 Little Poland or Lesser Poland (Polish Małopolska, Latin: Polonia Minor) is one of the historical regions of Poland. ... Greater Poland (also Great Poland; Polish: Wielkopolska, German: Grosspolen, Latin: Polonia Maior) is one of the historical regions of Poland. ... Surrounding but excluding the national capital Berlin, Brandenburg is one of Germanys sixteen Bundesländer (federal states). ... Wrocław, ( [:vrɔʦwaf]), German Breslau, Czech Vratislav, Latin Wratislavia; many Polish documents in English use the spelling Wroclaw) is the capital of Silesia in southwestern Poland, situated on the Oder River (Odra). ...

In the Middle Ages, Silesia was a Piast province that became a possession of the Bohemian crown under the Holy Roman Empire and passed with that crown to the Austrian Habsburgs in 1526. In 1742 most of Silesia was seized by Frederick the Great of Prussia in the War of the Austrian Succession. This part of Silesia composed the Prussian provinces Upper and Lower Silesia until 1945, when most of Silesia became part of Poland. The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... The Piast dynasty is a line of Kings and dukes that ruled Poland from its beginnings as an independent state up to 1370. ... Bohemia Bohemia (Czech: ÄŒechy; German: BÃ¶hmen) is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western and middle thirds of the Czech Republic. ... This page is about the Germanic empire. ... Habsburg (sometimes spelled Hapsburg, but never so in official use) was one of the major ruling houses of Europe. ... Events January 14 - Treaty of Madrid. ... Events January 24 - Charles VII Albert becomes Holy Roman Emperor. ... Frederick the Great Frederick II of Prussia (Friedrich der Große, Frederick the Great, January 24, 1712 – August 17, 1786) was the Hohenzollern king of Prussia 1740–86. ... The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Prussia, 1701-1918 The word Prussia (German: PreuÃŸen or Preussen, Polish: Prusy, Lithuanian: PrÅ«sai, Latin: Borussia) has had various (often contradictory) meanings: The land of the Baltic Prussians (in what is now parts of southern Lithuania, the Kaliningrad exclave of... The War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748). ... P.G Wodehouse was interned in Upper Silesia at Tost during WWII ... Lower Silesia (German Niederschlesien) was a province of Prussia which together with Upper Silesia (Oberschlesien) formed most of the historical region Silesia until the end of World War II. However, some parts went to the new state of Czechoslovakia after World War I. Silesia was ceded by Austria to Prussia... 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Natural resources

Silesia is a resource-rich and populous region. Coal and iron are both abundant, and a substantial manufacturing industry has sprung up, but in post-communist times the outdated nature of many of the facilites have led to environmental problems. The region also has a thriving agricultural sector, producing grains, potatoes, and sugar beets. Coal is a fossil fuel extracted from the ground either by underground mining, open-pit mining or strip mining. ... General Name, Symbol, Number iron, Fe, 26 Chemical series transition metal Group, Period, Block 8 (VIIIB), 4, d Density, Hardness 7874 kg/m3, 4. ... Manufacturing is the transformation of raw materials into finished goods for sale, or intermediate processes involving the production or finishing of semi-manufactures. ... Cereal crops are mostly grasses cultivated for their edible seeds (actually a fruit called a caryopsis). ... Binomial name Solanum tuberosum L. The potato (Solanum tuberosum) is a perennial plant of the Solanaceae, or nightshade, family, grown for its starchy tuber. ... Two sugar beets - the one on the left has been cultivated to be smoother than the traditional beet, so that it traps less soil. ...

History

Early peoples

Silesia was inhabited by various peoples belonging to changing archeological cultures in the Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age. Stone Age fishing hook. ... The Bronze Age is a period in a civilizations development when the most advanced metalworking has developed the techniques of smelting copper from natural outcroppings and alloys it to cast bronze. ... Iron Age Axe found on Gotland This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age, for the mythological Iron Age see Iron Age (mythology). ...

According to Tacitus, in the 1st century Silesia was inhabited by a multi-ethnic league dominated by the Lugii/Lygii. Also part of this federation were the Silingi, most likely a Vandalic people, that lived south of the Baltic Sea in the Elbe, Oder, and Vistula river area. Gaius Cornelius Tacitus Publius or Gaius Cornelius Tacitus (c. ... The Lugii, Lygii or Ligii (also Lygians, Lugians) were a tribe of likely Germanic or Slavic Tribes. ... A subdivision of the vandals, an East Germanic tribe. ... The Vandals were an East Germanic tribe that entered the late Roman Empire during the 5th century and created a state in North Africa, centered on the city of Carthage. ... The Baltic Sea is located in Northern Europe, bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainlands of Northern Europe, Eastern Europe, Central Europe, and the Danish islands. ... The Elbe River (Czech Labe listen?, Sorbian/Lusatian Åobjo, Polish Åaba, German Elbe, Hungarian Elba) is one of the major waterways of central Europe. ... The Oder (or Odra) River (German: Oder, Polish/Czech: Odra, Ancient Latin: Viadua, Viadrus, Medieval Latin: Odera, Oddera) is a river in Central Europe (mostly in Poland). ... Vistula river basin Vistula ( Polish Wisła, German Weichsel) is the longest river in Poland. ...

Middle Ages

Early documents mention a couple of tribes most probably living in Silesia. The Bavarian Geographer (ca. 845) specifies the following peoples: Slenzanie, Dzhadoshanie, Opolanie, Lupiglaa and Golenshitse. And a document of Prague bishopric (1086) mentions Zlasane, Trebovyane, Poborane and Dedositze. The Bavarian Geographer is anonymous medieval document prepared in ca. ...

In the 9th and 10th centuries the territory later called Silesia was subject to the Moravian and then Bohemian rulers of the neighbouring area covered by today's Czech Republic to the south. Moravia (Czech: Morava, German: Mähren, Polish: Morawy, Hungarian: Morvaország) is the eastern part of the Czech Republic. ... Bohemia Bohemia (Czech: ÄŒechy; German: BÃ¶hmen) is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western and middle thirds of the Czech Republic. ...

About 990 Silesia was incorporated into Poland by Mieszko I (although some historians are moving the date to 999 and the rule of Boleslaus I, duke of the Polanie and later king of Poland). 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. Events Construction of the Al-Hakim Mosque begins in Cairo. ... Reign From c. ... For other uses, see number 999. ... Reign From 992 until 1025 Coronation On April 18, 1025 in Gniezno Cathedral, Poland Royal House Piast Coat of Arms Orzeł Piastowski Parents Mieszko I Dubrawka Consorts Rikdaga Judith Enmilda Oda Children with Judith Bezprym with Enmilda Regelina Mieszko II Lambert Otton with Oda Matylda Date of Birth 966/ 967... In the first centuries of its existence, the Polish nation was led by a series of strong rulers who converted the Poles to Christendom, created a strong Central European state, and integrated Poland into European culture. ... A duchy is a territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess. ... The Piast dynasty is a line of Kings and dukes that ruled Poland from its beginnings as an independent state up to 1370. ...

In 1146, senior duke Wladislaus II acknowledged the overlordship of the Holy Roman Empire over Poland, but was driven into exile. Seventeen years later, in 1163, his two sons took possession of Silesia with imperial backing, dividing the land between them as dukes of Lower and Upper Silesia. The policy of subdivision continued under their successors, with Silesia being divided into 16 principalities by the 1390s. Categories: Poland-related stubs | Polish monarchs | Dukes of Silesia ... This page is about the Germanic empire. ... Exile is a form of punishment. ...

In 1241 the region experienced the Mongol invasion. Mongols, after looting the Lesser Poland entered Silesia causing widespread panic and mass migrations. They looted much of region and after brief, unsuccessful siege of Wroclaw castle (they were reportedly fended off by blessed Cheslav's miraculous fireball) they defeated combined forces of Polish and guest knights at Legnica. Achieving that, they returned to their homeland with captives. Ruling Silesian lords decided to rebuild their cities according to latest administrative developments, founding or relocating some 160 cities and 1500 towns with codified German law in place of settlements governed by older, customary Polish laws. They also compensated recent population loss by inviting foreigners - mostly from the Holy Roman Empire. This, and ruling classes adopting German culture, caused considerable ethnic tensions in Silesia. Also, in second half of 13th century various knightly orders settled in Silesia - Knights of the Red Star was first but soon followed by Hospitaller and Teutonic Knights. Honorary guard of Mongolia. ... Lesser Poland voivodship since 1999 Little Poland or Lesser Poland (Polish Małopolska, Latin: Polonia Minor) is one of the historical regions of Poland. ... Wrocław, ( [:vrɔʦwaf]), German Breslau, Czech Vratislav, Latin Wratislavia; many Polish documents in English use the spelling Wroclaw) is the capital of Silesia in southwestern Poland, situated on the Oder River (Odra). ... Legnica (pronounce: [lεgniʦa], formerly Lignica, German Liegnitz) is a town in south-western Poland, with 108,000 inhabitants (1995). ... The Knights Hospitaller (the or Knights of Malta or Knights of Rhodes) is a tradition which began as a Benedictine nursing Order founded in the 11th century based in the Holy Land, but soon became a militant Christian Chivalric Order under its own charter, and was charged with the care... Teutonic Knights, charging into battle. ...

In 1335, Duke Henry VI of Wroclaw and the Upper Silesian dukes recognized the overlordship of the king of Bohemia (John of Luxemburg). The last independent Piast duchies in Silesia ceased to exist in 1368, although the Silesian branch of the Piast dynasty went extinct only in 1675. From that time Silesia indirectly became a part of the Holy Roman Empire, as Bohemia was itself an autonomous part of the empire. Silesia remained part of the lands of the Bohemian crown until 1740, under kings of Czech, Polish and German dynasties. Events Abu Said dies and the Ilkhan khanate ends Slavery abolished in Sweden Charles I of Hungary allies with Poland against the Hapsburgs and Bohemians Carinthia and Carniola come under Habsburg rule. ... Wrocław, ( [:vrɔʦwaf]), German Breslau, Czech Vratislav, Latin Wratislavia; many Polish documents in English use the spelling Wroclaw) is the capital of Silesia in southwestern Poland, situated on the Oder River (Odra). ... Bohemia Bohemia (Czech: ÄŒechy; German: BÃ¶hmen) is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western and middle thirds of the Czech Republic. ... John the Blind of Luxemburg (August 10, 1296 - August 26, 1346) was King of Bohemia and Count of Luxemburg. ... Events Timur ascends throne of Samarkand. ... Events January 5 - The Battle of Turckeim August 10 - Building of the Royal Greenwich Observatory began November 11 - Guru Gobind Singh becomes the Tenth Guru of the Sikhs. ... This page is about the Germanic empire. ... Events May 31 - Friedrich II comes to power in Prussia upon the death of his father, Friedrich Wilhelm I. October 20 - Maria Theresia of Austria inherits the Habsburg hereditary dominions (Austria, Bohemia, Hungary and present-day Belgium). ...

Under the emperor and king of Bohemia Charles IV, Silesia and especially Wroclaw gained greatly in importance, and many great buildings and large Gothic churches were built. Charles IV, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV ( May 14, 1316 – 29 November 1378), of the House of Luxembourg, King of the Romans (as Charles (Karl) IV, 1368 – 1378), Holy Roman Emperor (Charles IV, 1355 – 1378), King of Bohemia (Charles (Karel) I 1346 – 1378), Count of Luxemburg (1346 – 1353), Margrave... Gothic architecture characterizes any of the styles of European architecture, particularly associated with cathedrals and other churches, in use throughout Europe during the high and late medieval period, from the 12th century onwards. ...

Between 1425 and 1435, devastation was caused by the Hussite rebellion in Bohemia proper — Silesia remained largely Catholic, however. The Hussites turned against German population and especially Upper Silesia returned to the Slavic language. Events Foundation of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium Births Deaths March 17 - Ashikaga Yoshikazu, Ashikaga shogun July 21 - Manuel II Palaeologus, Byzantine Emperor Categories: 1425 ... For other uses, see number 1435. ... The Hussites comprised an early Protestant Christian movement, followers of Jan Hus. ... The Hussites comprised an early Protestant Christian movement, followers of Jan Hus. ...

Early Modern Period

The Protestant reformation took an early hold, and most of Silesia became Lutheran. In 1526 Ferdinand made the elected crown of Bohemia an inherited possession of the Habsburg family. In 1537 the rulers of Brandenburg and Silesia concluded an inheritance treaty, but it was vetoed by the emperor Ferdinand I. The Protestant Reformation was a movement which emerged in the 16th century as a series of attempts to reform the Roman Catholic Church in Western Europe. ... The Lutheran movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity by the original definition. ... Events January 14 - Treaty of Madrid. ... Habsburg (sometimes spelled Hapsburg, but never so in official use) was one of the major ruling houses of Europe. ... Events January 6 - Alessandro de Medici assassinated August 25 - The Honourable Artillery Company, the oldest surviving regiment in the British Army, and the second most senior, was formed. ... Surrounding but excluding the national capital Berlin, Brandenburg is one of Germanys sixteen Bundesländer (federal states). ... Ferdinand I Habsburg Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor (March 10, 1503 – July 27, 1564) was one of the Habsburg emperors that at various periods during his life ruled over Austria, Germany, Bohemia and Hungary. ...

The second "Defenestrations of Prague", in 1618, sparked the Thirty Years' War, caused by attempts of the Catholic Habsburg ruler to restore Catholicism and stamp out Protestantism. After the end of the Thirty Years' War, the Habsburgs greatly encouraged Catholicism, and succeeded in reconverting around sixty percent of the population of Silesia. By 1675 the last Silesian Piast rulers had died out. A contemporary woodcut of the defenestration in 1618. ... Events March 8 - Johannes Kepler discovers the third law of planetary motion (he soon rejects the idea after some initial calculations were made but on May 15 confirms the discovery). ... The victory of Gustavus Adolphus at the Battle of Breitenfeld (1631) The Thirty Years War was a conflict fought between the years 1618 and 1648, principally in the Central European territory of the Holy Roman Empire, but also involving most of the major continental powers. ... Events January 5 - The Battle of Turckeim August 10 - Building of the Royal Greenwich Observatory began November 11 - Guru Gobind Singh becomes the Tenth Guru of the Sikhs. ...

In 1740 the seizure of Silesia by Friedrich II of Prussia began the War of the Austrian Succession, which ended in 1748. At the end of this war, Prussia had conquered almost all of Silesia. (Some parts of Silesia in the extreme southeast remained possessions of Austria.) The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) confirmed this result. Silesia became a province of Prussia. In 1815 the area around Görlitz was made a part of that province in an administrative reform. Events May 31 - Friedrich II comes to power in Prussia upon the death of his father, Friedrich Wilhelm I. October 20 - Maria Theresia of Austria inherits the Habsburg hereditary dominions (Austria, Bohemia, Hungary and present-day Belgium). ... Frederick the Great Frederick II of Prussia (Friedrich der Große, Frederick the Great, January 24, 1712 – August 17, 1786) was the Hohenzollern king of Prussia 1740–86. ... The War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748). ... Events April 24 - A congress assembles at Aix-la-Chapelle with the intent to conclude the struggle known as the War of Austrian Succession - at October 18 - The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle is signed to end the war Adam Smith begins to deliver public lectures in Edinburgh Building of... The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Prussia, 1701-1918 The word Prussia (German: PreuÃŸen or Preussen, Polish: Prusy, Lithuanian: PrÅ«sai, Latin: Borussia) has had various (often contradictory) meanings: The land of the Baltic Prussians (in what is now parts of southern Lithuania, the Kaliningrad exclave of... The Seven Years War (1754 and 1756â€“1763) pitted Great Britain, Prussia and Hanover against France, Austria, Russia, Sweden, and Saxony. ... 1756 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1763 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

Silesia in Germany

Silesia became part of the German Empire when Germany was unified (1871). There was considerable industrialization in Upper Silesia, and many people moved there. A majority of the population of Lower Silesia, including its capital, Breslau (today: Wroclaw), was German-speaking. However, there were areas, such as Opole county or Upper Silesia where a larger proportion or even a majority was Polish-speaking and Roman Catholic. In Silesia as a whole Poles were about 30% of the population. The Kulturkampf set Catholics in opposition to the government and sparked Polish revival in the province. 1871 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Motto: none Voivodship Opole Municipal government Rada Miasta Opola Mayor Ryszard Zembaczyński Area 96,2 km² Population - city - urban - density 128 800 250 000 1338/km² Founded City rights - - Latitude Longitude 50°40 N 17°56 E Area code +48 77 Car plates OP Twin towns - Municipal Website Opole (pronounce... The German term Kulturkampf (literally, cultural fight) commonly refers to the early years of the 1871 German Empire, when Chancellor Otto von Bismarck attempted to reduce the influence of the Catholics in Germany, but can be used to refer to similar cultural conflicts at other periods and in other places. ...

After Germany's and Austria's defeat in World War I the Austrian parts of Silesia were divided between Poland and Czechoslovakia. In the Treaty of Versailles it was decided that the population of German Upper Silesia should hold a plebiscite in order to determine the future of the province, with the exception of a 333km² area around Hultschin (now Hlučín), which was in 1920 granted to Czechoslovakia, despite having a German majority. The plebiscite between Germany and Poland, organised by the League of Nations, was held in 1921. The outcome was 706,000 votes for Germany, and 479,000 for Poland. However, in the southeastern areas which were the backbone of economy and industry, there was a strong majority for Poland. WWI redirects here. ... Woodrow Wilson with the American Peace Commissioners The Treaty of Versailles of 1919 is the peace treaty created as a result of six months of negotiations at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, which put an official end to World War I between the Allies and Central Powers. ... HluÄÃn is city in Moravian-Silesian Region of Czech Republic (center of area named HluÄÃnsko). ... 1920 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January January 7 - Forces of Russian White admiral Kolchak surrender in Krasnoyarsk. ... The League of Nations was an international organization founded after the First World War at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. ... 1921 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

After the referendum, there were three Silesian Insurrections, and as a result of them the League of Nations decided that the province should be split and areas that voted for Poland should become an autonomous area within Poland, organised as the Silesian Voivodship (Wojewodztwo Śląskie). Silesia was then reorganised within the two Prussian provinces of Upper and Lower Silesia. The Silesian Uprisings (Polish: Powstania śląskie) was a series of three military insurections (1919-1921) of the Polish people in the Upper Silesia region against the German/Prussian forces in order to force them out the region and join it with Poland, that regained her independence after the World War... Silesian voivodship since 1999 Silesia or Silesian Voivodship(1) is an administrative region and local government unit in Poland, established in 1999 out of Katowice, CzÄ™tochowa and Bielsko-BiaÅ‚a voivodships as a result of Local Government Reorganisation Act of 1998 (effective 1 January 1999). ...

In October 1938 Cieszyn Silesia (the disputed area West of Olza river, so called Zaolzie - 906km² 258,000 inhabitants) was retaken by Poland from Czechoslovakia, in accord with the Munich Agreement. Cieszyn Silesia (Polish Śląsk cieszyński, Czech Těšínské Slezsko) is a historical region in south-eastern Silesia, between the Vistula and Oder rivers. ... Zaolzie (Czech Záolší (Zaolží), Slezsko zaolšanské, Polish Zaolzie, Śląsk zaolziański meaning Trans-Olza river) was the area disputed between Poland and Czechoslovakia West of Cieszyn with approximately 906 km² and 258,000 inhabitants. ... Chamberlain holds the paper containing the resolution to commit to peaceful methods signed by both Hitler and himself on his return from Germany in September 1938. ...

Germany took possession of these parts of Silesia again in 1939, when the attack on Poland marked the beginning of the Second World War. The Silesian Poles were killed or deported, and German settlers were brought to their homes subsequent to these atrocities. 1939 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km (over 11 miles) into the air, August 9, 1945 after the Allied atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. ...

In 1945 all of Silesia was occupied by Soviet troops; by then a large proportion of the German population had fled Silesia, but many returned after the German capitulation. Under terms of the agreements at Yalta and Potsdam in 1945, most of Silesia east of the rivers Oder (Odra) and Neisse (Nysa) were transferred to Poland. Most of the surviving Silesian Germans, who before World War II numbered about 4 million, were forcibly expelled. A small part of Silesia surrounding the city of Görlitz remained part of the German Democratic Republic and is now part of the Federal State of Saxony in the Federal Republic of Germany. 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Oder (or Odra) River (German: Oder, Polish/Czech: Odra, Ancient Latin: Viadua, Viadrus, Medieval Latin: Odera, Oddera) is a river in Central Europe (mostly in Poland). ... Nysa (Polish Nysa, German Neiße, Czech Nisa) is a name of a few rivers and a town in Silesia. ... The expulsion of Germans after World War II refers to the mass deportation of people considered Germans (both Reichsdeutsche and Volksdeutsche) from Soviet-occupied areas outside of the Soviet occupation zone of Germany, and is one major part of the German exodus from Eastern Europe after World War II. The... Map of Germany showing GÃ¶rlitz GÃ¶rlitz ( pronunciation, Lusatian: Zhorjelc, Czech Zhorelec) is a town in Germany on the river NeiÃŸe, in the Bundesland (Federal State) of Saxony, opposite to the Polish town of Zgorzelec, with which it was until 1945 united. ... East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR), German Deutsche Demokratische Republik (DDR), was a socialist country that existed from 1949 to 1990. ... A federal state is one that brings together a number of different political communities with a common government for common purposes, and separate state or provincial or cantonal governments for the particular purposes of each community. ... With an area of 18,413 kmÂ² and a population of 4. ...

The flag of the union with the Rodło Union of Poles in Germany (Polish: Związek Polaków w Niemczech, German: ) is an organisation of the Polish minority in Germany, founded in 1922. ...

Silesia after WWII

The industry of Silesia was after rebuilt after the war, and the region was populated by Poles (mostly by Poles who were themselves expelled from lands annexed by the Soviet Union). Today more than 20 % of the entire population of Poland lives in Silesia.

Demographics

Modern Silesia is inhabited mostly by the Poles and Silesians, but also by minorities of Germans, Czechs and Moravians.

The last Polish census of 2002 showed that the Silesians are the largest ethnic minority in Poland, Germans being the second — both groups are located mostly in the Silesian region.

Prior to the Second World War, Silesia was inhabited by Germans, Poles, and Czechs. The 1905 census showed that 75% of the population were Germans, and 25% were Poles. During and after World War II, most German-Silesians fled Silesia, were evacuated, were expelled, or emigrated (see German exodus from Eastern Europe). A large group of Silesians today live in Germany. To smooth integration into German society, they were organized into officially recognized organisations, like the Landsmannschaft Schlesien, financed from the federal budget. One of its most notable but controversial spokesmen is the CDU politician Herbert Hupka. The prevailing public opinion in Germany is that those organisations will achieve reconciliation with Polish-Silesians. This is gradually happening. Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km (over 11 miles) into the air, August 9, 1945 after the Allied atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. ... World War II evacuation and expulsion refers to mass evacuation and displacement of peoples spurred on by the hostilities between Axis and Allied powers, and the border changes enacted in the post war settlement. ... The German exodus from Eastern Europe refers to the exodus of the German populations to the east of Germanys and Austrias post-World War II borders. ... Landsmannschaft Schlesien - Nieder- und Oberschlesien e. ... Dr. phil. ...

Name of the region

One theory claims that the name is derived from the Silingi, most likely a Vandalic people, who supposedly lived 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 Vandals were an East Germanic tribe that entered the late Roman Empire, and created a state in North Africa, centered on the city of Carthage. ... The Baltic Sea is located in Northern Europe, bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainlands of Northern Europe, Eastern Europe, Central Europe, and the Danish islands. ... Human migration denotes any movement of groups of people from one locality to another, rather than of individual wanderers. ...

The most evident remnants were in the place-names, which were adopted (in Slavic form) by the new inhabitants, who were in fact Slavic (Polish Śląsk, OldPol. Śląžsk [-o], OldSlav. *Sьlьąžьskъ [<*Sьlьągьskъ] from OldVandalic *Siling-isk [land]). These people became associated with the place, and were known as Silesians (using a Latinized form of the name, Pol. Ślężanie), even though they had little in common with the Silingi. Also archeological finds from the 7th and 8th centuries uncovered largely populated areas protected by a dense system of fortifications from West and South. Lack of such systems from North or East adds to the assumption that Silesia was a part of a larger state populated by early Slavic tribes. The Slavic peoples are the most numerous ethnic and linguistic body of peoples in Europe. ...

The Silesian Uprisings 1919-1921

The Silesian Uprisings (Polish: Powstania śląskie) was a series of three military insurections (1919-1921) of the Polish people in the Upper Silesia region against the German/Prussian forces in order to force them out the region and join it with Poland, that regained her independence after the World War... 1919 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1921 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The First Silesian Uprising (Polish: Pierwsze powstanie śląskie) was the first out of three military insurections of the Polish people in the Upper Silesia region against the occupying German/Prussian forces in order to liberate the region and join to Poland, that regained her independence after the World War I... August 16 is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... August 26 is the 238th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (239th in leap years). ... 1919 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The Second Silesian Uprising (Polish: Drugie powstanie śląskie) was the second out of three military insurections of the Polish people in the Upper Silesia region against the occupying German/Prussian forces in order to liberate the region and join to Poland, that regained her independence after the World War I... August 19 is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... August 25 is the 237th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (238th in leap years), with 128 days remaining. ... 1920 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January January 7 - Forces of Russian White admiral Kolchak surrender in Krasnoyarsk. ... The Third Silesian Uprising (Polish: Trzecie powstanie śląskie) was the last out of three military insurections of the Polish people in the Upper Silesia region against the occupying German/Prussian forces in order to liberate the region and join to Poland, that regained her independence after the World War I... May 2 is the 122nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (123rd in leap years). ... July 5 is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 179 days remaining. ... 1921 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

Encyclopedia > Austrian Silesia

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