This article is part of the series: Territorial changes of Poland in 20th century History of Poland
Lines
Curzon line
Oder-Neisse line
Areas
Kresy Wschodnie
Kresy Zachodnie
Recovered Territories
Historical Eastern Germany
Zaolzie
See also
History of Poland

The name Kresy (Polish for "borderlands", or more correctly Kresy Wschodnie, Eastern Borderlands) is used by Poles, mostly in historical context, to refer to the eastern part of Poland before the II World War. These territories bordered the Soviet Union on the east, Lithuania on the north, and Romania on the south. Image File history File links Polska_map_blank. ... The history of Poland from 1945 to 1989 spans the period of Soviet Communist dominance over the Peoples Republic of Poland in the decades following World War II. These years, while featuring many improvements in the standards of living in Poland, were marred by political instability, social unrest, and... The Curzon Line was a demarcation line proposed in 1919 by the British Foreign Secretary, Lord Curzon of Kedleston, as a possible armistice line between Poland, to the west, and Soviet Russia to the east, during the Polish-Soviet War of 1919–20. ... The Oder-Neisse line (German: Oder-Neiße-Grenze; Polish: Granica na Odrze i Nysie Łużyckiej) is the border between Germany and Poland. ... Note: although the term recovered territories has a clear meaning in Poland and Polish historiography, it is not a widely accepted term or concept in Germany or in English-speaking nations. ... Historic Eastern Germany or Ex-German Eastern Territories are the historical Eastern German provinces or regions which had large settled German communities east of the Oder and Neisse rivers before World War II and had been part of an united Germany nation since 1871. ... 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. ... In the first centuries of its emergence in the 10th century, 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. ... Combatants Allied Powers Axis Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties 17 million military deaths 7 million military deaths World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a mid-20th century conflict that engulfed much of the globe and is accepted as the largest and deadliest...

Kresy approximately correspond to the territory to the East of the Curzon line. The Curzon Line was a demarcation line proposed in 1919 by the British Foreign Secretary, Lord Curzon of Kedleston, as a possible armistice line between Poland, to the west, and Soviet Russia to the east, during the Polish-Soviet War of 1919–20. ...

During 1921—1939 (Second Polish Republic), Kresy comprised of the following voivodships (from North to South and then to the West, see the 1939 map in the Voivodships of Poland article). 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Second Polish Republic 1921-1939 The Second Polish Republic is an unofficial name applied to the Republic of Poland between World War I and World War II. When the borders of the state were fixed in 1921, it had an area of 388. ... A Voivodship (also voivodeship, 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 (voivode). ... A voivodship (in Polish województwo) has been a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland since the 14th century. ...

• Wilno Voivodship, capital Wilno (now Vilnius, Lithuania)
• Nowogródek Voivodship, capital Nowogródek (now Navahradak, Belarus)
• Polesie Voivodship, capital Brześć nad Bugiem (now Brest, Belarus)
• Wolhynian Voivodship, capital Łuck (now Lutsk, Ukraine)
• Tarnopol Voivodship, capital Tarnopol (now in Ukraine)
• Stanisławów Voivodship, capital Stanisławów (now Ivano-Frankivs'k, Ukraine)
• Lwów Voivodship, capital Lwów (now Lviv, Ukraine)

The territory of Kresy constituted over 40% of Polish territory during the Second Republic. Wilno Voivodship // Wilno Voivodship (1922-1939) Wilno Voivodship (Polish Województwo wileÅ„skie) was one of the Voivodships in the 1922-1939 period. ... The Three Crosses monument in Vilnius. ... Nowogródek Voivodship (Polish województwo nowogródzkie) was an unit of administrative division of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Poland between 15th century and 1795 and then between 1919 and 1939, with the capital in the town of Nowogródek. ... Navahradak (Нава́градак in Belarusian; Polish: Nowogródek; Russian: Novogrudok, Lithuanian: Naugardukas) is a Belarusian city with an old history, the first capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. ... Brest (Belarusian: ; Russian: , formerly Брест-Литовск (Brest-Litovsk); in Polish as Brześć Litewski, Brześć nad Bugiem or Brześć BiaÅ‚oruski; Lithuanian: Lietuvos Brasta (literally meaning shallows of Lithuania) is a city (population 290,000 in 2004) in Belarus close to the Polish border where the Western Bug and Mukhavets Rivers meet. ... Volhynian Voivodship (województwo wołyńskie) was one of the 16 voivodships of Poland prior to 1939 in Second Polish Republic and Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. ... Lutsk (Луцьк in Ukrainian, Луцк in Russian) is the capital of the Volyn Oblast, Ukraine. ... Tarnopol Voivodship A voivodship of Poland 1920-1939 Capital: Tarnopol Main cities: Brody, Brzezany, Buczacz, Czortków, Zloczów Area: 16,500 km² Population: Totals 1,600,406 Poles 789,114 (49. ... Ternopil (Тернопіль in Ukrainian, Tarnopol in Polish, Ternopol in Russian) is a city in Western Ukraine, located at the banks of the Seret river. ... StanisÅ‚awów Voivodship StanisÅ‚awów Voivodship was a voivodship of Poland 1920-1939 Capital: StanisÅ‚awów Main cities: Area: 16,900 km² Population: Totals 1,480,285 Poles 332,175 (22. ... Ivano-Frankivsk (Ukrainian: Івано-Франківськ, Ivano-Frankivsk; Станиславів, Stanyslaviv before 1962; Polish: Stanisławów; Russian: Ivano-Frankovsk; German: Stanislau (before World War I); Yiddish: סטאַניסלעװ, Stanislev) is a city in Ukraine, center of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast in the west of the country. ... Lviv is a city in western Ukraine, the capital city of the Lviv Oblast (province) and one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine. ...

The majority of urban population was Polish; but the overall majority was non-Polish: Ukrainian, Belarusian, Lithuanian and Jewish. Polish inhabitants of this region, known in Polish as Kresowiacy, constituted approximately 40% of the population and had their distinct culture with accent and customs influenced by the presence of ethnic minorities. Among these about 150,000 constituted osadnicy, or veterans of Polish army given free land during 1920-1939. // The word Jew (Hebrew: יהודי transliterated: Yehudi) is used in many ways, but generally refers to a follower of Judaism, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity; and often a combination of these attributes. ... Osadniks (Polish: osadnik/osadnicy, settler/settlers) was the Polish loanword used in Soviet Union for veterans of Polish army that were given land in the Kresy (Western Belarus and Western Ukraine) territory ceded to Poland by Polish-Soviet Riga Peace Treaty of 1921 (and regained by Soviet Union in 1939). ... A veteran refers to a person who is experienced in a particular area, particularly referring to people in the armed forces. ...

As a consequence of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, on September 17, 1939 the Soviet Union occupied Kresy and Białystok Voivodship, and a significant part of the Polish population was deported to the Soviet Union. This article does not cite its references or sources. ... September 17 is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years). ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Bialystok Voivodship (Polish: województwo biaÅ‚ostockie) - a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in years 1975-1998, superseded by Podlasie Voivodship. ... The Polish minority in the Soviet Union refers to former Polish citizens or Polish-speaking people who resided in the Soviet Union. ...

After the German invasion, a significant part of the Kresy population was transferred to Germany as workforce (Ostarbeiter, "Eastern workers"). By the end of the WWII they were placed in camps for displaced persons in the post-war Germany. Soviet representatives attempted to filter out persons of Belarusian and Ukrainian nationality from camps located in the Western occupation zones, in order to transfer them to the Soviet Union. Many of those from Kresy who already have had an experience of Soviet life sought to avoid this kind of "repatriation". In particular, some camps that hosted Belarusians used terms White Ruthenians and Krivichs in their documentation. Combatants Allied Powers Axis Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties 17 million military deaths 7 million military deaths World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a mid-20th century conflict that engulfed much of the globe and is accepted as the largest and deadliest... Power lines leading to a trash dump hover just overhead in El Carpio, a Nicaraguan refugee camp in Costa Rica Under international law, a refugee is a person who is outside his/her country of nationality or habitual residence; has a well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her... Ruthenians is a name that has been applied to different ethnic groups at different times; for an explanation of the reasons for this, see Ruthenia. ... Kriwi  album cover The Krivichs (Кривичи́ in Russian, Крывічы́ in Belarusian or Krivichi), a tribe of Early East Slavs between the 6th and the 12th centuries, which inhabited the upper reaches of the Volga, Dnieper, Western Dvina, the southern part of the Lake Peipus and parts of the Neman basin. ...

After the Second World War the Kresy territory was officially ceded to the Soviet Union (Ukrainian, Byelorussian and Lithuanian Socialist Soviet Republics) and most of the Polish population was transferred to Poland's Recovered Territories. Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... State motto: Пралетарыі ўсіх краін, яднайцеся! Belarusian: Workers of the world, unite! Official language None. ... State motto: Visų šalių proletarai, vienykitės (Workers of all countries, unite) Official language Constitutionally, all languages were equal. ... Population transfer is a term referring to a policy by which a state forces the movement of a large group of people out of a region, invariably on the basis of ethnicity or religion. ... Note: although the term recovered territories has a clear meaning in Poland and Polish historiography, it is not a widely accepted term or concept in Germany or in English-speaking nations. ...

See also

• Curzon line
• Dzikie Pola
• People's Republic of Poland
• Polish areas annexed by the Soviet Union
• West Belarus
• Kresy Zachodnie

The Curzon Line was a demarcation line proposed in 1919 by the British Foreign Secretary, Lord Curzon of Kedleston, as a possible armistice line between Poland, to the west, and Soviet Russia to the east, during the Polish-Soviet War of 1919–20. ... Zaporizhia (Ukrainian: Запоріжжя, Zaporizhzhia; Polish: Zaporoże or Dzikie Pola (Wild Field), Russian: Запоро́жье, Zaporozhye) is a historical region of Ukraine. ... The Peoples Republic of Poland or Polish Peoples Republic (Polish: Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa, PRL) was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1989, during its period of rule by the Communist party, officially called the Polish United Workers Party (Polska Zjednoczona Partia Robotnicza, or PZPR). ... Under the terms of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, adjusted by agreement on 28 September 1939, the Soviet Union annexed all Polish territory east of the line of the rivers Pisa, Narew, Western Bug, and San, except for Wilno country with its capital Wilno (Vilnius), which was given to Lithuania, and... West Belarus is the name used by Russian and Belarusian government to denote the territory of modern Belarus that belonged to Second Polish Republic until the beginning of World War II. The term is used mostly in historic context. ...

External links

• http://www.kresy.co.uk/