The Silesia ( Śląsk in Polish, Schlesien in German, Silesia in Latin, Slezsko in Czech) is an area which extends on three countries: the major part is located at south-west of the Poland, a part is beyond the border with the Czech Republic and a small portion in Germany.

History

Populated tribes Slavic (Dsiadossanie and Bobrsanie in north, Slesanie which gave him its name, Opolanie, and Golensicowie in the south), this area was with Xe century the object of a conflict between the Czech dynasty of the Přemyslides and the Polish dynasty of… the Piast. Mieszko Ier buys this area with Boleslav II.

Belonging to the Poland, Silesia was attached in 1335 to the crown of Bohemia, then with the Austria which dominated Bohemia since 1526, then with the Prussia in 1742 by the treated of Hubertusburg which put an end to the wars of Silesia. After 1871, it belonged to the Germany unified. With the treaty of Versailles, the part of populated Silesia of polonophones (in the campaigns, cities being more germanisées) - Silesia known as of Opole (German Oppeln) - was subjected to a plebiscite. That gave place to many conflicts (Polish insurrections, interventions of German irregular forces, in particular around Annaberg).

20th century

Populated Germans (in Low-Silesia) and of Pole (in High-Silesia and Silesia d' Opole), this area, divided between the Reich and the Rzeczpospolita between 1920 and 1939, the plebiscite in 1922 in High-Silesia gave more than 60% of the voices in favor of Reich (according to a cleavage not very favourable with a cutting: cities like Kattowitz/Katowice voter for the Germany while areas well with the west, more rural, voter in times of time for Poland!) - but the area nevertheless was divided (according to absurd lines on the economic plan). SDN guarantees for 15 years a protection of the minorities (what made it possible to the Jews to escape certain persecutions during the first years from the mode hitlérien). This scission created a sharp tension between Germans and Pole. In September 1939, the Germans invaded the area and still attached to Reich not only old Prussian High-Silesia but still a whole zone, (including Oswiecim - the disaster Auschwitz) to the doors of Krakau/Cracow (Reichsgau Oberschlesien). The Polish population (the minority) was prone to discriminations (even expulsions if it did not fit in Deutsche Volksliste) and the Jews were massacred.

After 1945

In January 1945, the Soviets took again the area of High-Silesia, well-known for its coal basin , almost intact. Further, in particular Breslau (Wroclaw) the Nazis resisted with eagerness, driving with the destruction part of the city. The Germans underwent the consequences of the policy of IIIe Reich: in their turn, they underwent discrimination, were massacred, imprisoned, then expelled. A great proportion of the population of origin of High-Silesia (there in 1939) accepted nevertheless the statute of indigenous and could remain in Silesia. In Low-Silesia, where crushing the majority of the population was German, the area was completely emptied, then repopulated by expelled Poles of the Eastern areas yielded to the USSR (of which the area of Lvov). In High-Silesia, awkwardnesses of the Communist government carried out a great number of polonophones (of Silesian dialect) of the area to be recognized like " Allemands" (to that a powerful economic incentive was added, in particular in the Eighties, years during which the living conditions in Poland were degraded). Since the recognition of the Oder-Neisse line by Germany (1990-91) and the integration of Poland in the EU.

After the German defeat of 1945, the German population was, as one noted, driven out towards the west, or forced to emigrate in FRG later (of the minors kept in Poland during the Fifties to fill lacks of labor). They were constituted in associations (Landmannschaften). Today Silesia is distributed between:

Poland:

• Voïvodie d' Opole (Opolskie) - Opole
• Voïvodie of Silesia (Śląskie) - Katowice
• Voïvodie of Low-Silesia (Dolnośląskie) - Wrocław
• Voïvodie de Lubusz (Lubuskie) - Zielona Góra

the Czech Republic:

• Area of Moravie-Silesia - Ostrava

Germany:

• High-Lusace-Low-Silesia & Görlitz

---- The Czech part of Silesia, attached to the IIIe Reich of 1938 with 1945 within the framework of the area of the Sudètes, was also emptied of its German inhabitants. It is currently populated Czechs and of Pole (Silesia of Cieszyn, Těšín, Teschen) around Český Těšín. It borders the area of Moravie in north. --- Germany kept a tiny portion of Silesia between Hoyerswerda and Görlitz (principal city), attached to the Land of Saxony ......

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Simple: Silesia

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