Silesia
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| colspan="2" style="background-color:#FFFFFF; text-align:center; font-size:120%; border-bottom:1px solid #AAAAAA;" | '''Silesia'''
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! colspan="2" | [[Image:Silesia (Now).png|240px|Outlined in light blue, up and down river from [[Wroclaw]].]]
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| [[Silesian language]],<br/> [[Polish language]],<br/>[[German language]],<br/> [[Czech language]]
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| [[Central European Time|CET]] ([[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]]+1)<br>[[Central European Summer Time|CEST]] ([[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]]+2)
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'''Silesia''' (in English, {{pronEng|saɪˈlɪːʃə}}, {{lang-cs|Slezsko}}; {{Audio-de|Schlesien|Schlesien.ogg}}; {{lang-la|Silesia}}; {{lang-pl|Śląsk}}; [[Silesian]]: ''Ślůnsk'') is a historical region of [[Central Europe]] located in contemporary [[Poland]], the [[Czech Republic]] and [[Germany]]. It is rich in mineral and natural resources and home to large amounts of industry. The largest cities are [[Wrocław]], [[Katowice]], and [[Ostrava]].
Geographically, the area is very accessible but terminates within several mountain ranges making it historically a border region when incorporated amongst larger nation-states. It is primarily located in a swath flanking along both banks of the upper and middle [[Oder River]], but extends to the upper [[Vistula]] River, and into and along the [[Sudeten mountains|Sudetes]], and arms of the [[Carpathian Mountains|Carpathian]] (both the [[Silesian Beskids]], [[Moravian-Silesian Beskids|Silesian-Moravian Beskids]]) mountain ranges.
As a region, "national" ownership and borders have changed radically over the past [[millennium]] both as a heredity possession of [[feudalism|noble houses]] or after the rise of [[modern times|modern]] [[nation-states]] — but, at present, most of the area is now within the borders of [[Poland]] where it is [[subnational entity|administered]] by the following sub-divisions: [[Silesian Voivodeship]], [[Opole Voivodeship]], [[Lower Silesian Voivodeship]] and [[Lubusz Voivodeship]]. Additional parts of the region are now in the [[Czech Republic]] ([[Czech Silesia]]) and [[Germany]] (''Silesian-Lusatian Region'' or ''Silesian Lusatia'': [[German language|Ger:]] ''Niederschlesien-Oberlausitz/Schlesische Oberlausitz'').
Silesia has been inhabited from [[time immemorial]] by people of multiple [[ethnic group]]s. [[East Germanic tribes|Germanic tribes]] were first recorded within Silesia in the 1st century. [[Slavic peoples]] arrived in this territory around the 6th century. The first known states in Silesia were those of [[Greater Moravia]] and [[Bohemia]]. In the 10th century, [[Mieszko I]] incorporated Silesia into the Polish state.
In the [[Middle Ages]], Silesia was divided among many independent duchies ruled by various Silesian [[Dukes of Silesia|dukes]] of the [[Piast dynasty]]. During this time, cultural and ethnic [[Germans|German]] [[Germanization|influence]] increased due to [[Ostsiedlung|immigrants]] from the [[German language|German]]-speaking components of the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. Between the years [[1289]]–[[1292]] Bohemian king [[Wenceslaus II]] became suzerain of some Upper Silesian duchies. Silesia subsequently became a possession of the [[Bohemia]]n 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 [[Krosno Odrzańskie|Crossen]] was inherited by [[Margraviate of Brandenburg<!--|Brandenburg-->]] in 1476 and, with the renunciation by King [[Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor|Ferdinand I]] and estates of Bohemia in 1538, it became an integral part of Brandenburg.
In 1742, most of Silesia was seized by King [[Frederick II of Prussia|Frederick the Great]] of [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]] in the [[War of the Austrian Succession]] and subsequently made the Prussian [[Province of Silesia]].
After [[World War I]], parts of Silesia were transferred to the [[Second Polish Republic]] and administered as the [[Autonomous Silesian Voivodeship]]. A plebecite recorded the majority of the population of all of Upper Silesia wished to remain part of Germany. However, the easternmost portion of Upper Silesia, with a majority ethnic Polish population, was transferred to Poland. The Prussian Province of Silesia within Germany was divided into the Provinces of [[Province of Lower Silesia|Lower Silesia]] and [[Province of Upper Silesia|Upper Silesia]]. [[Austrian Silesia]] (now [[Czech Silesia]]), the small portion of Silesia retained by Austria after the [[Silesian Wars]], became part of the new [[Czechoslovakia]].
In 1945 following [[World War II]], all of Silesia was seized by the [[Soviet Union]] and most of it transferred to Poland. As a result a vast majority of the native ethnic German population was expelled by force and replaced by Polish settlers who, had themselves, been expelled from former eastern Poland.
== Extent ==
[[Image:Landkarte von Schlesien.jpg|thumb|200px|left|First map of Silesia by Martin Helwig, 1561]]
Traditionally, Silesia was bounded to the west by the [[Kwisa]] and [[Bóbr]] rivers, while the territory west of the Kwisa was in Upper [[Lusatia]] (earlier ''Milsko''). However, because part of Upper Lusatia was included in the [[Province of Silesia]] in 1815, in Germany [[Görlitz]], [[Niederschlesischer Oberlausitzkreis]] and neighbouring areas are considered parts of Silesia. Those districts, along with Poland's [[Lower Silesian Voivodeship]] and parts of [[Lubusz Voivodeship]], make up the geographic region of [[Lower Silesia]].
Silesia has undergone a similar notional extension at its eastern extreme. Traditionally it extended only as far as the [[Brynica]] river, which separates it from [[Zagłębie Dąbrowskie]]. However to most Poles today (excluding those from the area in question), Silesia (''Śląsk'') is understood to cover all of the area around Katowice, including Zagłębie. This interpretation is given official sanction in the use of the name [[Silesian Voivodeship]] (''województwo śląskie'') for the province covering this area. In fact the word ''Śląsk'' in Polish (when used without qualification) now commonly refers exclusively to this area (also called [[Upper Silesia]]), to the exclusion of Lower Silesia.
Apart from Silesian Voivodeship, Upper Silesia in a broader sense also includes [[Opole Voivodeship]] in Poland and [[Czech Silesia]] in the Czech Republic. Czech Silesia consists of the [[Moravian-Silesian Region]] and [[Jeseník District]] in the [[Olomouc Region]].
== Etymology ==
One theory claims that the name ''Silesia'' is derived from the ''[[Silingi]]'', who were most likely a [[Vandals|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 languages|Slavic]] form) by the new inhabitants, who were in fact [[Slavic peoples|Slavic]] ({{lang-pl|Śląsk}}; Old Polish: ''Śląžsk [-o]''; Old Slavic: *Sьlęžьskъ [<*sǐlęgǐskǔ], from [[Vandalic language|Old Vandalic]] *Siling-isk [land]). These people became associated with the place, and were thenceforth known as Silesians (using a [[Latin]]ized form of the Polish name, ''Ślężanie''), even though they may have had little in common with the original Silingi.
The critics claim that neither the Polish name ''Śląsk'' nor German ''Schlesien'' show resemblance to the alleged tribe of "Silingi", and that the Latin name ''Silesia'' originated in 11th century.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}
The other theory (supported by archaeological finds){{Fact|date=March 2007}} claims that the original name of the region Śląsk, is derived from the [[West Slavic languages|West Slavic]] word ''ślągwa'' meaning ''high humidity'' (to this day the region of Mountain Ślęża, the original Polish settlement, has a coastal climate).{{Fact|date=March 2007}}
== History ==
=== Early people ===
The first signs of genus [[Homo (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 Glacial Maximum|last glaciation]]. The [[human|anatomically-modern human]] is estimated to have arrived in Silesia about 35,000 years ago.<ref>Cavalli Sforza, "Genes, Peoples, and Languages", Scientific American, November 1991</ref> Subsequently, Silesia was inhabited by people who belonged to changing archaeological cultures in the [[Stone Age|Stone]], [[Bronze Age|Bronze]], and [[Iron Age]]s, and the ethnic identity of whose cannot currently be determined. The civilization of [[Old European culture|Old Europe]] undoubtedly included Silesia. In the late Bronze Age, the [[Lusatian culture]] (in the past, variously speculated to be either 'pre-Germanic', [[Proto-Slavic]], [[Thracian]], [[Karpo-Dacian]], or [[Illyrian]]) covered Silesia. Later, the [[Scythians]] and [[Celts]] are known to have played a role within the Silesian territory. Still later Germanic tribes migrated to Silesia, possibly from Northern Germany or Scandinavia.
In [[ancient times]], the main route of the [[Amber Road]] passed through Silesia.
The first written sources about Silesia came down from the Egyptian [[Claudius Ptolemaeus]] (''[[Magna Germania]]'') and the Roman [[Gaius Cornelius Tacitus]] (''[[Germania]]''). According to [[Gaius Cornelius Tacitus|Tacitus]], the [[1st century]] Silesia was inhabited by a multi-ethnic league dominated by the [[Lugii]]. The [[Silingi]] were also part of this federation, and most likely a [[Vandals|Vandalic]] people (Germanic) that lived south of the [[Baltic Sea]] in the [[Elbe|Laba, later Elbe]], [[Oder]], and [[Vistula]] river areas. Also, other [[East Germanic]] tribes inhabited the scarcely populated{{Fact|date=October 2007}} region.
===Middle Ages===
After about 500 [[AD]], the [[migration period]] had induced the bulk of the East Germanic tribes to continue their migration and leave Silesia towards Southern Europe, while Slavic tribes began to appear and spread including into the Silesian lands.
Early documents mention a few mostly [[Slavic tribes]] probably living in Silesia ([[Silesian tribes]]). The [[Bavarian Geographer]] (around 845 AD) specifies the following peoples: the [[Ślężanie|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 Silesia territory came under the political power of the first historically-attested states in the region called [[Great Moravia]], [[Moravia]], and then [[Bohemia]], with the centers in the neighbouring area within today's [[Czech Republic]] to the south. Around year 990 AD, some parts of Silesia were conquered and annexed into the newly-created Polish state by Duke [[Mieszko I of Poland|Mieszko I]], ([http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~koby/political/chapter_02/0205pol992.html see map]), although some historians give this date as 999 and the rule of Duke [[Boleslaus I of Poland|Boleslaus I]]. During [[Piast Poland#Fragmentation and Invasion, (1146-1295)|Poland's fragmentation]] (1138–1320) into [[duchy|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 the Exile|Władysław II]] acknowledged the overlordship of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] over his realms, but was driven into [[exile]] by Polish nobles who opposed him. 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]] [[Mongol invasion of Europe|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 [[Germans|German]] and [[Dutch people|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 [[Jew]]s 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 [[nationalism|nationalists]] for [[ideology|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 [[Knights Hospitaller|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 Poland|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 [[Kuyavia]]n line of Piasts, Duke [[Władysław I the Elbow-high]]. Władysław eventually won the struggle because of his broader support. In the meantime, King [[Venceslaus II of Bohemia|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 of Poland|Casimir III the Great]]) and a coalition of Bohemians, Brandenburgers and [[Teutonic Knights]] trying to divide Poland. During this time, most Silesian [[duke]]s, 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 incorporation of most of Silesia (Treaties of [[Treaty of Trentschin|Trentschin]] and [[Congress of Visegrád (1335)|Visegrád]]); this was confirmed in the 1348 [[Treaty of Namslau]]. Over the following centuries, the lines of the Piast dukes of Silesia died out and were inherited by the Bohemian crown:
*Opolska (of [[Opole]])in 1314;
*Świdnicka (of [[Świdnica]]) in 1368;
*Oleśnicka ([[Oleśnica]] and [[Głogów]]) in 1476;
*Żagańska (of [[Żagań]]) in 1504;
*Woitowitz (of [[Woitowitz, Wrocław]]) 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 ([[Duchy of Cieszyn|Cieszyn]]) died in [[1625]], rule of the duchy passed to his sister [[Elżbieta Lukrecja of Cieszyn|Elisabeth Lucretia]], wife of the duke of Liechtenstein, until her death in 1653 after which it reverted to the Bohemian crown 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, Poland|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 [[Kingdom of Bohemia|Bohemia]] incorporated the region into the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. Under Emperor [[Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles IV]], Silesia and especially [[Wrocław]] (Vratislav, Breslau) gained greatly in importance, as many great buildings and large [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] [[church]]es were built. From the [[13th century]] onward the population of the region became increasingly [[Germanization|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 [[Hussite]]s 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 [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]], excluding [[Cieszyn Silesia]] where Hussite ideas became popular.<!--"Lutheranism" did not exist in the 15th century-->
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; 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).
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 (assembly)|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 [[Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary|Vladislaus II]], 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 Bohemian king, [[Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor|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 ===
[[Image:Upper Silesia coat of arms.png|thumb|200px|Upper Silesia's historical coat of arms]]
The [[Protestant Reformation]] of the 16th century took an early hold in Silesia, and 9/10 of all inhabitants became [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]]. Thus large parts of Silesia became closer attached to the center of the Protestant Reformation, [[Brandenburg]] and [[Saxony]], whereas the ties to the Catholic regions of Bohemia and Southern Germany waned.
After the death of King [[Louis II of Hungary and Bohemia]] in 1526, [[Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor|Ferdinand I]] of the [[Habsburg]] dynasty was elected King of Bohemia. In the same year, he made the formerly [[Elective monarchy|elected Bohemian crown]] an inherited possession of the Habsburg dynasty. In 1537, the Piast Duke [[Frederick II of Brieg|Frederick II]] of [[Brzeg]] concluded a treaty with [[Prince-Elector|Elector]] [[Joachim II]] of [[Brandenburg]], whereby the [[House of Hohenzollern|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 [[Protestantism|Protestants]] to seek refuge in the neighbouring countries of [[Brandenburg]], [[Saxony]] and the [[Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth]]. Protestant Silesians often also circumvented restrictive laws by building their churches on the soil of these countries, the so called "border churches" (German: Grenzkirchen).
=== Thirty Years' War ===
[[Image:Silesia coat of arms.png|thumb|200px|Lower Silesia's historical coat of arms]]
The second "[[Defenestrations of Prague|Defenestration of Prague]]" in 1618 sparked the [[Thirty Years' War]], caused by King [[Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor|Ferdinand II]]'s attempts to restore Catholicism and stamp out Protestantism within Bohemia, carried out with the help of the [[Jesuits]].
<!-- "and often the infamous Liechtenstein dragoons." -- Completely not sure about this as the LD were not created before the end of the 30Y War but in 1682 -->
Although Ferdinand requested assistance from the mostly Catholic [[Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth]], the Polish ''[[szlachta]]'' sympathized with the Bohemian and [[Kingdom of Hungary|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, Holy Roman 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 [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholicism]] about 60% of the population of Silesia. By 1675 the last Silesian Piast rulers had died out.
=== Kingdom of Prussia ===
[[Image:Superiorem Silesiam AD1746.jpg|thumb|300px|''Superior Silesia''<br>Upper Silesia map of 1746]]
In 1740, the annexation of Silesia by King [[Frederick II of Prussia|Frederick II]] the Great of [[Kingdom of Prussia|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 Crown of Bohemia and the Austrian [[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]]. Already in the Middle Ages, German had become the only popular language in all of [[Lower Silesia]]. However, dialects of Polish were still used in much of the countryside of [[Upper Silesia]], whereas German was the most common language in most Upper Silesian cities.
=== Silesia in Germany and Austria===
[[Image:Schlesien 1905.png|thumb|300px|Imperial German Silesia 1905]]
As a [[Province of Silesia|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 German-speaking and most were Lutheran, including the capital of [[Wrocław|Breslau]]. There were areas such as the [[Landkreis|District]] of [[Opole|Oppeln]] (then [[Regierungsbezirk]] Oppeln) and rural parts of Upper Silesia, however, where a larger portion or even majority of the population were Slavic-speaking Poles and Roman Catholic. In Silesia as a whole, ethnic [[Poles]] comprised about 30% of the population{{Fact|date=May 2007}}, and most of them lived around [[Kattowitz]] ([[Katowice]]) in the southeast of Upper Silesia. In whole Upper Silesia Poles made 61,1 % of population in 1829, but due to state's policy of forced [[germanization]] their numbers decreased to 58,6 % of population 1849.<ref name="Mapy">"Mapy narodowościowe Górnego Śląska od połowy XIX wieku do II Wojny Światowej" Dorota Borowiecz Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Wrocławskiego 2005 ISBN 83-229-2569-7</ref> 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 [[Katowice|Kattowitz (Katowice)]], [[German Empire]] in 1884.
{{wikisourcepar|Littell's Living Age/Volume 144/Issue 1856/A Silesian Country House|an account of rural life in German Silesia in the nineteenth centtury.}}
At the same time, the areas of [[Ostrava]] and [[Karviná]] in Austrian Silesia became increasingly industrialized. Significant portion of the Polish-speaking people there, however, were 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 (assembly)|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: [[Opava]] (Troppau), the capital, [[Bielsko-Biała]] (Bielitz) and [[Frýdek-Místek]] (Friedeck). Other principal towns were: [[Cieszyn|Cieszyn/Těšín]] (Teschen), [[Slezská Ostrava]] (Polnisch-Ostrau) – the eastern part of [[Ostrava]], [[Krnov]] (Jagerndorf), [[Karviná]] (Karwin), [[Bruntál]] (Freudenthal), [[Jeseník]] (Freiwaldau) and [[Horní Benešov]] (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-speaking majority. The plebiscite, organised by the [[League of Nations]], was held in 1921. In [[Cieszyn Silesia]] first there was an interim deal between Polish ''Rada Narodowa Księstwa Cieszyńskiego'' and Czech ''Národní výbor pro Slezsko'' about partition of past lands of the [[Duchy of Cieszyn]] according to ethnic lines. However, that deal was not approved by the Czechoslovak government in [[Prague]]. Poland held general elections in the entire disputed area, and on [[23 January]] [[1919]], Czech troops invaded the lands of Cieszyn Silesia and stopped on [[30 January]] [[1919]] on the [[Vistula River]] near [[Skoczów]].<ref>Długajczyk 1993, 7.</ref><ref>Zahradnik 1992, 59.</ref> The planned plebiscite was not organised and the division of Cieszyn Silesia was decided on [[28 July]] [[1920]] by the [[Spa Conference]], which instituted the present-day border between Poland and the [[Czech Republic]].
=== Interwar period ===
[[Image:Zaolzie karwina 1938.jpg|thumb|250px|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 for 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 Województwo 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 [[Weimar Republic|Germany]], was reorganised into the two provinces of [[Province of Upper Silesia|Upper Silesia]] and [[Province of Lower Silesia|Lower Silesia]]. In Silesia the synagogues in modern day [[Wrocław]] (German:Breslau) and in many other cities were destroyed during the [[Kristallnacht]] of 1938. In October 1938, [[Zaolzie]] (part of Cieszyn Silesia, the disputed area west of the [[Olza River]] - 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 [[Slezská Ostrava]] was incorporated into the [[Sudetenland]] [[Gau]], while [[Hultschin]] was incorporated into Upper Silesia province.
=== World War II ===
The [[Nazi Germany|German Reich]] retook possession of these mostly Polish parts of Upper Silesia (lost as a result of WWI) 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 (1939)|invasion of Poland]] marked the beginning of [[World War II]]. The local German populations frequently welcomed the [[Wehrmacht]] and saw it as a liberation much like in the Sudetenland. Later, many thousands of Silesians were conscripted to 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|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 World War II ===
In 1945, all of Silesia was occupied by the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[Red Army]] and [[Ludowe Wojsko Polskie|Polish People's Army]], in the course of the [[Silesian Offensives]] as part of the invasion of Eastern Germany. By then a large portion of the German population [[World War II evacuation and expulsion|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 River|Oder]] and [[Lusatian Neisse]] 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 inhabitants, were forcibly [[Expulsion of Germans after World War II|expelled]], some of them imprisoned in labour camps, e.g. [[Łambinowice|Lambsdorf (Łambinowice)]] and [[Zgoda labour camp]]. Many perished in those camps and many more during the flight towards the Soviet Occuapation Zone across the Oder and Neisse Rivers. Refugees first arrived in what would become East Germany and many of the victims of the firebombing of Dresden were Silesian refugees. Some of the population stayed in the Russian zone while others left for the Allied Occupation Zone or what would become West Germany. In addition, some Silesians immigrated to Austria, the United States, South America or Australia. More than 30,000 Silesian men (the majority of which had German roots, some having partially Polish roots) were deported to Soviet [[Mining|mines]] and [[Siberia]], most of whom never returned. Others were driven out in the years after the war by the Polish government who took on a very nationalistic anti-German policy in what they deemed the [[Regained Territories]], (see [[German exodus from Eastern Europe]]).
The industry of Silesia, in particular the substantial industry of Upper Silesia, suffered comparatively little damage during World War II due to its relative inaccessibility to [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] [[Strategic bombing during World War II|bombing]], a Soviet Army [[Pincer movement|enveloping maneuver]] in January 1945,<ref>Max Hastings, "Armageddon. The Battle for Germany 1944-1945", Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2004, page 248</ref> and perhaps [[Albert Speer]]'s slowness or refusal to implement the [[scorched earth]] policy. This generally intact industry now played a critical role in the post-war reconstruction and industrialization of Poland. That industry that was damaged or destroyed (mostly in Opole and Lower Silesia) was rebuilt after the war. After the war, businesses (large and small alike) were nationalized and operated, with relatively minor changes or investments, till 1989. At the [[Revolutions of 1989|fall of communism]] in 1989, the most industrialized parts of Silesia were in decline. Since 1989, Silesia has been transitioning to a more diverse, service-based economy.
After the World War II, the region was substantially repopulated by Poles, many of whom had themselves been expelled from eastern Polish areas annexed by the Soviet Union and transferred to the Soviet Ukraine. Today, a small German-speaking remnant indigenous population 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 the official Polish census, 153,000 people declared German nationality, though up to 500,000 or more are of German ancestry.{{Fact|date=March 2007}} The German-Polish silesian minority is active in politics and has pressed for the right to again freely use the German language in public which has been largely successful.
In 1945 following [[World War II]], the communist parliament of Poland took control of the German Silesian territory, as well as the [[Autonomous Silesian Voivodeship]]. After the fall of communism in 1989, the parliament of Poland did not return autonomy to Polish Silesia. Since 1991, the [[Silesian Autonomy Movement]] has tried peaceful dialogue to convince the Polish parliament to return autonomy, though so far their efforts have been unsuccessful.
== Natural resources ==
Silesia is a resource-rich and populous region. Bituminous and lignite [[coal]] is abundant, and a substantial [[manufacturing]] industry is present, particularly in Upper Silesia. Lower Silesia features large [[copper]] mining and processing between the cities of [[Legnica]], [[Głogów]], Lubin and Polkowice. Recently, the estimate of [[lignite]] reserves near Legnica has been upgraded to about 35 billion tonnes, making them some of the largest in the world.<ref>[http://www.gazetawyborcza.pl/1,82244,4820533.html - Article "We have the largest reserves of lignite in the world", Gazeta Wyborcza, 2008-01-08 (in Polish)]</ref>
The following minerals have also been mined in Silesia: [[zinc]], [[silver]], [[cadmium]], [[lead]], [[gold]], [[methane]], [[iron ore]], [[limestone]], [[marl]], [[marble]], and [[basalt]]. Historically, also uranium used to be mined.<ref>[http://www10.antenna.nl/wise/index.html?http://www10.antenna.nl/wise/439-440/poland.html WISE - Nuclear issues information service<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
In post-communist times, however, the outdated nature of many facilities has led to environmental problems and substantial transition away from the resource-based to service-based economy.
{| class="prettytable"
|+'''Annual production of minerals in Silesia'''
|-
! Mineral Name
! Production (tonnes)
! Reference
|-
|Bituminous coal
| 95,000,000
|
|-
| Copper
| 571,000
|<ref>[http://www.indexmundi.com/en/commodities/minerals/copper/copper_t21.html Copper: World Smelter Production, By Country<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
|-
|Zinc
|160,000
|<ref>[http://www.indexmundi.com/en/commodities/minerals/zinc/zinc_table18.html Zinc: World Smelter Production, By Country<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
|-
|Silver
|1,200
|<ref>[http://www.indexmundi.com/en/commodities/minerals/silver/silver_table08.html Silver: World Mine Production, By Country<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
|-
|Cadmium
|500
|<ref>[http://www.indexmundi.com/en/commodities/minerals/cadmium/cadmium_t5.html Cadmium: World Refinery Production, By Country<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
|-
|Lead
|70,000
|<ref>[http://www.indexmundi.com/en/commodities/minerals/lead/lead_t16.html Lead: World Refinery Production, By Country<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
|-
|}
The region also has a thriving [[agriculture|agricultural]] sector, which produces [[cereal]]s (wheat, rye, barley, oats, corn), [[potato]]es, [[rapeseed]], [[sugar beet]]s and others. Milk production is well developed. The Opole Silesia has for decades occupied the top spot in Poland for their indices of effectiveness of agricultural land use.<ref>[http://umwo.opole.pl/serwis/index.php?id=2009 Web site of the Opole regional government containing the current statistics (in Polish)]</ref>
Mountainous parts of southern Silesia feature many significant and attractive tourism destinations (e.g., [[Karpacz]], [[Szczyrk]], [[Wisła]]).
Silesia is generally well forested. This is because greenness is generally highly desirable by the local population, particularly in the highly industrialized parts of Silesia.
{{Expand-section|date=June 2008}}
== Demographics ==
Modern Silesia is inhabited by [[Poles]], [[ethnic Germans|Germans]], [[Czechs]] and slavic [[Silesians]]. The last Polish census of 2002 showed that the Silesians are the largest national 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 mostly by Germans and Poles, in addition to German and Polish Jews and Czechs. In 1905, a census showed (in Upper Silesia) 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 Germany|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 [[Christian Democratic Union (Germany)|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 [[Germany|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]] who is also Silesian. Both are stars of the [[Germany national football team|German national football team]].
Silesia has always been different than ruling it countries.<ref>T. Kamusella, Tomasz"Silesia: Doing It Our Way", Transitions Online, 11/14/2005</ref> Also stereotyping of Silesians and by Silesians has been common.<ref>Tomasz Kamusella, "The Upper Silesians' Stereotypical Perception of the Poles and the Germans", East European Quarterly, Vol. 33, 1999</ref> The Silesian people are perceived to traditionally exhibit exceptional working ethics, high technical aptitude, dedication to family, team-work orientation, and skepticism to politics and media. The stereotypical way for Silesian men to spend their free time would include [[pigeon keeping]], [[bee keeping]], [[soccer]], [[gardening]], home upgrades, beer drinking, or magazine reading, while stereotypical housewife would prefer to play with kids, chat with a neighbour, or bake elaborate pastry (possibly a [[List of Polish cuisine dishes#Silesia|poppy-seed cake]]).{{Fact|date=October 2007}}
== Cities in Silesia ==
By far, the largest urban center in Silesia (and in Poland) is the [[Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union]], which is a voluntary union of a 14 neighbouring cities. However, it struggling to gain recognition in Poland, and is sometimes not even shown on Polish maps<ref>[http://www.silesia-region.pl/wizja/pwr_ta.pdf Pozytywny wizerunek regionu Yród³em sukcesu oel¹skich firm<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>.
The following table lists the (official) cities in Silesia with a population greater than 100,000 (2006):
{| cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="margin: 0 0 1em 1em; text-align:center; width:150px; float:right;"
|-
|[[Image:Wroclaw 1.jpg|150px|center]]
|-
|[[Wrocław]]
|-
|[[Image:K-ce (noc 1).jpg|150px|center]]
|-
|[[Katowice]]
|-
|[[Image:Ostrava, pohled z Nové radnice 2.jpg|150px|center]]
|-
|[[Ostrava]]
|-
|[[Image:PL Bielsko Biala Ratusz.JPG|152px|center]]
|-
|[[Bielsko-Biała]]
|-
|[[Image:PL Opole NCentrum.jpg|150px|center]]
|-
|[[Opole]]
|-
|[[Image:Goerlitz bruecke waidhaus und st peter u paul.jpg|150px|center]]
|-
|[[Görlitz]]
|}
{| class="wikitable" align=center
|- bgcolor=#cccccc
! width=1% |
! width=1% |
! width=12% | Official name
! width=8% | Population
! width=8% | Area
! width=17% | Administrative
! width=4% | Country
|-
| align="center" | 1 || [[Image:Herb wroclaw.svg|center|25px]] || align="left" | '''[[Wrocław]]''' ||align="center" | 635 932||align="center" | 293 km² ||align="center" | [[Lower Silesian Voivodeship|Lower Silesian V.]] || [[Image:Flag of Poland.svg|center|33px]]
|-
| align="center" | 2 || [[Image:Katowice Herb.svg|center|25px]] || align="left" | '''[[Katowice]]''' || align="center" | 317 220 ||align="center" | 165 km² ||align="center" | [[Silesian Voivodeship]] || [[Image:Flag of Poland.svg|center|33px]]
|-
| align="center" | 3 || [[Image:Ostrava CoA CZ.svg|center|25px]] || align="left" | '''[[Ostrava]]''' || align="center" | 309 531 ||align="center" | 214 km² ||align="center" | [[Moravian-Silesian Region|Moravian-Silesian R.]] || [[Image:Flag of the Czech Republic.svg|center|33px]]
|-
| align="center" | 4 || [[Image:Gliwice herb.svg|center|25px]] || align="left" | '''[[Gliwice]]''' || align="center" | 199 451 ||align="center" | 134 km² ||align="center" | [[Silesian Voivodeship]] || [[Image:Flag of Poland.svg|center|33px]]
|-
| align="center" | 5 || [[Image:Bytom herb.svg|center|25px]] || align="left" | '''[[Bytom]]''' || align="center" | 187 943 ||align="center" | 69 km² ||align="center" | [[Silesian Voivodeship]] || [[Image:Flag of Poland.svg|center|33px]]
|-
| align="center" | 6 || [[Image:POL Zabrze COA.svg|center|25px]] || align="left" | '''[[Zabrze]]''' || align="center" | 191 247 ||align="center" | 80 km² ||align="center" | [[Silesian Voivodeship]] || [[Image:Flag of Poland.svg|center|33px]]
|-
| align="center" | 7 || [[Image:POL Bielsko-Biała COA.svg|center|48px]] || align="left" | '''[[Bielsko-Biała]]''' || align="center" |176 864 ||align="center" | 125 km² ||align="center" | [[Silesian Voivodeship]] || [[Image:Flag of Poland.svg|center|33px]]
|-
| align="center" | 8 || [[Image:POL Ruda Śląska COA.svg|center|25px]] || align="left" | '''[[Ruda Śląska]]''' || align="center" | 146 658 ||align="center" | 78 km² ||align="center" | [[Silesian Voivodeship]] || [[Image:Flag of Poland.svg|center|33px]]
|-
| align="center" | 9 || [[Image:POL Rybnik COA.svg|center|25px]] || align="left" | '''[[Rybnik]]''' || align="center" | 141 580 ||align="center" | 148 km² ||align="center" | [[Silesian Voivodeship]] || [[Image:Flag of Poland.svg|center|33px]]
|-
| align="center" | 10 || [[Image:POL Tychy COA.svg|center|25px]] || align="left" | '''[[Tychy]]''' || align="center" | 131 153 ||align="center" | 82 km² ||align="center" | [[Silesian Voivodeship]] || [[Image:Flag of Poland.svg|center|33px]]
|-
| align="center" | 11 || [[Image:POL Opole COA.svg|center|25px]] || align="left" | '''[[Opole]]''' || align="center" | 128 268 ||align="center" | 97 km² ||align="center" | [[Opole Voivodeship]] || [[Image:Flag of Poland.svg|center|33px]]
|-
| align="center" | 12 || [[Image:POL Wałbrzych COA.svg|center|25px]] || align="left" | '''[[Wałbrzych]]''' || align="center" | 126 465 ||align="center" | 85 km² ||align="center" | [[Lower Silesian Voivodeship|Lower Silesian V.]] || [[Image:Flag of Poland.svg|center|33px]]
|-
| align="center" | 13 || [[Image:POL Zielona Góra COA.svg|center|25px]] || align="left" | '''[[Zielona Góra]]''' || align="center" | 118 221 ||align="center" | 58 km² ||align="center" | [[Lubusz Voivodeship]] || [[Image:Flag of Poland.svg|center|33px]]
|-
| align="center" | 14 || [[Image:Chorzów herb.svg|center|25px]] || align="left" | '''[[Chorzów]]''' || align="center" | 114 686 ||align="center" | 33 km² ||align="center" | [[Silesian Voivodeship]] || [[Image:Flag of Poland.svg|center|33px]]
|-
| align="center" | 15 || [[Image:Legnica herb.svg|center|25px]] || align="left" | '''[[Legnica]]''' || align="center" | 105 750||align="center" | 56 km² ||align="center" | [[Lower Silesian Voivodeship|Lower Silesian V.]] || [[Image:Flag of Poland.svg|center|33px]]
|-
|}
== See also ==
* [[Autonomous Silesian Voivodeship]]
* [[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 ==
{{reflist}}
== References ==
* {{cite book
| last = Długajczyk
| first = Edward
| coauthors =
| title = Tajny front na granicy cieszyńskiej. Wywiad i dywersja w latach 1919-1939
| publisher = Śląsk
|date=1993
| location = [[Katowice]]
| pages =
| url =
| doi =
| isbn = 83-85831-03-7 }}
* {{cite book
| last = Zahradnik
| first = Stanisław
| coauthors = and Marek Ryczkowski
| title = Korzenie Zaolzia
| publisher = PAI-press
|date=1992
| location = Warszawa - Praga - Trzyniec
| pages =
| url =
| doi =
| oclc = 177389723
| id = }}
* {{1911}}
==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
* ''Dehio - Handbuch der Kunstdenkmäler in Polen: Schlesien'', Herder-Institut Marburg and Krajowy Osrodek Badan i Dokumentacji Zabytkow Warszawa, Deutscher Kunstverlag 2005, ISBN 342203109X*
== External links ==
{{Commonscat|Silesia}}
* [http://brws.silesia-region.pl/indexang.php Silesia in Europe page]
* [http://www.republikasilesia.com Republic of Silesia page]
* [http://raslaska.aremedia.net Silesian Autonomy Movement page]
* [http://www.hoeckmann.de/germany/silesia.htm Map of Silesia in 1763]
* [http://www.vogel-soya.de/bilder/Schlesphoto.html Old postcards from Silesian towns]
* [http://www.schlesierland.de/index.html Photos from Silesian towns, villages and communities before 1946]
* [http://www.tr62.de/maps/Silesia-2000.html Map of Silesia as of 2000]
* [http://www.upper-silesia.com/map.html Silesia in maps of Europe]
*[http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:hpCJqtZMuwoJ:www.dhm.de/ausstellungen/europas-mitte-um-1000/EM_Pressemappe_deutsch.pdf+herstellung+bronze+T%C3%BCren+gnesen&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=2 Combined European History Exhibit by Germans, Poles, Czech, Slovaks and Hungarians]
{{Silesia topics}}
[[Category:Silesia| ]]
[[Category:States of the Holy Roman Empire]]
[[Category:Divided regions]]
[[Category:Polish historical regions]]
[[Category:Austrian historical regions]]
[[Category:Czech historical regions]]
[[Category:German historical regions]]
{{Link FA|eo}}
[[af:Silesië]]
[[ar:سيليزيا]]
[[br:Silezia]]
[[bg:Силезия]]
[[cs:Slezsko]]
[[da:Schlesien]]
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[[el:Σιλεσία]]
[[es:Silesia]]
[[eo:Silezio]]
[[fr:Silésie]]
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[[ko:실레지아]]
[[hsb:Šleska]]
[[id:Silesia]]
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[[he:שלזיה]]
[[la:Silesia]]
[[lt:Silezija]]
[[hu:Szilézia]]
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[[ja:シレジア]]
[[no:Schlesien]]
[[oc:Silèsia]]
[[pl:Śląsk]]
[[pt:Silésia]]
[[ro:Silezia]]
[[ru:Силезия]]
[[simple:Silesia]]
[[sk:Sliezsko]]
[[sl:Šlezija]]
[[sr:Шлеска]]
[[fi:Sleesia]]
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[[sv:Schlesien]]
[[vi:Silesia]]
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[[zh:西里西亞]]