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Poles in Breslau (until 1939)

For centuries, Poles were part of the history of Wrocław, the capital city of Silesia.
©
Krzysztof Ruchniewicz / Porta Polonica 2018

For centuries, Poles were part of the history of Wrocław, the capital city of Silesia. That did not change, even when its borders and its nationality did. For a long time, you could still hear Polish being spoken on the city’s streets and in the surrounding villages. However, the situation changed around the turn of the 18th and 19th century: The Polish-speaking population began to adapt and the German language, which was taught in schools and used by the authorities, gradually replaced the Polish language. But Wrocław retained its appeal as a centre of economic and cultural life and the city’s appeal increased as it enjoyed significant development in the 19th century. More and more Poles came from Wielkopolska, Upper Silesia and Pomerania to the metropolis on the banks of the Oder. For many generations of Poles, the Friedrich Wilhelm University in Silesia, which was founded in 1811, was the place where they received their education. After the Polish state was founded in 1918, the situation for the Poles changed radically. Some of them decided to live inside the new Polish borders and left Wrocław. A Polish consulate was opened in Wrocław. After the war, the Polish secular and church organisations resumed their work in the city. The Union of Poles in Germany, whose branch was established in the city in 1923, played a key role in organisational life. The outbreak of the Second World War, the arrest of Polish activists and the seizure of Polish property brought the history of Poles in Breslau to an end.

Mediathek Sorted

Media library
  • Memorial plaque in Wrocław - The memorial plaque in Wrocław commemorates the 55th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.
  • Memorial plaque in Wrocław - The memorial plaque in Wrocław commemorates the 55th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.
  • Memorial plaque for Wojciech Cybulski and Władysław Nehring - Memorial plaque for Wojciech Cybulski and Władysław Nehring in the main building of the University of Wrocław.
  • St. Martin's Church (Kościół św. Marcina) in Wrocław - St. Martin's Church (Kościół św. Marcina) in Wrocław.
  • St. Martin's Church (Kościół św. Marcina) in Wrocław, next to it the monument to Pope John XXIII - St. Martin's Church (Kościół św. Marcina) in Wrocław, next to it the monument to Pope John XXIII.
  • St. Martin's Church (Kościół św. Marcina) in Wrocław - St. Martin's Church (Kościół św. Marcina) in Wrocław.
  • St. Martin's Church (Kościół św. Marcina) in Wrocław - St. Martin's Church (Kościół św. Marcina) in Wrocław.
  • Memorial plaque with the "Truths of Poles under the Rodło Sign". - Memorial plaque on St. Martin's Church in Wrocław with the "Truths of Poles under the Rodło Sign".
  • Die Gedenktafel wurde 1983 gestiftet durch die Gesellschaft "Towarzystwo Miłośników Wrocławia" - Die Gedenktafel wurde 1983 gestiftet durch die Gesellschaft "Towarzystwo Miłośników Wrocławia".
  • St. Martin's Church (Kościół św. Marcina) in Wrocław - St. Martin's Church (Kościół św. Marcina) in Wrocław.
  • View of the St. Martin's Church (Kościół św. Marcina) in Wrocław - View of the St. Martin's Church (Kościół św. Marcina) in Wrocław from the direction of the Oder.
  • View of the St. Martin's Church (Kościół św. Marcina) in Wrocław - View of the St. Martin's Church (Kościół św. Marcina) in Wrocław from the direction of the Oder.
  • Exhibition in public space about the Polonia in Wrocław - Exhibition in public space about the Polonia in Wrocław, organized by the Center for "Future and Remembrance" (Ośrodek Pamięć i Przyszłość) in Wrocław. Table I / XV.
  • Exhibition in public space about the Polonia in Wrocław - Exhibition in public space about the Polonia in Wrocław, organized by the Center for "Future and Remembrance" (Ośrodek Pamięć i Przyszłość) in Wrocław. Table V / XV.
  • Exhibition in public space about the Polonia in Wrocław - Exhibition in public space about the Polonia in Wrocław, organized by the Center for "Future and Remembrance" (Ośrodek Pamięć i Przyszłość) in Wrocław. Table VII / XV.
  • Exhibition in public space about the Polonia in Wrocław - Exhibition in public space about the Polonia in Wrocław, organized by the Center for "Future and Remembrance" (Ośrodek Pamięć i Przyszłość) in Wrocław. Table VIII / XV.
  • Exhibition in public space about the Polonia in Wrocław - Exhibition in public space about the Polonia in Wrocław, organized by the Center for "Future and Remembrance" (Ośrodek Pamięć i Przyszłość) in Wrocław. Table IX / XV.
  • Exhibition in public space about the Polonia in Wrocław - Exhibition in public space about the Polonia in Wrocław, organized by the Center for "Future and Remembrance" (Ośrodek Pamięć i Przyszłość) in Wrocław. Table XI / XV.
  • Exhibition in public space about the Polonia in Wrocław - Exhibition in public space about the Polonia in Wrocław, organized by the Center for "Future and Remembrance" (Ośrodek Pamięć i Przyszłość) in Wrocław. Table XIII / XV.
  • Exhibition in public space about the Polonia in Wrocław - Exhibition in public space about the Polonia in Wrocław, organized by the Center for "Future and Remembrance" (Ośrodek Pamięć i Przyszłość) in Wrocław. Table XIV / XV.
  • Exhibition in public space about the Polonia in Wrocław - Exhibition in public space about the Polonia in Wrocław, organized by the Center for "Future and Remembrance" (Ośrodek Pamięć i Przyszłość) in Wrocław.. Table XV / XV.
  • Öffentliche Ausstellung über die Polonia in Breslau - Ausstellung im öffentlichen Raum über die Polonia in Breslau, organisiert durch das Zentrum für "Zukunft und Gedenken" (Ośrodek Pamięć i Przyszłość) in Breslau.
  • Exhibition in public space about the Polonia in Wrocław - Exhibition in public space about the Polonia in Wrocław, organized by the Center for "Future and Remembrance" (Ośrodek Pamięć i Przyszłość) in Wrocław.
  • Exhibition in public space about the Polonia in Wrocław - Exhibition in public space about the Polonia in Wrocław, organized by the Center for "Future and Remembrance" (Ośrodek Pamięć i Przyszłość) in Wrocław.
  • The memorial plaque for Edmund Bojanowski - The memorial plaque for Edmund Bojanowski.
  • The memorial plaque for Jan Evangelista Purkyne - The memorial plaque for Jan Evangelista Purkyne in the main building of the University of Wrocław.
  • The Plaque for Wojciech Korfanty - The Plaque for Wojciech Korfanty on the building of the Faculty of Law, Administration and Economics of the University of Wrocław.
  • The Plaque for Wojciech Korfanty - The Plaque for Wojciech Korfanty on the building of the Faculty of Law, Administration and Economics of the University of Wrocław.
  • The plaque commemorates the Polish students who fought in the January uprising - The plaque on the main building of the University of Wrocław commemorates the Polish students who fought in the January uprising.
  • The plaque commemorates the Polish students who fought in the January uprising - The plaque on the main building of the University of Wrocław commemorates the Polish students who fought in the January uprising.
  • The main building of the University of Wrocław - The main building of the University of Wrocław.
  • The main building of the University of Wrocław - The main building of the University of Wrocław.
  • The fencing fountain  - The fencing fountain at the University of Wrocław.
  • The street "Ulica Biskupia" in Wrocław - The street "Ulica Biskupia" in Wrocław (today's state).
  • University of Wrocław - University of Wrocław.
  • The plaque commemorates the concert by Fryderyk Chopin in Wrocław - The plaque on the Wroclaw Cathedral commemorates the concert by Fryderyk Chopin in Wrocław.
  • The plaque the concert by Fryderyk Chopin in Wrocław - The plaque on the Wroclaw Cathedral commemorates the concert by Fryderyk Chopin in Wrocław.
  • Monument to Fryderyk Chopin in Wrocław - Monument to Fryderyk Chopin in Wrocław.
  • Monument to Fryderyk Chopin in Wrocław - Monument to Fryderyk Chopin in Wrocław.
  • Monument to Fryderyk Chopin in Wrocław - Monument to Fryderyk Chopin in Wrocław.

Poles in Breslau (until 1939)

For centuries, Poles were part of the history of Wrocław, the capital city of Silesia.
For centuries, Poles were part of the history of Wrocław, the capital city of Silesia.
©
Krzysztof Ruchniewicz / Porta Polonica 2018

The interwar period

The situation for Poles in Wrocław changed after the end of the First World War thanks to the restoration of the Polish state and the resolutions of the Treaty of Versailles. The entry into force of the Treaty led to the founding of the Consulate of the Republic of Poland on 22 May 1920 (the first consulate was housed in an apartment building at Neue Gasse / Nowa 18, then in the house at Am Ohlauufer 2, today Słowackiego Street. This house is no longer standing.) The first consul was Eustachy Lorenowich. The status of ‘Polonia’, or Polish diaspora, was endowed upon the Polish citizens of Wrocław. Their rights, just like those of the entire Polish minority, were guaranteed in the German state by the constitution of the Weimar Republic.

The lack of acceptance of the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles, particularly those concerning the German-Polish border, led to conflicts between Poles and Germans. The Poles began to organise support for the people’s referendum in Upper Silesia. However, the meeting to appoint the plebiscite committee was broken up and its participants were beaten by the German militia.

Other incidents were also associated with the referendum. On 26 August 1920, following the demonstration against the referendum, which was held on the Schlossplatz, German demonstrators went to Neue Gasse / Nowa 18 (as well as the Polish Consulate, the “Polish school” and the library had also been located there since May of that year). They then entered the premises and destroyed them. Windows were broken, furniture destroyed, books thrown out of the window onto the street (a similar fate befell the French Consulate, which was held responsible for the provisions in the Treaty of Versailles that were unfavourable for Germany). The perpetrators were given mild sentences. The Republic of Poland demanded damages which it was not paid until several years later.

The year 1922 and the partitioning of Silesia were an important milestone in the history of Poles in Wrocław. Thousands of people left the city, including the most influential group of Polish intelligentsia. Only craftsmen and smaller merchants remained. It is estimated that there were still around 3,000 Poles in the city at this time.

Despite the hostility of some of the German residents and the fact that a large number of Poles were leaving the city, the remaining Poles tried to continue organisational life and ensure that the poor and needy were supported.

For centuries, Poles were part of the history of Wrocław, the capital city of Silesia.
©
Krzysztof Ruchniewicz / Porta Polonica 2018
Porta Polonica