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Poles in Breslau (until 1939)

For centuries, Poles were part of the history of Wrocław, the capital city of Silesia.

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.
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.

Polish travellers and tourists


Many representative of the Polish intelligentsia were represented in the metropolis on the banks of the Oder. They were motivated by contact with Korn publishing house (it offered over 180 Polish literature titles). Korn published their own books and bought new publications. The Ferdinand Hirt bookshop specialised in the sale of Polish books. It is estimated that Wrocław was the sixth biggest Polish publishing town behind Warsaw, Vilnius, Kraków, Lviv and Poznań. In total, 2,000 titles were published in the city in the 19th century.

Polish landowners came to Wrocław from Wielkopolska and Pomerania to attend trade fairs. They stayed in hotels and visited restaurants in the city. The theatre, the opera and concerts drew a great deal of attention. Polish artists from Poznań or Kraków performed on the stages of Wrocław. In 1830, Fryderyk Chopin, who was enjoying a short stay in Wrocław, gave a piano concert for a select audience.

Just how important Polish guests were to hoteliers and restaurateurs can be evidenced by the fact that adverts for their services were also printed in the Warsaw press. One of the owners of the famous guest house “Unter der Goldenen Gans”, whose guests also included Fryderyk Chopin, informed their visitors:

“Polish and French are spoken in this hotel and we offer newspapers in these languages”.

Restaurants went to the effort of putting on Polish menus and even the wait staff spoke Polish. Access to the restaurant was encouraged by signs in the Polish language. Such a proliferation of the Polish language was neither surprising not did it meet with opposition. The personalities from Polish culture in Wrocław included Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz, Juliusz Słowacki, Wincenty Pol, Klementyna Tańska Hoffmanowa and Józef Ignacy Kraszewski.