Post by pieter on Jun 28, 2015 17:01:47 GMT -7
Dear Heidi,
It might be difficult to trace back the family history of your father's family, since borders changed after the war. Your fathers family must have been Heimatvertriebene if they were ethnic Germans belonging to the German minority in Poland in 1945. Or they must have belonged to a tiny minority of Germans that stayed after the war? For both Polish and German people that was a dramatic and definite change of their lives. Poles lost their property, belongings, houses, apartments and right to stay in Eastern-Poland , which was taken by the SovjetUnion. Parts of Poland became part of the Ukrainian, Belarussian and Lithuanian Sovjet Republics. Poland got parts of Eastern Germany as compensation, and in fact Poland moved a little bit Westwards, losing land in the east and gaining land in the West.
On a Dutch historical program I saw the story of Poles who were kicked out of their homes in Eastern-Poland and who were resettled in the German city Breslau, which became the Polish city Wrocław. The Polish woman, told that they moved into the house of Germans that recently had left (forcibly), and that they felt sorry for that people, because they had to leave their home under pressure of the Sovjets in Eastern Poland too. The person said that it was strange to enter the home which recently had been occupied by it's former German owners. They must have left in a hurry. The table in the living room was still like it was when the German family was there. Plates, knives and forks and rests of a meal which was left. Maybe they were forced to leave during an meal. They had empathy with the Germans who were forced to leave, because they had been forced to leave themselves, and believed that not all Germans must have been bad people (fierce nazi's).
Königshütte became Chorzów under Polish rule, and therefor is now a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Chorzów is one of the central districts of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - a metropolis with a population of 2 million. It is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Rawa River (a tributary of the Vistula). Towards the end of 19th century, Chorzów experienced a revival of Polish national feelings. Ethnic tensions were mixed with the religious and class conflicts. Karol Miarka was the editor of Polish books and newspapers including Katolik (The Catholic) published in Królewska Huta since 1868, Poradnik Gospodarski since 1879. He was also the founder of several organizations: Upper Silesian Union, Upper Silesian Peasants Union. Juliusz Ligoń was a Polish activist and poet.
On the day of the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, Chorzów was taken by Nazi Germany. Polish irregulars, mainly Silesian uprising veterans and Scouts, put up resistance to the regular German forces for three days, most of them were murdered in mass executions. Polish property was confiscated, and Chorzów (with the balance of Polish Silesia) was promptly re-incorporated into German Silesia (Preußische Provinz Schlesien, from 1941 Oberschlesien); the Upper Silesian industry being one the pillars of the Nazi Germany war effort. There were several enforced labor camps in Chorzów and, in years 1944–1945, two branches of the Auschwitz concentration camp. Chorzów was occupied by Soviet Red Army in January 1945 with the subsequent persecution of many ethnic Silesians and Germans.
At the end of World War II, Chorzów (with the balance of Silesia) was re-incorporated into Poland. Generally, the Chorzów industry suffered little damage during World War II due to its inaccessibility to Allied bombing, a Soviet Army enveloping maneuver in January 1945, and perhaps Albert Speer's slowness or refusal to implement the scorched earth policy. This intact industry now played a critical role in the post-war reconstruction and industrialization of Poland. After the war, businesses were nationalized and operated, with minor changes, till 1989. At the fall of communism in 1989, the area was in decline. Since 1989, the region has been transitioning from heavy industry to a more diverse economy.
On 28 January 2006, a roof collapsed at an exhibition hall, killing 65 people. See Trade hall roof collapse in Katowice, Poland.
In 2007, Chorzów became a part of Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union, a voluntary union of a continuous chain of cities aimed at increasing the poor visibility of the area, improving its competitiveness, and modernizing the infrastructure.
In this period, the region experienced several waves of migrations, including those commencing in 1945 (to Germany and from Poland), in 1971 (to Germany), in 1982 (to Western countries), and in 2005 (to other countries of the EU).
Germans remaining in Poland in October 1946 were 1,750,000, but by 1950 the number had been reduced to 1,100,000 because of expulsions after October 1946. Those remaining in 1950 became Polish citizens but were German nationals in 1939. The losses of civilians from East-Central Europe in the 1945 are included with the expulsion dead, the German Archives report of 1974 estimated 150,000 violent deaths of civilians in East-Central Europe during the 1945 military campaign.
Poles from central Poland, expelled Poles from former eastern Poland, Polish returnees from internment and forced labour, Ukrainians were forcibly resettled in Operation Vistula and Jewish Holocaust survivors were settled in German territories gained by Poland, whereas the north of former East Prussia (Kaliningrad Oblast gained by the USSR) was turned into a military zone and subsequently became settled with Russians. (Source Wikipedia)
Due to a Polonization policy of the Polish communist authorities, probably little information will be left about the German citizens of places like Königshütte, Breslau, Stettin and other places that became Polish and Polonized, and settled with new Polish, Ukrainian and jewish settlers, who in fact had been or were victims themselves. So both Poland and Germany had it's Heimatvertriebenen (expelled people). Chorzów, Wrocław and Szczecin became so Polonized that foreign visitors will find it hard to find a German atmosphere, German speaking people, except maybe the typical German architecture and maybe some German history of the place in some museums, archives and within the stories of old Germans from the tiny German minority which stil exists in Poland.
Cheers,
Pieter
It might be difficult to trace back the family history of your father's family, since borders changed after the war. Your fathers family must have been Heimatvertriebene if they were ethnic Germans belonging to the German minority in Poland in 1945. Or they must have belonged to a tiny minority of Germans that stayed after the war? For both Polish and German people that was a dramatic and definite change of their lives. Poles lost their property, belongings, houses, apartments and right to stay in Eastern-Poland , which was taken by the SovjetUnion. Parts of Poland became part of the Ukrainian, Belarussian and Lithuanian Sovjet Republics. Poland got parts of Eastern Germany as compensation, and in fact Poland moved a little bit Westwards, losing land in the east and gaining land in the West.
On a Dutch historical program I saw the story of Poles who were kicked out of their homes in Eastern-Poland and who were resettled in the German city Breslau, which became the Polish city Wrocław. The Polish woman, told that they moved into the house of Germans that recently had left (forcibly), and that they felt sorry for that people, because they had to leave their home under pressure of the Sovjets in Eastern Poland too. The person said that it was strange to enter the home which recently had been occupied by it's former German owners. They must have left in a hurry. The table in the living room was still like it was when the German family was there. Plates, knives and forks and rests of a meal which was left. Maybe they were forced to leave during an meal. They had empathy with the Germans who were forced to leave, because they had been forced to leave themselves, and believed that not all Germans must have been bad people (fierce nazi's).
Königshütte became Chorzów under Polish rule, and therefor is now a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Chorzów is one of the central districts of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - a metropolis with a population of 2 million. It is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Rawa River (a tributary of the Vistula). Towards the end of 19th century, Chorzów experienced a revival of Polish national feelings. Ethnic tensions were mixed with the religious and class conflicts. Karol Miarka was the editor of Polish books and newspapers including Katolik (The Catholic) published in Królewska Huta since 1868, Poradnik Gospodarski since 1879. He was also the founder of several organizations: Upper Silesian Union, Upper Silesian Peasants Union. Juliusz Ligoń was a Polish activist and poet.
On the day of the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, Chorzów was taken by Nazi Germany. Polish irregulars, mainly Silesian uprising veterans and Scouts, put up resistance to the regular German forces for three days, most of them were murdered in mass executions. Polish property was confiscated, and Chorzów (with the balance of Polish Silesia) was promptly re-incorporated into German Silesia (Preußische Provinz Schlesien, from 1941 Oberschlesien); the Upper Silesian industry being one the pillars of the Nazi Germany war effort. There were several enforced labor camps in Chorzów and, in years 1944–1945, two branches of the Auschwitz concentration camp. Chorzów was occupied by Soviet Red Army in January 1945 with the subsequent persecution of many ethnic Silesians and Germans.
At the end of World War II, Chorzów (with the balance of Silesia) was re-incorporated into Poland. Generally, the Chorzów industry suffered little damage during World War II due to its inaccessibility to Allied bombing, a Soviet Army enveloping maneuver in January 1945, and perhaps Albert Speer's slowness or refusal to implement the scorched earth policy. This intact industry now played a critical role in the post-war reconstruction and industrialization of Poland. After the war, businesses were nationalized and operated, with minor changes, till 1989. At the fall of communism in 1989, the area was in decline. Since 1989, the region has been transitioning from heavy industry to a more diverse economy.
On 28 January 2006, a roof collapsed at an exhibition hall, killing 65 people. See Trade hall roof collapse in Katowice, Poland.
In 2007, Chorzów became a part of Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union, a voluntary union of a continuous chain of cities aimed at increasing the poor visibility of the area, improving its competitiveness, and modernizing the infrastructure.
In this period, the region experienced several waves of migrations, including those commencing in 1945 (to Germany and from Poland), in 1971 (to Germany), in 1982 (to Western countries), and in 2005 (to other countries of the EU).
Germans remaining in Poland in October 1946 were 1,750,000, but by 1950 the number had been reduced to 1,100,000 because of expulsions after October 1946. Those remaining in 1950 became Polish citizens but were German nationals in 1939. The losses of civilians from East-Central Europe in the 1945 are included with the expulsion dead, the German Archives report of 1974 estimated 150,000 violent deaths of civilians in East-Central Europe during the 1945 military campaign.
Poles from central Poland, expelled Poles from former eastern Poland, Polish returnees from internment and forced labour, Ukrainians were forcibly resettled in Operation Vistula and Jewish Holocaust survivors were settled in German territories gained by Poland, whereas the north of former East Prussia (Kaliningrad Oblast gained by the USSR) was turned into a military zone and subsequently became settled with Russians. (Source Wikipedia)
Due to a Polonization policy of the Polish communist authorities, probably little information will be left about the German citizens of places like Königshütte, Breslau, Stettin and other places that became Polish and Polonized, and settled with new Polish, Ukrainian and jewish settlers, who in fact had been or were victims themselves. So both Poland and Germany had it's Heimatvertriebenen (expelled people). Chorzów, Wrocław and Szczecin became so Polonized that foreign visitors will find it hard to find a German atmosphere, German speaking people, except maybe the typical German architecture and maybe some German history of the place in some museums, archives and within the stories of old Germans from the tiny German minority which stil exists in Poland.
Cheers,
Pieter