SilesiansSilesians (Ślōnzŏki or Ślůnzoki; Silesian German: Schläsinger or Schläsier; Schlesier; Ślązacy; Slezané) is a geographical term for the inhabitants of Silesia, a historical region in Central Europe divided by the current national boundaries of Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic. Historically, the region of Silesia (Lower and Upper) has been inhabited by Germans (German speakers), Czechs, Poles, and Slavic Upper Silesians. Therefore, the term Silesian can refer to anyone of these ethnic groups.
PrudnikPrudnik AUDPl-Prudnik.oga'prudńik (Prudník, Prudnik, Prōmnik, Neustadt in Oberschlesien, Neustadt an der Prudnik, Prudnicium) is a town in southern Poland, located in the southern part of Opole Voivodeship near the border with the Czech Republic. It is the administrative seat of Prudnik County and Gmina Prudnik. Its population numbers 21,368 inhabitants (2016). Since 2015, Prudnik is a member of the Cittaslow International.
RacibórzRacibórz ra'ćibusz (Ratibor, Ratiboř, Racibōrz) is a city in Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland. It is the administrative seat of Racibórz County. With Opole, Racibórz is one of the historic capitals of Upper Silesia, being the residence of the Dukes of Racibórz from 1172 to 1521. The city is situated in the southwest of the voivodeship on the upper Oder river, near the border with the Polish Opole Voivodeship and the Czech Republic.
Province of Upper SilesiaThe Province of Upper Silesia (Provinz Oberschlesien; Silesian German: Provinz Oberschläsing; Prowincyjŏ Gōrny Ślōnsk; Prowincja Górny Śląsk) was a province of the Free State of Prussia from 1919 to 1945. It comprised much of the region of Upper Silesia and was eventually divided into two government regions (Regierungsbezirke) called Kattowitz (1939–1945), and Oppeln (1819–1945). The provincial capital was Oppeln (1919–1938) and Kattowitz (1941–1945), while other major towns included Beuthen, Gleiwitz, Hindenburg O.
PolenlagerThe Polenlager (ˈpoːlənˌlaːɡɐ, Polish Camps) was a system of forced labor camps in Silesia that held Poles during the World War II Nazi German occupation of Poland. The prisoners, originally destined for deportation across the border to the new semi-colonial General Government district, were sent to the Polenlager between 1942 and 1945, once the other locations became too overcrowded to accommodate the prisoners. There were over 30 Polenlager camps, mostly in Silesia. All Polenlager camps were classified by the Germans as "labour reformatories".
PszczynaPszczyna 'pszczyna (Pleß, Pština) is a town in southern Poland with 25,823 inhabitants (2019), and a seat of a local gmina (commune). It is situated in the Silesian Voivodeship, and was a part of the Katowice Voivodeship from 1975 until administrative reforms in 1998. There are several different theories of the origins of the name Pszczyna. Ezechiel Zivier (1868–1925) hypothesized that the land was first owned by Pleszko (alternatively Leszko, or possibly Leszek, Duke of Racibórz).
ŻoryŻory ('żory; Sohrau, Żory, Žáry, Žárov) is a town and city county in Silesian Voivodeship, Poland with 62,848 inhabitants (2021). Previously it was in Katowice Voivodeship (1975–1998). It is located in the historic Upper Silesia region about southwest of Katowice. Żory is located in Upper Silesia on the Rybnik Plateau on the Ruda River. As of 31 December 2012, the city had a population of 62,052 and an area of 64.64 km2. As of 31 December 2013, the city had 59,960 inhabitants.
Silesian UprisingsThe Silesian Uprisings (Powstania śląskie; Aufstände in Oberschlesien, Polenaufstände) were a series of three uprisings from August 1919 to July 1921 in Upper Silesia, which was part of the Weimar Republic at the time. Ethnic Polish and Polish-Silesian insurrectionists, seeking to have the area transferred to the newly founded Polish Republic, fought German police and paramilitary forces which sought to keep the area part of the new German state founded after World War I.
GliwiceGliwice (ɡliˈvit͡sɛ; Gleiwitz, ˈɡlaɪvɪts; Gliwicy) is a city in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland. The city is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica river (a tributary of the Oder). It lies approximately 25 km west from Katowice, the regional capital of the Silesian Voivodeship. Gliwice is the westernmost city of the Upper Silesian metropolis, a conurbation of 2.0 million people, and is the third-largest city of this area, with 175,102 permanent residents as of 2021.
KnurówKnurów ('knuruf; Knurow; Knurōw) is a city near Katowice in Silesia, southern Poland. Knurów borders on the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union, a metropolis with a population of two million. Knurów is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Bierawka River, a tributary of the Oder River. Knurów's history as a city is relatively short, as it only became a town in 1951, when also the settlements of Krywałd and Szczygłowice were included within its town limits as districts. However, Knurów's existence can be traced back as far back as ca.