Upper Silesia

Upper Silesia (Polish: Górny Śląsk; Silesian: Gůrny Ślůnsk;Czech: Horní Slezsko; German: Oberschlesien; Silesian German: Oberschläsing; Latin: Silesia Superior) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia. Since the 9th century, Upper Silesia has been part of (chronologically) Greater Moravia, the Duchy of Bohemia, the Piast Kingdom of Poland, again of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown and the Holy Roman Empire, as well as of the Habsburg Monarchy from 1526. In 1742 the bulk of Upper Silesia was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia, and in 1871 became part of the German Empire. These became part of the Republic of Poland in 1945.

Geography

Upper Silesia is situated on the upper Oder River, north of the Eastern Sudetes mountain range and the Moravian Gate, which form the southern border with the historic Moravia region. Within the adjacent Silesian Beskids to the east, the Vistula River rises and turns eastwards, the Biała and Przemsza tributaries mark the eastern border with Lesser Poland. In the north, Upper Silesia borders on Greater Poland, and in the west on the Lower Silesian lands (the adjacent region around Wrocław also referred to as Middle Silesia).

Province of Upper Silesia

The Province of Upper Silesia (German: Provinz Oberschlesien; Silesian German: Provinz Oberschläsing; Polish: Prowincja Górny Śląsk; Silesian: Prowincyjŏ Gůrny Ślůnsk) 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 administrative regions (Regierungsbezirke) called Bezirk Kattowitz, and Oppeln. The provincial capital was Oppeln (1919–1938) and Kattowitz (1941–1945), while other major towns included Beuthen, Gleiwitz, Hindenburg O.S., Neiße, Ratibor and Auschwitz (the place of future extermination of Jews in World War II). Between 1938 and 1941 it was reunited with Lower Silesia as the Province of Silesia.

History

Historical population

Perhaps the earliest exact census figures on ethnic or national structure (Nationalverschiedenheit) of Regierungsbezirk Oppeln (Regierungsbezirk Kattowitz did not yet exist) are from year 1819.

In year 1819 Regierungsbezirk Oppeln had 561,203 inhabitants, including the following "Nationalverschiedenheit":