|
Wroclaw is a town with a more colourful and torrid history than most. Located at the crossroads of Central Europe it has found itself embroiled in more than its fair share of fracas and power struggles. Today it is a town rising from the ashes of World War II and Communism, and once again is emerging as a cosmopolitan centre of commerce - a face that has defined its character through so much of history.
The first permanent settlers in Wroclaw were the Slavic Slezan tribe, who built a stronghold on the island of Ostrow Tumski sometime in the 9th century. (Ostrow Tumski is no longer an island since an arm of the river Odra was filled in 1810). Later this settlement was absorbed into Czech territory from where the name Wroclaw is thought to have been derived - after a Czech leader by the name of Wrocislaw. It wasn't until around 990AD that Prince Mieszko I, of the Piast dynasty and founder of the Polish state, seized control of Wroclaw and incorporated the region of Silesia into Poland.
By 1000 Wroclaw must have already been a town of some prominence as King Boleslaw the Brave established one of three bishoprics here, the other two being established in Krakow and Kolobrzeg: as a result the town became the religious centre of Silesia. Wroclaw continued to grow in the next two centuries mainly due to its thriving trade economy and craftsmanship; however in 1241, along with most of southern Poland, the city fell foul of the marauding Tartar army and was razed to the ground. 
The town leaders used this misfortune as an opportunity to rebuild the city around a massive Market Square on the south side of the river - the same Market Square that you can still see today. This ambitious building program was a success and soon Wroclaw was enjoying a healthy revival; however in 1336, the last of the Piast Princes died and the duchy of Silesia was annexed to Bohemia - despite the efforts of King Casimir III of Poland to hold onto it. His failure to do so meant that it was six hundred years until Wroclaw was returned to Polish hands.
Wroclaw, or Prezzla as it begins to be known as, continued to flourish under Bohemian rule and in 1387 gained admittance into the Hanseatic League, a powerful conglomeration of trading cities (think of it as a medieval version of G8!). The winds of change picked up again in the 16th century when King Ludwig died in battle, leaving no heirs, and the Bohemian estate elected Duke Ferdinand, of the Austrian line of Habsburgs, as King. Now Wroclaw was under Austrian rule.
The early 17th century saw a marked downturn in fortunes for Wroclaw, as both the Thirty Years' War (1618-48) and the plague took their toll on the city - indeed this period saw the population reduced by half. However when the warring factions of Europe eventually signed the Treaty of Westphalia and brought an end to the fighting, it was business as usual for Wroclaw and an economic and cultural revival began.
The next chapter in the city's colourful history began in 1741 when King Frederick the Great II seized Lower Silesia and brought it under Prussian rule. It was he who officially gave the city its German name of Breslau (or Prezzla), although it had been used for many centuries before by the large ethnic German population. Wroclaw spent the next two hundred years in German hands and by the end of the 19th century it was the third largest Prussian city behind Berlin and Hamburg, and began to be heavily industrialised.
When the Nazis seized power in 1933 the last vestiges of the city's Polish origins were all but gone, and the 20,000 Poles still living there (along with the Jews) were politely asked to leave. Wroclaw, or Breslau as it had then been known for 200 years, was so Germanised by that time that it eventually became the last stronghold of the Nazis. It was the last town to surrender to the Soviets, after a 14-week siege, on May 6th 1945.
After the war, as a result of the Potsdam conference, Wroclaw was handed back to Poland as the whole country was effectively shifted westwards. The remainder of the German residents were expelled and the city was re-populated by Poles from Lwow (now the Ukranian town of Lviv), which was lost to the Soviet Union, Wilno (now the Lithuanian town of Vilnius) as well as many arrivals from Warsaw and Poznan. The new settlers, or 'pioneers' as they were called, inherited a foreign city that was 70% destroyed.
In the sixty years since the war Wroclaw has had to undergo a painful rebuilding process, as well as having to survive and recuperate from the terrors and hardships of Communism and Soviet oppression. In 1989 however, when Poland held it's first elections and saw off the Russian regime, the city put the dark times behind it, and the last decade has seen its successful re-emergence as the economic, cultural and academic centre it has been for so much of history.
| | | |
 | | "Robert, I thought the reply, on 30.11.08, of D. Thomas in the Breslau-Wroclaw Forum might have been of help to you. " | Lerge
United Kingdom
Mar.26.2009
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "I tried to get http://www.breslau-wroclaw.de./ but nothing happened, just a blank page. I guess I am not going to find any body with the name Deynert" | Robert Arditti
United Kingdom
Mar.24.2009
rates this page 4/5 |
| | "this is for Lerge thank you for trying to help but I had no luck, Oh well back to the drawing board" | Robert
United Kingdom
Mar.14.2009
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "The above article, refering to the 1930s, says that Wroclaw had then been "known as Breslau for 200 years". This is misleading in that it suggests that Breslau was "germanic" for approximately 200 years only. However, the "Breslauer Urkundenbuch" to be found in the digital library of the university of Zielona Gora dates the first document in the German language the 3. August 1280 (pg 48) - Extract: 50. Rechtssätze, welche die Breslauer den Glogauern mitgetheilt haben am 3. August 1280.
Abschrift im Liber Niger des glogauer Stadtarchivs, Supplemente S. 295 ff.
""Wir rathman, scheppfen und burgere gemeine von Wratislaw thuen wissendlich und kunt allen, die diesen brief horen (ge)lesen, das wir durch bete des edelen fursten, hertzoge Heinriches von Glogau, seinen burgeren der stat zu Glogowe gesant haben diesen brief mit beschriebenen rechte, also als man is in unser stat Wratislaw ymmer me halten soll und von alder zeit bisher zu rechte hat gehalten nach weichbildes rechte.……etc…etc…"". Documents prior to 1280 were written in Latin. " | Morvah
United Kingdom
Mar.10.2009
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "How can you say in the article that the jews and poles were politely asked to leave by the Nazi's? " | Tom
United Kingdom
Mar.05.2009
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "Hallo, Christa, as someone also born in Breslau and having had to flee from the Soviet army in 1945 with my mother and brother, I can only confirm your experience. On my first return in 1991 I was warmly received by the present occupants of "our home" where the furniture of my parents was still being stored in the attic room. I have also been back since and have no regrets. " | DITA
United Kingdom
Feb.27.2009
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "I just happened upon this page and I am glad I did. I too was born in Breslau before the war and left with my parents in Jan. 1945. My grandparents stayed behind and had to leave in 1946 after the polish people moved in. If one understands history, they will grasp that the polish people were victims just the same. My father had the good fortune to visit Breslau for the first time in 1975 and was most warmly recieved by the people, at that time, occupying the our family home on Nelkenweg. He made other visits over the years and I did too in 1992 nad 1993. The same people were still there and I too was welcomed, although my dad was not with me. I have the highest regard the for the polish people who rebuilt our beautiful Breslau. I visited again in 2006 and hpope to make at least one more journey to my hometown, the city I will always love." | Christa
United States
Feb.19.2009
rates this page 4/5 |
| | "Hallo Robert of the previous entry, if you speak German (and even if you do not), have a look at www.breslau-wroclaw.de. You may well find quite a bit of information about your distant family in old address books etc or through the help of knowledgable individuals who may respond to your queries, even if they are in English. Good luck!!!" | LERGE
United Kingdom
Nov.28.2008
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "I am not Polish or German, however I do have a conection to Breslau, now called Wrocklaw. My Grandfather was from there but moved to England at the end of the 1800s. He was not a follower of Hitler, nor were his family. When he moved to England he left his German family behind and made his own family in the UK. His daughter, my mother married a jew and I was a result of that union. My Grandfather's name was Joseph Deynert, a very old German name, and his father was the head of the fire bregade in what was then Breslau. His Brother also worked as a fireman. These were people who lived like anybody else. In fact my Great Grandfather died in Breslau of cancer, as did his wife Dorothea. I don't know what happened to my Great Uncle or my Great Aunt Hedwig, but I am sure they went years ago. What I find sad about some of the comments on here, is that people are still clinging to the past. They are still looking for someone to blame. The only thing I would say is that I am sad that I can not find anything out about my Great Grand Parents, or if I have cousins still in that area. It seems that no records remain prior to 1946 about the people that have lived there. I know that My Great Grand Parents were buried there, but have no idea where." | Robert
United Kingdom
Nov.08.2008
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "Correction..correction: Border..Border" | Dita
United Kingdom
Aug.28.2008
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "Polarring, thanks for your comment and Links. Legally, the German-Polish-Boarder Treaty of 1990 - like the Warsaw Treaty of 1970 - is a treaty of non-agression, not a treaty of boarder settlement. If you can read German the following Link may interest you. http://www.uni-kassel.de/fb5/frieden/themen/Befreiung/polen-grenze.html " | Dita
United Kingdom
Aug.28.2008
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "Dita, there is the German-Polish Border Treaty from 1990 regulating border disputes between two countries http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German-Polish_Border_Treaty_(1990).
It is legally binding and recognized by international community. Polish Provisional Government of National Unity was Soviet puppet and it did not represent Polish nation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provisional_Government_of_National_Unity
" | Polarring
United Kingdom
Aug.26.2008
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "The following extract from the Potsdam Conference of 1945 clearly leaves the "final delineation of the western frontier of Poland" open until "the peace settlement". There has never been such a settlement. There is therefore no legal reason why "Wroclaw" should not still be considered to be "Breslau" by its former inhabitans.
B. WESTERN FRONTIER OF POLAND.
In conformity with the agreement on Poland reached at the Crimea Conference the three Heads of Government have sought the opinion of the Polish Provisional Government of National Unity in regard to the accession of territory in the north 'end west which Poland should receive. The President of the National Council of Poland and members of the Polish Provisional Government of National Unity have been received at the Conference and have fully presented their views. The three Heads of Government reaffirm their opinion that the final delimitation of the western frontier of Poland should await the peace settlement.
" | Dita
United Kingdom
Aug.24.2008
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "I cannot believe all these people that are saying it is a German City, did you not read the brief history, It was POLISH first Then German, Poles where there first, history does not start in the 17th century People!!!
Anyway its Polish now has been for for the last 65 years, and its going to stay like that
Plus Poles REBUILT the CITY
so there are no German claims to it at all
" | SilkyJohnson
Canada
Aug.15.2008
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "Antonio, no we did not expel any germans, we expelled Nazi criminals. Sometimes the “human- cultural world” reaps what it sows. Be glad Nazi criminals from Austria got out so easily." | Slav
United States
Jun.12.2008
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "I am going to Wroclaw to meet with my German friend whose family came from Breslau. We are Polish living in United States. I don't need to remind anybody that the past is filled with horrible events. We intend to talk about them in civilized way, asking questions, learning for our children so they can grow without prejudice.
Janusz Pankowski " | Janusz Pankowski
United States
Jun.09.2008
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "How many germans have slavic ancesters?" | fake
Algeria
Jun.03.2008
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "My grandmother was born near here and kicked out of her house in 45 and made to leave all together in 1946. Some people here really hate Germans and Germany, time for you people to stop living in the past or look at your own people first. Today with the European Union Germans are free to move back. As the older people die off the need for compensation will disappear. It's too bad these people who DO NOT bear the guilt of their parents couldn't get something but it is just another page in the large book of human crimes. Can't wait to visit this place in September for the first time! It will always be a German city to me but the Poles are welcome to live there, it's not their faults either." | Jeremy
Canada
May.31.2008
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "Wroclaw is still Breslau for the human- cultural world. 1944-1948: poland explused and killed millions of germans from the former easter german territories. In fact, the was no big different between the nazi and the polish.
But sti criminals. " | Antonio
Austria
May.30.2008
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "Nazi Germany inflicted grief and pain to the rest of Europe in its war against the world. But we have to be honest and recognize that millions of Germans had to go through terrible suffering, losing their centuries-old heimat. I recommend that you read Guido Knopp beautiful account on the eviction of 15 millions from their lands. After 63 years we can have a quiet debate on our recent history and admit that Breslau was a German City that the terrible events of history turned to Poland, the same events that were turning the Polish city of Lwow to the USSR." | Nicola
Italy
Feb.16.2008
rates this page 2/5 |
| | "I found this brief history very interesting and helpful.
One small point "it's" should be "its"." | Chris
United Kingdom
Feb.13.2008
rates this page 4/5 |
| | "Went to Wroclaw May 2007 for a great weekend, beautiful place, people friendly. Have recommended it to many people. Abo" | abo
United Kingdom
Jan.29.2008
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "I'm heading over to Wroclaw tomorrow for almost a week. I'm excited to meet the good people of Poland. I sure have found good people everywhere including germany where my ancestors stem from. Let us all remember to love each other and change whatever has been done in the past to good will to each other. Let us remember what has been done in the past, and do our best to change things for the future. " | Angie
United States
Dec.28.2007
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "Yea, germans want compensation for being expelled from that part of europe - the only compensation they deserve is a big swift kick up the arse! They're country tried to take the whole of europe, killed millions, and lost - now they want compensation? What is this, the twilight zone??" | Michael
Australia
Nov.23.2007
rates this page 5/5 |
| | "What a privilege I've had since first visiting Wroclaw in 1989 and many summers since! I've been a witness to incredible historical changes---and have fallen in love with the Poles. They have done a magnificent job of rising from the ashes which were handed to them! It has become a vibrant, lively cultural center which people should definitely visit. " | Pam
United States
Nov.01.2007
rates this page 5/5 |
| | "What a privilege I've had since first visiting Wroclaw in 1989 and many summers since! I've been a witness to incredible historical changes---and have fallen in love with the Poles. They have done a magnificent job of rising from the ashes which were handed to them! It has become a vibrant, lively cultural center which people should definitely visit. " | Pam
United States
Nov.01.2007
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "Born in the former Breslau, with Silesian roots back to the 17th century and probably before, I am delighted that Wroclaw is a city open to all. My departure, as a child, from the city was as a refugee in 1945. My first return was in 1991 as a visitor who was most warmly received. Even the people in the house of my birth treated me like a friend. I wish Wroclaw well and cannot wait to return to that cosmopolitan and hospitable city of great beauty." | Dita
United Kingdom
Oct.17.2007
rates this page 2/5 |
| | "Hey David from Aug 25th posting. My grandparents were also of Jewish descent and lived in Breslau. Have some old pictures. I'd like to go back someday. Any advice?
Bob" | bob
United States
Oct.15.2007
rates this page 4/5 |
| | "Wroclaw, once in the hands of the Polish Kingdom now again and forever the hands of the Polish. Any German that feels they still have claims on my holy land is a dirty racist." | Daniel
United States
Sep.30.2007
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "Dan sounds like an idiot!" | Adam
Australia
Sep.23.2007
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "Dan
are you joking?" | Zenon
Poland
Sep.03.2007
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "I think the comments mentioned above are a little one sided and quite antagornistic, especially the one who seems to think that only Europeans are capable of killing. No state has clean hands in this respect and I don't think it helps anyone to point fingers for past generations.
The history of Wroclaw is very interesting and there is a definate feel that the city is rising from the ashes of the last 60 years. Today, thousands of tourists, including Germans, from all over Europe come here. I think the city has so much going for it with regard to a university city that is extremely well designed. Very easy to walk around by foot.
With regard to the first persons comments about whether it should be given back, the question seems a little naive. Even Germany has agreed that it has no claim to Lower Silesia, so why give a Polish city to Germany?" | Simon
New Zealand
Aug.25.2007
rates this page 4/5 |
| | "I am in Wroclaw as we speak visiting the place where my German-Jewish grandfather was born. We just got back from Auschwitz where part of my family perished.
Let all of us remember that Germany has forfeited any claim to any land, including their own, during the last century of bloodshed brought about by the continuing German canard of their "racial superiority."
It was extremely disturbing to see Wroclaw referred to as Breslau all the way to the Polish border. As Churchill stated, the seeds are planted.
What family survived the Holocaust now lives in Denmark, another land filled with bigots, their whipping children are the Muslims they invited to live as basically second class "workers" that the Danes apparently thought would happily submit to the tiny, narrow worldview they hold.
The last half of the second millenium is basically a story of Europeans rampaging around this planet, killing probably close to a billion people with their guns, germs and steel, destroying thousands of cultures, pillaging resources and subjugating whoever was left over.
To the comment regarding the American Indian, please note who was doing the killing/pillaging - it sure wasn't indigenous Americans, it was Europeans doing what they do best - killing." | David
United States
Aug.25.2007
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "It is interesting to note that the shift of the borders of Poland west was suggested by Winston Churchill at one of the conferences with Stalin and Roosevelt. Later, he had second thoughts, and said that it might produce the seeds of future wars. On the whole, I prefer the large Poland before the war to the small Poland, (subjugated by Russia) after the war." | Rodman E. Doll
United States
Aug.19.2007
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "Sure Dan, just after USA returns its land to the rightfull owners ie American Indians. " | Slav
United States
Jul.28.2007
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "Wroc³aw always polish!!!" | Piotrek
Poland
Jul.03.2007
rates this page 4/5 |
| | "Dont you think its time to return the region to its rightful owner ie Germany?" | Dan
United States
Jun.23.2007
rates this page 4/5 |
| |