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Regierungsbezirk Breslau, known colloquially as Middle Silesia (German: Mittelschlesien, Silesian: Strzodkowy Ślōnsk, Polish: Śląsk Środkowy) was a Regierungsbezirk, or government region, in the Prussian Province of Silesia and later Lower Silesia from 1813 to 1945.
The Unification of Germany in 1871 turned Breslau into the sixth-largest city in the German Empire. Its population more than tripled to over half a million between 1860 and 1910. The 1900 census listed 422,709 residents. In 1890, construction began of Breslau Fortress as the city's defenses.
- Origin
- Poland
- Bohemia and Hungary
- Habsburg Monarchy
- Prussia
- German Empire
- Weimar Republic
- Nazi Period and World War II
- Return to Poland
- See Also
The city of Wrocław originated as a stronghold situated at the intersection of two long-existing trading routes, the Via Regia and the Amber Road. The city was founded in the 10th century, possibly by a local duke Wrocisław, who may also be the city's namesake. At the time the city was limited to the district of Ostrów Tumski (the Cathedral Island)...
In 985 Duke Mieszko I of Poland of the Piast dynasty conquered Silesia and Wrocław. In 1000 Mieszko's son, Duke and future King Bolesław I of Poland, in the then capital of Poland, Gniezno, established the Bishopric of Wrocław (as one of the oldest bishoprics of Poland and the first bishopric of Silesia) along with the bishoprics of Kraków and Koło...
In 1348, the city was incorporated with almost the entirety of Silesia into the Kingdom of Bohemia, and a Landeshauptmann (Provincial governor) was appointed to administrate the region. Between 1342 and 1344 two fires destroyed large parts of the city. In 1352 Charles IV, King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor, visited the town. His successors Wenc...
The ideas of the Protestant Reformation reached Breslau already in 1518, and in 1519 the writings of Luther, Eck and the opening of the Leipzig Disputation by Mosellanus were published by local printer Adam Dyon. In 1523 the town council unanimously, appointed Johann Heßas the new pastor of St. Maria Magdalena and thus introduced the Reformation in...
During the War of the Austrian Succession in the 1740s, most of Silesia was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia's claims were derived from the agreement, rejected by the Habsburgs, between the Silesian Piast rulers of the duchy and the Hohenzollerns who secured the Prussian succession after the extinction of the Piasts. The Protestant citize...
Breslau became part of the German Empire in 1871, which was established at Versailles in defeated France. The early years were characterized by rapid economic growth, the so-called Gründerzeit, although Breslau was hampered by protectionist policies of its natural markets in Austria-Hungary and Russia and had to turn to the German domestic market. ...
The end of the German Empire led to workers' and soldiers' councils taking over civilian and military power across Germany with little or no opposition from the former imperial authorities. In Breslau, too, the authorities were deposed without larger tumults. When Lord Mayor Paul Mattig and Archbishop Bertram, among others, called for a continuance...
The city became one of the largest support bases of the NSDAP movement, and in the 1932 elections the Nazi party received in it 43.5% of votes, achieving the third biggest victory in Weimar GermanyA reason for the strong NSDAP support may have been that Breslau was the city among the eight largest cities of Germany with the highest rate of unemploy...
People's Republic of Poland
Along with almost all of Lower Silesia, post-war Wrocław became part of Poland under the terms of the Potsdam Conference, pending a final peace conference with Germany. The town became the biggest city of the so-called Recovered Territories. On 24 May 1945, the surviving members of the Polish pre-war minority from the Nazi German genocide in Wrocław were met by Polish authorities. Bolesław Drobner, the city's newly appointed mayor, welcomed them in "Free Poland" and urged pre-war Poles from W...
After the fall of communism
In 1994, the Old Town of Wrocław was designated a Historic Monument of Poland. In May 1997 Wrocław was visited by Pope John Paul II. In July 1997, the city was heavily affected by a flood of the Oder River, the worst flooding in post-war Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic. Around one-third of the city's area stood underwater. An earlier equally devastating flood of the river took place in 1903.After the flood big areas of the city were renovated, including Main Market Square with the Tow...
Sep 29, 2023 · In 1335, Breslau, together with almost all of Silesia, was incorporated into the Kingdom of Bohemia, then a part of the German Holy Roman Empire, and from 1526 to 1742, Silesia was ruled by the Austrian House of Habsburg.
Both the Polish 'Wrocław' (which apparently predates the German) and German 'Breslau' are thought to have been derived from the Czech 'Vratislava,' as the city was likely known in the 10th century - an homage to Duke Vratislav I of Bohemia, who ruled these lands from 915 to 921 AD.
Jan 17, 2016 · At that time, in 1941, the very German city of Breslau dominated the fertile flatlands of Lower Silesia. Now, Wroclaw – which is the fourth-largest conurbation in Poland, with a population of...
Oct 19, 2012 · Communist Poland tried to stamp out Wroclaw's history – as the once-German city of Breslau – upon taking control of the city after World War II. But Wroclaw now is embracing its past.
