OLD WROCLAW-1900-1920/ photo- Muzeum Architektury/ https://www.wroclaw.pL
Being Polish in Breslau: The difficult history of the Polish community in pre-war Wrocław
AUTHOR: Juliusz Woźny
Life was far from easy for Poles living in pre-war Wrocław, then known as Breslau. Radical racist, and nationalist ideologies were rapidly gaining ground among the local German population, resulting in the persecution of all non-German communities. In such an environment, identifying as Polish was an act of remarkable courage, writes Juliusz Woźny.
The conclusion of the First World War ushered in a challenging era for Poles residing in Wrocław. Estimates from scholars suggest that their population numbered in the thousands, yet this figure continued to dwindle over time. The primary catalyst for this exodus was the escalating persecution by the Germans, which became particularly pronounced following Poland’s restoration of independence. As Prof. Teresa Kulak notes in her 1977 work ‘Wrocław,’ the hostility towards Poles in Wrocław became conspicuous after the Treaty of Versailles was signed on 8 June 1919. This treaty made it evident that Germany would need to relinquish territories such as Greater Poland and Pomerania to the newly liberated Poland, and it was decided that a plebiscite would be held in Upper Silesia. The repression against Poles intensified, especially during the uprisings in Upper Silesia and the subsequent plebiscite.
On 26 August 1920, a mob of enraged Germans stormed the Polish consulate on Nowa Street, resulting in the destruction of furniture and the desecration of 6,000 books from the consulate’s library, which were callously thrown onto the street. In 1938, the Polish House on what is now Henryka Brodatego Street was unjustly seized from its rightful owners. These incidents prompted a number of Poles to return to their homeland during the interwar years.
Lower Silesia emerged as a stronghold of support for Adolf Hitler’s National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP) in the 1932 elections, where nearly half (44%) of voters cast their ballots for the party. The sentiments of local citizens towards Poland were unmistakably clear. Following Hitler’s rise to power on 12 March 1933, a massive procession of 5,000 demonstrators from the SS, SA, and Stahlhelm marched through the city. The infantry marched with long spades slung over their shoulders like rifles, while other units paraded with wooden replicas of machine guns and imitation ammunition belts made of wood. To the onlookers, the sight was both grotesque and terrifying for the Polish community.
In April 1933, three Polish students faced arrest for simply speaking their native language. They were taken to the notorious Nazi headquarters known as the ‘Brown House,’ where they endured severe beatings. That same year, alarming rumours began to circulate that an imminent attack from Poland was on the horizon, cleverly fabricated to incite fear among the populace: Breslau was purportedly to be bombarded by 'red enemy planes.’ The imagery of Polish aircraft wreaking havoc, marked by their red colour, undoubtedly captured the German imagination.
Anti-Polish sentiments were systematically stoked by propaganda over the years. In 1937, road signs began to appear at the outskirts of the city, indicating the precise distance to Bydgoszcz, Łódź, and Toruń – information that was clearly aimed at the local population. Polish students faced increasing harassment, and in 1938, they were issued student ID cards in yellow, the same colour as those assigned to persecuted Jewish students. By 1939, the oppression had escalated, with signs appearing on university doors in Wrocław stating: ‘Members of the Polish minority are forbidden from entering the University.’
German propaganda poster from the period of the Silesian uprisings and the plebiscite. In translation: „Are you referring to my basket? There is my beloved Silesia! It always stays with me inseparable, for next to you it would look abandoned and wild.”/https://pl.wikipedia.org
The Gestapo also intensified their repression, conducting searches in dormitories and the Polish House, leading to tragic outcomes. Based on the intelligence gathered, arrests were made following the outbreak of war, with some Polish activists imprisoned in concentration camps while others, primarily students, were forcibly conscripted into the Wehrmacht.
In such daunting circumstances, openly identifying as Polish, establishing community structures, and maintaining connections with the reborn homeland demanded extraordinary fortitude. The organisation of the Polish Diaspora Congress in Berlin in 1938 stands as a testament to the remarkable bravery of its organisers and participants, including Władysław Zarembowicz, a prominent figure in Wrocław’s Polish community. Tragically, he later became involved in underground resistance efforts during the war, leading to his horrific demise – burned alive in the Mauthausen concentration camp.
Polish scouts going to meetings also hid their uniforms under their coats, because those who dared to walk through the city in uniform were often brutally beaten.
Polish scouts attending meetings often concealed their uniforms beneath their coats, as those bold enough to wear them publicly were frequently subjected to brutal beatings. One such courageous individual was Rudolf Tauer, the son of a German father and Polish mother who had relocated to Wrocław from the Poznań region. He attended meetings clad in his Polish scout uniform and participated in the final Polish mass at St. Martin’s Church on 17 September 1939. He witnessed the fervour that engulfed the city following the capitulation of Warsaw on 28 September, when a three-day holiday was declared in Wrocław to celebrate the event. At just sixteen, he was conscripted into the Volkssturm and fought in the defence of Festung Breslau, witnessing the tragic loss of friends to the gunfire of Red Army soldiers. He felt immense relief at the announcement of the surrender, but his hopes for a peaceful existence in his beloved homeland were soon shattered. Like many Poles born in pre-war Wrocław, he endured persecution from communist authorities and fellow countrymen swayed by propaganda for many years. Tauer bitterly recalled being labelled a German and denied career advancement.
OLD WROCLAW-BRESLAU/https://www.wroclaw.pl/
Despite these challenges, Tauer remained in Wrocław until the end of his life. However, many of his Polish peers, who had resisted the pressures of German persecution, chose to leave after the war, seeking refuge in Germany.
Source: DlaPolonii.pl
