Polish students in Breslau – the “Silesia Superior” society of Upper Silesian academics (1924–1939)

During the early 1930s, a conflict with the Union of Poles in Germany led to a split within “Silesia Superior”, whose leadership was critical of the full subordination of the society to the Sanacja regime at the time. In 1931, the “Silesia Superior” Academic Vacation Circle (Akademickie Koło Wakacyjne) was founded in Ratibor. In 1932, it severed ties with its original organisation for good, first renaming itself the Academic J. Rostek Vacation Circle, and then the “Piast” Union of Polish Academics (Związek Akademików Polskich). Even earlier, in 1929, the “Polonia” Polish Academic Circle was founded in Berlin. As the years passed, therefore, the Polish academic community in Germany became increasingly splintered. Later on, the possibility of joining together again was considered. An amalgamation finally took place in 1934 with the founding of the Union of Polish Academics in Germany (Związek Akademików Polaków w Niemczech), although in reality, this consolidation was a protracted process. The turning point came with the Congress of Polish Academics in Germany, which took place in Berlin in 1935, and at which “Silesia Superior”, “Piast” and “Polonia” decided to disband. This was met with resistance from some of the members of “Silesia Superior”. As a result of the differing ideas regarding the future of “Silesia”, the decision was made to retain the local society, although by that time, the membership consisted mainly of the “Old Gentlemen”. Students who were still at university could freely choose which organisation they wished to join. Finally, in June 1939, “Silesia Superior” closed down. 

During the Second World War, many members of “Silesia” were forced to go underground or adopt a pseudonym. However, they actively participated in underground campaigns during the war and the years of occupation, remaining true to the ideals for which they had joined the organisation during their studies. After the end of the Second World War, the traditions of “Silesia”, which had been active for nearly 15 years, were not forgotten and continued to be maintained among academics from Opole in the Poznań region. It appears to be no coincidence that Poznań was chosen as their base, since after the war, a large number of Silesians took up studies at the university there. Many of them were unable to study at the academic institutions in Breslau, which was a source of great regret at the time. The problems of accessing higher education in the post-war years were described by Mariusz Patelski as follows: “In 1947, the brothers Józef and Jerzy Grzesik from Tarnów Opolski were not permitted to study at the Uniwersytet Wrocławski, and the son of a well-known activist from the Union of Poles in Germany and a graduate of the Polish grammar school in Bytom, Kazimierz Malczewski Jr., had difficulty being accepted to the Politechnika Wrocławska” (Patelski, Koło Akademików…, p. 93). Many former inhabitants of Silesia found a new home in the welcoming city of Poznań and began to build a new life during the post-war years. 

Kacper Rosner-Leszczynski, February 2024

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