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

The origins of organised Polish student activity can be traced back to 1920, when students helped in the Polish “school room” and were actively involved in the Polish plebiscite bureau in Breslau. They acted as couriers, travelling between the towns and cities and ensuring that communications with the Polish plebiscite committee headed by Wojciech Korfanty in Beuthen (Bytom) ran smoothly. The Union of Poles in Germany, more precisely, “District I”, which included Lower Silesia from 1924 onwards, controlled the activities of the Polish students. “Silesia Superior”, the society of academics in Upper Silesia, had been founded in Oppeln (Opole) on 28 August 1924. It was the oldest Polish academic society in the Oppeln region of Silesia. The union was founded by Ignacy Cebula, Józef Hudoła, Grzegorz Kipka, Karol Knosała, Augustyn Kośny, Paweł Kwoczek, Józef Tomys and Jerzy Wyrwoł, who met in the Landwirtschaftsbank, the agricultural bank in Oppeln. During the summer and winter semesters of the 1926/27 academic year, the society was chaired by Karol Knosała. The organisation had links to Breslau right from the start and brought together Polish and Upper Silesian students at the university there. Its aim was not only to bring together Polish students, but also former pupils from German grammar schools who came from Polish families and who had no clear sense of national identity. The Upper Silesians constituted the largest group among the Polish students in German Breslau. This was due to the cultural connections with Breslau, the historic capital city of Silesia, as well as the fact that during that period, Upper Silesia and the Oppeln region were border territories that were home to a large number of people who identified as Polish but spoke fluent German, which improved their chances of studying at the most important academic institution in the region.

In its statutes, the Society of Upper Silesian Academics set out its aims as follows:

 “[...] to join together all Polish-Upper Silesian academics with German citizenship and to support them as conscious national workers for the good of Polish society in Upper Silesia by learning and deepening Polish culture through active participation in society in Poland.” (W. Wawrzynek, Polskie stowarzyszenia…, p. 31)

The document clearly states that after completing their studies, members should be active in society in the Oppeln region of Silesia. However, members who failed to meet these standards, such as the medical graduate Ernst Prokop, were excluded from the organisation. Nevertheless, “Silesia Superior” always welcomed new members. For example, Paweł Nantka-Namirski (who later became chair of the society) arrived in Breslau in 1930 and was given assistance by the consul at the time, Stefan Bratkowski. He invited Nantka-Namirski to the Polish House, where he was accepted as a member of the society and was assigned Leon Głogowski as his advisor. 

The members of “Silesia Superior” were closely monitored by the German authorities. The situation worsened particularly after Hitler came to power. In 1933, three Polish students, Tadeusz Kania, Franciszek Jankowski and Feliks Straszyński, were badly beaten after speaking Polish in a pub in Breslau. The case was made public by the Polish press, and caused a great deal of anxiety among the Polish community in Breslau. Pawel Nantka-Namirski recalled that for him, the events of 1933 served as a “warning”.

One important aspect of “Silesia Superior’s” activities with regard to relations between the local authorities and the students was the formal hearing of 1926. Maximilian Kośny and Paweł Kwoczek were summoned before the spokesman of the University of Breslau, judge Schoch. As Maksymilian Kośny recalls:

“Shortly before judge Schoch took action, we had sent letters from the board of ‘Silesia Superior’ to several students from Polish families who were studying in Breslau, asking them to join our organisation. This invitation included my name as the author of the letter and that of Paweł Kwoczek as chair of the organisation. Incidentally, nothing came of this type of attempt at recruiting new members. Judge Schoch had a copy of this invitation in his files. His activities had one clearly defined aim: to intimidate us. Among other things, he threatened to expel us from the university. If we had met his demands to register our organisation and present a list of members, the less steadfast and more nervous members would certainly have left ‘Silesia’. Even though we refused to register ourselves and did not disclose any lists of members, judge Schoch’s actions achieved the desired result. Soon afterwards, two colleagues left our organisation. The others refused to allow themselves to be intimidated.” (M. Kośny, Wspomnienia działacza…, p. 143)

With regard to the activities of the society, it should be noted that the members of “Silesia” played an active role in the social and cultural life of the region. Polish songs were sung at meetings and annual gatherings. To mark the 11th anniversary of the founding of the society (in 1935), a special booklet was published containing three texts: the “Silesia Superior” society hymn, “Let us Brothers Stand Together” (Stańmy bracia wraz), and “Watch over the Oder” (Straż nad Odrą). A verse from the latter song contains the following words:

Oh, our holy land,
We shall not let you fall,
A watch stands over the Oder!
Either victory or death.

(O święty kraju nasz,
nie damy cię na łup,
nad Odrą czuwa straż!
Zwycięstwo albo grób.)

The society members also went on trips together. Group outings to the seaside were organised (such as to the area around Rozewie) and regular visits to Poland were made possible thanks to financial support from the Organisation for the Defence of the Western Border Territories (Związek Obrony Kresów Zachodnich). For example, in March 1925, the members of “Silesia” travelled to Poznań for a month; in 1926, they visited Kraków and Zakopane; a year later, they went to Warsaw, and in 1930, they visited Wieliczka. They also went on vacation to the Polish coast, to Tupadeł and Gdynia. During their travels, they had the opportunity to come into contact with Polish culture, with visits to cabaret shows and theatre performances, and discussed Polish literature. They met Polish students and members of the Organisation for the Defence of the Western Border Territories, as well as the landed gentry. 

After passing an exam and completing a course of education, the members of “Silesia Superior” became “Old Gentlemen”. The first Polish doctor to join the group was Maksymilian Kośny, who was granted membership in 1932. His fate, like that of many other Polish students at the University of Breslau, illustrates his determination and commitment to the Polish community, while at the same time pursuing his own goals. In later years, many members of “Silesia Superior” worked actively to further the Polish cause. Some of them died under tragic circumstances. It is worth remembering the life stories of at least some of these individuals:

• Ludwik Affa – born in Ratibor (Racibórz) in 1910, law student. Member of the Union of Poles in Germany, founder and chair of the “Piast” academic society. After the war, named local administrator in Olesno by voivod Aleksander Zawadzki, member of the PPS, lawmaker. 
• Ignacy Cebula – born in Groß Pramsen (Prężyna) in 1898, law student. Member of the Union of Poles in Germany. He was arrested in Berlin in 1939 and died in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp.
• Leon Chodera – born in Nowa Świeta in 1917, medical student. After the war, he worked at the railway hospital in Poznań.
• Leon Głogowski – born in Gleiwitz (Gliwice) in 1908, medical student. Member of the Union of Poles in Germany, contact person during the Third Silesian Uprising. He gained his doctorate in 1938. During the war, he was imprisoned in Auschwitz. After the war, he worked as a doctor. He was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta.
• Franciszek Gralla – born in Gleiwitz (Gliwice) in 1905, medical student. Member of the Union of Poles in Germany, doctor, prisoner of Auschwitz. He died during the evacuation in 1945.
• Marian Horst – born in Zakrzewo in 1917, medical student. Member of the Union of Poles in Germany and the “Harmonia” singing society. Participant in the Congress of Poles in Germany, 1938. He obtained his doctorate in 1950. Director of the City Hospital in Piła, President of the Polish Medical Association. 
• Franciszek Jankowski – born in Bottrop in 1908, student of modern philology. Member of the Union of Poles in Germany, teacher, member of the Berlin editorial board of “Mały Polak w Niemczech”, organiser and director of the First State Grammar School and the Secondary School in Wrocław (opened in September 1945). 
• Tadeusz Kania – born in Alt Schalkowitz (Stare Siołkowice) in 1906, medical student. He defended his doctoral thesis in 1938. Member of the administrative council of the Polish House in Breslau and member of the society for the promotion of the sciences (Towarzystwo Naukowej Pomocy). Prisoner in the Buchenwald concentration camp. After the war, he opened a district hospital in Siołkowice. 
• Augustyn Kośny – born in Chrosczütz (Chrościce) in 1896, medical student. Soldier in the army under Gen. Haller. Member of the Union of Poles in Germany. Editor and journalist for “Katolik” and “Nowiny Codzienne”. In 1935, he obtained his doctorate at the University of Berlin. From 1937, he was an active member of the local Polish community. He was posthumously awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta.
• Maksymilian Kośny – born in Chrosczütz (Chrościce) in 1905, medical student. Member of the Union of Poles in Germany. In 1934, he obtained his doctorate at the University of Leipzig. After the war, he worked as a doctor in Poland.
• Lutosława Malczewska – born in Breslau in 1914, student of English and German philology. During her period of study (1935–1939), she was the only female Polish student in Breslau. Member of the Union of Poles in Germany, an active member of “Sokół” and of the “Harmonia” choir. During the Second World War, she secretly gave lessons. After the war, she worked as a journalist and was actively involved in public life.

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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