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Province of Upper Silesia

1919 establishments in Germany1945 disestablishments in GermanyFormer eastern territories of GermanyHistory of SilesiaNazi war crimes in Poland
Pages with non-numeric formatnum argumentsProvince of Upper SilesiaProvinces of PrussiaStates and territories disestablished in 1945States and territories established in 1919
Flagge Preußen Provinz Oberschlesien
Flagge Preußen Provinz Oberschlesien

The Province of Upper Silesia (German: Provinz Oberschlesien; Silesian German: Provinz Oberschläsing; Silesian: Prowincyjŏ Gōrny Ślōnsk; Polish: Prowincja Górny Śląsk) was a province of the Free State of Prussia from 1919 to 1945. It comprised much of the region of Upper Silesia and was eventually divided into two government regions (Regierungsbezirke) called Kattowitz (1939–1945), and Oppeln (1819–1945). The provincial capital was Oppeln (1919–1938) and Kattowitz (1941–1945), while other major towns included Beuthen, Gleiwitz, Hindenburg O.S., Neiße, Ratibor and Auschwitz, added in 1941 (the place of future extermination of Jews in World War II). Between 1938 and 1941 it was reunited with Lower Silesia as the Province of Silesia.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Province of Upper Silesia (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Province of Upper Silesia
Plac Katedralny, Opole Stare Miasto

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 50.6703 ° E 17.920288888889 °
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Address

Katedra pw. Podwyższenia Krzyża Świętego

Plac Katedralny
45-007 Opole, Stare Miasto
Opole Voivodeship, Poland
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Website
katedra.opole.pl

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Kowalczyk brothers
Kowalczyk brothers

Ryszard Kowalczyk (20 February 1937 – 17 October 2017) and his younger brother Jerzy Kowalczyk (born 1942) were Polish brothers who planted a bomb as a protest against communist rule in Poland. The Kowalczyk brothers were scientists at Opole University. They planted a bomb there on 6 October 1971 as a protest against the violence perpetrated by the communist authorities against the workers' protest. A big celebration for the Służba Bezpieczeństwa and Milicja Obywatelska was to take place at the university in the morning of the following day. The explosion destroyed the big university hall where the celebrations were to take place. Although no-one was injured, a wide investigation was launched and the Kowalczyks were quickly arrested. On 8 September 1972 the court in Opole sentenced Jerzy to death and Ryszard as his helper to 25 years in prison. The sentence was confirmed by the Supreme Court on 18 December 1972. Such severe sentences resulted in protests from Jan Józef Szczepański, Wisława Szymborska, Jerzy Szacki, Stanisław Lem, Daniel Olbrychski and Catholic authorities. On 19 January 1973 the Council of State reduced Jerzy Kowalczyk's sentence to 25 years in prison. With the rise of Solidarity in the 1980s, pardons were issued and the brothers were freed for good behavior: Ryszard in 1983 and Jerzy in 1985. In 1991 President Lech Wałęsa decided that their sentences were legally forgotten which would allow them to work again. Still this declaration and following it legal procedure, has not been confirmed by the Supreme Court, which in January 2002 ruled that the conviction of the Kowalczyks could not be appealed, justifying it mainly but not uniquely by the reasons of the legal procedure. The ruling closed the appeal possibilities in this case.