Post by Bonobo on Apr 9, 2016 22:21:26 GMT 1
Lviv month underway in Wrocław
04.04.2016 13:39
A month dedicated to the western Ukrainian city of Lviv is underway as part of Wrocław's tenure as European Capital of Culture 2016.
Exhibition of Ukrainian art as part of Wrocław's tenure as European Capital of Culture. Photo: Facebook/Wrocław 2016Exhibition of Ukrainian art as part of Wrocław's tenure as European Capital of Culture. Photo: Facebook/Wrocław 2016
Throughout April, Wrocław will be hosting events involving close to 300 cultural luminaries from Lviv and Ukraine in general, ranging from painters to poets and musicians.
Ties between the cities run deep.
Prior to WWII Lviv (then Lwów) lay in south eastern Poland, boasting three archbishoprics: Roman Catholic (primarily serving the Polish community), Greek Catholic (Ukrainian) and Armenian Catholic, and close to 50 synagogues.
Following both Nazi German and Soviet occupation during WWII, Lviv remained in the Soviet Union as a result of the Yalta Conference of February 1945.
Poland's borders were shifted west, taking in Wrocław (formerly the German city of Breslau). The majority of Lviv's Polish population was resettled within Poland's new borders, and a large proportion moved to Wrocław.
- See more at: www.thenews.pl/1/11/Artykul/247264,Lviv-month-underway-in-Wroclaw#sthash.Ejb6SdNs.dpuf
www.migrationeducation.org/15.1.html?&rid=36&cHash=98bb3439dddecf8a54e55c25fcfe70cb
....after World War II when the Allies decided to shift the Polish borders and consequently displaced more than one million Poles from eastern parts of the country - the so called Polish “Kresy”. Among the affected cities, which fell to the Soviet Union after the war, was the metropolitan city of Lwow – one of the most important cultural centres of Poland. Due to the Second World War this openminded city, which throughout centuries had been a melting pot of multinational inhabitants, suffered irreparable decay. Forced by the political agreement on territorial changes, most of the Polish Lwowians had to leave their home town and resettle in the unknown western part of the country. Many of them found their new home in the former German city of Breslau, which by then belonged to Poland and was called Wroclaw.
[...]
Having the option between abduction to Sibiria and resettlement in the west, for the majority of Poles the latter seemed to be the lesser evil and thus the first transports leaving Lwów in January were more than overcrowded. Though longer than expected – the last transport left Lwow in July 1946 – the action saw some 124, 743 Poles expelled from Lwow during the “Repatriation”.
[...]
The Polish Communist government aimed at the settlement of as many Poles as possible in the western regions before the Potsdam Conference, in order to push through the Oder-Neisse-Border with their politics of a fait accompli. One of the most important cities in the area was Wroc_aw. Within the first two postwar years the ethnic mixture of this city changed drastically. Estimates from Norman Davies and Rodger Moorhouse show that towards the end of 1945 around 33.297 Poles were living in Wroclaw with about five times as many Germans. After one year the numbers had nearly reversed. The settlement of Poles and displacement of Germans lead to Lower Silesia’s capital now being inhabited by 152.898 Poles and 28.274 Germans.
[...]
Among the new settlers in Wroclaw were many Lwowians. According to the treaties, former inhabitants of bigger cities should be resettled in urban areas, which is why many transports from Lwow came directly to Wroclaw. Many exiles preferred to go to Wroclaw – after the loss of Lwow as their home town, which has been an important cultural metropolis, many of it’s former inhabitants wanted to live in a similarly important city. Breslau was probably the most popular city, which fell to Poland after World War II. Though only 6-10% of Wroclaw’s postwar inhabitants actually were former Lwowians, the legend arose that Wroclaw was a second Lwow. One of the main reasons for this belief was that the former Lwowians occupied an important part of the new intellectual elite and therefore had a large impact on cultural life and education in the city. Many of the professors and scientists of the reopened University of Wroclaw in 1945, were former Lwowian professors of the Jan-Kazimierz-University. The well-known Lwowian Ossolineum Library was also taken to Wroc_aw – parts of it’s collection had been transferred by special trains. Furthermore, there were many physicians, lawers and engineers among the former Lwowians. Entire occupational groups arrived from Lwow, including tram drivers and employees of electric power stations. The Lwowians were also a social group. Since their expulsion they stuck together, some until today, which once again proves their strong and distinct local patriotism.The move to the Polish western territories and so to Wroclaw was propagated by the Communists as a unique chance to improve their standard of living.
[...]
In reality, however, things were much different; the city was destroyed and full of plunderers. The first impression of Wroclaw was similar for many interviewees – the view from the platform showed a desert of ruins. The devastation was accompanied by the feeling of strangeness. Not only was the place new and the architecture foreign, but also the people were strangers. Officially the city was Polish, but the street names were still German. There was German furniture, clothes and other still remaining in the flats, which were completely unfamiliar. The ruined city with it’s innumerable hideouts was ideal for all kinds of criminals. Plunderers, so called “szabrownicy”, were everywhere and expected good business by selling the leftover German belongings. Soviet soldiers were also involved showing a great interest in bicycles and watches. For some time Wroclaw was called the “Forbidden City” or even “Capital of the Wild West”. This is why the new settlers kept together and lived in the centre, as the outskirts were even more dangerous. The majority of the Lwowians kept up their hope to return home until long after their displacement. Wroclaw had an atmosphere of unsteadiness. From todays point of view it might be irrational that many of them had hoped for the outbreak of a Third World War to make their return possible. It took years until they got used to their new home.In Socialist Poland the expulsion was turned into a taboo. If talking at all about it, it was named “Repatriation” – the return to the “Recovered Territories”. The true history of the expellees was never officially discussed. The only way to talk about their experiences was in privacy.
Lviv before war
Wrocław
04.04.2016 13:39
A month dedicated to the western Ukrainian city of Lviv is underway as part of Wrocław's tenure as European Capital of Culture 2016.
Exhibition of Ukrainian art as part of Wrocław's tenure as European Capital of Culture. Photo: Facebook/Wrocław 2016Exhibition of Ukrainian art as part of Wrocław's tenure as European Capital of Culture. Photo: Facebook/Wrocław 2016
Throughout April, Wrocław will be hosting events involving close to 300 cultural luminaries from Lviv and Ukraine in general, ranging from painters to poets and musicians.
Ties between the cities run deep.
Prior to WWII Lviv (then Lwów) lay in south eastern Poland, boasting three archbishoprics: Roman Catholic (primarily serving the Polish community), Greek Catholic (Ukrainian) and Armenian Catholic, and close to 50 synagogues.
Following both Nazi German and Soviet occupation during WWII, Lviv remained in the Soviet Union as a result of the Yalta Conference of February 1945.
Poland's borders were shifted west, taking in Wrocław (formerly the German city of Breslau). The majority of Lviv's Polish population was resettled within Poland's new borders, and a large proportion moved to Wrocław.
- See more at: www.thenews.pl/1/11/Artykul/247264,Lviv-month-underway-in-Wroclaw#sthash.Ejb6SdNs.dpuf
www.migrationeducation.org/15.1.html?&rid=36&cHash=98bb3439dddecf8a54e55c25fcfe70cb
....after World War II when the Allies decided to shift the Polish borders and consequently displaced more than one million Poles from eastern parts of the country - the so called Polish “Kresy”. Among the affected cities, which fell to the Soviet Union after the war, was the metropolitan city of Lwow – one of the most important cultural centres of Poland. Due to the Second World War this openminded city, which throughout centuries had been a melting pot of multinational inhabitants, suffered irreparable decay. Forced by the political agreement on territorial changes, most of the Polish Lwowians had to leave their home town and resettle in the unknown western part of the country. Many of them found their new home in the former German city of Breslau, which by then belonged to Poland and was called Wroclaw.
[...]
Having the option between abduction to Sibiria and resettlement in the west, for the majority of Poles the latter seemed to be the lesser evil and thus the first transports leaving Lwów in January were more than overcrowded. Though longer than expected – the last transport left Lwow in July 1946 – the action saw some 124, 743 Poles expelled from Lwow during the “Repatriation”.
[...]
The Polish Communist government aimed at the settlement of as many Poles as possible in the western regions before the Potsdam Conference, in order to push through the Oder-Neisse-Border with their politics of a fait accompli. One of the most important cities in the area was Wroc_aw. Within the first two postwar years the ethnic mixture of this city changed drastically. Estimates from Norman Davies and Rodger Moorhouse show that towards the end of 1945 around 33.297 Poles were living in Wroclaw with about five times as many Germans. After one year the numbers had nearly reversed. The settlement of Poles and displacement of Germans lead to Lower Silesia’s capital now being inhabited by 152.898 Poles and 28.274 Germans.
[...]
Among the new settlers in Wroclaw were many Lwowians. According to the treaties, former inhabitants of bigger cities should be resettled in urban areas, which is why many transports from Lwow came directly to Wroclaw. Many exiles preferred to go to Wroclaw – after the loss of Lwow as their home town, which has been an important cultural metropolis, many of it’s former inhabitants wanted to live in a similarly important city. Breslau was probably the most popular city, which fell to Poland after World War II. Though only 6-10% of Wroclaw’s postwar inhabitants actually were former Lwowians, the legend arose that Wroclaw was a second Lwow. One of the main reasons for this belief was that the former Lwowians occupied an important part of the new intellectual elite and therefore had a large impact on cultural life and education in the city. Many of the professors and scientists of the reopened University of Wroclaw in 1945, were former Lwowian professors of the Jan-Kazimierz-University. The well-known Lwowian Ossolineum Library was also taken to Wroc_aw – parts of it’s collection had been transferred by special trains. Furthermore, there were many physicians, lawers and engineers among the former Lwowians. Entire occupational groups arrived from Lwow, including tram drivers and employees of electric power stations. The Lwowians were also a social group. Since their expulsion they stuck together, some until today, which once again proves their strong and distinct local patriotism.The move to the Polish western territories and so to Wroclaw was propagated by the Communists as a unique chance to improve their standard of living.
[...]
In reality, however, things were much different; the city was destroyed and full of plunderers. The first impression of Wroclaw was similar for many interviewees – the view from the platform showed a desert of ruins. The devastation was accompanied by the feeling of strangeness. Not only was the place new and the architecture foreign, but also the people were strangers. Officially the city was Polish, but the street names were still German. There was German furniture, clothes and other still remaining in the flats, which were completely unfamiliar. The ruined city with it’s innumerable hideouts was ideal for all kinds of criminals. Plunderers, so called “szabrownicy”, were everywhere and expected good business by selling the leftover German belongings. Soviet soldiers were also involved showing a great interest in bicycles and watches. For some time Wroclaw was called the “Forbidden City” or even “Capital of the Wild West”. This is why the new settlers kept together and lived in the centre, as the outskirts were even more dangerous. The majority of the Lwowians kept up their hope to return home until long after their displacement. Wroclaw had an atmosphere of unsteadiness. From todays point of view it might be irrational that many of them had hoped for the outbreak of a Third World War to make their return possible. It took years until they got used to their new home.In Socialist Poland the expulsion was turned into a taboo. If talking at all about it, it was named “Repatriation” – the return to the “Recovered Territories”. The true history of the expellees was never officially discussed. The only way to talk about their experiences was in privacy.
Lviv before war
Wrocław