Cieszyn Silesia Těšín Silesia | |
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 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Location of Cieszyn Silesia on the map of Poland | |
 Polish map of Cieszyn Silesia. The solid black line is the historical border of the region, and the broken black line is the international border. | |
| Coordinates:49°44′56″N18°37′34″E / 49.749°N 18.626°E /49.749; 18.626 | |
| Country |  Poland Czech Republic |
| Historical region | Upper Silesia |
| Seat | Cieszyn |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,280 km2 (880 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• Total | 810,000 |
| • Density | 360/km2 (920/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
Cieszyn Silesia,Těšín Silesia orTeschen Silesia (Polish:Śląsk Cieszyński[ˈɕlɔ̃sktɕɛˈʂɨj̃skʲi]ⓘ;Czech:Těšínské Slezsko[ˈcɛʃiːnskɛːˈslɛsko]ⓘ orTěšínsko[ˈcɛʃiːnsko]ⓘ;German:Teschener Schlesien orOlsagebiet) is a historical region in south-easternSilesia, centered on the towns ofCieszyn andČeský Těšín and bisected by theOlza River. Since 1920 it has been divided betweenPoland andCzechoslovakia, and later theCzech Republic. It covers an area of about 2,280 square kilometres (880 sq mi) and has about 810,000 inhabitants, of which 1,002 square kilometres (387 sq mi) (44%) is in Poland, while 1,280 square kilometres (494 sq mi) (56%) is in the Czech Republic.
The historical boundaries of the region are roughly the same as those of the former independentDuchy of Cieszyn. Currently, over half of Cieszyn Silesia forms one of theeuroregions, theCieszyn Silesia Euroregion, with the rest of it belonging toEuroregion Beskydy.[1][2]
From an administrative point of view, the Polish part of Cieszyn Silesia lies within theSilesian Voivodeship and comprisesCieszyn County, the western part ofBielsko County, and the western part of the town ofBielsko-Biała.
The Czech part lies within theMoravian-Silesian Region and comprises theKarviná District, the eastern part of theFrýdek-Místek District, and the eastern parts of theOstrava-City District and of the city ofOstrava itself.
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Cieszyn Silesia covers the area of the former Duchy of Teschen, which existed from 1290 to 1918. Before 1290 the area constituted acastellany, which together with Castellany ofRacibórz formed theDuchy of Racibórz in 1172. From 1202 it was a part of the unitedDuchy of Opole and Racibórz. From 1290 to 1653 the Duchy of Cieszyn/Teschen was ruled by the local branch of thePiast dynasty. In 1327Casimir I, Duke of Cieszyn, sworehomage to the Bohemian kingJohn of Bohemia, and the duchy became an autonomousfiefdom of theKingdom of Bohemia and later theBohemian Crown. Piast rule continued until 1653 and the death of the last Piast descendant,Elizabeth Lucretia, Duchess of Cieszyn, after which it lapsed directly to the Kings of Bohemia,[3] at that time from theHabsburg dynasty. From 1722, the dukes of Teschen hailed from theDukes of Lorraine dynasty, from 1767 to 1822 from theWettin dynasty, and from 1822 to 1918 from theHabsburg-Lorraine dynasty.
Cieszyn Silesia was cemented as a uniform historic, geopolitical, socio-cultural and economic entity during the period of Habsburg rule. It is distinct from the rest of Silesia because after theFirst Silesian War between theHabsburg Monarchy andPrussia it remainedpart of Austria, whereas most of Silesia became a part of Prussia.
After the end ofWorld War I, both of the two newly created independent states ofPoland andCzechoslovakia claimed the area. Czechoslovakia claimed the area partly on historic and ethnic grounds, but especially on economic and strategic grounds. The area was important for the Czechs, as the crucial railway line connectingCzech Silesia withSlovakia crossed the area (theKošice–Bohumín Railway, which was one of only two railroads that linked the Czech provinces to Slovakia at that time). The western area of Cieszyn Silesia is also very rich incoal. Many importantcoal mines, facilities andmetallurgy factories are located there. The Polish side based its claim to the area on ethnic criteria: a majority of the area's population was Polish according to the last (1910) Austrian census.[4]
Two local self-government councils, Polish and Czech, were created. Initially, both national councils claimed the whole of Cieszyn Silesia for themselves, the PolishRada Narodowa Księstwa Cieszyńskiego in its declaration "Ludu śląski!" of 30 October 1918 and the CzechNárodní výbor pro Slezsko in its declaration of 1 November 1918.[5] On 31 October 1918, in the wake ofWorld War I and the dissolution of Austria-Hungary, most of the area was taken over by local Polish authorities. The short-lived interim agreement of 2 November 1918 reflected the inability of the two national councils to come to finaldelimitation,[5] and on 5 November 1918 the area was divided between Poland and Czechoslovakia by another interim agreement.[6] In 1919 the councils were absorbed by the newly created and independent central governments inPrague andWarsaw.
The former was not satisfied with the situation and on 23 January 1919invaded the area[7][8] while both parties were engaged in much larger conflicts elsewhere, Poland inits war against theWest Ukrainian National Republic andCzechoslovakia in the war with theHungarian Soviet Republic overUpper Hungary. The impetus for the Czech invasion in 1919 was Poland's organising ofelections to theSejm (parliament) ofPoland in the disputed area. The elections were to be held in the whole of Cieszyn Silesia. The Czechs claimed that the polls must not be held in the disputed area, as the delimitation was only interim and no sovereign rule should be executed there by any party. The Czech demand was rejected by the Poles and, following the rejection, Czechs decided to resolve the issue by force.[5] Czech units led by ColonelJosef Šnejdárek and Polish units commanded by GeneralFranciszek Latinik clashed after the swift Czech advance nearSkoczów where a battle took place on 28–30 January. It was inconclusive, and before the reinforced Czech forces could resume the attack on the town, they were pressed byEntente to stop operations and acease-fire was signed on 3 February.
In this tense climate it was decided that aplebiscite would be held in the area asking its people which country the territory should join. Plebiscite commissioners arrived there at the end of January 1920 and after analysing the situation declared astate of emergency in the territory on 19 May 1920. The situation in the territory remained very tense. Mutual intimidation, acts of terror, beatings and even killings affected the area.[9] A plebiscite could not be held in this atmosphere. On 10 July both sides renounced the idea of plebiscite and entrusted theConference of Ambassadors with the decision.[10] Eventually 58.1% of the area of Cieszyn Silesia, along with 67.9% of the population, was taken over byCzechoslovakia on 28 July 1920 by decision of theSpa Conference.[10] This decision divided a historically unified region, leaving a sizeablePolish minority in Czechoslovakia and in practice createdTrans-Olza, the eastern part of the Czech part of Cieszyn Silesia delimited by theOlza River. The division of 1920 had an immediate impact on the life of the region. Many families were divided by the new border. Several municipalities were divided between the two states—Cieszyn (PL) /Český Těšín (CS),Leszna Górna (PL) /Horní Líštná (CS), andMarklowice Górne (PL) /Dolní Marklovice (CS), to name a few.
On 1 October 1938 Trans-Olzawas annexed by Poland following theMunich Conference. On 1 September 1939 Zaolzie was annexed byNazi Germany after itinvaded Poland. DuringWorld War II Cieszyn Silesia was a part of Nazi Germany. Immediately after the war, its borders were returned to their 1920 state. Poland signed a treaty with Czechoslovakia in Warsaw on 13 June 1958 confirming the border as it had existed on 1 January 1938. The Czech part of Cieszyn Silesia continued to be part of Czechoslovakia until the latter's dissolution in 1993 and since then has been part of theCzech Republic.
The region is separated from the rest ofSilesia (andUpper Silesia in particular) by theVistula River (the part beginning inStrumień) and from the region ofLesser Poland by theBiała River andBarania Góra mountain, the highest peak of the Polish part of the region at 1,220 metres (4,000 ft). The highest peak of the region isLysá hora (1,323 m (4,341 ft)) in the Czech part. The region also bordersSlovakia, along the Polom mountain range andJablunkov Pass atMosty u Jablunkova, andMoravia across the riversOstravice andOder. Geomorphologically, the area of Cieszyn Silesia is located in theWestern Carpathians and extends into the mesoregions:
Major towns of the Polish part of the region includeCieszyn,Bielsko (western part ofBielsko-Biała),Czechowice-Dziedzice,Skoczów,Strumień,Ustroń andWisła. The Czech part of the region includes the eastern part ofOstrava (calledSlezská Ostrava),Bohumín,Český Těšín,Frýdek (the eastern part ofFrýdek-Místek),Havířov,Karviná,Orlová andTřinec.
Historically Duchy of Teschen and therefore Cieszyn Silesia formed a part ofUpper Silesia. AfterSilesian Wars in the 18th century it was separated from the rest of Silesia, which began the process of forming its own specificity, to the extent that some contemporary authors claim that Cieszyn Silesia and Upper Silesia are separate regions.[11]
Cieszyn Silesia as a region consolidated in the 19th century, which later became a discrete eastern part ofAustrian Silesia, crownland of theCisleithanian part ofAustria-Hungary, which helped to form a distinct local identity based on language, religious and ethnic pluralism, and distinctiveness from other parts ofSilesia.[12]
The region was inhabited by several ethnic groups. Most numerous werePoles (historically called alsoWasserpolaks),Czechs (mainly in the western part of the region),Germans (especially in the Germanlanguage island ofBielsko-Biała) andJews. The northern part, strongly industrialised and urbanised, is more densely populated than the southern part, which is more mountainous. The population density of Cieszyn Silesia is about 360/km2 (932/mi2). The southern, mountainous part of the region is home to theSilesian Gorals, the indigenous people of the region. They have their own distinct culture which has influenced the culture of whole region.
Cieszyn Silesia is known for its religious pluralism. The most widespread religions areRoman Catholicism andLutheranism. The region is distinct in large part because of its Protestantism, which has an influence on the whole region. Some of the municipalities with a Protestant majority include those in the vicinity ofSkoczów andWisła, the only town in Poland with a Protestant majority. Protestant influence is reflected in the regional saying in theCieszyn Silesian dialect "Dzierży sie twardo jak lutersko wiara kole Cieszyna." (Stays strong like the Lutheran faith around Cieszyn.)[13] Several towns, especiallyBielsko,Cieszyn andFryštát, in the past had a larger Jewish community, but the local Jews were almost completely annihilated by the Nazis duringWorld War II and the local Germans were all deported to Germany or Austria after the war. Today, many other religious, mostly Christian, denominations are present in small numbers, includingJehovah's Witnesses,Seventh-day Adventists andPentecostals whose movement within Poland originated in Cieszyn Silesia.
Cieszyn Silesia is also distinct for its dialect, theCieszyn Silesian dialect, which differs from the otherSilesian dialects spoken inUpper Silesia. It is a distinct dialect with predominantly Polish influences; Czech[14] and German[15] influences are also strong. The inhabitants of Cieszyn Silesia feel a strong regional (Cieszyn Silesian, Goral etc.) identity – locals will say they are(tu) stela (from here)[16] – but the vast majority declare themselves to be of Polish or Czech nationality in their respective national censuses. This is somewhat different from the situation in Upper Silesia wherea tendency toward autonomy still exists.[12]
Local people however regard the Habsburg era rather fondly. The time ofMaria Theresa andFranz Josef is viewed nostalgically as a time of justice, development, order and peace. This is in fact also partly rooted in a liberal and pluralistic attitude toward national and ethnic groups, liberal in comparison to other empires of that time, especiallyPrussia and theRussian Empire. Even in 2006 there were still portraits of Habsburg rulers on the wall in the assembly room of the Cieszyn local council.[17]
The most widespread folk costume in the area used to be aCieszyn folk costume associated withCieszyn Vlachs.
In 1900 Cieszyn Silesia had 361,015 inhabitants, of whom 218,869 were Poles (60.6%), 85,553 Czechs (23.7%) and 56,240 Germans (15.6%).
| County | Pop. | Poles | % | Czechs | % | Germans | % | Others | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gerichtsbezirk Bielitz (Bielsko) | 28028 | 17323 | 61.8% | 146 | 0.5% | 10559 | 37.7% | 0 | 0.0% |
| Gerichtsbezirk Skotschau (Skoczów) | 32163 | 29747 | 92.5% | 151 | 0.5% | 2255 | 7.0% | 10 | 0.0% |
| Gerichtsbezirk Schwarzwasser (Strumień) | 14436 | 13364 | 92.6% | 109 | 0.8% | 963 | 6.7% | 0 | 0.0% |
| Bielitz (Bielsko) District | 74627 | 60434 | 81.0% | 406 | 0.5% | 13777 | 18.5% | 10 | 0.0% |
| Gerichtsbezirk Teschen (Cieszyn) | 60353 | 42380 | 70.2% | 5320 | 8.8% | 12583 | 20.8% | 70 | 0.1% |
| Gerichtsbezirk Jablunkau (Jablunkov) | 28481 | 27614 | 97.0% | 86 | 0.3% | 773 | 2.7% | 8 | 0.0% |
| Teschen (Cieszyn) District | 88834 | 69994 | 78.8% | 5406 | 6.1% | 13356 | 15.0% | 78 | 0.1% |
| Gerichtsbezirk Friedek (Frýdek) | 41725 | 1639 | 3.9% | 39112 | 93.7% | 971 | 2.3% | 3 | 0.0% |
| Gerichtsbezirk Polnisch Ostrau (Ostrava) | 40908 | 12112 | 29.6% | 25840 | 63.2% | 2955 | 7.2% | 1 | 0.0% |
| Friedek (Frýdek) District | 82633 | 13751 | 16.6% | 64952 | 78.6% | 3926 | 4.8% | 4 | 0.0% |
| Gerichtsbezirk Oderberg (Bohumín) | 27558 | 19182 | 69.6% | 3342 | 12.1% | 4943 | 17.9% | 91 | 0.3% |
| Gerichtsbezirk Freistadt (Fryštát) | 62412 | 52545 | 84.2% | 6372 | 10.2% | 3336 | 5.3% | 159 | 0.3% |
| Freistadt (Fryštát) District | 89970 | 71727 | 79.7% | 9714 | 10.8% | 8279 | 9.2% | 250 | 0.3% |
| Bielitz (Bielsko) City | 16065 | 2420 | 15.1% | 94 | 0.6% | 13540 | 84.3% | 11 | 0.1% |
| Friedek (Frýdek) City | 8886 | 543 | 6.1% | 4981 | 56.1% | 3362 | 37.8% | 0 | 0.0% |
| Total Cieszyn Silesia | 361015 | 218869 | 60.6% | 85553 | 23.7% | 56240 | 15.6% | 353 | 0.1% |
