Trans-Olza

• 1. Slavic Settlement And Early Borders

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  The history of the Trans-Olza region began in 1918 when, after the collapse of Austria-Hungary, the newly-established Czechoslovakia claimed the area. This territory was mainly inhabited by Poles before that moment. The written history explicitly about the region begins on the 23rd of April 1155 when Cieszyn/Těšín was first mentioned in a written document. A letter from Pope Adrian IV issued for Walter, Bishop of Wrocław listed it amongst other centres of castellanies. In the late 10th century Poland, ruled by Bolesław I Chrobry, began to contend for the region. From 950 to 1060 it was under the rule of Bohemia. From 1060 it was part of the Piast Kingdom of Poland. The Castellany of Cieszyn was eventually transformed in 1290 into the Duchy of Cieszyn. In 1327 it became an autonomic fiefdom of the Bohemian crown. Upon the death of Elizabeth Lucretia, its last ruler from the Polish Piast dynasty in 1653, it passed directly to the Bohemian kings from the Habsburg dynasty. When most of Silesia was conquered by Prussian king Frederick the Great in 1742, the Cieszyn region was part of the small southern portion that was retained by the Habsburg Monarchy.

• 2. The January Invasion And Spa Decision

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  On the 23rd of January 1919 Czechoslovak forces invaded the area after their demands were rejected by the Poles. The Czechoslovak offensive was halted after pressure from the Entente following the Battle of Skoczów. A ceasefire was signed on the 3rd of February. The new Czechoslovakia claimed the area partly on historic and ethnic grounds, but especially on economic grounds. The area was important for the Czechs as the crucial railway line connecting Czech Silesia with Slovakia crossed the area. The Košice, Bohumín Railway was one of only two railroads that linked the Czech provinces to Slovakia at that time. The area is also very rich in black coal. Many important coal mines, facilities and metallurgy factories are located there. On the 28th of July 1920, by a decision of the Spa Conference, Czechoslovakia received 58.1% of the area of Cieszyn Silesia. This territory contained 67.9% of the population. It was this territory that became known from the Polish standpoint as Zaolzie. The Olza River marked the boundary between the Polish and Czechoslovak parts of the territory.

• 3. Census Shifts And Cultural Assimilation

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  Historically, the largest specified ethnic group inhabiting this area were Poles. During the 19th century the number of ethnic Germans grew. After declining at the end of the 19th century, at the beginning of the 20th century and later from 1920 to 1938 the Czech population grew significantly to rival the Poles. Another significant ethnic group were the Jews, but almost the entire Jewish population was murdered during World War II by Nazi Germany. About 12,000 to 14,000 Poles were forced to leave to Poland after the 1920 division. Estimates range from 110,000 to 140,000 people in 1921. Local Czech authorities made it more difficult for local Poles to obtain citizenship. The process was expedited when the applicant pledged to declare Czech nationality and send his children to a Czech school. Newly built Czech schools were often better supported and equipped. This induced some Poles to send their children there. Czech schools were built in ethnically almost entirely Polish municipalities. More and more local Poles thus assimilated into the Czech population.

• 4. The October Ultimatum And Annexation

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  At noon on the 30th of September, Poland gave an ultimatum to the Czechoslovak government. It demanded the immediate evacuation of Czechoslovak troops and police. Prague had until noon the following day to comply. At 11:45 a.m. on the 1st of October the Czechoslovak foreign ministry called the Polish ambassador in Prague. They told him that Poland could have what it wanted. The Polish Army, commanded by General Władysław Bortnowski, annexed an area of 801.5 km2 with a population of 227,399 people. Administratively the annexed area was divided between two counties: Frysztat and Cieszyn County. The vast local Polish population enthusiastically welcomed the change. They saw it as a liberation and a form of historical justice. But they quickly changed their mood. The new Polish authorities appointed people from Poland to various key positions from which locals were fired. The Polish language became the sole official language. Using Czech or German by Czechs or Germans in public was prohibited. Rapid Polonization policies then followed in all parts of public and private life. Zaolzie remained a part of Poland for only 11 months.

• 5. German Terror And The Żywocice Tragedy

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  On the 1st of September 1939 Nazi Germany invaded Poland, starting World War II in Europe. Subsequently, Trans-Olza became part of the Military district of Upper Silesia. On the 26th of October 1939 Nazi Germany unilaterally annexed Trans-Olza as part of Landkreis Teschen. During the war, strong Germanization was introduced by the authorities. The Jews were in the worst position, followed by the Poles. Poles received lower food rations. They were supposed to pay extra taxes. They were not allowed to enter theatres or cinemas. Mass killings, executions, arrests, taking locals to forced labour and deportations to concentration camps all happened on a daily basis. The most notorious war crime was a murder of 36 villagers in and around Żywocice on the 6th of August 1944. This massacre is known as the Żywocice tragedy. The resistance movement, mostly composed of Poles, was fairly strong in Trans-Olza. So-called Volksliste documents declared that non-German citizens had some German ancestry. Refusal to sign this document could lead to deportation to a concentration camp. Local people who took them were later on enrolled in the Wehrmacht. Many local people with no German ancestry were also forced to take them.

• 6. Postwar Borders And Communist Industrialization

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  Immediately after World War II, Trans-Olza was returned to Czechoslovakia within its 1920 borders. Local Poles had hoped it would again be given to Poland. Most Czechoslovaks of German ethnicity were expelled. The local Polish population again suffered discrimination. Many Czechs blamed them for the discrimination by the Polish authorities in 1938, 1939. Polish organizations were banned. The Czechoslovak authorities carried out many arrests and dismissed many Poles from work. The situation had somewhat improved when the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia took power in February 1948. After the Communist takeover of power, the industrial boom continued. Many immigrants arrived in the area, mostly from other parts of Czechoslovakia, mainly from Slovakia. The arrival of Slovaks significantly changed the ethnic structure of the area. Almost all the Slovak immigrants assimilated into the Czech majority in the course of time. Since the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993, Trans-Olza has been part of the independent Czech Republic. A significant Polish minority still remains there.