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Province of Upper Silesia

Province of Upper Silesia
Provinz Oberschlesien
Province of Prussia

1919–1938
1941–1945

 

 

Flag Coat of arms
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia (red)
within the Free State of Prussia (dark blue).
Capital Oppeln (1919–1938)
Kattowitz (1941–1945)
History
 •  Established 1919
 •  Merged with Lower Silesia 1938–1941
 •  Disestablished 1945
Area
 •  1925 9,702 km2(3,746 sq mi)
Population
 •  1925 1,379,408 
Density 142.2 /km2  (368.2 /sq mi)
Political subdivisions Kattowitz region
Oppeln region

The Province of Upper Silesia (German: Provinz Oberschlesien; Silesian German: Provinz Oberschläsing; Polish: Prowincja Górny Śląsk; Silesian: Prowincyjŏ Gůrny Ślůnsk) 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 administrative regions (Regierungsbezirke) called Bezirk Kattowitz, and Oppeln. 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 (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.

Perhaps the earliest exact census figures on ethnic or national structure (Nationalverschiedenheit) of Regierungsbezirk Oppeln (Regierungsbezirk Kattowitz did not yet exist) are from year 1819.


In year 1819 Regierungsbezirk Oppeln had 561,203 inhabitants, including the following "Nationalverschiedenheit":

Poles (Polen) ------------- 377,100 (67,2%)
Germans (Deutsche) --- 162,600 (29,0%)
Moravians (Mährer) ----- 12,000 (2,1%)
Jews (Juden) ------------- 8,000 (1,4%)
Czechs (Tschechen) --- 1,600 (0,3%)


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