Zaolzie

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This article is part of the series: Territorial changes of Poland in the 20th centuryImage:Polska map blank.png History of Poland
Lines
Curzon Line
Oder-Neisse line
Areas
Kresy Wschodnie
Kresy Zachodnie
Recovered Territories
Historical Eastern Germany
Zaolzie
See also
History of Poland

Zaolzie (Czech Záolší (Zaolží), Polish: Zaolzie, Śląsk zaolziański literally: Trans-Olza River Silesia) was an area disputed between Poland and Czechoslovakia, west of Cieszyn, with some 906 km² and a population of 258,000. The term "Zaolzie" is used predominantly in Poland (literally meaning, 'lands beyond the Olza River'). In Czech language it is more frequently referred to with the term České Těšínsko/Českotěšínsko or the neutral Těšínské Slezsko (meaning Cieszyn Silesia). The term is commonly used by Polish minority living on this territory.

1 History
2 Present times
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] History

Initially a part of Poland, since 1343 the area belonged to Czech Silesia and upon the death of its last ruler from the Polish Piast dynasty in 1653, it was passed to Habsburgs together with the rest of Duchy of Cieszyn.

In October 1918, in the wake of World War I and the fall of Austro-Hungary, the area was divided between Poland and Czechoslovakia by two local self-government councils (Czech Narodni Vybor pro Slezsko and Polish Rada Narodowa). The majority of the area was taken over by Polish local authorities. In 1919 both councils were absorbed by the newly created and independent central governments in Prague and Warsaw. The former was not satisfied with the compromise and in 1919 started an offensive while Poland was engaged in its war against the West Ukrainian People's Republic and bolshevik Russia. Czechs maintained that Zaolzie was important for them as the only railway line connecting Czech Silesia with Slovakia crossed the area (railway Košice-Bohumín). The Poles argued that an alternative branch railway line could easily be built elsewhere. Eventually 66% of the area was taken over by Czechoslovakia and according to the Spa conference in July 1920 the territory was officially annexed by Czechoslovakia.

In October 1938 the area was re-annexed by Poland without German consent, arguing that Poles in Zaolzie deserved the same rights as Germans in the Munich Agreement, but on September 1, 1939 it was annexed by Germany after they invaded Poland.

[edit] Present times

In 1945 Stalin awarded Zaolzie in its 1920 borders to Czechs and it remains a part of the Czech Republic. Poland signed a treaty with Czechoslovakia in Warsaw on the 13 June 1958 confirming the border on the line of 1 January 1938.

There is a small but lively Polish minority in Zaolzie today.