Why is Silesia so different? Why are its inhabitants by nature predestined for dialogue? How is this region of Central Europe narrated or erased by Polish, German, and Czech literature? Why was its capital – the postwar Wrocław – defined as the New York of the People’s Republic of Poland? These questions will be tackled by authors featured in “Herito” magazine, in its new issue dedicated to Silesia.
The narrative of Silesia is defined by multiplicity. It is an uneasy task to find a common denominator for regions as diverse as Lower and Upper Silesia, Cieszyn Silesia and Opole Silesia. However, this diversity of the region is more than merely a combination of its three dominating cultures: Polish, German, and Czech. Equally important contribution was made by two major Christian traditions: Catholic and Protestant. The great tragedies of the 20th century have left their mark on the region, turning it for many of its inhabitants into a land of exile, which took many years to adjust to.
In this issue of “Herito” the Archbishop Alfons Nossol and Aleksandra Kunce attempt to explain the phenomenon of Silesianness. Łukasz Galusek portrays Upper Silesia’s adventure with modernity, while Elżbieta Rybicka and Joanna Helander discover Silesian herstories. Ewa Chojecka looks into the Pastors’ Well in Bielsko, while Wojciech Browarny and Marcin Wiatr create literary guides of the region. Zofia Reznik explains why Wrocław was the New York of the People’s Republic of Poland, while Maria Kobielska and Leszek Jodliński visit Silesian museums in Upper Silesia and Opava.
Content
Editorial
Worth a Look
Łukasz Galusek – Upper Silesia: The Modern Adventure
Aleksandra Kunce – Oikology: What Knowledge of Home Does Silesia Offer?
Dialogue is the Mother Tongue of Humanity. Archbishop Alfons Nossol in conversation with Professor Jacek Purchla and Łukasz Galusek
Elżbieta Rybicka – Coal, Porcelain and Women’s Labour
Joanna Helander – Frele: Upper Silesian Portraits
Marcin Wiatr – Tear-Jerkingly Green… A Literary Upper Silesia
Wojciech Browarny – Recovered Histories: Contemporary Literature in Lower Silesia
Zofia Reznik – The New York of the People’s Poland
Grzegorz Studnicki – The Identity of Cieszyn Silesia: Process, Project, Narrative?
Ewa Chojecka – Fons Pastoralis in the Bielsko Zion: A Monument to a Double History
Maria Kobielska – Museums for Remembering
Maciej Kuczyński – Cultural Map of Wrocław: What Has the European Capital of Culture 2016 Left?
Leszek Jodliński – Silesianness Reconstructed: Silesian Museum in Opava (2009–2015)
Worth a Thought – Marta Lisok, Karolina Jara, Kaja Puto, Kinga Siewior, Wojciech Wilczyk, Wojciech Szymański, Jakub Muchowski, Katarzyna Jagodzińska
Roswitha Schieb – One in Two Berliners: Traces of Silesia on the Spree