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Can you think of any famous Polish personalities?


Matyjasz 2 | 1,544  
23 May 2007 /  #61
My grandma told me how all those germans in Silesia always knew who was german and who was polish! No mingling, no guessing!
Silesia was once german in case you should have forgotten that...

For a short time only, in case you should have forgotten. You got one thing right; your family were Germans from Silesia. Not Silesians.

Wasn't Liberace a Pole ...?, and someone once told me that Charles Bronson had Polish roots.

Yes he was. As for Charles Bronson, I think he had Lithuanian roots, although I also heard that his parents were polish immigrants.

As for what nationality was Copernicus... Copernicus was living in the territory of Polish Kingdom, he was a subject of a Polish King, many times very vividly expressed his standpoint when it came to polish German conflicts (he as well as his family actively participated in defense of Polish cities against German Teutonic Knights - for example he was in command during the defense of Polish castle in Olsztyn in 1521), almost all scientist and astronomers of his time considered him to be a polish astronomer..... etc... Is this enough Bratwurst?

(And yes Grandpa and Granduncles marched through Poland...two times! LOL)

My Greatgrandfather and grandpa kicked back germans twice out of Poland... that's a tie I guess. LOL
Bratwurst Boy 12 | 11,739  
23 May 2007 /  #62
Sorbs live in german territory...doesn't make them of german stock!

You can't convert to another heritage....regardless the politic environment of your time!

But hey....since even athlets who are naturalised aussies and swim for the aussie team get noted as polish achievements then one should not wonder...

I better not start with achievments all over the world who have german roots even if the passport has changed...

...what a joke!
Amathyst 19 | 2,702  
23 May 2007 /  #63
(And yes Grandpa and Granduncles marched through Poland...two times! LOL)

Yes they may have, but they scurried out like dirty rats jumping from a sinking ship....Now aint that something to proud of
Bratwurst Boy 12 | 11,739  
23 May 2007 /  #64
PS: Arthur Schopenhauer from Danzig and Immanuel Kant from Königsberg lived in what is now polish or russian...they were still Germans!

Yes they may have, but they scurried out like dirty rats jumping from a sinking ship

'snicker*

I dunno...just how long scurried the Polacks as the mighty Wehrmacht came visiting? 3 Weeks?
And you needed the whole world to say good bye again...and the help of your good friends , the Russians...who didn't want to leave for decades either...LOL
Matyjasz 2 | 1,544  
23 May 2007 /  #65
You can't convert to another heritage....regardless the politic environment of your time!

Give me your definition of the word heritage and then we can talk further.
Matyjasz 2 | 1,544  
23 May 2007 /  #67
I dunno...just how long scurried the Polacks as the mighty Wehrmacht came visiting? 3 Weeks?
And you needed the whole world to say good bye again...and the help of your good friends , the Russians...who didn't want to leave for decades either...LOL

And they left even quicker. :)

PS: Arthur Schopenhauer from Danzig and Immanuel Kant from Königsberg lived in what is now polish or russian...they were still Germans!

Copernicus not only lived in what is now Poland, but he actually lived in Kingdom of Poland. If he was so germanic, than why he was standing on the side of Kingdom of Poland fighting against Germans and why did he oath allegiance to polish King? And also I bet you know better that people that actually knew him? LOL
Bratwurst Boy 12 | 11,739  
23 May 2007 /  #68
Torun even was called once Thorn...it was German too!

He didn't fight because of belonging to the Poles but for preferrend political reasons!
You say more or less his political stance decides about his heritage...crap!
Matyjasz 2 | 1,544  
23 May 2007 /  #69
The people you belong to...?

So do you think that by fighting Germans on polish side he was in some strange and awkward way trying to highlight his affiliation to German nation? :))

And I thought that women are hard to understand. :)
Bratwurst Boy 12 | 11,739  
23 May 2007 /  #70
He was born in Thorn and died in Frauenburg...he was born into a german family and spoke and wrote german...facts!

That you Poles now want to claim him is not so surprising...why not Schopenhauer too?
Amathyst 19 | 2,702  
23 May 2007 /  #71
'snicker*

I prefer a twix actually but never mind

I dunno

Well I know one thing - my father had the pleasure of guarding at Spandau Prison and said that Hess cried like a baby....hmmm laughable....
Matyjasz 2 | 1,544  
23 May 2007 /  #72
Torun even was called once Thorn...it was German too!

And Berlin was set up by Slavs, and? At that time Toruń was Polish city. Besides Copernicus father as well as his grandfather came from Kraków. :)
Amathyst 19 | 2,702  
23 May 2007 /  #73
So do you think that by fighting Germans on polish side he was in some strange and awkward way trying to highlight his affiliation to German nation? :))

And I thought that women are hard to understand. :)

Honey you are brillian in fact a genius...:)
Matyjasz 2 | 1,544  
23 May 2007 /  #74
He was born in Thorn and died in Frauenburg...he was born into a german family and spoke and wrote german...facts!

His mother was German, but his father wasn't. And as far as his works being written in German and Latin... At that time German language had the same position in science as english has now. Although a lot of Polish scientist publish their works in English I doubt they consider themselves English. :)

That you Poles now want to claim him is not so surprising...why not Schopenhauer too?

You Germans would never do such a despicable thing now wouldn’t you? Oh wait a minute, what was that about naming Mozart, who definitely was Austrian, in "top 10 most famous Germans" list? LOL

Honey you are brillian in fact a genius...:)

Hehe.. Thank you. And although the place where I live 100 years ago was German I'm definitely Polish. :)
Bratwurst Boy 12 | 11,739  
23 May 2007 /  #75
Austrians???

Excuse me but they are purely of german stock...like most Swiss to btw...
Those borders are entirely political!

(We Prussians never liked those Berg-Germanen anyway...:)

>>"Hehe.. Thank you. And although the place where I live 100 years ago was German I'm definitely Polish. :)"<<

Exactly...the goverment who rules you doesn't decide about your heritage.
Just because someone lives/lived in a territory which changed hands often over the time doesn't make him change his heritage too....that is stupid!

PS: Didn't took Austria Krakau once?
TheKruk 3 | 308  
23 May 2007 /  #76
I didn't want to get into it but if you look at the list of Polish-Americans of reknown it is staggering even if you limit it to parents born in Poland. Check wikipedia for the list.

Why let Bratwurst Boy rattle your cage everybody? The damage the German people have done to the world will always outweigh the potential good they will do, and all the beauty they have done or will do will always be marred by what one despicable generation did . Then you hear "oh we were just following orders" the most notorious explanation for murder. Like it acquits you for opening the gas valve or firing the pistol into the back of someones head.
Bratwurst Boy 12 | 11,739  
23 May 2007 /  #77
Okay...let's see:

Kopernikus was born in the Hanse town Thorn which was shortly before still german.
His mother was german. His uncle was the Bishop from Ermland (german).
His grand-grandfather came from Koppernigk/lower Silesia.

(Koppernigk = Kopernikus)

He used at home and at work german and latin.
He died in Frauenburg.

AND WHAT EXACTLY MAKES HIM POLISH???

>>"he damage the German people have done to the world will always outweigh the potential good they will do, and all the beauty they have done or will do will always be marred by what one despicable generation did"<<

ROFL

Look around you...try never to read a book written by a German, try never to listen to music composed by a German, try never to use a machine invented by Germans...TRY!

:)
Matyjasz 2 | 1,544  
23 May 2007 /  #78
Exactly...the goverment who rules you doesn't decide about your heritage.
Just because someone lives/lived in a territory which changed hands often over the time doesn't make him change his heritage too....that is stupid!

And you still fail to understand the main point. Ok, lets try it in a different way. In this thread as a very interesting fact I mentioned that Erich von Manstein roots were definitely Polish. His real name was von Lewinski. Still he didn’t had problems with creating the plan of invasion on Poland. Let’s take another very interesting fact. General Anders is considered to be a polish WWII hero. Although his family were polonized Germans he was fighting on the polish side in this conflict. He freely decided that his heritage, so as you written above “the people he felt he was belonging to”, was Polish. Just like Manstein decided that although his polish blood running through his veins he was definitely German. So did Copernicus. Nobody forced him to make an oath to polish king, nor to fight Germans on Polish side. He did it freely. Can there be a more significant way to show where you belong to than this?
Bratwurst Boy 12 | 11,739  
23 May 2007 /  #79
Either you are German or Polish...it's not a matter of choosing like religion or a party...
Matyjasz 2 | 1,544  
23 May 2007 /  #80
So now you are trying to deny your words? Did your definition of heritage changed suddenly?

The people you belong to...?

Grzegorz_ 51 | 6,149  
23 May 2007 /  #81

Dude, you are a clown... I am no doubt superior to you and this is so obvious for everyone here that I don't have to prove anything...

Matyjasz don't waste your time...
Bratwurst Boy 12 | 11,739  
23 May 2007 /  #82
What?

I didn't deny anything....the people you belong to defines your heritage.
And it is nothing you have influence over...you are born into it, you can't change it.

If a Pole decides to be German he must have grown up with german culture, german language, german customs...he must feel belonging to the german people even if he till now lived in Poland under polish rule.

The same goes also for the other way around...so cases like Manstein or Anders are not rar as the borders between our countries switched often.
TheKruk 3 | 308  
23 May 2007 /  #83
Look around you...try never to read a book written by a German, try never to listen to music composed by a German, try never to use a machine invented by Germans...TRY!

Its actually quite easy, I will say I am glad Mozart was Austrian though. Ah and how many machines were invented by German Jews? And can Germany claim them or more appropriate would they want to be claimed as German?

So you can't even claim your greatest hero by your previous logic!!
I believe that is game set and match- Polska. Do widzenia
Bratwurst Boy 12 | 11,739  
23 May 2007 /  #84
So you can't even claim your greatest hero by your previous logic!!
I believe that is game set and match- Polska. Do widzenia

Huh?

You are a bit mysterious here...

Why do you think Austrians wanted the Anschluß? Austrians are as german as Rhinelander, Bavarians or Prussians...what is your problem?
Matyjasz 2 | 1,544  
23 May 2007 /  #85
Matyjasz don't waste your time...

Just one more post before i go back to study Greg... :)

I didn't deny anything....the people you belong to defines your heritage.
And it is nothing you have influence over...you are born into it, you can't change it.

If a Pole decides to be German he must have grown up with german culture, german language, german customs...he must feel belonging to the german people even if he till now lived in Poland under polish rule.

So according to you the territory of polish Kingdom didn't give Copernicus enough opportunities to get in touch with polish culture, language, and customs... Interesting. :)

Bare in mind that Copernicus grandfather as well as his father was born in Kraków. Hardly a German city, wouldn't you agree? :) Copernicus had experienced both cultures, and made his decision. Can we consider it just only a political stance? If we would than it wouldn't reflect well on his attitude to his alleged German heritage, wouldn't it?
krysia 23 | 3,058  
24 May 2007 /  #86
Count Casimir Pulaski—was a young Polish soldier who valued freedom so much that he left his partitioned nation of Poland to come to America to fight in the Revolutionary War against the British. He was fatally wounded at the battle of Savannah in 1779
ConstantineK 26 | 1,284  
24 May 2007 /  #87
And you needed the whole world to say good bye again...and the help of your good friends , the Russians...who didn't want to leave for decades either...LOL

well, well, well do you have some problems with russians? i don't like poles, they are so annoying, but germans...fuhhh, do you know that cherchill suggested to castrate all germans men after WWII?
FISZ 24 | 2,116  
24 May 2007 /  #88
Bratwurst? Yuk...He must really be from Wisconsin USA :) He speaks like an American.
Grzegorz_ 51 | 6,149  
24 May 2007 /  #89
i don't like poles, they are so annoying, but germans...fuhhh

The same I could say... Russians suck, but Germans... as bad as It sounds they shouldn't be counted as homo sapiens...
FISZ 24 | 2,116  
24 May 2007 /  #90
way off topic but.....
the Russians. They don't even know how to act normally in their own military. They beat each other up LOL duh....

These guys are idiots :)

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