Where did most Germans live in Poland in the 19th century?

I know this is a general question. It's just that I'm currently researching my family history. I know that my 3g-grandfather's wife was an ethnic German. I think they married between 1835 and 1855. I know for a fact that their son was a citizen of Warsaw. Does anyone know what were the most occupations for Germans?

The most Germans lived in Wroc£aw, Gdańsk and Warsaw also, but generally speaking it is west part of Poland ;)

Warsaw? Really? It was under strong Russian influence at that time, governed by Russian emperors... Apart from Wrocław and Gdańsk try Upper Silesia (Katowice region). Almost half of its inhabitans at that time were German.

(sorry for double-posting) Also, around 1830 a lot of Germans left Congress Poland (Warsaw and surroundings) due to bad attitude of Polish people towards them caused by not supporting the November Uprising and/or collaborating with Russians. About possible occupations, I'm quite sure they made quite good money, by investments, trade and stuff...

Draw a line from Katowice to Gdansk, west of that line.
Wroclaw, Poznan, Katowice and the other main cities in this zone are almost all former German cities.

But it's a can of worms tbh and the borders and regions changed hands many many times in the times of dukes, princes & kings.

What kind of Germans lived in Poland? Bavarians? Saxons?

There were a lot around Warsaw and many were farmers although obviously not all. Lodz was by the way a German city even though it was in Russian territory. Also Poznan had a very large German population.

Hello,

I only read some of you'alls threads. Ok, the Germans lived in the territory that was East Prussia, and SW Poland, which is the city of Opole.

Hi Archiwum. Don't forget that the two places you mentioned weren't Poland until after the war and one of them mostly still isn't.

Here is a nice map showing where German language was used 70 years after the time you had asked. I guess it hasn't changed completely.

upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/German1910.png

Hi, Jon357! You say "one of them [those places] mostly still isn't". Does that "still" is your sentence mean that you think it is destined to become Poland sooner or later?

No, Ziemowit. In English, the word still can imply even now; so can yet in the right context. I doubt Konigberg/Kaliningrad/Karaliauèius/Twangste and its environs is about to secede from the Russian Federation and join Poland (or Lithuania) interesting though that would be. The predominantly Russian inhabitants are unlikely to go for that and geopolitics right now and in the foreseeable future also say a big no.

.

How common were marriages between Poles and Germans in those times?

Very common.

The OP question was in "where...in 19th Century"

In 19th Century there was no Poland

I know that there was no Poland at that time. I meant the area that is now Poland.

upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Sprachen_Deutsches_Reich_1900.png

It's a bit of a non-question really. Do you mean the parts of the country that were given to Poland after the war and were always historically Germany lived in by Germans or do you mean those parts of the country that were in the German partition during the nineteenth century, given to Poland when it was recreated in 1918 and had a mix of Polish and some German inhabitants?

Like Oppeln for example? You have to be careful with your statements, Jon, because there were many parts of the country in 1918 where Germans were either in the majority or at least a significant minority.

Exactly. It's a delicate question and open to confusion. I think you've got confused though. 'Oppeln' is an old name. The city is called Opole.

Yes, I know. Take another look: I wrote "in 1918"

I think it's important not to be potentially provocative and use names like Pozen, Oppeln etc. In any case, we're writing in English, a language where the official names of the city are used, and we're also writing in a forum about Poland - where the official names are also used.

No provocation intended. In genealogy, modern names are simply not that important. In 1918 for example, Posen and Oppeln were still part of the German Empire and their names as such "official", as you say. If you try to locate your ancestors in documents from that time frame, then you'll have to use the place names of that era.

Was it? What made it a "German city"?

The same thing that made Bradford one, only more so: a substantial population of merchants and business people This is acknowledged today by the city museum.

At one point in History lots of German immigrants settled there (however Lodz had small population at that time). As the city grew, the Germans quickly became a minority being overtaken by both Poles and Jews.

... and it only took 60 years!
SCNR ;-)

But it was finally done. £ódź, built as a New Town and the westernmost in the Russian Empire, put there for access to German markets has always had a rich history of pluralism.