If he was a Silesian, then he must have spoken Silesian (which is
a dialect of Polish language) and must have been ethnic Silesian (basically - a Pole).
Erm...I don't think so Torq.
My family were Silesians for generations...I remember their german-silesian dialect and traditions and dishes.
Sadly...it died out with them.
They felt German and lived in Germany till the lands changed hands...that goes for the majority in big chunks of Silesia and most bigger towns like Breslau.
Silesians were a precious mix of german, polish and bohemian traditions and culture...now it is "basically polish" but it wasn't that way for centuries!
Yes, but again - Bratwurst Boy didn't say that his father was 'a German living in Silesia'.
He said he was a S-I-L-E-S-I-A-N.
I fear I don't get you... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silesia#Demographics
Silesia has been inhabited from time immemorial by people of multiple ethnic groups. Germanic tribes were first recorded within Silesia in the 1st century.
Slavic White Croats arrived in this territory around the 6th century establishing White Croatia. The first known states in Silesia were the Czech proto-states of Greater Moravia and Bohemia. In the 10th century, Polish ruler Mieszko I incorporated Silesia into the Polish state.
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Before the Second World War, Silesia was inhabited mostly by Germans and Poles, in addition to German and Polish Jews and Czechs. In 1905, a census showed that 75% of the population was German and 25% Polish.
They were all Silesians...but for sure not "basically polish" by default!
Their hometown: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wroc%C5%82aw#History
The city was devastated in 1241 during the Mongol invasion of Europe. The inhabitants burned the city to force the Mongols to a quick withdrawal.
Afterwards the town was repopulated by Germans[5] (see: Ostsiedlung), who became the dominant ethnic group, though the city remained multi-ethnic as an important trading city on the Via Regia and Amber Road.[6]
"Breslau", the Germanised name of the city, appeared for the first time in written records. The city council used Latin and German languages
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After the Mongol invasion, Breslau was expanded by adopting German town law.
The expanded town was around 60 hectares in size and the new Main Market Square (Rynek), which was covered with timber frame houses, became the new centre of the town. The original foundation, Ostrów Tumski, became the religious center. Breslau adopted Magdeburg rights in 1262 and, at the end of the thirteenth century joined the Hanseatic League.
More than a Millennia mixed history - Lower Silesia became "basically polish" after WWII only...