Silesia (green) in relation to the current regions of the Czech Republic.

Historical flag of Silesia (Czech part)

Czech Silesia () is one of the three Czech lands and a section of the Silesian historical region. It is located in the north-east of the Czech Republic, predominantly in Moravian-Silesian Region, with a section in northern Olomouc Region. Also known as Moravian Silesia (), it mostly belonged to Austrian Silesia before 1918; between 1938 and 1945 area was also named Sudeten Silesia, referring to the Sudetenland.

Geography

Czech Silesia now lies across a couple of the northern regions

Situated in the Sudetes, it is cornered by the Carpathians in the east. Its major rivers are the Oder, Opava and Olza () (which forms part of the natural border with Poland).

History

Coat of arms of Czech Silesia (formerly CoA of Lower Silesia).

In 1918, the former Duchy formed part of newly-created state of Czechoslovakia, except the Cieszyn Silesia, which was split between Czechoslovakia and Poland in 1920, Czechoslovakia gaining its western portion. Hlu?ín Region (, ), formerly part of Prussian Silesia, also became part of Czechoslovakia under the Treaty of Versailles in 1920.

Following the Munich Agreement of 1938, most of Czech Silesia became part of the Reichsgau Sudetenland and Poland took the Zaolzie area on the west bank of the Olza. (The Polish gains being lost when Germany occupied Poland the following year).

With the exception of the areas around Cieszyn, Ostrava and Hlu?ín, Czech Silesia was predominantly settled by German-speaking populations up until 1945. Following the Second World War, the Czech Silesia and Hlu?ínsko were returned to Czechoslovakia and the ethnic Germans were expelled. The border with Poland was once again set along the Olza (although not confirmed by treaty until 1958).

People

The population mainly speaks Czech with altered vowels. Some of the native Slavic population speak Lach, which is classed by Ethnologue as a dialect of Czech^[1], although it also shows some similarities to Polish. In Cieszyn Silesia a unique dialect is also spoken, mostly by members of the Polish minority there.

Notable people from Czech Silesia include:

• Martin of Opava (Martinus Polonus) (?1278), chronicler, chaplain of the several popes
• Heinrich Franz Boblig von Edelstadt (c. 1612-1698), egregious inquisitor
• Ji?í T?anovský (1592-1637), pastor and hymnwriter, "Luther of the Slavs"
• Johann Palisa (1848-1925), astronomer
• Petr Bezru? (1867-1958), poet
• Josef Ko?don (1873-1949), politician, leader of Silesian autonomists, proponent of idea of distinct, unique Silesian nation ("Slonzaks")
• Helen Zelezny-Scholz (1882-1974), architectural sculptor
• Óndra ?ysohorsky (1905-1989), poet, creator of literary form of the Lach dialect
• Franti?ek Vlá?il (1924-1999), film director
• Jaromír Nohavica (1953-), songwriter and poet
• Ivan Lendl (1960-), tennis player, 19 times finalist of Grand Slam tournaments

References

Notes

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