Dramat Praskiej Wiosny z perspektywy Śląska Opolskiego
The tragedy of Prague Spring from the perspective of Opolian Silesia

Summary/Abstract: The tragedy of Prague Spring has become a part of the local history of Opolian Silesia – a region in Poland directly bordering Czechoslovakia. Long before the military intervention in Czechoslovakia the State Security Service (Służba Bezpieczeństwa – SB) monitored the developments in this country, using the informant network on their disposal. Equal attention was paid to popular opinion in the Opole voivodeship, with a particular focus on the borderland. The 10th Sudeten Armored Division, with its headquarters in Opole, participated in the military intervention. This unit established occupation garrisons in seven Czechoslovak cities. The border city of Krnov was occupied by the 15th Regiment of the Internal Defense Force based in Prudnik. The course of the invasion and subsequent events in Czechoslovakia as well as on the neighboring parts of the Opole voivodeship were meticulously reflected in reports and other documents created by the structures of State Security Service in Opole. These materials contain information on popular reactions to the intervention observed on both sides of the border. Descriptions of popular resistance against the occupants, with particular emphasis on the protests within the frontier zone. From the abovementioned materials, it can be concluded that the invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 by the Warsaw Pact armies was the cause of diverse protests also in the Opole voivodeship. Manifestations of solidarity with the inhabitants of occupied Czechoslovakia were noted. Later, until the early 1970s, the security apparatus in the Opole voivodeship closely monitored the progress of so-called normalization in Czechoslovakia – gradual liquidation of democratic achievements of the Prague Spring.

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