Directorate of German National Railway in Opole in light of materials preserved in the State Archive in Opole. A contribution to research on the history of Upper Silesia after its division between Poland and Germany in 1922 Cover Image

Działalność Dyrekcji Kolei Rzeszy w Opolu w świetle materiałów zachowanych w Archiwum Państwowym w Opolu. Przyczynek do historii Górnego Śląska po podziale regionu między Polskę i Niemcy w 1922 r.
Directorate of German National Railway in Opole in light of materials preserved in the State Archive in Opole. A contribution to research on the history of Upper Silesia after its division between Poland and Germany in 1922

Author(s): Zbigniew Bereszyński
Subject(s): Local History / Microhistory, Interwar Period (1920 - 1939)
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Wrocławskiego
Keywords: railway system; Upper Silesia; division; border; Directorate of German National Railway in Opole

Summary/Abstract: One of the consequences of the division of Upper Silesia made in 1922 was the creation of two separate railway directorates: Directorate of German National Railway in Opole and the Directorate of Polish State Railways in Katowice. Both directorates cooperated in matters regarding the maintenance of local railroad routes and cross-border exchange and transit rail traffic. As a general rule, both sides strived to amicably settle possible problematic issues. It was easy to find common language, free of political prejudice, when discussing professional matters. The activities of the directorate in Opole are reflected in a quite extensive collection preserved in the State Archive in Opole. In encompasses, among other files, documents concerning the cross-border rail communication in the Upper Silesian part of the Polish–German borderland. Documentation covering the issues of cross-border and transit rail traffic in other areas, with a particular focus on German railway links with East Prussia via Polish territory. A considerable part of the preserved materials concerns border incidents, especially rather dramatic events accompanying the division of Upper Silesia in 1922. Documents created by both directorates as a part of the fight against smuggling on the Polish–German borderland also require particularly detailed presentation.

  • Issue Year: 77/2022
  • Issue No: 3
  • Page Range: 107-131
  • Page Count: 25
  • Language: Polish
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