Austrian Silesia

Autonomous region of Bohemia and Austria (1742–1918)

Not to be confused with Duchies of Silesia or Duchy of Silesia.

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|

Duchy of Upper and Lower Silesia

Herzogtum Ober- und Niederschlesien (German)
Vévodství Horní a Dolní Slezsko (Czech)
Księstwo Górnego i Dolnego Śląska (Polish)

1742–1918

Flag

Coat of arms

Austrian Silesia (shown in red) within Austria-Hungary until 1918

Status| Crown land of the Kingdom of Bohemia and:

* Habsburg monarchy (until 1804)
* Austrian Empire (1804–1867)
* Cisleithania, Austria-Hungary (from 1867)

Capital| Troppau (Opava)
Common languages|

* German
* Polish
* Czech

Religion

* Roman Catholicism
* Lutheranism

Government| Principality
History|

• Division of Silesia

| 1742

• Part of Austrian Empire

| 1804

• Crown land of
Cisleithania

| 1867

• Disestablished

| 1918

Preceded by | Succeeded by

|

|  | Duchies of Silesia

|

| Province of Silesia |

|

Czech Silesia |
Silesian Voivodeship (1920–1939) |
Today part of|

* Czech Republic
* Poland

Austrian Silesia,[a] officially the Duchy of Upper and Lower Silesia,[b] was an autonomous region of the Kingdom of Bohemia and the Habsburg monarchy (from 1804 the Austrian Empire, and from 1867 the Cisleithanian portion of Austria-Hungary). It is largely coterminous with the present-day region of Czech Silesia (with a smaller part in Poland) and was, historically, part of the larger Silesia region.

## Geography

[edit]

Austrian Silesia (outlined in yellow), Richard Andree, 1880

Austrian Silesia consisted of two territories, separated by the Moravian land strip of Moravská Ostrava between the Ostravice and Oder rivers.

The area east of the Ostravice around Cieszyn reached from the heights of the Western Carpathians (Silesian Beskids) in the south, where it bordered with the Kingdom of Hungary, along the Olza and upper Vistula rivers to the border with Prussian Silesia in the north. In the east the Biała river at Bielsko separated it from the Lesser Polish lands of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, incorporated into the Austrian Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria upon the First Partition of Poland in 1772.

The territory west of the Oder river stretching from the town of Opava up to Bílá Voda was confined by the Jeseníky mountain range of the eastern Sudetes in the south, separating it from Moravia, and the Opava river in the north. In the west the Golden Mountains formed the border with the County of Kladsko.

## History

[edit]

The western and the eastern part of the area originally formed the south-eastern part of the Medieval Duchy of Silesia. The middle part was a part of Moravia. During the 14th century the Dukes of Silesia became vassals of the King of Bohemia. As part of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown, Silesia was inherited by the Habsburg Archduke Ferdinand I of Austria in 1526, after King Louis II of Bohemia had died at the Battle of Mohács. With the female succession of the Habsburg empress Maria Theresa to the throne in 1740, the Prussian king Frederick the Great laid claim to the Silesian province and, without waiting for any reply, on 16 December started the First Silesian War, thereby opening the larger War of the Austrian Succession. His campaign was concluded in 1742 with the Prussian victory at the Battle of Chotusitz leading to the treaties of Breslau and Berlin, in which Silesia was divided.

Composition of Austrian Silesia

Under the terms of the treaty, the Kingdom of Prussia received most of the territory including the Bohemian County of Kladsko, while only a small part of southeastern Silesia remained with the Habsburg monarchy, consisting of:

* the Upper Silesian duchy of Teschen (Cieszyn)
* parts of the former Moravian Duchy of Opava with Duchy of Krnov south of the Opava River, comprising several Moravian enclaves.
* the southern part of the Lower Silesian Duchy of Nysa around Jeseník

forming the Duchy of Upper and Lower Silesia, which remained a Bohemian crown land with its capital in the city of Opava. In 1766 the title of a Duke of Teschen was granted to Prince Albert of Saxony, son-in-law of Maria Theresa, while the title of a Duke of Troppau and Jägerndorf remained with the House of Liechtenstein. The Nysa territory was held by the Bishops of Wrocław with their residence at Castle Jánský Vrch (Johannisberg).

When in 1804 the Habsburg emperor Francis II established the Austrian Empire, his title would include the "Duke of Upper and Lower Silesia". Austrian Silesia was connected by rail with the Austrian capital Vienna, when the Emperor Ferdinand Northern Railway line was extended to Bohumín station in 1847. In the course of the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 the Duchy of Upper and Lower Silesia became a crown land of Cisleithanian Austria.

In November 1918 the Dual Monarchy was abolished. The major part of Austrian Silesia was ceded to the newly created state of Czechoslovakia by the 1919 Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, with the exception of Cieszyn Silesia (the former Duchy of Teschen), which after the Polish–Czechoslovak War was split in 1920 along the Olza river with its eastern part falling to the Autonomous Silesian Voivodeship of Poland. Smaller parts of the duchy also became a part of Poland, while the adjacent Hlučín Region of Prussian Silesia fell to Czechoslovakia.

Coat of arms of the Duchy of Upper and Lower Silesia, as drawn by Hugo Gerard Ströhl (1851-1919)

## Demographics

[edit]

According to an Austrian census, Austrian Silesia in 1910 was home to 756,949 people, speaking the following languages:

* 43% - German
* 31% - Polish
* 24% - Czech

### Major towns

[edit]

Towns with more than 5,000 people in 1880:

Cities  | German name  | Population

|
|

Opava | Troppau | 20,563
Bielsko | Bielitz | 13,060
Cieszyn/Těšín | Teschen | 13,004
Krnov | Jägerndorf | 11,792
Bruntál | Freudenthal | 7,595
Frýdek | Friedek | 7,374 (1890)

### Linguistic distribution (1851–1910)

[edit]

Year  | Total  | German  | %  | Polish  | %  | Czech  | %  | Other  | %

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1851 | 438,569  | 209,512  | 47.8%  | 138,243  | 31.5%  | 88,068  | 20.1%  | 2,746  | 0.6%
1880 | 565,475  | 269,338  | 47.6%  | 154,887  | 27.4%  | 126,385  | 22.4%  | 14,865  | 2.6%
1890 | 605,649  | 281,555  | 46.5%  | 178,114  | 29.4%  | 129,814  | 21.4%  | 16,166  | 2.7%
1900 | 680,422  | 296,571  | 43.6%  | 220,472  | 32.4%  | 146,265  | 21.5%  | 17,114  | 2.5%
1910 | 756,949  | 325,530  | 43.0%  | 235,224  | 31.1%  | 180,341  | 23.8%  | 15,854  | 2.1%

### Linguistic distribution by district (1910)

[edit]

District (Bezirk)  | Polish name  | Czech name  | Area

(km2)

| Population  | German  | %  | Polish  | %  | Czech  | %  | Other  | %

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Bielitz (Land) | Bielsko  | Bílsko  | 758.13  | 82,835  | 17,631  | 21.3%  | 63,580  | 76.8%  | 663  | 0.8%  | 961  | 1.2%
Bielitz (Stadt) | Bielsko  | Bílsko  | 4.97  | 18,568  | 15,144  | 81.6%  | 2,568  | 13.8%  | 136  | 0.7%  | 720  | 3.9%
Freistadt | Frysztat  | Fryštát  | 316.89  | 122,030  | 15,159  | 12.4%  | 75,462  | 61.8%  | 28,103  | 23.0%  | 3,306  | 2.7%
Freiwaldau  | Frywałdów  | Frývaldov  | 736.38  | 68,823  | 66,855  | 97.1%  | 66  | 0.1%  | 62  | 0.1%  | 1,840  | 2.7%
Freudenthal  | Bruntal  | Bruntál  | 591.65  | 49,306  | 48,852  | 99.1%  | 41  | 0.1%  | 49  | 0.1%  | 364  | 0.7%
Friedek (Land)  | Frydek  | Frýdek  | 461.71  | 98,957  | 6,821  | 6.9%  | 14,519  | 14.7%  | 76,458  | 77.3%  | 1,159  | 1.2%
Friedek (Stadt) | Frydek  | Frýdek  | 10.23  | 9,879  | 5,123  | 51.9%  | 574  | 5.8%  | 4,033  | 40.8%  | 149  | 1.5%
Jägerndorf  | Karniów  | Krnov  | 532.20  | 60,785  | 58,133  | 95.6%  | 22  | 0.0%  | 275  | 0.5%  | 2,355  | 3.9%
Teschen | Cieszyn  | Těšín  | 730.38  | 102,552  | 17,045  | 16.6%  | 77,147  | 75.2%  | 6,204  | 6.0%  | 2,156  | 2.1%
Troppau (Land)  | Opawa  | Opava  | 642.10  | 66,990  | 33,200  | 49.6%  | 560  | 0.8%  | 32,006  | 47.8%  | 1,224  | 1.8%
Troppau (Stadt) | Opawa  | Opava  | 10.93  | 30,762  | 27,240  | 88.6%  | 274  | 0.9%  | 2,039  | 6.6%  | 1,209  | 3.9%
Wagstadt  | Biełowiec  | Bílovec  | 351.44  | 45,462  | 14,327  | 31.5%  | 411  | 0.9%  | 30,313  | 66.7%  | 411  | 0.9%
Total | 5147.01 | 756,949 | 325,530 | 43.0% | 235,224 | 31.1% | 180,341 | 23.8% | 15,854 | 2.1%

### Administration

[edit]

Teschner Kreis/Těšínský kraj c. 1844

The Duchy of Upper and Lower Silesia was originally divided into the two districts/'circles' (Kreise, Czech: kraje) of Teschen (Kreis Teschen/Teschner Kreis [de], Těšínský kraj [cs; pl], pop. 213,040 in 1847) and Troppau (Kreis Troppau/Troppauer Kreis, Opavský kraj, pop. 260,199) with its seat at Krnov. In eastern Teschen, the autonomous Duchy of Bielsko was established in 1754. From 1784 it was administered with Moravia (Moravia-Silesia [cs]), with its Kreise subordinate to the Moravo-Silesian Gubernium [cs; pl] in Brünn. Following the Revolutions of 1848, Austrian Silesia was separated administratively from Moravia, its Kreise and the Duchy of Bielsko were disbanded and it was re-organised into political districts (Bezirke or Bezirkshauptmannschaften). The first division consisted of seven districts – Troppau, Freiwaldau, Jägerndorf, Freudenthal, Teschen, Friedek and Bielitz – which were each constituted from several judicial districts (Gerichtsbezirke).[1]

In Bach's reforms of 1854 it was reorganised into 22 districts or Amtsbezirke [de] (distinct from the political districts listed above, rather corresponding to the judicial districts (Gerichtsbezirke)) plus the statutory city of Troppau:[2]

1. Jauernig (Javorník)
2. Weidenau (Vidnava)
3. Freiwaldau (Frývaldov)
4. Zuckmantel (Cukmantl)
5. Hotzenplotz (Osoblaha)
6. Olbersdorf (Město Albrechtice)
7. Jägerndorf (Krnov)
8. Freudenthal (Bruntál)
9. Benisch (Horní Benešov)
10. Troppau (Opava)
11. Wigstadtl (Vítkov)
12. Odrau (Odry)
13. Wagstadt (Bílovec)
14. Königsberg (Klimkovice)
15. Oderberg (Bohumín)
16. Friedeck (Frýdek)
17. Freistadt (Fryštát)
18. Teschen (Cieszyn/Těšín)
19. Jablunkau (Jablunkov)
20. Schwarzwasser (Černá Voda)
21. Skotschau (Skoczów/Skočov)
22. Bielitz (Bielsko).

These districts were grouped into five Bezirksämter ('district offices'):[2]

* The Landesgericht in Troppau, covering the city and district of Troppau and the districts of Wigstadtl, Odrau, Wagstadt and Königsberg
* Jauernig: Jauernig, Weidenau, Freiwaldau and Zuckmantel districts
* Jägerndorf: Jägerndorf, Hotzeplotz, Olbersdorf, Benisch and Freudenthal districts
* Teschen: Teschen, Oderberg, Friedek, Freistadt and Jablunkau districts
* Bielitz: Bielitz, Schwarzwasser and Skotschau districts

Judicially the Landesgericht in Troppau and Kreisgericht in Teschen remained separate, each covering one of the two disconnected parts of the crown land.[2]

In 1860 administrative responsibility for Silesia returned to the Moravian Statthalterei in Brünn/Brno; however, it remained a formally separate crown land and its administrative divisions remained unchanged.[3]

Administrative divisions of Silesia as a crown land of Austria in 1900

Following the compromise of 1867 the political districts were re-established and continued in some form until Austria-Hungary's dissolution, with the following districts used at various times:

* Bielitz (Bielsko)
* Freistadt (Fryštát)
* Freiwaldau (Frývaldov)
* Freudenthal (Bruntál)
* Friedek (Frýdek)
* Jägerndorf (Krnov)
* Teschen (Cieszyn/Těšín)
* Troppau (Opava)
* Wagstadt (Bílovec).

For example, in 1900, there were 8 Bezirkshauptmannschaften in Austrian Silesia (in comparison to above list without Frydek).[4]

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ German: Österreichisch-Schlesien (historically also Oesterreichisch-Schlesien, Oesterreichisch Schlesien, österreichisch Schlesien); Czech: Rakouské Slezsko; Polish: Śląsk Austriacki
2. ^ German: Herzogtum Ober- und Niederschlesien (historically Herzogthum Ober- und Niederschlesien); Czech: Vévodství Horní a Dolní Slezsko; Polish: Księstwo Górnego i Dolnego Śląska

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Gesetz vom 9. August 1849, RGBl. 355/1849: "Erlaß der Ministeriums des Innern vom 9. August 1849, womit die in Folge Allerhöchster Entschliesung vom 4. August 1849 genehmigte Organisirung der politischen Verwaltungsbehörden für die Kronländer Mähren und Schlesien kundgemacht wird, und sie Maßregeln zu deren Durchführung festgesetzt werden". Reichs-Gesetz-Blatt für das Kaiserthum Österreich (in German). 1849-08-09. Retrieved 2023-07-05 - via ÖNB-ALEX - Historische Rechts- und Gesetztexte Online.
2. ^ a b c Gesetz vom 21. April 1854, RGBl. 104/1854: "Verordnung der Minister des Innern, der Justiz und der Finanzen vom 21. April 1854, betreffend die politische und gerichtliche Organisirung des Herzogthumes Ober- und Nieder-Schlesien". Reichs-Gesetz-Blatt für das Kaiserthum Österreich (in German). 1854-04-21. Retrieved 2023-07-05 - via ÖNB-ALEX - Historische Rechts- und Gesetztexte Online.
3. ^ Gesetz vom 5. Juni 1860, RGBl. 142/1860: "Verordnung des Ministers des Innern vom 5. Juni 1860, giltig für den ganzen Umfang des Reiches, betreffend die Auflösung der Kreisbehörden in Mähren, der Landesregierung und Landes-Baudirection in Schlesien und die administrative Unterordnung dieses Herzogthumes unter die Statthalterei zu Brünn". Reichs-Gesetz-Blatt für das Kaiserthum Österreich (in German). 1860-06-05. Retrieved 2024-04-27 - via ÖNB-ALEX - Historische Rechts- und Gesetztexte Online.
4. ^ Die postalischen Abstempelungen auf den österreichischen Postwertzeichen-Ausgaben 1867, 1883 und 1890, Wilhelm KLEIN, 1967

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Austrian Silesia.

* v
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* e

Silesia topics

History

* Offensives
* Uprisings
* Wars (First, Second, Third)
* 1921 Upper Silesia plebiscite
* Treaty of Dresden
* Treaty of Teschen
* Book of Henryków
* Battle of Legnica
* Battle of Leuthen
* more...

Geography

| Areas|

* Jelenia Góra valley
* Kłodzko Valley
* Lower Silesian Wilderness
* Obniżenie Milicko-Głogowskie
* Ostrava Valley
* Oświęcim Basin
* Przedgórze Sudeckie
* Silesian Walls
* Silesian Foothills
* Silesian Lowlands
* Silesian Przesieka
* Silesian Upland
* Silesian-Lusatian Lowlands
* Silesian-Moravian Foothills
* Wał Trzebnicki
* Zielona Góra Acclivity

|

Lakes|

* Jezioro Goczałkowickie
* Jezioro Otmuchowskie
* Jezioro Sławskie
* Nyskie
* Slezská Harta Reservoir

Mountains|

* Carpathian
* Silesian Beskids
* Moravian-Silesian Beskids
* Sudetes
* Eastern
* Central
* Western

Rivers|

| Elbe|

* Divoká Orlice
* Jizera
* Úpa

|

Oder|

* Barycz
* Bóbr
* Kaczawa
* Kłodnica
* Kwisa
* Liswarta
* Mała Panew
* Nysa Kłodzka
* Olza
* Ślęza

Vistula|

* Biała
* Brynica
* Gostynia
* Przemsza
* Pszczynka
* Rawa

Politics

| Subdivisions|

| Former|

* Duchies
* Piasts
* dukes
* Silesian Voivodeship (1920–39)
* parliament
* politicians
* treasury
* State country
* Silesia Province
* Upper Silesia
* Lower Silesia
* Sudetenland
* New Silesia
* Austrian Silesia
* Eastern Silesia

|

Current|

* Jeseník District
* Moravian–Silesian Region
* Niederschlesischer Oberlausitzkreis / Görlitz

Voivodeships|

* Lower Silesian
* Lubusz Voivodeships
* Opole
* Silesian

EP constituencies|

* Lower Silesian and Opole
* Silesian

Economy

| Socioeconomics|

* Katowice urban area
* Metropolis GZM
* Katowice-Ostrava metropolitan area

|

Industry|

* Bielski Okręg Przemysłowy
* Legnicko-Głogowski Okręg Miedziowy
* Lower Silesian Coal Basin
* Upper Silesian Coal Basin
* Industrial Region
* Ostrava-Karviná / Rybnik Coal Areas

Tourism|

* Tourism

Society

| Culture|

* Architecture
* Familŏk
* Regional costume
* Upper Silesian Ethnographic Park
* Upper Silesian Museum
* Silesian Museum (Opava)
* Silesian Museum (Katowice)
* Silesian Theatre
* Silesian Opera
* Silesian Library

Cuisine|

* Black noodles
* Bryja
* Panczkraut (ciapkapusta)
* Klōzki
* Galert
* Hauskyjza
* Karminadle
* Kołŏcz
* Kopalnioki
* Kreple
* Krupniok
* Makōwki
* Moczka
* Modrŏ kapusta
* Siymiyniotka
* Szałŏt
* Wodziōnka
* Żur

Religion|

* Evangelical Church in Berlin, Brandenburg and Silesian Upper Lusatia
* Silesian Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession
* Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland
* Roman Catholic Church
* Pentecostal Church in Poland

Sport|

* Football Association
* Moravian–Silesian Football League
* National football team
* Silesian Stadium

Languages|

* Czech
* German
* Silesian German (Lower Silesian)
* Lach dialects
* Silesian
* Moravian
* Polish

Symbols|

* Coats of arms
* Flags

Unofficial anthems|

* Schlesien Unvergessene Heimat
* Schlesierlied
* Slezská hymna

Other topics|

* Demographics
* Landsmannschaft Schlesien
* Silesian Autonomy Movement
* Marsz Autōnōmije
* Silesians

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Duchies of Silesia

| Original|

* Duchy of Silesia

Lower Silesia|

* Duchy of Bierutów
* Duchy of Brzeg
* Duchy of Głogów
* Duchy of Jawor
* Duchy of Legnica
* Duchy of Lwówek
* Duchy of Nysa
* Duchy of Oleśnica
* Duchy of Żagań
* Duchy of Münsterberg

Upper Silesia|

* Duchy of Bielsko
* Duchy of Bytom
* Duchy of Cieszyn
* Duchy of Głogówek and Prudnik
* Duchy of Głubczyce
* Duchy of Krnov
* Duchy of Opava
* Duchy of Opole
* Duchy of Opole and Racibórz
* Duchy of Oświęcim
* Duchy of Prudnik
* Duchy of Pszczyna
* Duchy of Racibórz
* Duchy of Siewierz
* Duchy of Zator

Other|

* Duchy of Upper and Lower Silesia
* County of Kladsko

* v
* t
* e

Crown lands of the Austrian Empire

* Kingdom of Bohemia
* Kingdom of Croatia
* Kingdom of Dalmatia
* Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria
* Kingdom of Hungary
* Kingdom of Illyria
* Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia
* Kingdom of Slavonia
* Archduchy of Austria
* Duchy of Bukovina
* Duchy of Carinthia
* Duchy of Carniola
* Duchy of Styria
* Duchy of Salzburg
* Duchy of Upper and Lower Silesia
* Grand Principality of Transylvania
* Margraviate of Istria
* Margraviate of Moravia
* Princely County of Tyrol
* Princely County of Gorizia and Gradisca
* Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar
* Imperial Free City of Trieste
* Military Frontier

* v
* t
* e

Subdivisions of Austria-Hungary

Cisleithania|

* Archduchy of Austria
* Kingdom of Bohemia
* Duchy of Bukovina
* Duchy of Carinthia
* Duchy of Carniola
* Kingdom of Dalmatia
* Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria
* Austrian Littoral
* Gorizia and Gradisca
* Istria
* Trieste
* Margraviate of Moravia
* Duchy of Salzburg
* Duchy of Upper and Lower Silesia
* Duchy of Styria
* County of Tyrol
* County of Vorarlberg

Transleithania|

* Kingdom of Hungary
* Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia
* Fiume and its surroundings
* Military Frontier (1867–1882)

Condominiums|

* Bosnia and Herzegovina (de jure 1908–1918; de facto 1878–1918)
* Sanjak of Novi Pazar (de facto 1878–1908)
* Carpathian passes (1918)
* Concession zone in Tianjin (1901–1917)

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany
* United States
* Czech Republic
* Israel

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