Q1: Where is Schlesien (Silesia)? A1: Schlesien was a Prussian province. Its capital was Breslau. Q2: What was Schlesien's recent history? A2: Most of Schlesien was conquered by King Friedrich II of Prussia in the three Silesian wars from Austria (1740-1763), the third war being the Seven-Years-War (1756-1763). In 1895 the population of 4.4 mio comprised 1.97 mio.Evangelicals, 2.38 mio. Catholics incl. 0.99 mio.Poles, 47,593 Jews. After WWI Schlesien lost some areas to Poland and Czechoslovakia. Schlesien was cleansed of its ethnic German population and given to Poland in 1945. The Western powers were silent on the ethnic cleansing. Breslau was renamed Wroclaw. Q3: What were the administrative areas of Schlesien (Silesia)? A3: In 1900 the province of Schlesien had the following districts and Kreise (counties): Regierungsbezirk (district) of Breslau with 24 Kreise (counties): Breslau-Stadt,Breslau-Land,Brieg,Frankenstein,Glatz,Gr.Wartenberg, Guhrau,Habelschwerdt,Militsch,Münsterberg,Namslau,Neumarkt,Neurode, Nimpgtsch,Ohlau,Oels,Reichenbach,Schweidnitz,Steinau,Strehlen, Striegau,Trebnitz,Waldenburg,Wohlau. Regierungsbezirk (district) of Oppeln with 20 Kreise (counties): Beuthen-Stadt,Beuthen-Land,Falkenberg,Gr.Strehlitz,Grottkau,Kattowitz, Kosel,Kreuzburg,Leobschütz,Lublinitz,Neisse,Neustadt,Oppeln, Pless,Ratibor,Rosenberg,Rybnitz,Tarnowitz,Tost-Gleiwitz,Zabrze. Regierungsbezirk (district) of Liegnitz with 21 Kreise (counties): Bolkenhain,Bunzlau,Freystadt,Glogau,Goldberg-Hainau,Görlitz-Stadt, Görlitz-Land,Grünberg,Hirschberg,Hoyerswerda,Jauer,Landeshut, Lauban,Liegnitz-Stadt,Liegnitz-Land,Löwenberg,Lueben,Rothenburg, Sagan,Schönau,Sprottau. In 1919 the province was divided into two provinces: Niederschlesien (Lower Silesia) being the districts of Breslau and Liegnitz and Oberschlesien (Upper Silesia) being the Oppeln district. The terms lower and upper refer to the main Oder river of Silesia. Each Kreis was headed by the Landrat who presided over the Landratsamt. The Landratsamt records are deposited in the Polish archives with published brief inventories. The Landrat was in charge of passport and emigrations matters and reported to the district Regierung who in turn gave data to the provincial Oberpräsidium in Breslau. Q4: What about the remaining Silesian areas outside Prussia? A4: Österreichisch-Schlesien (Austrian-Silesia) remained with Austria after the Breslau peace treaty of 1742 with Prussia as an Austrian duchy and crownland. In 1890 it comprised the following districts: Städte (cities) of Troppau,Bielitz,Friedek. Bezirkshauptmannschaften (land districts) of Bielitz,Freistadt, Freiwaldau,Freudenthal,Jägerndorf,Teschen,Troppau. In 1920 the area was incorporated into the new Czechoslovakia. In 1945 the German population suffered the same ethnic cleansing as the rest of Silesia and East Germany. Q5: What were the court districts in Schlesien before 1900? A5: The highest Silesian court was the Oberlandesgericht in Breslau with records deposited at the Wroclaw archives today. The lower courts (Landgerichte) and lowest courts (Amtsgerichte) were Landgericht Beuthen with (5) Amtsgerichte: Beuthen,Kattowitz,Königshütte,Myslowitz,Tarnowitz. Landgericht Breslau with (5) Amtsgerichte: Breslau,Kanth,Neumarkt,Winzig,Wohlau. Landgericht Brieg with (6) Amtsgerichte: Brieg,Grottkau,Löwen,Ohlau,Strehlen,Wansen. Landgericht Glatz with (11) Amtsgerichte: Frankenstein,Glatz,Habelschwerdt,Landeck,Lewin,Mittelwalde, Münsterberg,Neurode,Reichenstein,Reinerz,Wünschelburg. Landgericht Gleiwitz, with (6) Amtsgerichte: Gleiwitz,Nikolai,Peiskretscham,Pless,Tost,Zabrze. Landgericht Glogau with (15) Amtsgerichte: Beuthen,Carolath,Freistadt,Glogau,Grünberg,Guhrau,Halbau,Herrnstadt, Kontopp,Neusalz,Polkwitz,Priebus,Sagan,Sprottau,Steinau. Landgericht Görlitz with (10) Amtsgerichte: Görlitz,Hoyerswerda,Lauban,Marklissa,Muskau,Niesky,Reichenbach, Rothenburg,Ruhland,Seidenberg. Landgericht Hirschberg with (12) Amtsgerichte: Bolkenhain,Friedeberg,Greifenberg,Hermsdorf,Hirschberg,Lähn,Landeshut, Liebau,Löwenberg,Schmiedeberg,Schömberg,Schönau. Landgericht Liegnitz with (8) Amtsgerichte: Bunzlau,Goldberg,Haynau,Jauer,Liegnitz,Lüben,Naumburg,Parchwitz. Landgericht Neisse with (8) Amtsgerichte: Falkenberg,Friedland,Neisse, Neustadt,Oberglogau,Ottmachau,Patschkau,Ziegenhals Landgericht Öls with (10) Amtsgerichte: Bernstadt,Festenberg,Gr.Wartenberg,Militsch,Namslau,Neumittelwalde, Öls,Prausnitz,Trachenberg,Trebnitz. Landgericht Oppeln with (14) Amtsgerichte: Gr.Strehlitz,Guttentag,Karlsruh,Konstadt,Krappitz,Kreuzburg,Kupp, Landsberg,Leschnitz,Lublinitz,Oppeln,Pitschen,Rosenberg,Ujest. Landgericht Ratibor with (10) Amtsgerichte: Bauerwitz,Gnadenfeld, Hultschin,Katscher,Kosel,Leobschütz,Loslau,Ratibor,Rybnik,Sohrau. Landgericht Schweidnitz with (10) Amtsgerichte: Freiburg,Friedland bei Waldenburg,Gottesberg,Nieder-Wüstegiersdorf, Nimptsch,Reichenbach,Schweidnitz,Striegau,Waldenburg,Zobten. The records for the Landgerichte and Amtsgerichte are mostly deposited in the State Archives of Wroclaw (Breslau) today. Of special interest are the land deed records (Grund- und Hypotheken-Acta) with no published survey known todate. (Grundbücher of the pre-1740 Habsburg era were called Urbaria). These records usually start with a land title history (=tituli possessionis) going back 50 or more years from the beginning of the first deed book (1783). Legal basis for these land records is the Prussian Hypotheken-Ordnung of 1783 which initially applied to crownlands only. The court at that time was called Domainen-Justiz-Amt (until 1806), Land- or Stadt-Gericht (1806-1849), Kreisgericht (1849-1879), Amtsgericht (after 1879). Since Schlesien enjoyed a special status in the Prussian monarchy, all state records remained in the province with no records transfered to the Berlin archives. This includes the records of The Generaldirektorium für Schlesien in Breslau prior to 1806. Last testaments and wills, Erbscheine, orphan records would be deposited in the local Amtsgericht (in the Hypotheken-Acta, if land ownership and remarriages were involved). A remarriage of a widower/widow was always documented in the Amtsgericht stating in detail the estate rights of surviving children as well as rights and duties of parents and step parents. This is a source at the Amtsgericht which is widely unknown and untapped (and unfilmed by the LDS). If you are looking for records which describe the life and tribulations of your ancestors, you cannot miss looking at the court records. Land reform changed the ownership structure of the rural populace which is reflected in the records of the General-Komission set up in 1812 for this purpose and a prime genealogical source available in the archives at Breslau (Wroclaw). For research of estates the estate directories (Güteradreßbücher) list the owners and economic information (acreage, lifestock etc.): Handbuch des Grundbesitzes im Deutschen Reiche. I. Das Königreich Preußen - Provinz Schlesien 1st ed. Berlin 1880 2nd ed. Berlin 1892 3rd ed. Berlin 1922 Niekammers Landwirtschaftliches Güter-Adreßbuch. Band 16: Provinz Schlesien Leipzig 1916 Verzeichnis sämmtlicher Rittergüter u. selbständ. Gutsbezirke sowie derjenigen grösseren Landgüter in der Provinz Schlesien, welche innerhalb d. Gemeindeverbandes mit einem Grundsteuer-Reinertrag von mind. 500 Thalern [ab 1886: 1500 Mark] veranlagt sind: 'Schlesisches Güter-Adreßbuch', Verlag: Korn, Breslau. 1st ed. 1876 3nd ed. 1886 4th ed. 1891 5th ed. 1894 6th ed. 1898 7th ed. 1902 8th ed. 1905 9th ed. 1909 10th ed. 1912 11th ed. 1917 12th ed. 1921 13th ed. 1926 14th ed. 1930 15th ed. 1937 A number of these directories are available on CD under "Digitale Quellen zur schlesischen Kulturgeschichte, 1" Order from/Bestellung an: Museum für schlesische Landeskunde im HAUS SCHLESIEN, Dollendorfer Str. 412, D-53639 Königswinter-Heisterbacherrott, Germany e-mail: museum@hausschlesien.de http://www.hausschlesien.de/ Bestellzeichen: CD GAB DQ01 Price: EU 50,- plus S/H Information on other directries is available on line: http://www.genealogienetz.de/reg/SCI/adressbuecher/detail.html http://www.breslau-wroclaw.de/de/breslau/source/ab/ Q6: Is there a listserv for Schlesien family researchers? A6: There is a genealogy list DEU-SCHLESIEN-L for anyone with a genealogical interest in the Schlesien/Silesia region of Germany. To subscribe send message to DEU-SCHLESIEN-L-request@rootsweb.com with the single word "subscribe" in the message subject and body. To join the digest-mode list DEU-SCHLESIEN-D, send same message to DEU-SCHLESIEN-D-request@rootsweb.com. Niederschlesien-L. A mailing list for those with a genealogical interest in the former Prussian province of Lower Schlesien (Silesia), which is now mostly in Poland. The language for the list is principally German though there are occasional postings in English. To subscribe send the following to niederschlesien-l-request@genealogy.net: HILFE or HELP Oberschlesien-L. A mailing list for those with a genealogical interest in the former Prussian province of Upper Schlesien (Silesia), which is now mostly in Poland. The language for the list is principally German though there are occasional postings in English. To subscribe send the following to oberschlesien-l-request@genealogy.net: HILFE or HELP Q7: How do I find locations and maps for Schlesien before 1945? A7: An atlas is usually not the best tool to locate small towns or villages. Maps of scales 1:25,000 (Messtischblatt) or 1:100,000 (Karte des Deutschen Reiches and Kreiskarten) and gazetteers (Ortsverzeichnis) are. The best German gazetteer is Meyers Orts- and Verkehrslexikon des Deutschen Reiches,1912 edition, which is available on microfiche in the LDS Family History Centers and gives info on parish, Kreis, Standesamt, court, post office etc. on all German locations. There is LDS microfilm #068814 available of Karte des Deutschen Reiches, scale 1:100000, 1km (=) 1cm which may be loaned thru the LDS Family History Centers. It covers Germany for 1914-1917. (see the grid map for details) Topographical Maps (Messtischblätter 1:25000) may also be purchased from Bundesamt fuer Kartographie und Geodäsie Richard-Strauss-Allee 11 60958 Frankfurt am Main For North American sales see http://www.genealogyunlimited.com see also http://w3g.med.uni-giessen.de/gene/gifs/maps/ For German-Polish place name dictionary, see http://www.atsnotes.com/other/gerpol.html http://www.calle.com/world/poland/index.html Q8: What books discuss hints and sources for East German searchers? A8: Wegweiser fuer Forschung nach Vorfahren aus den Ostdeutschen und Sudetendeutschen Gebieten sowie aus den deutschen Siedlungsräumen in Mittel-,Ost- und Suedosteuropa (AGoFF-Wegweiser): Verlag Degener &Co, 91413 Neustadt, Germany (1991 and later) (English edition 1995) Germanic Genealogy (by Edward R.Brandt et alii), 2nd edition. 1997, St.Paul MN, 517 pp.,1st edition, 1995. Kowallis, Otto K.: A genealogical guide and atlas of Silesia / compiled from original maps by Otto K. Kowallis, Vera N. Kowallis. Logan, Utah : Everton Publishers, c1976. xiv, 442 p. : maps ; 28 cm. Triest, Felix: Topographisches Handbuch von Oberschlesien, 2. Aufl., reprint of the first ed., Breslau 1864 Verlag: Thorbecke, Sigmaringen, Beiträge zur Geschichte und Landeskunde Oberschlesiens 2 vols. (1984), ISBN 3-7995-6511-6 Rister, H.: Schlesische Bibliographie, Marburg: Herder-Institut 10 Bde. 1961-1989 Bibliographie zur Geschichte Schlesiens / Bibliografia historii Slaska / Bibliografie dejin Slezska 1994. Bearbeitet von Lubommr Bajger, Zdizislaw Gebolys, Artur Harc, Tomasz Jaworski, Ralf Ko:hler, Malgorzata Pawlak, Anna Rusnok, Karol Sanojca, Ewa Wyglenda (Bibliographien zur Geschichte und Landeskunde Ostmitteleuropas 18). XXX, 224 S. 1997 ISBN 3-87969-248-3 Bibliographie zur Geschichte der Juden in Schlesien / von Margret Heitmann und Andreas Reinke. Ein Gemeinschaftsprojekt des Salomon-Ludwig-Steinheim-Instituts und der Historischen Kommission zu Berlin. - München [u.a.] : Saur, 1995. - 254 S. ; 25 cm. - (Bibliographien zur deutsch-jüdischen Geschichte ; 6). - ISBN 3-598-11230-0 Q9: What type of land records are available? A9: In addition to the deed and mortgage records deposited at the courts (Amtsgerichte) a prime and practically unknown source is the Generalkommission fuer Schlesien zu Breslau with records deposited at the state archives in Wroclaw and comprising 42400 volumes for the years 1769,1816-1928. The Land reform changed the ownership structure of the rural populace which is reflected in the records of the General-Komission set up in 1812 for this purpose and a prime genealogical source available in the archives at Wroclaw (Breslau) . They are also to be found in state archives under the "Regierung" records and the keywords "Regulierung, Ablösung, Austuung" of the estates etc. Q10: How can I get information on Polish archives? A10:For information on archives consult the web site: http://www.man.poznan.pl/~bielecki/geninfo6.htm http://ciuw.warman.net.pl/alf/archiwa/ http://www.germany.net/teilnehmer/100.110994/index.htm http://pgsa.org/archives_eng.htm Krusch,B. :Geschichte des Staatsarchivs zu Breslau (=Mitteilungen der Preuss. ArchivWverwal verwaltung, XI), Leipzig 1908. Staatsarchiv Breslau-Wegweiser durch die Bestände bis zum Jahr 1945, Schriften des Bundesinstituts für ostdeutsche Kultur und Geschichte, Bd. 9, 1996, ISBN 3-486-56045-X; R. Oldenbourg Verlag München, 480 pp. According to norbert.attermeyer@t-online.de the table of contents of the Breslau-Wegweiser is I. Akten der Staatlichen Verwaltung Akten von Behörden der allgemeinen Verwaltung 1740 - 1945 20.Oberpra:sidium der Provinz Schlesien zu Breslau (zesp.170) 21.Regierung zu Liegnitz: Katasterverwaltung (zesp.174) 22.Regierung zu Oppeln 23.Regierung zu Breslau (zesp.172) Bezirksausschüsse; Landratsämter Akten anderer Behörden der Staatsverwaltung 1740 - 1945 440.Generalkommission fu:r Schlesien in Breslau (zesp.192) 499.Carolinisches Kataster, 1722-1726 (zesp.164) II. Akten der Selbstverwaltung Akten schlesischer Städte Akten schlesischer Gemeinden III. Akten von Justizbehörden und Notariaten Akten der Staatsanwaltschaften Akten schlesischer Gerichte Akten schlesischer Notariate IV. Akten von Unternehmen, Finanz-, Kredit- und Versicherungsinstituten sowie Landgutakten Akten von Industrie- und Handelsinstituten Akten von Finanz-, Kredit- und Handelsinstituten Akten der Landgüter V. Akten von kulturellen Einrichtungen, Bildungsinstitutionen und religiösen Organisationen Akten von Schulen und wissenschaftlichen Einrichtungen Akten von Einrichtungen der evangelischen und der katholischen Kirche und von Klöstern VI. Akten politischer, sozialer und kultureller Organisationen, von Berufsverbänden und von Vereinen VII. Akten von Familien und Personen VIII. Lose Sammlungen, Karten und Pläne, die keinen Beständen zugeordnet werden können From this listing it is evident that one the most valuable collections, the "Schlesisches Generaldirektorium zu Breslau, 1742-1806" is missing and probaby perished in 1945. It contained the pre-1806 Praestations-Tabellen, Spezifikation-Tabellen, Subreparationslisten, of the Kgl. Amtsdörfer (Royal villages), the pre-1806 Mahllisten or Mühlen-Consignationen, and the 1743-1750 schlesische Landesaufnahme or Klassifikations-Kataster (Land Survey) of King Friedrich II. (Old Breslau Signatur: Rep.201c?) and the records of the Kriegs- und Domainen-Kammern at Breslau and Glogau (1742-1808). It is possible that copies of a few of the Praestations-Tabellen, Spezifikation-Tabellen, Subreparationslisten, and Mahllisten may have survived in other collections like that of the Generalkommission or the local Landratsamt or the Regierungen zu Breslau, zu Liegnitz or zu Oppeln which had to deal with the "Regulierung der gutsherrlichen und bäuerlichen Verhältnisse" (Stein-Hardenberg land reforms after 1812. Keywords: Regulierung, Ablösung, Austhuung). The Praestations-Tabellen of ca.1819-ca.1850 should still be available and scattered thoughout. The 1997 flooding in Schlesien have damaged the archives severely according to the following report: "In July 1997 there was a disastrous flood in the South-Western part of Poland. It caused much damage in the state archives of institutions and work establishments. Particulary great damage suffered archives submitted to the Polish State Archives Head Office. The State Archive in Opole. Flooded cellars, damaged central heating and electrical installations. The Nysa Section of the State Archive in Opole. The water has flooded the resource of 400 m of archive files and a book collection, damaged an equipment and an elevation of the building. The State Archive in Wroclaw. All the resource ie. about 2000 m of archive files has been flooded, an electrical instalation, bookshelves walls and equipment are destroyed. The Section of State Archive in Wroclaw in Kamieniec Zabkowicki. Ground floor rooms, and the some extend also archives have been flooded. Archives of institutions, amongst others the Voivodship Court in Wroclaw, the District Court in Koscierzyn-Kozle. There suffered archives of schools and work establishments. Undertaken and realized actions: The Main State Archives Council is gathering information about damage. Through the Civil Defence Staff, as well as anti-flood staffs it has send a message informing about threat, and indspensable action to be undertaken in case of flooding an archive; to the subordinate institutions there has been sent an informations concerning methods of preliminary protection of flooded archives, as well as disinfection and conservation activitie; any advice and factual help can be obtained at the Central Conservation Laboratory at the General Archive of Historical Records A Guide of the Breslau (=Wroclaw) archives: Archiwum Paqstwowe we Wroc3awiu : przewodnik po zasobie archiwalnym do 1945 roku