Shaping the multicultural society of Lower Silesia after the Second World War exemplified by the case of Dobroszyce

Abstract

World War II and its political consequences resulted in a demographic shift in Lower Silesia. It took place to an extent never before seen in any part of Europe. Due to international decisions concerning the changes of its borders, Lower Silesia was once again integrated with Poland. At the same time the German inhabitants living in the region were obliged to leave. Polish people replaced them coming from other parts of Poland as well as from former Polish territories which had been incorporated by the Soviet Union. The immigrants were influenced by the cultures of the places of their origin. They differed in almost every field of everyday life, so in their new towns they met people with various integrating capabilities, contrasting points of view, political preferences and attitudes.That phenomenon was understood as a coexistence of the representatives of at least two different cultures whose members perceive the differences between them. Prevalence of so many distinct cultures in one area and the influences they had on each other led to the creation of specific cultural and social relations among the groups and their members. The situation obliged the settlers to overcome their particular attitudes and competences to live and communicate with new neighbours. Significant historical processes had influenced in a noticeable way the lives of people from every single town and village in Lower Silesia. One example of the place chosen by the immigrants to Lower Silesia is Dobroszyce. The incoming people created from the very beginning a society which was supposed to live in multicultural reality.