| Sharon
Hope all is going well. I have spent some time doing some history searching. I ran across a history of the Polska Nowa Weis. Since it was in Polish I sought out a friend from NorthEast Minneapolis with Polish roots. She helped me translate. I also learned the Weis is pronounced similar to "Ways" only with a V sound. Polska Nowa Weis was originally under Austrian control through the Church. The Church center for the region was in Komprachcice. The Church placed Polska Nowa Weis along with Wawelno, and other immediate towns under its control in 1302. Komprachcice was the location of a lord whose family ruled the area. I have the family name but is means nothing to me. I will pass it on later. By 1816 the area had grown and become part of a larger region. Control was ceded to Opole a larger population center. The area maintained a Austrian flavor with strong Jewish influence. The Jews were invited in during the period after 1200 as the Church restricted Gentiles from charging interest on loans. However the lords knew without some sort of banking capability their economies would be stagnated. As the Jews had no religious restriction from the Church, they were invited in to set up a banking structure. Although this played in everyones favor the seeds were sown for a later attack on the Jewish monopoly of the finance industry by the National Socialists. In 1848 a typhoid epidemic hit the area. This could have been caused by floods since Opole is on the river which today is overflowing. The epidemic decimated the population with many moving to the mountains West of the villages. Again this points to a flood issue. I have not verified this assumption yet. Regardless, the 1848 epidemic caused the beginning of a great migration from the area. Seems interesting that this is the same year as the Potato Famine in Ireland. Something environmentally related? The area was later overrun by Germans after the 1871 Franco Prussian conflict. The hold by the Austrian-Hungarian Empire began apparently in the 1880's. Education increased under the German control. By 1910 the area was beginning to feel the impact of technology. The first motorcycle was recorded in 1910. Telephone service was available in 1910 also. World War I brought great hardship as the Germans and Russians met in the area. Many watched as they lost everything. Pestilence and illness resulted after the war. The 1920s again produced improvement in technology. By 1930 the area apparently had electricity. Sadly World War II took a big toll on the area. The Germans controlled the area almost immediately. The large Jewish population virtually disappeared by the end of the war. The Polish resistance was strong in the area which caused even greater security measures by the Germans. Even today the Jewish population is less than 1%. The area maintains a multi faceted cultural base today. The history explains much. I look forward to hearing from you again as you have time. I ordered a Polish English dictionary from Half.com to begin working on Polish myself. By the way, my friend adopted two children from Opole. One is pure Polish while the other is heavily Russian. The area has been heavily influenced by wars and epidemics which created great movements of people at various times. Each left a mark. Take Care. Brad Stevens |
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