Legnica 2008-01-08
Legnica airport.
Geographic coordinates: 51.183N 16.182E. Elevation 121 m.
Photo description: Many residents of Legnica include the "Brotherhood in Arms" monument among their monuments. In keeping with the times, some people called this monument "homosexuals", which was certainly not the intention of its creators. But this questionable work, just like many other monuments of this type, should disappear from the center of Legnica. The cemetery is the right place for him. This is not the history of the Republic of Poland, nor the history of German-speaking inhabitants. This is the story of the occupiers.
History of the city of Legnica.
In the lands of Lower Silesia, traces of human activity date back to 4,000 BC. Settlements of the Lusatian culture were also discovered, with a foundry workshop dating back to the 8th century BC. Between the 7th and 10th centuries AD, there was already a stronghold with earth and wood fortifications. The name Legnica appeared in documents for the first time in 1149. It was a document of Bolesław Kędzierzawy, Prince of Poland. From 1175, the town of Legnica was already a thriving administrative and economic center. This is evidenced by the significant number of subordinate villages, mentioned in many documents. At the beginning of the 13th century, there were already three churches in Legnica, trade and crafts were developing, and Henry the Bearded built a brick castle. In 1241, Legnica survived the Tartar invasion. In this battle, on April 9, 1241, Henry II the Pious died. In 1252, there was already a court of Wrocław bishops. In 1264, Legnica obtained city rights under Western law. In the 13th century, the Dominican and Franciscan monasteries opened schools. In 1329, Bolesław III, Prince of Legnica and Brzesko, recognized the suzerainty of the Czech Crown.
Due to its convenient location, trade and crafts flourished in the 14th century. The city was developing. Monumental churches, a brick town hall, and defensive walls with 30 towers were built. Gold deposits were discovered nearby. There was a mint that minted gold coins. In the 15th century, the Hussite Wars hampered further development. The first brick bridge over the Kaczawa River was built. New religious congregations (Carthusians, Benedictines, Bernardines) arrived in Legnica. The Duchy of Legnica had lively contacts with the Republic of Poland. Many residents of Legnica studied at the Jagiellonian University. In the 16th century, Prince Frederick II adopted the teachings of Martin Luther. In accordance with the principle - "Religion reigns supreme" - there had to be secularization of monasteries, institutions and church properties. A printing house and a Lutheran university were opened, which operated only for 3 years. Due to the threat of Turkish hordes, the city was surrounded by fortifications. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) interrupted the development of the city. The city became a fortress. The population decreased and wealthier residents took refuge in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In 1648, the city was destroyed by a huge fire. In the second half of the 17th century, the city was rebuilt. But in 1675, Prince George Wilhelm, the last male descendant of the Piast dynasty, died and the Duchy of Legnica-Brzeskie fell under the rule of the Habsburgs. The Habsburgs reintroduced Christian orders. Four churches, two monasteries, a Jesuit college and a new town hall were built.
At the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, the city came under Prussian rule. Sustainable development has been interrupted. The local government was liquidated. There was a standstill in public construction. Fiscal pressure has increased. The Napoleonic Wars were another factor in the decline of the city. On August 26, 1813, there was a battle with the French on Kaczawa, which was won by the Russian-Prussian troops. In the first half of the 19th century, numerous paved roads were built. In 1844, the railway connected Legnica with Wrocław. From around 1850, there was an investment revival in Legnica. Medieval walls began to be dismantled. Green areas were created in their place. In 1857, the installation of gas street lighting began. The construction of a water supply and sewage network was also started. A city hospital and numerous schools were built. The area of the City has been expanded. Another railway station with a railway station and new railway connections were built. A tram network was created. The power plant was launched. New bridges were built over the Kaczawa River. At the beginning of the new century (1901), new residential districts were created, including today's Orląt Lwowskich square, which is the beginning of the residential district of Tarninów. Also at this time, new barracks were built. In 1913, an airfield for airships was established.
The outbreak of the Great World War leads to the paralysis of the city. The airport is developing and has become an airport for airplanes. The World War interrupted the peaceful and systematic development of the city. Thousands of people died. There were enormous difficulties in supply. After all, after the end of the world war, things weren't much better. Huge inflation was not conducive to development.
In the 1930s, the city began to come alive. But this development was aimed only at the arms industry. A side effect of the rearmament was the construction of a highway and new railway lines. A whole new railway infrastructure was being built; new station buildings, signal rooms, warehouses, telephone communication systems, post office. In 1935, industrial plants were militarized. Food was rationed because most of it was stored for future war.
After the Germanic army attacked Poland, the situation of the population in Legnica did not improve. Militarized plants still needed workers. Therefore, forced laborers were brought from occupied countries. Around 1944, residents from cities already systematically bombed by the Allies began to arrive in Legnica.
History of Legnica. Soviet period.
The entire plan for the defense of Silesia along the current border with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, i.e. the Oder line, failed. Wrocław defended itself the longest. This was caused by the chaos that occurred on this section of the front on the Soviet side. It seems that no one was in control, unlike the war in Pomerania. Some cities in Lower Silesia were captured several times. In addition, there was no question of supplying the Red Army with transports from the east. The Red Army supplied itself; robbing, raping, killing, and burning and destroying.
On February 9, 1945, Soviet troops occupied Legnica without much resistance. The city and its infrastructure were little damaged. White flags hung from all the houses. The native inhabitants did not escape. They hoped that after the end of the war, Legnica would remain within the German borders of 1938. However, this did not happen. The great people of this world decided that Legnica would fall to Poland.
And the introduction of the communist order began. First, feather clouds appeared over the City. It was Soviet soldiers who tore up eiderdowns and pillows to have red cloth for flags. Not knowing how to light stoves and fireplaces, they lit fires in the middle of the rooms. For this reason, fires broke out in the city every now and then and were usually not extinguished. The soldiers plundered the rooms in search of gold and other valuables, and usually, failing to find them, they destroyed furniture, paintings, chandeliers, and so on. Because Stalin raised the slogan - "Every orphanage should have a piano" - the soldiers began to obey their leader's orders. Due to their wealth and the local factory, the inhabitants of Legnica had grand pianos and upright pianos in their homes. The Soviets took them to the streets. Since there were no trucks to transport them to the station, the pianos and upright pianos were tied with a rope and a tank pulled the column. On cobblestones, many of them lost their wheels and legs. So they burned them at the train station. Grandstand clocks were also valuable spoils of war. The Soviets put hundreds, if not thousands, of them on the streets. And so on and so forth. The Soviets took thousands of industrial machines and equipment from Legnica. Everything was done under the direction of the Commander's Office, and there were three Commander's Offices in Legnica.
Reminder. The Legnica Piano Factory belonged to the Seiler family in the period 1849-1945. When in 1990, Stefan Seiler visited the factory and his former apartment, thieves stole his new Mercedes. However, the heir was not discouraged by this fact and wanted to enter into a partnership with the state treasury, which owned the factory. Nothing came of the plans, and in 1998 the factory was liquidated.
On April 9, 1945, the Second Polish Army passed through Legnica on its way to the front on the Neisse River. On April 25, 1945, the first representatives of the civilian, communist administrative and party authorities of Poland arrived in the city.
After the end of hostilities, the Soviets set fire to the castle and a number of tenement houses in the city center. They burned the museum and the former Jesuit seminary. The local population then began to flee.
Legnica became a large hospital for wounded and sick soldiers. The Russians occupied 5 barracks complexes built by the Germanic army before the outbreak of World War II. Complex at the Airport, at Chojnowska, Złotoryjska, Słubicka and Poznańska streets. Only one came from the 19th century (at Słubiecka Street). The complexes were located on the main roads leading out of the City so that the City could be turned into a fortress if necessary.
The operational union of the Red Army, stationed in Poland (whose borders were defined by the great men of this world), was transformed into the Northern Group of Forces of the Soviet Army (PGW AR). The basis was the decision issued on May 29, 1945, by the Headquarters of the Supreme Command of the Armed Forces CCCP, called SAWKA. Based on this decision, Directive No. 11097 was issued on June 10, 1945, which stated that the Northern Group of Forces would be established on the basis of the 2nd Belorussian Front. Its staff should be based in Łódź, and temporarily in Bydgoszcz. A similar thing happened in other countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Later changes were cosmetic in nature and did not affect the basic layout. Even the signing of the Warsaw Pact in 1955 did not cause any changes. Without a doubt, Stalin was the greatest winner of World War II. He did what he wanted. Free Europe and the USA accepted the post-war order in Europe. Minor problems like; Austria, Bornholm, Szczecin; dissolved under the Kremlin's dictate. In Poland, the first violin was played by Konstanty Rokossowski, who wrote a new biography for himself and became "Pole Acting Duties".
Already in July 1945, Konstanty Rokossowski decided and convinced the Soviet command (SAWKA) that Legnica would become the headquarters of the Soviet military command (PGW) in Poland. He demanded the transfer of all newly installed Polish offices. The Polish population who had just occupied the houses indicated by the Polish authorities and ordered them to leave immediately. The Soviets allowed the Polish population to take only hand luggage. In this way, the Polish people displaced from the east were robbed for the second time by the same "liberation" army. The Polish population began to share the fate of the expelled indigenous people.
According to Konstanty Rokossowski's idea, the entire city of Legnica was to be occupied by the occupying Soviet army and in the future disappear from official maps. This was a violation of the provisions that the Soviets themselves had made. Most of the population went to railway stations, hoping for transport northwards. Thousands of people camped outdoors. However, after a few days, a decision was made to separate part of the northern outskirts of Legnica and leave the Polish population there. In later reports of the Security Service, there were notes that this resettlement resembled a ghetto organized by Germanic troops. These events triggered a wave of escapes of Poles from the so-called recovered territories and the spread of information about massacres of the Polish population committed by Soviet soldiers.
In the fall of 1945, most public buildings in Legnica were occupied by the Soviet military authorities. Permission was then given for Poles to settle some of the remaining parts of Legnica. The Soviets wanted to keep those Poles who could keep the city functioning by supplying it with water and electricity. During this period, the city already had countless checkpoints. They started fencing off some parts of the city, without paying attention to communication routes. Currently, it is difficult to draw how individual fences ran. This was related to the degree of accessibility to these areas and also concerned the Soviet soldiers themselves.
Since in the first months of the Soviet occupation, the Kremlin newspaper "Pravda" did not reach Legnica, the Soviets started publishing their own newspaper - "Znamia Pabiedy". They had to inform their people about the successes of socialism. And radio was too advanced a technology for them. Officially, Polish military plenipotentiaries were stationed at PGW in Legnica. In fact, they were just messengers. It did not matter anyway, because the Polish Army, at the highest command levels (until 1957), was also staffed by Soviet soldiers. Let us remember that PGW was in fact, at the outbreak of the next war, a strategic plan of the Kremlin. Additionally, the presence of PGW influenced political life in the Polish People's Republic. PGW in Poland in 1945, consisted of: 4 armored divisions, 30 infantry divisions, 12 air divisions, 1 cavalry corps, 10 artillery divisions. In total there were approximately 300,000 – 400,000 soldiers.
What about Poles in Legnica? As we mentioned above, on April 25, 1945, the first representatives of Poland's communist administrative and party authorities arrived in Legnica. It didn't help much. The first thousands of settlers began to share the fate of the fleeing Germanic population. In April 1946, the city government in Legnica estimated that there were 16,700 Poles, 12,800 Germans and over 60,000 Soviet soldiers. In 1946, the decisive actions of the Polish and Soviet authorities to completely expel the population of Germanic nationality continued. These activities lasted until 1949.
On May 25, 1945, a communist academy was organized in Warsaw - the official transfer of power in the Recovered Territories to the Polish side. The problem was that the huge Soviet army had to be supplied somehow. The Communist Government of Poland agreed to lease (give away) 100,000 hectares of land for Soviet needs. On October 8, 1945, a meeting on this matter was held with Konstanty Rokossowski. The crux of the matter was that it was not known on which side of the table Konstanty Rokossowski was sitting. PGW took 564 estates, with a total area of 112,000 hectares, and the Soviets stated that this was only enough for 6 months of provisions.
It was only in 1946 that the first Polish primary and secondary schools were opened. A music school and the Municipal Public Library were opened. By 1949, there were already 4 cinemas in operation. But at the same time there were separate schools and cinemas for the occupiers.
Legnica in the 1950s.
On May 15, 1955, the Warsaw Pact was signed. This document specifies that the deployment of the United Armed Forces in the areas of the states parties to the Treaty will be carried out in accordance with the needs of mutual defense, pursuant to agreements between these states. Pursuing the goals of the Warsaw Pact, given Poland's geostrategic location, both countries (or rather the party's central committees) in Moscow on November 18, 1956, signed a joint declaration stating that the parties would consult on matters relating to the stay of Soviet military units on the territory of Poland, in particular their numbers and composition, and developing principles of mutual respect for equality and sovereignty. Nay. On December 17, 1956, an agreement was signed in Warsaw between the Government of the Polish People's Republic and the government of the CCCP. It sanctioned the 12-year presence of Red Army troops in Poland. As a result, papers were signed that the Soviets had no intention of complying with anyway. In fact, new obligations have been imposed on Poland. Foreign trade companies were established to supply the Soviet army, including PHZ Makro.
In 1956, the Polish-Soviet Mixed Commission was established and began its work. It dealt with the claims of Polish citizens who suffered damage to their property and health as a result of the stay of foreign troops in Poland. By 1993, approximately 7,000 cases were considered, including 550 related to the death of 615 Polish citizens. 249 Poles were shot by soldiers with firearms, including 69 as a result of robbery, 250 died in traffic accidents caused by soldiers, and 50 died during military operations. Name lists were prepared only in 1994.
In 1958, the first inventory was carried out in the PGW facilities occupied by the Soviets. They were located in 77 garrisons and consisted of 838 complexes, 8,000 ha of land, with 4,437 facilities owned by the Polish State Treasury and 454 built with CCCP funds. PGW had 61,900 hectares of training grounds and forests. A little note here. The inventory was physically carried out by the Soviets themselves, because Polish enumerators were not allowed to enter.
Legnica in the 1960s.
Only at the beginning of the 1960s did Soviet-Polish contacts on a private level begin to develop. Even though they were officially still banned. Life abhors a vacuum, and some had something to offer others. Poles were beginning to manage to reach exclusive shops in the Kwadrat area. There were; carpets, household appliances and electronics, clothing, sweets. Material goods that were missing in Polish stores. Illegal gold trade was developing. The Soviets brought gold by the kilogram. It's hard to believe, but Legnica had the cheapest gold in Europe. Alcohol, fuel and good quality Soviet watches were traded.
But contrary to appearances, the Soviets were more afraid of personal contacts with Poles. The punishment could be and was, a trip within three days to CCCP, to distant garrisons. And in Poland there was paradise. But we repeat. Not for everyone. The rank and file had it much worse. For them, there were no entertainments to spend their free time.
In 1952, deposits of copper and silver ore were discovered in the Legnica area. The authorities in Warsaw decided to take advantage of this gift of nature and in the 60s of the 20th century, the Legnica-Głogów Industrial District began to be organized. Due to the huge demand in the world, copper has become Polish gold. The Legmet Mechanical Plant and the Elpena Winding Wire Factory were established. Due to the inflow of numerous specialists from all over Poland, a large increase in the number of inhabitants, infrastructural changes also took place in the City itself. Copper had a great influence on the development of Legnica. It stimulated, among other things, the development of science. In 1968, a branch of the Wrocław University of Science and Technology was opened. This fact turned out to have fateful consequences, as it prevented Legnica from becoming a blank spot on the map of Poland.
The city began to regain its metropolitan character. But unfortunately, in the new socialist fashion. A bad fate befell the Legnica Old Town. In the 1960s, bulldozers arrived and destroyed the layout that had been preserved since the 13th century. Tenement houses that could have been renovated were destroyed. Then, a significant part of the Old Town was demolished, between the Piast Castle (Nowa Street), St. Mary's Church (Wrocławska Street), and the Market Square. What seemed like modern buildings were built there. The socialist supermarket, i.e. the "Społem" shopping pavilion, was built opposite the Gothic church. On the square, next to the City Hall, the Provincial Committee was built, and in front of it was the monument of Gratitude to the Soviet Army (until 1945, there was a monument to King Frederick II of Prussia here). Trees were cut down in the Złotoryja Forest to build a bypass, which was never built. In 1968, tram transport was closed, although it was always claimed that it was one of the cheapest means of urban transport. Even the war did not wreak such havoc here. As an excuse, it can be said that the stationing of the Soviets in Legnica significantly limited the possibilities of expanding Legnica. There was a generally known ban on the construction of tall buildings, so as not to let the Soviets watch what they were doing behind the walls.
Legnica in the 1970s and 1980s.
In 1975, a new administrative division of Poland was introduced. New voivodeships were created, including the Legnica Voivodeship. In 1975, the party leadership from Katowice came to the city. They got another nice job. Stanisław Cieślik, Edward Gierek's right-hand man, became the first secretary of the PZPR National Committee. Despite everything, Legnica was becoming a significant administrative and industrial center of Lower Silesia. It was just behind Wrocław and Wałbrzych.
There were also minor but significant changes in the Polish-Soviet system. In July 1979, the Soviet authorities handed over the building of the Knights' Academy to the Polish administration. For several dozen years they operated in Legnica, there were two cities next to each other in one city. They penetrated only in one direction - Poles were still prohibited from entering the Soviet zone. The Soviets had their own schools, cultural centers, shops, hospitals and even bus transport in Legnica. Due to the development of the City, over all these years the Soviet zone decreased to approximately 1/3 of the total area of Legnica. But they still occupied the most beautiful district, fenced with a wall, the so-called Square.
In 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev became the first secretary of the CCCP. His rule was characterized by the slogans perestroika (reconstruction) and glasnost (openness). One could feel that this leader (younger and more energetic than his predecessors) had started his march towards a more modern state. He did a lot to implement these ideas, but his successors returned to the Leninist-Stalinist path, although under different banners. Mikhail Gorbachev's rule led to the breakout of the Central European countries from the Kremlin's dictate.
What did Legnica get out of it? Probably the most of all Polish cities. In 1990, a local radio station began broadcasting, which was not possible until 1989. In the period 1990-1992, Tygodnik Obywatelski was published, and in the period 1991-1994, Gazeta Legnicka was printed.
"Soviets go home."
Let us remember - There would have been no changes in 1989 if there had been no "Solidarity" in 1980-1981. In 1989, PGW AR was doing well. On January 1, 1989, the state of PGW (according to the Kremlin) was as follows; Personnel strength - 59,053 soldiers, including officers - 11,597, warrant officers - 6,823, non-commissioned officers and soldiers - 40,633, family members - 39,995 people.
Armament and equipment - 25,900 units, including: operational and tactical launchers - 20, tanks - 673, armored personnel carriers - 1,028, guns and mortars - 484, anti-aircraft weapons - 203, cars - 23,132, planes - 225, including combat ones - 190, nuclear weapons carriers - 81, helicopters - 144, including combat helicopters - 87.
Facilities: complexes - 382, leased buildings - 3,597, constructed buildings and facilities - 3,423, airports - 13, including 8 with concrete runways (Kluczewo, Krzywa, Chojna, Szprotawa, Brzeg, Żagań, Bagicz, Legnica ), 5 with grass runways (DS.) (Dębica, Oława, Brochocin, Namysłów, Wschowa), including one of them under construction - Wschowa, an air training ground (Przemków Płn.) and 5 land training grounds (Borne Sulinowo - 17,745 ha, Świętoszów – 15,821 ha, Trzebień - Przemkow Płd, Dobrowo, Świnoujście). The group occupied an area of 70,579.6893 ha, including 563 ha of arable land, 5 thousand ha of meadows and pastures, 35 thousand ha of wasteland, 63 ha of land waters, 1,500 ha of other areas, 23 railway sidings with a total track length of 64,205 m (Brzeg Airport, Wrocław West, Wrocław Pracze, Wrocław Różanka, Oława, Krzywa, Nowa Wieś Legnicka, Legnica Cukrownia, Legnica Elewator, Raszówka, Legnica warehouse 212, Trzebień-Karczmarka, Duninów, Toruń, Żagan Stara Kopernia, Jankowa Żagańska, Szprotawa, Kęszyca Kursko, Chojna, Kluczewo, Kluczewo Warnica, Szczecinek, Borne Sulinowo, Bagicz), 11 port quays with a length of 1,785 m, including reinforced 1,550 m, port basins 118,108 m2, port warehouses 7,707 m2 - all in Świnoujście.
In 1990, Legnica was still the strongest and most important Soviet garrison. The PGW command and staff were still stationed here. And except that; Command and headquarters of the 4th Air Army of the Supreme Command Reserve, 114th Operational-Tactical Missile Brigade, 140th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, 19th Signal Regiment, Heavy Helicopter Regiment.
Withdrawing, or rather forcing, the Kremlin to withdraw its troops from Poland was a very difficult process. It required great determination of the Polish authorities. Despite Mikhail Gorbachev's earlier promises, Moscow has done nothing in this regard.
On September 6, 1990, the first meeting of 19 cities and communes where Russians were stationed took place in Legnica. The participants critically assessed the current relations between Soviet soldiers and the Polish population. Attention was drawn to violations of provisions regarding the flights of airplanes and helicopters. An association of municipalities based in Legnica was established, the purpose of which was to put pressure on determining the status of the Soviets' stay in Poland and setting a date for their departure.
On September 7, 1990, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Krzysztof Skubiszewski, received the CCCP ambassador in our country, Yuri Kashlev, and handed him a note from the Government of the Republic of Poland to the CCCP government, addressed to the CCCP Minister of Foreign Affairs, Eduard Shevardnadze. In the note, the Republic of Poland proposed starting talks on the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Poland. There was also mention of possible compensation for damage resulting from the stay in our country. On September 14, 1990, a second note was handed out in similar circumstances. Compared to the first one, it contained more detailed proposals.
At that time, special commissions of provincial environmental protection departments were already inspecting Soviet bases for environmental protection. What the inspectors found there was terrifying. Fecal sewage flowed directly into rivers. The boiler rooms did not have any dust removal devices. The soil was saturated with petroleum products.
On December 11, 1990, official talks began between Poland and the CCCP regarding the withdrawal of the Soviet army from Polish territory. The Polish side was headed by Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Prof. Jerzy Makarczuk, on the Moscow side, CCCP ambassador in Warsaw Walentin Koptelcew. Subsequent rounds of talks took place alternately in Warsaw and Moscow. There were fifteen of them in total. The Polish side proposed that the troops leave Poland by December 1991. The Russians insisted on mid-1994, justifying it by saying that the withdrawal of their troops from Poland was part of the process of withdrawing troops (about 600,000) from Germany.
During the January round of talks in Moscow in 1991, General Viktor Dubynin made a surprising statement: "The invincible and proud Soviet army, which once defeated the Germans, will leave Poland when it deems it appropriate, on the roads and routes it deems appropriate." , with unfurled banners, in a manner that it determines itself, and if anyone interferes with it, it does not take responsibility for the safety of the population of Poland.
Ultimately, however, both sides, reaching a mutual compromise, agreed in a document signed in May 1992 that by November 15, 1992, the combat units of the Russian army would leave Poland, and the rest of the units (auxiliary, liaison, etc.) would be evacuated by the end of 1993. The so-called "zero option" was adopted in financial and property settlements. The official date of the beginning of the withdrawal of troops from Poland is April 8, 1991 (there were still talks about the date of completion of the departure of these troops), when in a ceremonial setting (in pouring rain) an echelon with equipment and soldiers stationed there left the base in Borne - Sulinów. operational and tactical missile brigades.
On October 27, 1991, the withdrawal treaty was initialed, which did not mean that there were no further arrangements. On May 22, 1992, a package of agreements was signed.
In Legnica, the airport became an official uncontrolled border crossing, intended to facilitate Muscovites leaving Legnica. The airport officially operated until January 5, 1993. On January 30, 1993, it was liquidated, but it appears to have operated illegally until September 5, 1993.
On September 15, 1993, the last Muscovite units left Legnica, and the last train with soldiers left on September 17, 1993. On September 18, 1993, at At 5:35 a train on the Legnica-Brześć route left the Warszawa Wschodnia station with a group of 24 soldiers to arrive at 9:20 cross the Polish border in Terespol.
Written by Karol Placha Hetman