These relationships between “Polish” people and “German” objects began immediately after the war. It involved the appropriation of formerly German property by new arrivals, who made it their own—or, to use Robert Traba’s phrase, created a “sense of mine-ness.” Although we have analyzed various perceptions of the relevant objects and their functions, in this article we would like to focus on their perception in relation to the comprehension and legitimization of the unusual transmission of such property. The figure of the owner is crucial here.
During our fieldwork in Wrocław, we met Elzbieta, who recounted a story from her past as a young ethnographer traveling in Lower Silesia. She told us about a blacksmith who, upon arriving in the region after the war, took over an entire forge along with its tools from his pre-war predecessor. Elzbieta remarked, “He stepped into the right place.”
Are there other examples of such perceived “rightness”? When do they occur, and what do they relate to? We asked ourselves these questions and noticed that the appropriation of objects is considered “right” (pl. właściwe) if the old and new owners share certain similarities that link past and present. These similarities might include a profession, a skill, and in some cases affiliation to a broader category - that of social class. A compelling example comes from Magda, who was captivated by the pre-war floor tiles in her friend’s apartment in Wrocław. By means of a pre-war address book she discovered that the apartment’s former occupants were a civil servant and a professor. Remarkably, these professions mirrored those of her friend, a civil servant, and her friend’s husband, an academic. The idea that an object might “re-appear” after the war in a similar social environment and be owned by people similar to its pre-war owners evoked excitement and satisfaction among our interviewees. It was considered a lucky twist of fate.
But what about the opposite situation, when an object ended up in a very different social environment? One of our interviewees, Wanda, a resident of an apartment in a villa, recalled its condition at the time of her family’s arrival in the early 1960s: “The carter had settled there. (…) I can only tell you that (…) my mother-in-law moved us in, and she had to shovel the dirt off the windowsills.” She described the negligence of the previous Polish tenant, suggesting that this was because he came from a lower class. There was a widespread belief that the more affluent districts of the city and buildings taken over by the municipality were deteriorating because their residents belonged to lower social classes. It was often argued that these settlers lacked the knowledge and skills to appreciate and properly maintain the properties. However, the condition of the buildings was largely dependent on decisions made at the municipal level, such as the decision to renovate tenement houses and make the necessary financial investments.