Return to Silesia

Written accounts of journeys back to the “old homeland” from the HAUS SCHLESIEN Collection
For more than sixty years, Germans have been traveling back to the Silesian towns and villages they once called home. Personal written accounts of these journeys reflect how displaced people came to terms with the loss of their homeland as well as with changing political and social realities.

Longing for Home – Journeys Back to the “Old Homeland”

In the aftermath of the Second World War, millions of Silesians were forced under dramatic circumstances to abandon their homes and farms. In the years that followed, preoccupied with building a new life among strangers in unfamiliar surroundings, they could scarcely think of traveling—let alone visiting the old “Heimat.” Many displaced people were therefore plagued by homesickness and a deep, often indefinable longing for their roots.
There were certainly some who never wished to return to 
Silesia
deu. Schlesien, ces. Slezsko, pol. Śląsk

Silesia (Polish: Śląsk, Czech: Slezsko) is a historical landscape, which today is mainly located in the extreme southwest of Poland, but in parts also on the territory of Germany and the Czech Republic. By far the most significant river is the Oder. To the south, Silesia is bordered mainly by the Sudeten and Beskid mountain ranges. Today, almost 8 million people live in Silesia. The largest cities in the region are Wrocław, Opole and Katowice. Before 1945, most of the region was part of Prussia for two hundred years, and before the Silesian Wars (from 1740) it was part of the Habsburg Empire for almost as many years. Silesia is classified into Upper and Lower Silesia.

, but most still felt a powerful pull to see once more the towns and villages where they had been born or had formerly lived. By the late 1950s, the first were already making the journey back to Silesia, with growing numbers following in the 1970s. After the fall of the Iron Curtain, the number of these “homesickness tourists” increased significantly. But these Silesian journeys had little in common with conventional holidays in the mountains or by the sea. They involved considerable organizational effort and uncertainty, and above all a great deal of fear and emotional strain. For those who undertook them, the trips were far removed from ordinary tourism and hardly a relaxing escape.
The preparations for such journeys and the experiences themselves were shaped by the political situation in Germany and 
Polish People’s Republic
deu. Volksrepublik Polen, pol. Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa, deu. Republik Polen, eng. Polish Republic, pol. Rzeczpospolita Polska

The People's Republic of Poland was a socialist state in the Soviet sphere of influence that existed from 1944 to 1989 (until 1952 as the Republic of Poland). Its borders correspond to those of present-day Poland. The legitimacy of the form of government was based on the 1946 referendum and the 1947 election, the results of which were, however, falsified. In 1948, the parties of the so-called Democratic Bloc were forcibly merged into the Socialist Unity Party of the one-party state. The communist Polish United Workers' Party (Polska Zjednoczona Partia Robotnicza, PZPR) ruled until the end of the People's Republic.

, as well as by the state of relations between the two countries at the time. At the same time, travelers’ impressions of the landscape and its people—and the personal conclusions they drew from them—were deeply influenced by their own expectations, memories, and earlier experiences.

Travel Accounts: Personal Memories and Historical Documents

After returning from their journeys back to the old “Heimat”, many people recorded their experiences in writing, sometimes in great detail. They wrote diary-like or narrative travel accounts, letters, or compiled carefully annotated photo albums. These records served a number of purposes: they helped travelers process their own experiences and emotions, share their impressions with family members and close friends, and inform their “Landsleute”—those who came from the same town or region—about what the now Polish towns and villages looked like. This was also why travel accounts regularly appeared in regional “homeland newspapers” such as Hohe Eule.
More than eighty such travel accounts are held in the archive of HAUS SCHLESIEN, alongside numerous photograph collections and annotated albums chronicling journeys back to Silesia. Some entered the collection through private estates, while others were donated by the travelers themselves. Together, they span a period of almost sixty years. Only a handful of photographs and written accounts survive from the first two postwar decades; many date from the 1970s and 1980s. The largest share, however, comes from the 1990s and early 2000s.
These accounts convey highly subjective impressions. Depending on the author’s literary ability and on whether their expectations were fulfilled or disappointed, they vary considerably in tone and perspective. Even so, certain phases emerge, along with a number of recurring patterns.

The First Journeys Home and Organized Group Trips

In the mid-1950s, as East–West relations eased somewhat following the death of Joseph Stalin, displaced Germans were able for the first time to travel back to their former hometowns. Applying for the necessary entry permits and visas, however, posed a considerable bureaucratic challenge. Many people also lacked the financial means to undertake such journeys. In addition, traumatic memories from the war and the experience of losing their homeland were often still painfully vivid. Only a small number traveled to Silesia, which is likely one reason why the collection contains so few accounts from this period. Reading these reports today, it is striking how often the actual journey is preceded by descriptions of the complicated preparations involved, such as obtaining visas, along with explanations of why the trip was undertaken in the first place.
"The journey had been planned for a long time. Thanks to an invitation from acquaintances, I was able to spend two weeks with them. […] With the informal invitation contained in the letter, I went to the police to apply for travel permission. After fourteen days, I was allowed to collect it upon payment of 5 MDN MDN The mark of the German Central Bank, the currency of the GDR. ."1
These independently organized journeys usually had a very specific destination: the travelers’ former hometown or village. In most cases, they visited relatives or acquaintances who had remained behind. Tourist attractions were generally not part of the itinerary.

“Homesickness Tourism” in the Era of Political Détente

As the Federal Republic of Germany pursued a new policy of rapprochement with Eastern Europe ( Neue Ostpolitik
Neue Ostpolitik
also:
New Eastern Policy, Eastern Policy, Ostpolitik
At the beginning of the 1970s, the social-liberal coalition government led by Willy Brandt pursued a policy of “change through rapprochement” toward the countries of Eastern Europe. Key milestones in this policy of détente included the signing of the Eastern Treaties in 1970 with the Soviet Union (the Moscow Treaty) and Poland (the Warsaw Treaty), which, among other things, recognized the Oder–Neisse line as the inviolable border between Germany and Poland.
) and political tensions eased, journeys to Silesia became more frequent, especially after visa-free travel from the 
German Democratic Republic
deu. Deutsche Demokratische Republik, eng. GDR, eng. East Germany, deu. DDR, wen. Němska demokratiska republika, wen. NDR, wen. Nimska demokratiska republika

The German Democratic Republic (GDR) was the second German state after World War II. It was proclaimed on October 7, 1949, and comprised the eastern part of present-day Germany. It was established in place of the Soviet occupation zone in response to the founding of the Federal Republic of Germany in the territory of the Western Allies' occupation zones on May 24, 1949. Its capital was the eastern part (Soviet sector) of Berlin, which was contrary to the Allies' agreement on the joint administration of Berlin. The GDR increasingly isolated itself, especially from the Western states, which culminated visually in the construction of the Berlin Wall. Despite its name, the GDR was an undemocratically ruled puppet state of the Soviet Union until 1989. The existence of the GDR ended on October 3, 1990, with its unification with the Federal Republic of Germany (“reunification”).

 to Poland was introduced. Whereas earlier travelers had usually made the trip by train or, occasionally, in their own cars, the mid-1970s saw the emergence of organized group trips, which became known as “homesickness tourism.” Members of local  homeland associations (Heimatkreisvereinigungen)
Hometown association
also:
Homeland association, Hometown group
From the late 1940s onward, German refugees, displaced persons, and resettlers who had once lived in the same town or district in the former eastern territories of Germany began forming homeland associations in Germany. The aim of these groups was to maintain contact among former residents and preserve memories of the local history, traditions, and dialects of the places they had left. Their activities included organizing reunions, publishing newspapers and chronicles dedicated to the history and traditions of their former home regions, arranging return journeys, and establishing Heimatstuben (local history collections).
 and regional expellee organizations (landsmannschaftliche Gruppierungen) regional expellee organizations (landsmannschaftliche Gruppierungen) After the ban on associations was lifted in the western occupation zones in 1948, some displaced persons and expellees began forming organizations according to their region of origin. These Landsmannschaften—regional expellee organizations—understood themselves as political and social advocates for displaced people from the former German eastern territories and for subsequent generations. in particular traveled together to Silesia, while bus companies also began offering special return journeys to the “former homeland”.
While the travelers often took part in tourist activities such as guided city tours, hikes up the 
Sněžka
deu. Schneekoppe, lat. Gigantaeus mons, pol. Śnieżka, ces. Sněžka

At 1,603 m above sea level, Sněžka (Polish: Śnieżka) is the highest mountain in the Giant Mountains. Since 1945, the Polish-Czech border has run across its summit. The first known ascent of the summit took place in the 16th century. In the 19th century, Sněžka the touristic infrastructure was expanded here, and today Sněžka is a popular destination in Lower Silesia.

, or visits to other well-known sites, the most important part of the journey remained the visit to their former hometown or village. Generally, people would stay in a larger town close by and from there make excursions to the surrounding villages. Trips organized by homeland associations were usually arranged so that the group traveled together by bus to the different destinations, while those on tours organized by travel companies often hired taxis individually or in small groups to reach their old hometowns. Taxi fares were inexpensive, and drivers frequently also acted as interpreters and informal guides. As several travel accounts note, they often helped establish contact with the people now living in these places.
The written accounts often begin by describing the travel group: who was joining the trip, how well people knew one another, and what the atmosphere on the bus was like. They also repeatedly mention border controls and the obligatory Polish tour guides, who were sometimes viewed critically, particularly in relation to their explanations of local history. Everyday details such as meals also receive attention. The main focus, however, is on former homes and their new occupants, as well as the surrounding streets and buildings, and the question of what had remained and what had changed arises again and again. Travelers also frequently describe retracing familiar routes—such as the walk to school—and how differently these places now appeared to them.
In many of the accounts, there is a palpable sense of disappointment and melancholy in descriptions dilapidated buildings or villages and towns that seemed gray and bleak. Here, the neglect of houses and infrastructure caused by political and economic circumstances collided with an image of the homeland that had often been idealized in memory. But the melancholy also frequently stemmed from the realization that the places these people had once called home had become unfamiliar to them and no longer felt like home. Reflecting on his return journey in 1973, Heinrich G. wrote:
“As we […] drove through 
Giebułtów
deu. Gebhardsdorf, deu. Geppersdorf, deu. Gebhardtsdorf, deu. Göppersdorf

Giebułtów (population in 2021: 1,337) is a village in the Lwówek Śląski County in southwestern Poland. It was originally part of Lusatia and served as the seat of the Gebhardsdorf estate from 1592. From 1815, the area belonged to Lower Silesia and was part of the Lauban County until 1945.

 […], we were overcome by a strange feeling of sadness and loss, of saying goodbye to the homeland, to a home that was no longer our home.”2
The reports also speak of the people who were now living in these places and of the hospitality they showed. Those who had the opportunity to visit their former homes, schools, or workplaces and see the interiors again often described what they found there in remarkable detail. Reading between the lines, it becomes clear how deeply these encounters affected the travelers emotionally.

Late Return Journeys and Tracing Family Roots

Following the political changes of 1989, the collapse of East Germany, and the signing of the  German–Polish Border Treaty in 1990
German–Polish Border Treaty
also:
Treaty between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Republic of Poland on the Confirmation of the Frontier between Them, Treaty between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Republic of Poland on the confirmation of the frontier between them
The Two Plus Four Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany stipulated that the border between reunified Germany and Poland should be settled through a bilateral agreement. This treaty was signed in Warsaw on 14 November 1990 by the German and Polish foreign ministers. It confirmed the existing border between the two states as “inviolable” and final. Germany and Poland also committed themselves to the “unrestricted respect for [each other’s] sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
, journeys to Silesia finally became possible for everyone. Visa requirements and compulsory currency exchange were abolished, and after Poland joined the Schengen Area, even identity checks at the border disappeared. Increasingly, those who had previously been hesitant to travel behind the Iron Curtain—or had been unable to do so for professional reasons—also began making the journey. Reflecting on his trip in 1992, Jürgen R. wrote:
“The idea of taking this journey into the past had been quietly with me for a long time. […] [T]he political changes in the East and visa-free travel to Poland made it easier to follow through with it. But I only wanted to revisit the ‘old’ 
Chocianów
deu. Kotzenau, pol. Kocień Mały, deu. Kocznaw, pol. Koczina, pol. Kaczanów, lat. Cosenow

Chocianów (population in 2025: 7,206) is a city in southwestern Poland. It is located in the northwest of Lower Silesia. The town, which has been known since the 13th century, experienced an economic boom thanks to the ironworks founded in the mid-19th century. During World War II, a labor camp was established in the town as a branch of the Groß-Rosen concentration camp. The camp’s inmates were put to work at the aircraft engine factory that was built on the steelworks grounds. The town has been part of Poland since 1945. The metal industry in Chocianów was phased out in the 21st century.

—the ‘new’ Kotzenau I intended merely to take note of in passing.”3
More and more people were now choosing to take their own cars and travel independently, although homeland associations and travel companies continued to organize tours to Silesia that remained very popular. These journeys had become less “adventurous” and could be arranged more easily without outside assistance. From the mid-1990s onward, it became increasingly common for several generations of the same family to travel together to the former homes of parents or grandparents in search of traces of the past. Over time, tourist destinations also attracted greater attention, including larger cities such as 
Wrocław
deu. Breslau, lat. Wratislavia, lat. Vratislavia, ces. Vratislav, deu. Breslaw, deu. Bresslau, deu. Wreczelaw, deu. Wrezlaue, lat. Vuartizlau, lat. Wrotizlaensem, lat. Wortizlava, deu. Brassel

Wrocław (German: Breslau) is one of the largest cities in Poland (population in 2025: 672,601). It is located in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship in the southwest of the country.
Initially under Bohemian, Piast and at other times Hungarian rule, the Habsburgs took over the Silesian territories in 1526, including Wrocław. Another turning point in the city's history was the occupation of Wroclaw by Prussian troops in 1741 and the subsequent incorporation of a large part of Silesia into the Kingdom of Prussia.
The dramatic increase in population and the fast-growing industrialization led to the rapid urbanization of the suburbs and their incorporation, which was accompanied by the demolition of the city walls at the beginning of the 19th century. By 1840, Breslau had already grown into a large city with 100,000 inhabitants. At the end of the 19th century, the cityscape, which was often still influenced by the Middle Ages, changed into a large city in the Wilhelmine style. The highlight of the city's development before the First World War was the construction of the Exhibition Park as the new center of Wrocław's commercial future with the Centennial Hall from 1913, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2006.
In the 1920s and 30s, 36 villages were incorporated and housing estates were built on the outskirts of the city. In order to meet the great housing shortage after the First World War, housing cooperatives were also commissioned to build housing estates.
Declared a fortress in 1944, Wrocław was almost completely destroyed during the subsequent fightings in the first half of 1945. Reconstruction of the now Polish city lasted until the 1960s.
Of the Jewish population of around 20,000, only 160 people found their way back to the city after the Second World War. Between 1945 and 1947, most of the city's remaining or returning - German - population was forced to emigrate and was replaced by people from the territory of the pre-war Polish state, including the territories lost to the Soviet Union.
After the political upheaval of 1989, Wrocław rose to new, impressive heights. The transformation process and its spatial consequences led to a rapid upswing in the city, supported by Poland's accession to the European Union in 2004. Today, Wrocław is one of the most prosperous cities in Poland.

 and 
Katowice
deu. Kattowitz, pol. Stalinogród, deu. Katowicze

Katowice (population 2023: 279,190) is the largest city in Upper Silesia and the capital of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland. The village of Katowice, first mentioned in 1598, developed around a hammer mill. In addition to the iron ore deposits, hard coal provided the basis for the development of the settlement, but the decisive boost came in 1846 with the construction of the railroad link, which initially connected the Upper Silesian industrial region with Berlin via Katowice and also made it possible to transport coal and steel products from the surrounding area to distant markets. The town's rapid population growth led to it being granted city rights 1865. Due to its location close to the Prussian borders with Russia and Austria-Hungary, Katowice quickly developed into an international transportation hub. After the division of Upper Silesia between Germany and the restored Polish state, Katowice became the capital of the Silesian Voivodeship in 1922. It was regarded as an important center of German culture in Polish East Silesia, and at the same time as a place where a Polish cultural tradition with modern tendencies manifested in architecture. After the German invasion in 1939, Katowice became the capital of the newly founded Gau of Upper Silesia in 1941. In 1945, a significant part of the city center was destroyed, mainly in the course of the liberation campaign by Soviet troops. After the war, the Polish authorities expelled most of the inhabitants to Germany who could not provide proof of their Polish origin. Katowice continued to expand its role as a multifunctional center, with the 1970s being crucial.

, the castles of the 
Jelenia Góra Valley
pol. Kotlina Jeleniogórska, deu. Hirschberger Tal

Hirschberg valley, a Silesian landscape rich in castles and monuments, became known as the "Silesian Elysium" in the middle of the 19th century and remained a touristic hot spot until the Second World War. Many of its towns and villages date back to the settlement by Germans in the 13th century. As early as 1305, 24 villages in Hirschberg valley were mentioned in documents, Hirschberg itself followed in 1355.

, and the spa towns of the Kłodzko region (Ziemia Kłodzka). But the personal connection to the region remained central. Particularly those traveling to Silesia for the first time often began their accounts by sharing something of their background and family history.
For this group, writing about the journey was more than simply recording what they had experienced: for many, it became a way of revisiting and making sense of their own life stories. What is striking is that, as more time passed since they had been forced to leave Silesia, the way travelers described the places they revisited often became more detached. A visit to the former family home remained a deeply significant and emotional experience, but at the same time, because many had last seen these places as children, and more than half a century had passed since then, their memories were often less vivid.
In the most recent accounts, it is often the children and grandchildren who travel to Silesia in search of their family history—either alone or accompanied by older relatives who are now among the last remaining eyewitnesses. They describe seeking out places and family homes that already felt familiar from the many stories told by parents and grandparents, even before seeing them in person. In their accounts, descriptions of the journey intertwine with reflections on personal identity, family history, and broader historical developments. At the same time, they increasingly experience the region as an attractive destination in its own right, combining the search for family roots with a journey of discovery and sightseeing.

Conclusion

Although the selection of travel accounts has come about by chance, and is in no way representative, they nevertheless offer valuable insights. Over the decades, clear shifts can be observed not only in how journeys were organized, the composition of travel groups, and the destinations chosen, but also in the accounts themselves. Descriptions of places, landscapes, and local inhabitants evolved over time, as did travelers’ interests, expectations, and, consequently, their assessments of what they encountered. In the earlier decades, the appearance of towns and villages had often changed little, yet the people living there felt unfamiliar, and for many returnees the pain of losing their homeland remained acute. After the political changes of 1989, a great deal shifted: people were increasingly moved by feelings of nostalgia and by the desire to show younger generations where their roots lay.
On the one hand, these travel accounts reflect broader political and social developments in Germany and Poland, as well as the changing nature of German–Polish relations. On the other, they reveal much about how those affected—displaced people themselves, expellee organizations, and society at large—have grappled with the loss of homeland and the traumas of forced displacement.
English translation: William Connor

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