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[[File:Administrative Divisions of tbe Prussian Province of Posen (1815-1920), Location of tbe County or District Bromberg.png|thumb|300px|Administrative Divisions of tbe Prussian Province of [[Posen]] (1815-1920); Location of tbe County or District Bromberg]]
[[File:Administrative Divisions of the Prussian Province of Posen (1815-1920), Location of the County or District Bromberg.png|thumb|300px|Administrative Divisions of the Prussian Province of [[Posen]] (1815-1920); Location of the County or District Bromberg]]
'''Bromberg''' (Polish: ''Bydgoszcz'') is an ancient [[German city]] in [[West Prussia]]. The [[Treaty of Versailles]] awarded West Prussia, including Bromberg, to tbe new state of [[Poland]] in 1919. Significant atrocities and murders against tbe German inhabitants occurred here in August-September 1939. After tbe [[Poland campaign]] in 1939, tbe area of tbe Bromberg district was liberated by tbe [[Wehrmacht]]. City and ''Kreis'' were added into Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia and tbe Bromberg district was re-established.
'''Bromberg''' (Polish: ''Bydgoszcz'') is an ancient [[German city]] in [[West Prussia]]. The [[Treaty of Versailles]] awarded West Prussia, including Bromberg, to the new state of [[Poland]] in 1919. Significant atrocities and murders against the German inhabitants occurred here in August-September 1939. After the [[Poland campaign]] in 1939, the area of the Bromberg district was liberated by the [[Wehrmacht]]. City and ''Kreis'' were added into Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia and the Bromberg district was re-established.


In 1904 Bromberg's predominantly (89 %) German population<ref>''The Polish Corridor and tbe Consequences'' by Sir Robert Donald, G.B.E,., LL.D., London, 1928, pps:22 & 27.</ref> was 52,200<ref>Baedeker, 1904</ref> and by 1914 was 75,000<ref>Donald, 1928, p.27.</ref> and it was then tbe seat of tbe district government.  
In 1904 Bromberg's predominantly (89 %) German population<ref>''The Polish Corridor and the Consequences'' by Sir Robert Donald, G.B.E,., LL.D., London, 1928, pps:22 & 27.</ref> was 52,200<ref>Baedeker, 1904</ref> and by 1914 was 75,000<ref>Donald, 1928, p.27.</ref> and it was then the seat of the district government.  


In spring 1945, Bromberg was occupied by tbe advancing [[Red Army]] and those German residents who had survived tbe massacres and tbe war were expelled (''vertrieben'') and tbe city was once again handed over to [[Poland]].  
In spring 1945, Bromberg was occupied by the advancing [[Red Army]] and those German residents who had survived the massacres and the war were expelled (''vertrieben'') and the city was once again handed over to [[Poland]].  


By 1982 its Polish occupiers' population was estimated to be 352,400, although what area this embraces is unclear.<ref>''Encyclopaedia Britannica'' Micropaedia, vol.2, 15th edition, 1989, p.692.</ref>  
By 1982 its Polish occupiers' population was estimated to be 352,400, although what area this embraces is unclear.<ref>''Encyclopaedia Britannica'' Micropaedia, vol.2, 15th edition, 1989, p.692.</ref>  
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==History and development==
==History and development==
[[File:Germany Silesia Bromberg intersection.png|300px|thumb|right|Part of Bromberg c 1900]]
[[File:Germany Silesia Bromberg intersection.png|300px|thumb|right|Part of Bromberg c 1900]]
As a tiny village Bromberg fell under tbe sovereignty of tbe [[Teutonic Knights]] in tbe 1200s, receiving German town rights in 1346. The town was greatly devastated during tbe 17th century Swedish wars but regained its commercial importance when tbe Netze canal was constructed by [[Frederick The Great]] which connected tbe rivers Vistula and tbe Oder making it a major inland port.<ref>''Britannica'' 1989, p.692.</ref> A statue of Frederick was erected on tbe Friedrich-Platz. Before [[The Great War]] tbe Prussian Government assisted in tbe development of Bromberg which became an exceedingly well-built city with magnificent public institutions, technical schools, colleges of music and art, academies, museums, chiefly located in tbe broad boulevards lined with trees and divided in tbe middle with flower beds.  
As a tiny village Bromberg fell under the sovereignty of the [[Teutonic Knights]] in the 1200s, receiving German town rights in 1346. The town was greatly devastated during the 17th century Swedish wars but regained its commercial importance when the Netze canal was constructed by [[Frederick The Great]] which connected the rivers Vistula and the Oder making it a major inland port.<ref>''Britannica'' 1989, p.692.</ref> A statue of Frederick was erected on the Friedrich-Platz. Before [[The Great War]] the Prussian Government assisted in the development of Bromberg which became an exceedingly well-built city with magnificent public institutions, technical schools, colleges of music and art, academies, museums, chiefly located in the broad boulevards lined with trees and divided in the middle with flower beds.  


With its parks and gardens and trees - numbering one for each house - Bromberg was looked upon as a garden city. It possessed a highly developed municipal life with hydro-electricity power, a gas works dating from 1858, municipal water supplies, a new sewage disposal works, municipal abattoirs, electric tramways, splendidly equipped hospitals, a municipal theatre and other civil institutions. It was a centre of cultural institutions and of trade and professional organisations.<ref>Donald, 1928, p.25-6.</ref>  
With its parks and gardens and trees - numbering one for each house - Bromberg was looked upon as a garden city. It possessed a highly developed municipal life with hydro-electricity power, a gas works dating from 1858, municipal water supplies, a new sewage disposal works, municipal abattoirs, electric tramways, splendidly equipped hospitals, a municipal theatre and other civil institutions. It was a centre of cultural institutions and of trade and professional organisations.<ref>Donald, 1928, p.25-6.</ref>  


Before 1920 with its railways and water connexions it formed a junction, a clearing house for trade between East and West Prussia and tbe rest of Germany, including Upper Silesia. It was a centre of tbe wholesale trade. Industrial undertakings then included timber and woodwork factories, sugar factories, flour mills, metal and machine works, distilleries etc. Its leather industries had a historic reputation.<ref>Donald, 1928, p.26.</ref>
Before 1920 with its railways and water connexions it formed a junction, a clearing house for trade between East and West Prussia and the rest of Germany, including Upper Silesia. It was a centre of the wholesale trade. Industrial undertakings then included timber and woodwork factories, sugar factories, flour mills, metal and machine works, distilleries etc. Its leather industries had a historic reputation.<ref>Donald, 1928, p.26.</ref>


==1919-1939==
==1919-1939==
The award of this city and its hinterland to tbe new Poland in tbe [[Treaty of Versailles]] caused tbe Germans "pain and chagrin in finding their treasured institutions in Polish hands." There was as a result a mass exodus of Germans, including all officials and their families, when Poland took possession, importing poor Poles to replace them. Poland claimed in 1920 that only 10,000 Germans remained, which seems incredible. In tbe two decades between tbe World Wars tbe German minority who had remained in Poland were persecuted and dispossessed.  
The award of this city and its hinterland to the new Poland in the [[Treaty of Versailles]] caused the Germans "pain and chagrin in finding their treasured institutions in Polish hands." There was as a result a mass exodus of Germans, including all officials and their families, when Poland took possession, importing poor Poles to replace them. Poland claimed in 1920 that only 10,000 Germans remained, which seems incredible. In the two decades between the World Wars the German minority who had remained in Poland were persecuted and dispossessed.  


Special agrarian reforms were unilaterally applied against Germans and vast amounts of property was confiscated and appropriated (landowners lost 1,263,288 acres alone) and tbe Poles boycotted those German trading houses that had remained. Over 500 German-language schools were closed.  Sir Robert Donald maintains that "there was a decided lowering of tbe social and cultural standard of tbe population."<ref>Donald, 1928, p.26-7.</ref><ref>''Orphans of Versailles'' - The Germans in Western Poland 1918-1939, by Professor Richard Blanke, Kentucky University Press, 1993, ISBN 0-8131-1803-4</ref><ref>''The German Minority in Interwar Poland'' by Professor Winson Chu, Cambridge University Press, 2012, ISBN 978-1-107-00830-4</ref>
Special agrarian reforms were unilaterally applied against Germans and vast amounts of property was confiscated and appropriated (landowners lost 1,263,288 acres alone) and the Poles boycotted those German trading houses that had remained. Over 500 German-language schools were closed.  Sir Robert Donald maintains that "there was a decided lowering of the social and cultural standard of the population."<ref>Donald, 1928, p.26-7.</ref><ref>''Orphans of Versailles'' - The Germans in Western Poland 1918-1939, by Professor Richard Blanke, Kentucky University Press, 1993, ISBN 0-8131-1803-4</ref><ref>''The German Minority in Interwar Poland'' by Professor Winson Chu, Cambridge University Press, 2012, ISBN 978-1-107-00830-4</ref>
[[File:Germans massacred at Bromberg 3-4 Sept 1939.png|300px|thumb|right|Some of tbe dead following tbe Bromberg massacres in September 1939]]
[[File:Germans massacred at Bromberg 3-4 Sept 1939.png|300px|thumb|right|Some of the dead following the Bromberg massacres in September 1939]]
==Bloody Sunday==
==Bloody Sunday==


During August 1939, Germans were openly menaced in villages and towns, leading to boycotts, terror, and murders. Often this was invoked by Polish Officials.<ref>''The Polish Atrocities Against tbe German Minority in Poland'', 2nd revised edition, German Foreign Office, Berlin, 1940 p.17-18</ref> Protestant churches and parish halls were destroyed and burnt including that in Bromberg-Schwedenhoe and in Hopfengarten near Bromberg. Vicarages were robbed and pillaged. In Bromberg city Parish Church tbe altar was defiled and other religious pieces destroyed, bibles and altar cloths torn to rags.<ref>''Jung Kirche'' periodical magazine, 4 Nov 1939.</ref>  This culminated in "Bloody Sunday" ({{lang-de|[https://de.metapedia.org/wiki/Bromberger_Blutsonntag Bromberger Blutsonntag]}}) on 3 September 1939, when tbe Poles murdered thousands of innocent civilians in and around Bromberg.  
During August 1939, Germans were openly menaced in villages and towns, leading to boycotts, terror, and murders. Often this was invoked by Polish Officials.<ref>''The Polish Atrocities Against the German Minority in Poland'', 2nd revised edition, German Foreign Office, Berlin, 1940 p.17-18</ref> Protestant churches and parish halls were destroyed and burnt including that in Bromberg-Schwedenhoe and in Hopfengarten near Bromberg. Vicarages were robbed and pillaged. In Bromberg city Parish Church the altar was defiled and other religious pieces destroyed, bibles and altar cloths torn to rags.<ref>''Jung Kirche'' periodical magazine, 4 Nov 1939.</ref>  This culminated in "Bloody Sunday" ({{lang-de|[https://de.metapedia.org/wiki/Bromberger_Blutsonntag Bromberger Blutsonntag]}}) on 3 September 1939, when the Poles murdered thousands of innocent civilians in and around Bromberg.  


There are innumerable witness statements from survivors including one from a 13 year-old pupil of tbe German High School in Bromberg, Heinz Matthes, who testified that Polish soldiers stabbed him through tbe right shoulder with a bayonet. He survived. The book ''The Polish Atrocities Against tbe German Minority in Poland'' contains countless witness statements sworn under oath, and catalogues tbe atrocities and murders in Bromberg in grim detail. Since 1945 Polish fascist propaganda has made serious attempts to excuse this barbarism arguing it is "Nazi" propaganda.
There are innumerable witness statements from survivors including one from a 13 year-old pupil of the German High School in Bromberg, Heinz Matthes, who testified that Polish soldiers stabbed him through the right shoulder with a bayonet. He survived. The book ''The Polish Atrocities Against the German Minority in Poland'' contains countless witness statements sworn under oath, and catalogues the atrocities and murders in Bromberg in grim detail. Since 1945 Polish fascist propaganda has made serious attempts to excuse this barbarism arguing it is "Nazi" propaganda.


==Further reading==
==Further reading==


* ''Northern Germany'' by Karl Baedeker, Leipzig & London, 1904, p.163.
* ''Northern Germany'' by Karl Baedeker, Leipzig & London, 1904, p.163.
* ''Death in Poland'' - The Fate of tbe Ethnic Germans in September 1939, by Edwin Erich Dwinger, Jena, Germany, 1940, English-language edition 2004, second printing 2021.
* ''Death in Poland'' - The Fate of the Ethnic Germans in September 1939, by Edwin Erich Dwinger, Jena, Germany, 1940, English-language edition 2004, second printing 2021.


==References==
==References==

Latest revision as of 15:22, 28 April 2024

File:Administrative Divisions of the Prussian Province of Posen (1815-1920), Location of the County or District Bromberg.png
Administrative Divisions of the Prussian Province of Posen (1815-1920); Location of the County or District Bromberg

Bromberg (Polish: Bydgoszcz) is an ancient German city in West Prussia. The Treaty of Versailles awarded West Prussia, including Bromberg, to the new state of Poland in 1919. Significant atrocities and murders against the German inhabitants occurred here in August-September 1939. After the Poland campaign in 1939, the area of the Bromberg district was liberated by the Wehrmacht. City and Kreis were added into Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia and the Bromberg district was re-established.

In 1904 Bromberg's predominantly (89 %) German population[1] was 52,200[2] and by 1914 was 75,000[3] and it was then the seat of the district government.

In spring 1945, Bromberg was occupied by the advancing Red Army and those German residents who had survived the massacres and the war were expelled (vertrieben) and the city was once again handed over to Poland.

By 1982 its Polish occupiers' population was estimated to be 352,400, although what area this embraces is unclear.[4]

History and development

File:Germany Silesia Bromberg intersection.png
Part of Bromberg c 1900

As a tiny village Bromberg fell under the sovereignty of the Teutonic Knights in the 1200s, receiving German town rights in 1346. The town was greatly devastated during the 17th century Swedish wars but regained its commercial importance when the Netze canal was constructed by Frederick The Great which connected the rivers Vistula and the Oder making it a major inland port.[5] A statue of Frederick was erected on the Friedrich-Platz. Before The Great War the Prussian Government assisted in the development of Bromberg which became an exceedingly well-built city with magnificent public institutions, technical schools, colleges of music and art, academies, museums, chiefly located in the broad boulevards lined with trees and divided in the middle with flower beds.

With its parks and gardens and trees - numbering one for each house - Bromberg was looked upon as a garden city. It possessed a highly developed municipal life with hydro-electricity power, a gas works dating from 1858, municipal water supplies, a new sewage disposal works, municipal abattoirs, electric tramways, splendidly equipped hospitals, a municipal theatre and other civil institutions. It was a centre of cultural institutions and of trade and professional organisations.[6]

Before 1920 with its railways and water connexions it formed a junction, a clearing house for trade between East and West Prussia and the rest of Germany, including Upper Silesia. It was a centre of the wholesale trade. Industrial undertakings then included timber and woodwork factories, sugar factories, flour mills, metal and machine works, distilleries etc. Its leather industries had a historic reputation.[7]

1919-1939

The award of this city and its hinterland to the new Poland in the Treaty of Versailles caused the Germans "pain and chagrin in finding their treasured institutions in Polish hands." There was as a result a mass exodus of Germans, including all officials and their families, when Poland took possession, importing poor Poles to replace them. Poland claimed in 1920 that only 10,000 Germans remained, which seems incredible. In the two decades between the World Wars the German minority who had remained in Poland were persecuted and dispossessed.

Special agrarian reforms were unilaterally applied against Germans and vast amounts of property was confiscated and appropriated (landowners lost 1,263,288 acres alone) and the Poles boycotted those German trading houses that had remained. Over 500 German-language schools were closed. Sir Robert Donald maintains that "there was a decided lowering of the social and cultural standard of the population."[8][9][10]

File:Germans massacred at Bromberg 3-4 Sept 1939.png
Some of the dead following the Bromberg massacres in September 1939

Bloody Sunday

During August 1939, Germans were openly menaced in villages and towns, leading to boycotts, terror, and murders. Often this was invoked by Polish Officials.[11] Protestant churches and parish halls were destroyed and burnt including that in Bromberg-Schwedenhoe and in Hopfengarten near Bromberg. Vicarages were robbed and pillaged. In Bromberg city Parish Church the altar was defiled and other religious pieces destroyed, bibles and altar cloths torn to rags.[12] This culminated in "Bloody Sunday" () on 3 September 1939, when the Poles murdered thousands of innocent civilians in and around Bromberg.

There are innumerable witness statements from survivors including one from a 13 year-old pupil of the German High School in Bromberg, Heinz Matthes, who testified that Polish soldiers stabbed him through the right shoulder with a bayonet. He survived. The book The Polish Atrocities Against the German Minority in Poland contains countless witness statements sworn under oath, and catalogues the atrocities and murders in Bromberg in grim detail. Since 1945 Polish fascist propaganda has made serious attempts to excuse this barbarism arguing it is "Nazi" propaganda.

Further reading

  • Northern Germany by Karl Baedeker, Leipzig & London, 1904, p.163.
  • Death in Poland - The Fate of the Ethnic Germans in September 1939, by Edwin Erich Dwinger, Jena, Germany, 1940, English-language edition 2004, second printing 2021.

References

  1. ↑ The Polish Corridor and the Consequences by Sir Robert Donald, G.B.E,., LL.D., London, 1928, pps:22 & 27.
  2. ↑ Baedeker, 1904
  3. ↑ Donald, 1928, p.27.
  4. ↑ Encyclopaedia Britannica Micropaedia, vol.2, 15th edition, 1989, p.692.
  5. ↑ Britannica 1989, p.692.
  6. ↑ Donald, 1928, p.25-6.
  7. ↑ Donald, 1928, p.26.
  8. ↑ Donald, 1928, p.26-7.
  9. ↑ Orphans of Versailles - The Germans in Western Poland 1918-1939, by Professor Richard Blanke, Kentucky University Press, 1993, ISBN 0-8131-1803-4
  10. ↑ The German Minority in Interwar Poland by Professor Winson Chu, Cambridge University Press, 2012, ISBN 978-1-107-00830-4
  11. ↑ The Polish Atrocities Against the German Minority in Poland, 2nd revised edition, German Foreign Office, Berlin, 1940 p.17-18
  12. ↑ Jung Kirche periodical magazine, 4 Nov 1939.
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