Norman Davies's dogged efforts to convince us to stop seeing Europe
in terms of 'the artificial division' between East and West
resulted in this historical survey of the Silesian city of Wroclaw.
That he is neither German nor Polish made him perfect for the part,
according to the city's President, who cajoled him into taking on
the task. From prehistoric origins as a settlement on the banks of
the Oder through Mongol invasions and its days as a major Bohemian
city, Wroclaw has attracted cultures and nationalities such as
Jews, Slavs and Germans. All are given space here, their stories
enhanced by the marvellous illustrations that accompany the text.
Central Europe's importance during Germany's 19th-century
ascendancy gives way to the effect of the hunger for expansion
shared by Third Reich 'lebensraum' and Stalin's view of all points
west as potentially his. As a consequence, the mid-20th century
could only look bleak for 'the lands between' these two enormous
powers. As Breslau, the city was the last bastion of Nazi Germany
to fall in 1945, and utter devastation was wreaked on its people.
Their sense of panic is empathetically portrayed through newspaper
headlines and diary extracts telling of refugees trudging through
sub-zero temperatures. They were the lucky ones, for the city
struggled through a grim 80-day siege before finally falling to the
Soviets four days after Berlin. Wroclaw - one of up to 50 names
recorded throughout the city's history - does indeed provide the
perfect microcosm of Central Europe. And by bravely throwing their
study open to as many perspectives as possible, Davies and his
co-author Roger Moorehouse have produced a hefty, detailed piece of
research that doubles as a fond tribute to the city, whatever its
name might be at this point in history. As absorbing as it is
educational. (Kirkus UK)
The story of Central Europe is anything but simple. As the region
located between East and West, it has always been endowed with a
rich variety of migrants, and has repeatedly been the scene of
nomadic invasions, mixed settlements and military conquests. In
order to present a portrait of Central Europe, Norman Davies and
Roger Moorhouse have made a case study of one of its most colourful
cities, the former German Breslau, which became the Polish Wroclaw
after the Second World War. The traditional capital of the province
of Silesia rose to prominence a thousand years ago as a trading
centre and bishopric in Piast Poland. It became the second city of
the kingdom of Bohemia, a major municipality of the Habsburg lands,
and then a Residenzstadt of the kingdom of Prussia. The third
largest city of nineteenth-century Germany, its population reached
one million before the bitter siege by the Soviet Army in 1945
wrought almost total destruction. Since then Wroclaw has risen from
the ruins of war and is once again a thriving regional centre. The
history of Silesia's main city is more than a fascinating tale in
its own right. It embodies all the experiences which have made
Central Europe what it is - a rich mixture of nationalities and
cultures; the scene of German settlement and of the reflux of the
Slavs; a Jewish presence of exceptional distinction; a turbulent
succession of imperial rulers; and the shattering exposure to both
Nazis and Stalinists. In short, it is a Central European microcosm.
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