| Popis: |
This chapter deals with a case of deportation and forced settlement in Central/Eastern Europe after WWII. After the borders of Poland have changed, all the Germans who lived in the Polish territories were deported to Germany, while at the same time, Poles who lived in what became the Ukrainian Soviet Republic were allowed to move to Poland. Most of them were encouraged to settle in the former German lands, where farms and houses were available, having just been abandoned by their German owners. The chapter describes the difficult process of deportation of the Germans and semi-forced migration of the Poles, their hostile attitudes to the new land, uncertainty due to the post-war political circumstances, and a very problematic process of adaptation to the new territory, abandoned but culturally organized by the Germans. The story also includes the dynamics of the post-migration society, including the new generation’s attitude to the land and its culture, especially after the Polish accession to the EU. The process of construction of collective identity, as well as collective memory and heritage integrating both Polish and German elements, will be discussed. |
