Difficult Heritage. the Case of German Urban Heritage in Polish Cities

In my presentation I will discusses the issue of difficult heritage by means of the example of the German legacy in Polish cities. Central European cities, due to their location under German town law (Magdeburg rights) were strongly influenced by German urban culture. Over the centuries, however, different strategies have been taken towards this heritage. After the Second World War many German cities became Polish as a result of border changes. Poland after the Yalta Treaty lost its mostly rural eastern provinces but acquired ex-German urbanized provinces in exchange. After the displacement of the German inhabitants, these cities were settled by a new population, coming mainly from typically rural areas. Poles as new inhabitants of these cities felt a double alienation. Firstly, because of an urban environment which was completely the opposite of their native one and there was no one from whom they could learn new urban patterns of culture. Secondly, because these cities were German, and despite the official propaganda, most of them had nothing in common with Polish culture. This all meant that the inhabitants of these cities lived for a long time with a sense of temporariness in “Unwanted Cities”.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, and especially after Poland's accession to the EU, a distinct change in attitudes towards the German legacy in Polish cities can be observed. This heritage is beginning to be used in various promotional strategies for cities, but also to create new urban identities. In practice, however, depending on the specific city, these strategies take different forms. Therefore, using three ex-German cities as an example: Gdańsk (Danzig), Szczecin (Stettin) and Wrocław (Breslau), I will analyse the different strategies towards German urban heritage.