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Silesia—Stranger/Not Stranger. Creating Regional Identity
45-47). An attempt was made to include Silesia (and all the Regained Territories)
in a chain of association. Silesia was linked with universal Polish symbols from the
past and the present, such as the cities of Cracow (the old capital of Poland) with
its Royal Wawel Castle, and Warsaw (today’s capital) with the Vistula river.
Among the illustrations depicting the past, one photo is remarkable in form
and subject. This is the aerial shot of Wroclaw Cathedral and its surroundings,
ive. the centre of the city. The damaged spires, the church walls, broken vaults and
ruined surroundings can be seen there. This is the only photographic evidence of
the war damage in Wroctaw published in the journal.’ It combines the past of the
Regained Territories, symbolised by the magnificent structure of the Cathedral,
with the post-war reality (Fig. 183).
The majority of illustrations showing the present day Regained Territories are
not very dramatic in comparison with the picture described above. The editors
avoided images that might evoke memories of recently finished war. They tended
to show everyday rural life (Fig. 184) or the work being carried out in the rebuilt
industrial facilities (Fig. 185). Pictures of the restored Polish Radio broadcasting
station, of the concert hall and a theatre performance fall into the same category.
There are also shots of young people in the Aero Club, and children playing in the
kindergarten (Fig. 188).
A special meaning can be attributed to the photos showing Polish soldiers at
agricultural work (Fig. 186). They can be read literarily—soldiers helping farm¬
ers in the crucial harvest period. However, the captions (for example “The Polish
soldier who regained Silesia now helps in the harvest and defends the land”) clearly
indicate the message they were intended to convey—the Polish Army is ready to
defend Silesia. It is in a certain way an editor's response to continuing doubts about
the legality of the Polish post-war borders. An important element of the uniform
of the officer (Fig. 187) scything the crop is the four-corner cap, always regarded
as typically Polish.’°
In addition to the topics described above there are pictures presenting the tour¬
ist attractions of the region, for example landscapes and health resort facilities. In
most cases they play a decorative role, without references to the texts of the ac¬
companying articles. The most frequent motif is Sniezka Mt. (1602 m), the high¬
est peak in the Karkonosze range. I noticed that at the beginning the magazine,
although intended as illustrated, it contains only a small number of pictures. None¬
15° In the final period of WWII Wroctaw was turned into a fortress by the Germans, managing to hold out
until May 6, 1945. In consequence, it became one of the most ruined cities within the post-war Poland
(cf. Maciejewska 2008).
16 Perception of the four-corner cap as the national symbol goes back the period of Poland’s Partition
(1772-1918). During the uprisings against the occupying powers it was often the only recognised element
of the national uniform. The contemporary military cap of that type has a peak and squared top. Following
restoration of Polish sovereignty in 1918 it became the official headwear of military parades, serving in
that role until 1950 (or 1952) and again from 1990 (Wielecki 1985; Zygulski & Wielecki 1988).
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