Upper Silesia is a region that is now almost entirely located in southern Poland, with a small part located in the Czech Republic However, until 1945, this area was a place where many borders intersected. Not only national borders, but also cultural ones.  For centuries this area was dominated by German, Polish and Czech influences. Ultimately, from 1742 onwards, the region can be said to have been divided into a Prussian and an Austrian part. Although the region was under the rule of two empires, cultures and languages constantly intermingled on its lands.

This was also reflected in the sports clubs that were being formed. The communist period was a time when almost the entire region was within the borders of the Polish People's Republic, with a small part remaining in Czechoslovakia. It was a time of building a new state with its own doctrine and identity, but also a period of Silesian footballing dominance in Poland, with Górnik Zabrze, Ruch Chorzów, Polonia and Szombierki Bytom winning a total of over 30 Polish championship titles, playing phenomenal matches not only in Polish but also in European football, and players from Upper Silesia forming the core of the Polish national team.

The fall of communism, the economic collapse and then the slow period of national reconstruction left their mark on football in the region, but on the other hand, freedom of speech allowed discussions surrounding Silesian identity returning to the fore, including in the stands of football stadiums.

What did Silesian football look like, and how does it look today? Who were the Upper Silesians? How does Silesian identity manifest itself on the football pitch and terraces?

This is what my article addresses. I would like to add that I will focus on Polish-German relations; The Silesian-Czech issue deserves a separate study altogether.

Between Poland and Germany: Football in Upper Silesia in the First Half of the 20th Century

The first football clubs in Upper Silesia were established by Germans, the oldest of which were Sportverein Ratibor 03 (Racibórz), MTV 1878 Gleiwitz (Gliwice) and SpVgg 01 Königshütte (Chorzów). Polish clubs were established a few years later, such as KS Naprzód Załęże (Załęże, now a district of Katowice). In Germany, championship competitions began as early as the 1902/1903 season. The system had several phases: first, teams competed for the championship of their district, then for the regional championship, and finally, 16 finalists competed in a cup system.

After the end of World War I and three Silesian uprisings in 1919–1921 (sometimes referred to as the Silesian Civil War), Upper Silesia was divided between Germany and the reborn Poland. The Cieszyn part of the region was also divided between Poland and Czechoslovakia.

This division also affected football competitions. On both sides of the newly created border, there was a large minority, whether Polish or German. It was natural that the clubs of the German minority wanted to play in the German league, but Berlin did not agree to this. In 1927, the Polish League was established, and one of the founding clubs was the minority 1. FC Kattowitz and the club with a Polish insurgent tradition, Ruch Hajduki Wielkie (now Ruch Chorzów).

In its debut season, 1. FC Kattowitz won the Polish vice-championship after a very controversial match against Wisła Kraków, which had an impact on the final standings. Winning the championship would certainly have been used for propaganda purposes by Berlin. Another club associated with the German minority, AKS Chorzów (founded in 1910 as VfR Königshütte - the name was Polonised in 1923), also won the Polish vice-championship title in 1937. Ruch Hajduki Wielkie, on the other hand, won the Polish championship in 1933-36 and 1938.

In the German league, Vorwärts-Rasensport Gleiwitz achieved the highest ranking, taking 4th place in the national classification in 1936. In Bytom, there was the pro-Polish SV Schomberg 22 (established in place of the banned Poniatowski Sports Association). The Polish league ended its competition in 1939 due to the Third Reich's aggression against Poland, while the German competition continued until the 1944/1945 season.

The Upper Silesia team

Another manifestation of the rivalry between Poland and Germany were the matches between the teams of the divided region. The German press even called them small international matches. They aroused great emotions and were used politically, especially during the Third Reich. One such match was played in March 1935 at the new stadium in Hindenburg (now Zabrze) and ended in a 3:3 draw. Ernest ‘Ezi’ Wilimowski scored all three goals for the Polish Upper Silesia team. His life story best reflects the fate of the Upper Silesians.

Until the outbreak of World War II, the two teams played 20 matches – 9 won by the Polish Upper Silesia team, 7 by the German Upper Silesia team and 4 draws. The Polish Upper Silesia team also played three times against the Polish national team until 1939, suffering three defeats, and an exhibition match against the Basque national team in 1937, whose star was Isidro Langera. The match ended with a 3:4 victory for the Basques.

Inter-War: The Problem of Upper Silesian Identity.

Football and club identity in Upper Silesia between the wars illustrate very well the complexity of the problems facing the region at that time. I would like to point out that I have deliberately omitted Jewish clubs, as I feel this community deserves their own article.

For centuries, the region was divided between two identities: Germanic and Slavic. The administration and high culture were organized around the German language. On the other hand, peasants and workers often spoke a language specific to the region, Silesian (simplified as a mixture of Polish, Czech and German). During the development of national consciousness, some Upper Silesians were swept up in German patriotism, some in Polish patriotism, and still others in Czech patriotism. During the Silesian Uprisings, neighbors often shot at neighbors and brothers shot at brothers. After the division of Upper Silesia, there was even an idea to create an independent Upper Silesia, but in the era of rampant ultra-nationalism, this concept struggled to gain wider recognition or support.

Footballers from Upper Silesia were often considered foreigners by both the Polish and German sides, as they were not sufficiently Polish or German. After all, the fate of Upper Silesians is neither black nor white, but instead forever suspended between one country and another. A perfect example of this is the aforementioned Wilimowski, a representative of Poland, then a footballer for the Third Reich, who eventually left for Germany and was considered a traitor and collaborator in post-war Poland.  Despite this, according to legendary coach Kazimierz Górski, who met Wilimowski in 1974 at the hotel in Germany where the Polish national team was staying, the legendary Ezi said that he could not return to Poland, but that he supported the national team.

Upper Silesia after World War II

After the end of hostilities and the signing of peace treaties, the vast majority of historic Silesia (both Lower and Upper) found itself within the borders of Poland. The entry of Soviet troops into the former German Silesia lead to numerous murders and rapes. Those who survived the ‘liberation’ were sent to temporary camps for verification. Many of them did not survive. With the change of borders and the creation of a new state in the following years, many people from Silesia decided to leave for Germany. They were replaced by those who had been displaced from the former eastern territories of the Republic of Poland.

Gliwice and Bytom became the destination for many people from Lviv. The tradition of the Lviv club was to be continued by Polonia Bytom (founded in 1920, but after Bytom was awarded to Germany in a plebiscite, the club was banned). In the same city, the pre-war pro-Polish SV Schomberg 22 was reactivated under the name RKS Szombierki Bytom. It is interesting to note that the pre-war residents of Bytom attended the matches of this club, while visitors went to Polonia's matches.

In 1948, the Polish league officially began, with Polonia Bytom, AKS Chorzów and Ruch Chorzów (which took third place in the competition) participating. In December of the same year, Górnik Zabrze was founded in Zabrze, which would go on to become a multiple Polish champion in the following decades. The period of the Polish People's Republic was a time of great success for Upper Silesian football. In line with the party line and the propaganda of the time, heavy industry invested in sports clubs, allowing them to develop. In the 1950s, Polonia Bytom and Ruch Chorzów were among the best clubs playing in the Polish league, winning a total of four championship titles and five runner-up titles. At the end of the decade, Górnik Zabrze began to assert its position on the Polish football scene, winning its first championship title in 1957.

For the next 11 years, it remained in the medal positions. The 1960s were a period of continued strength for Silesian clubs, which also competed internationally. In the 1969/1970 season, Górnik Zabrze played in the European Cup Winners' Cup final against Manchester City, where they lost 2:1. The 1970s and 1980s were a time when Silesian teams continued to achieve top positions in the league table. The last two years of the Polish People's Republic saw the last championship titles for Górnik and Ruch.

Silesian Identity During the Polish People's Republic

Despite the official communist narrative about the uniformity of the Polish nation, stadiums were places where people spoke Silesian. They cultivated their love of football. In everyday life, however, they had to find their place in the realities of the communist state and its vision of identity. Many directors of factories, mines and steelworks were imposed by the central authorities in Warsaw to supervise what was happening in Upper Silesia. The communist authorities began to allow trips mainly to West Germany (and to a lesser extent to East Germany), which, according to various sources, could have been taken advantage of by up to 1.5 million people. This had a significant impact on the character and identity of the region. German was not taught in schools, and the minority was not allowed to organize itself. The same was true of the Silesian language, which was used on a daily basis but had no place in schools or government offices.

Transformation and the Present Day

Political changes in Poland led to the decline of Silesian football. Numerous mines, steelworks, and other places of industry were closed down. Sports clubs lost their funding, and activists often struggled to make ends meet. Despite these difficulties, Silesian clubs have regularly competed in the top division since the 1990s. The only championship title was won by Piast Gliwice (founded in 1945 by displaced persons from Lviv) in 2019.

However, the fall of the Polish People's Republic allowed for a revival of Upper Silesian identity, with numerous associations being established to cultivate the language, history and traditions of the region. The situation is similar in the stands of leading Silesian clubs such as Górnik Zabrze, GKS Katowice, Ruch Chorzów, Polonia Bytom and Piast Gliwice.

Despite the changing nature of the region and the communist period in Poland, each of these teams refers to their Silesian identity. Ruch Chorzów was even considered a separatist club, and there were occasions when fans booed the Polish national anthem. Other teams present Silesian and Polish identity as coexisting, non-mutually exclusive elements. This is related to the right-wing attitudes of football fans in Poland. However, as usual, Upper Silesia has its own specific characteristics.

What will the future look like? Probably similar to today. Fans will remember the history of the region and its traditions. However, the language itself may become an attraction for cultural tourists. But during the peak of Silesian popularity, organizations promoting it failed to take advantage of this.

One thing is certain: football fans on the terraces will make sure it is not forgotten.