Lesser Poland - History - Post World War II

Post World War II

In the summer of 1944, after Lvov–Sandomierz Offensive, Red Army pushed the Wehrmacht from eastern Lesser Poland. The city of Lublin was captured by the Soviets on 22 July 1944, Stalowa Wola – on 1 August, and Sandomierz, on the left bank of the Vistula – on 18 August. The front line stabilized along the Vistula for about six months, and in early 1945, Soviet Vistula–Oder Offensive began, which pushed Germans to the gates of Berlin. The Soviets entered Kielce on 15 January, Czestochowa – on 17 January, and Krakow on 19 January. On 27 January, the Red Army entered Sosnowiec. In took the Soviets much longer to clear the areas in the mountains – they did not enter Zywiec until 5 April 1945.

Together with the Red Army, NKVD and Soviet authorities followed, whose purpose was to make Poland a Communist country, with a puppet government, formed as Polish Committee of National Liberation. Since 1 August 1944, the provisional government was officially headquartered in Lesser Poland’s Lublin. Thousands of people took to the forests, to continue their fight for free Poland (see Raids on communist prisons in Poland (1944–1946), Anti-communist resistance in Poland). Lesser Poland again was one of the main centers of the resistance. Several skirmishes took place in the province, including Battle of Kuryłówka. The Communists did not hesitate to kill those rebels they captured (Public execution in Dębica (1946)), and by 1947, the resistance movement was crushed. The last Polish cursed soldier, Józef Franczak, was killed in 1963 near Swidnik in northeastern Lesser Poland. Also, all victims of the 1951 Mokotów Prison execution were members of Lesser Poland’s branch of Freedom and Independence. Another well-known anti-Communist fighter from Lesser Poland is Józef Kuraś, who was active in the southern region of Podhale.

In early 1945, the lands of Lesser Poland were divided between three voivodeships – those of Krakow, Lublin, and Kielce. Since summer 1945, several counties were transferred to neighboring voivodeships – eastern Lesser Poland (Debica, Jaslo, Mielec) became part of Rzeszow Voivodeship, while western counties of Bedzin and Zawiercie were transferred to Katowice Voivodeship. In 1950, the city of Czestochowa became part of Katowice Voivodeship, and next year, the city of Bielsko-Biala was created out of Lesser Poland’s Biala Krakowska, and Upper Silesia’s Bielsko. The new city became part of Katowice Voivodeship. Lesser Poland was further divided in 1975, when territorial reform was carried out (see Voivodeships of Poland (1975-1988)). Counties were abolished, and several small voivodeships were created, in such Lesser Poland’s towns and cities, as Tarnobrzeg, Tarnow, Nowy Sacz, Bielsko-Biala, Radom, Czestochowa, and Siedlce.

The government of Communist Poland invested in heavy industry, following the pre-1939 idea of Central Industrial Area. In Krakow, a new district of Nowa Huta was constructed in the 1950s. In Czestochowa and Zawiercie, the steelworks were significantly expanded, and in early 1970, the government initiated construction of Katowice Steelworks, which, despite its name, is located in Lesser Poland’s Dabrowa Gornicza. To connect Katowice Steelworks with Soviet plants, in late 1970s Broad Gauge Metallurgy Line was opened, which crossed Lesser Poland from west to east. Among other major factories, opened in Lesser Poland during Communist rule, there are:

• FSC Lublin, opened in 1951,
• FSC Star in Starachowice, opened in 1948, and based on earlier factory,
• PZL-Świdnik, opened in 1951,
• Zaklady Azotowe Pulawy, opened in 1965,
• Połaniec Power Station, opened in 1979,
• Skawina Power Station, opened in 1957,
• Nowiny Cement Plant, opened in 1960,
• Kozienice Power Station, opened in 1973.

Other Lesser Poland’s major plants were significantly expanded after 1945, including Żywiec Brewery, Okocim Brewery, Fablok, Łucznik Arms Factory, FŁT-Kraśnik, Jaworzno Power Station, Siersza Power Plant, Huta Stalowa Wola, Janina Coal Mine, Sobieski Coal Mine, Zaklady Azotowe Tarnów-Mościce. Furthermore, in early 1950s significant sulfur resources were discovered in Tarnobrzeg, as a result of which Siarkopol company was founded, and the city of Tarnobrzeg quickly grew. In 1975, coal was discovered northeast of Lublin, and soon afterwards, Bogdanka Coal Mine and Piaski Coal Mine were opened.

Between 1971 and 1977, Central Trunk Line was opened, which goes along western boundary of the province, and which connects Krakow and Katowice, with Warsaw. In early 1980s, construction of a highway between Krakow and Katowice began. The 61-kilometer road is now ran by Stalexport Autostrada Małopolska, and is part of A4 highway.

Residents of Lesser Poland frequently protested against Communist government. Major centers of anti-Communist resistance were in Krakow, Nowa Huta, Radom, and Lublin. Among major protests that took place in the province were 1968 Polish political crisis (with Krakow as one of major centers of protests), June 1976 protests (in Radom), Lublin 1980 strikes, 31 August 1982 demonstrations in Poland (in several locations), 1988 Polish strikes (with Stalowa Wola as one of major centers). Several anti-Nazi, and anti-Communist leaders hailed from Lesser Poland: Jan Piwnik, Emil August Fieldorf, Leopold Okulicki, Ryszard Siwiec, Stanisław Pyjas, Hieronim Dekutowski, Andrzej Gwiazda, Andrzej Czuma.

A numer of key personalities of Communist government were born in Lesser Poland, including Józef Cyrankiewicz, Bolesław Bierut, Edward Gierek, Wojciech Jaruzelski, Czesław Kiszczak, Stanisław Kania, Hilary Minc, Edward Ochab, Michał Rola-Żymierski, Józef Oleksy.

Among prominent personalities of Polish cultural life of the 20th century, who were born in Lesser Poland, there are: Xawery Dunikowski, Witold Gombrowicz, Gustaw Herling-Grudziński, Sławomir Mrożek, Tadeusz Kantor, Jan Kanty Pawluśkiewicz, Marek Kondrat, Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska, Krzysztof Penderecki, Zbigniew Preisner, Leon Schiller, Jerzy Stuhr, Jan Sztaudynger, Grzegorz Turnau, Jerzy Turowicz.