Polish Colony in WWI Bohemia

[henryk]

Google translations with some editing.
http://orlicky.denik.cz/zpravy_region/p ... "Choceňské Polsko"

"Choceňské Polsko". Author: archive Orlické Museum April 14, 2014

Choceň - City in the city. Polish settlement with its own political authority, school, church, hospital and cemetery. It was "Choceňské Polsko" during World War II. Baráková colonies in Chocen be up to 22 thousand inhabitants. Its founding a century ago reminds Chocen exhibition and unveiling of the memorial in the cemetery.

The year was 1914, the Austrian Empire Choceň chosen for its good position on the rail as a place for accommodation of Polish refugees fleeing from the advancing troops from Galicia and Bukovina. Firms Paroulek of Prague and Drahoš of High Tolls were erected total of thirty-eight residential buildings. Each house had a capacity of 536 people. Barak colony from separating fence. Why? "War refugees from the Austro-Russian front were somehow accepted with favor, local people were afraid of the reduction of their food rations, was a state of war," says museum director Orlické Michal Hofman and then assesses the "other side of the coin": "On the other hand, the construction of Barak raised colonies and many local and surrounding businesses and artisans. "buildings were built as a temporary right on the topsoil, it was assumed that they will serve a few months ... But developments indicated that the conflict stretches and with it the lives of war refugees in colony in Chocen.

Prior to winter 1914 was built the church, which served all denominations: Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Oriental. was the school, spas, hospitals, slaughterhouses, bakery, police station, fire station, workshop, theater, military guardhouse, shoe shops, cowsheds for 1,700 cows, stables for 300 horses, water towers, disinfectants pavilion ... then "Na fro" i own cemetery.
Dweller "shirt" infectious disease. Historians speak of a total of 7895 deaths, of which 2,435 were men , 2111 women and 3349 children. maximum population over 22 thousand colonies reached before Christmas 1916 Most of the refugees had returned to Poland.

At the end of the First World War were concentrated in the colony Russian prisoners of war. After the war, the colony waited gradual extinction. "The objects were gradually dismantled, the church was transferred to Poland, to an unknown destination. The colonies were gradually abolished, individual objects to demolish a building material has been used for other purposes, such as bricks to rebuild the gym at the manor house. The last building - office building - was demolished in 1986, "says museum director Orlické. Starting from 14 August to 15 September will hold an exhibition that" Choceňské Poland "she reminds. "Visitors can see historical photos, postcards and preserved items from Barak colony. In this exhibition we also cooperate with the State District Archive in Ústí nad Orlicí, which has an interesting and archival documents from the period, "a new exhibition already Michal Hofman. "Part of the centenary comments will unveiling of a granite monument from a local master mason Milan Prokes. The exact dates of August the official unveiling of the monument is still to be coordinated with a delegation from Poland. expect not only the descendants of refugees from Choceňské Polish colony, who's already been two years, but even someone from senior representatives of the Polish church leaders Bishopric Hradec Králové, Pardubice Region and others, "said Deputy Mayor Ladislav Choceňský Valtra.

For further questions about "Chocenský Polsko," says museum director Orlické Chocen Michal Hofman:

Why was the establishment of colonies selected just Choceň?
Choceň was selected as the most suitable place, because it was a railway junction, around Chocně were suitable land - for Robitschkovou factory towards the castle.
Maximum population of colonies exceeded 22 thousand people - where after the war, all those people gone?
number of people in the colony was changed by the war situation at the front. Most of them were just before Christmas 1916 refugees coming and going back to their homeland, the state population was fluctuating. Initially they were refugees from Galicia and Bukovina, later, at the end of the First World War, here were concentrated Russian prisoners of war, in January 1920 he left the last transport of Russian prisoners of war from Chocně.
Chocen stayed in one of the Polish population? Chocně ever came to their descendants?
Chocen left several residents of the Polish colony, the vast majority will return transportation back home. Descendants local refugees came to see Chocně in the summer of 2012, toured the city, visited the places where once stood colony - now housing estate under Homola - and the Catholic Cemetery remembered those who died in Chocen.
Eyewitnesses this time no longer. This chapter is sufficiently "captured" and recorded?
Regarding zpracovanosti this subject and wrote a comprehensive treatise William Nezbeda in 1990 - the book "Choceňské Poland". He had noticed this topic and the local doctor Vincent Tomek, who in his "choceňských Table" wrote a brief history of the local barrack colony., We must not forget the next witness - Vaclav Marela - wrote a book Choceň during the war and after the war (1936).[/quote]
http://pardubicky-kraj.5plus2.cz/chocen ... ]Choceňské Polsko was established for refugees. Here died thousands of Poles

22 March 2014 14:52

CHOCEŇ incredible chapter in its history this year reminds Choceň city. This event, which is exactly one hundred years ago has grown to a population of a few years up to four times. It provided the on its territory during the First World War asylum for refugees from regions of Galicia and Bukovina in Eastern Poland, who during the retreat of the Austrian army fled before the advancing Russian army offensive.

Church and school in the Polish colony. Church of Poles took with them when they return ....
Another 13 photos in the gallery Church and school in the Polish colony. Church of Poles took in returning to him. If you have and where they stand, but does not know. | photo archive Orlické Museum in Chocen

Austrian Empire left on the fields at Chocně build a whole town barracks for Polish refugees with the church, which was built at the very beginning in the fall of 1914, so-called Polish Baráková colonies had the largest population before Christmas 1916 and a whopping 22 000 inhabitants, much as has Kutna Hora need today. The very Choceň had during the First World War, less than five thousand inhabitants.

Photo Gallery Postcards from Chocně the colony. Period frame graves of deceased Polish population Barak large colonies on ...

Infectious pavilion with the plant. Spas for officials.

At the beginning of World War II and was created next to the camp Chocně created a city that had its own political governance assimilated to the district office. Arose in him all the facilities - cowsheds with a capacity of 1,700 cows, stables for 300 horses, piggeries, barns, bakeries, water towers, church, laundry, isolation hospital with internal, and children's surgical department, Strážnická station and three disinfection and delousing station .

Infectious diseases literally shirts colonists Many residents of the "Polish" Chocně is ill and died of infectious diseases. Colony therefore separated from Chocně plot and the colony itself resembled more an internment camp. "It was for hygienic reasons, but also due to the fact that no conflicts between the inhabitants of both cities. Even if they could not be completely prevented, "says museum director Orlické Chocen Michal Hofman.

The colony had a total of 37 barracks, each was 67 meters long and 13 meters wide. In one house to fit tabulating 528 inhabitants. The whole colony built the company from Prague Paroulek a company Drahoš of the High Toll. "Construction and operation of the colony was true empire, but the post-war period of the state were so chaotic that at the end Choceň rather undergone. And that's just the funding increase security colony due to various conflicts between colonists and Chocně, "says director Michal Hofman.

The colony was later turned into a camp for Russian prisoners

"Choceň then unlike Ústí nad Orlicí or Czech Třebové best meet the conditions for issuing the colony. She had large tracts of land and also had a station which has a railway junction. And it was not only suitable for the collection of Polish refugees in the colony, but also for the supply of transport equipment, "said director Michal Hofman. He added that although already in 1915 and 1916 drove away from Barak's the first colony of exiles back to Poland, the space occupied other refugees from other places. And not only from Poland.

"At the end of the war, the colony has turned into a camp for prisoners of war from Russia. Last deportation of these prisoners was in January 1920 Then the colonies ceased to have meaning. Individual houses began to sell off and bricks of the houses were used for example for the construction of rebuilding sokolovny Chocen. Two houses bought Barak High Toll. The colony gradually fell into disrepair, "said the director, points out that the first comprehensive information about the Polish colony in Chocen Barak concentrated local researcher William Nezbeda and released in 1990.

7,895 deaths. At least resistant to disease were children

Monument to Choceňské Polsko created this year to Chocenský cemetery, where the first two hundred graves of the dead Barak colony. It will take the form of three stairs and stand on the top spot of the Catholic cemetery. Today, it is at this point only a deathly place designated as a war grave without any information. Another dead already found the final resting place of the now nonexistent place. Residents of the colony died of typhus skrnitý, but today already understand diseases like measles or scarlet fever.

How many exactly died, apparently knows for sure. Vincent Tomek but states that there were 7,895 people. "Generally there many children died because of infectious diseases plagued most child's body," said museum director Michal Hofman. The granite memorial mason creates Milan Prokes. On it are the inscriptions "City Choceň in memory of those who took home the Great War and the life, style and snowdrops information below CK Baráková Chocen colony emigration in 1914-1918.

Memorial exhibition will be accompanied by a colony Director Orlické Museum in Chocen Michal Hofman said that a memorial to accompany an exhibition of historical documents and photographs about Barak's colony, which runs from mid-August to mid-September. "Some archival lent to the exhibition district archive in Ústí nad Orlicí. They also plan this colony, "says the director, adding that Choceň wants to reveal to invite representatives of the Polish church in Krakow and Przemysl, where Polish refugees came from.

Today, a few of the residents Chocně this period Recalls and last house of the camp was razed in 1986, it was timber-framed office building colonies and then served as a residential house before it was demolished for its poor technical condition.
Church of colonies Poles during the First Republic was dismantled and removed to Poland, but historians today do not know where today stands the church eventually, if not already demolished. In place of the Polish colony grew estate Podhomolí. All Poles returned home, where they fled from the Russians

"Despite the fact that she lived for the First World War many Poles, a few of them remained here after the war. The vast majority returned to their homes, where they fled during the retreat of the Austrian army against Russian troops in 1914, "said museum director. He added that the Poles came back, because for a lot of the Polish population Chocně was disheartening that someone took from their homes hundreds of miles to the west and they had to live in difficult conditions.

Author: Petr Broulík[/quote]