Breslau

Growing up in Germany as an U.S. Army Brat, I have found my Father (Sgt. Robert D. Yates Sr. 1929-2015) an American Soldier, kept good notes, that I have recently found, of my Mothers Family from Breslau! Susi Alfriede Martha Panitz was born June 13, 1928(deceased 2020) to Hermann Panitiz (Deceased June 8, 1939) and Elfriede Hoffmann Panitz (Deceased November 6, 1969 in Bamberg). The family lived on Heiligegeist Str 6 in Breslau and operated a produce store, started by his Father and Mother, Lorenz & Susanne Schwitalle Panitz, in 1910, located in the Rittermarkthalle, which was located directly across the street from where they lived. On January 12, 1945 loud speakers were calling, 'All women and children are to leave the city on foot in the direction of Opperau-Kant." Susi PANITZ's uncle, Herbert KLOSE was with the Public Works, a supervisor in the City's Electrical Plant, he remained on duty there. Another uncle, Walter GOLLICK, married to Frieda PANITZ, had been Concertmeister of the Breslau Symphony and Music Director of the Breslau Opera, was among those mustered into the Folksturm. Later Herbert KLOSE found his way to Bamberg where they were reunited! Walter GOLLICK later died in a Russian Prison Camp. There is more documentation recorded in notes from the 1960's!

im trying to learn more on my grandmothers family history. She was born in breslau on may 17 1930 Ingrid Korpus. Her family fled to Berlin in 5/45 to resettle, anybody know of Andreas Korpus, Ingrid, Bodo?

Really interesting article. I’ve had many an argument on FB about Breslau my mothers home town being Germanic since the 13th century. For some reason so many people won’t accept this fact and especially on Wikipedia try to rewrite history. Mum was born in Breslau in 1929 and lived on Alexis Straße. Her grandfather had a building empire which built apartment blocks, they also worked on the Jahrhundert Halle. My mother and Oma had to leave the city in January 1945 whilst My Opa had to stay behind to defend the city. They were all reunited in North Germany, though her brother was killed retreating from eastern front. My grandparents house was destroyed in the siege and a block of flats now occupies the site. Mum is 93 now and still tells tales of growing up and having to leave Breslau. She still has the deeds to the house, Oma took them with her thinking they would return but they never did. We all visited in the early 2000’s quite emotional for Mum and I also felt it, having been brought up on this mythical place called Breslau I cried when we stepped off the plane. The displacement of those 12.5 million Germans was a terrible thing. So many didn’t make it in those freezing cold conditions that winter mainly women, children and the elderly. I’m thankful my Oma and mum survived but often think of those poor souls who didn’t. It’s not often mentioned as I guess history is told by the victors but it shouldn’t be forgotten.

My grandmother is from Breslau, she was born there, When you tell her its part of Poland she gets defensive and says IM NOT FROM POLAND. She is a true German, and has many stories of suffering as an innocent German from Breslau. Camps, famine, people being killed for not saluting Hitler. The stories she has are crazy to hear, thinking something like that happened in her lifetime to her.

Can anyone please tell me the name of the artist who made the site specific brass gnomes that are in many places in Breslau/Wroclaw. I saw them when I was there in 2009.

My Father Arnold Hans Herbert Raffeck was born in Breslau December 14. 1920. went to school there, was a great sports person and the third best swimmer in Germany. His grandfather was from the Thiel Family, he and his wife had two Inns in Breslau before the war, and were a part of life in Breslau.......all family records were lost in the bombing of Dresden Germany.

My Father's grandfather, John Moude with his wife Joanna (married in Bresleau in 1867) with their three daughters, Anna, Matilda and Augusta, emigrated to the US, around 1870. I was wondering if you could find any information on the Moude family. Or could you connected me with someone who might be able to trace my ancestors. Thank you

Both Breslau and Wroclaw are valid names: as the Poles called Breslau, Wroclaw before the war, so the Germans call Wroclaw, Breslau still today. It is rather like us English calling Roma, Rome, if you see what I mean. It is not really a name change, unlike the town of Konigsburg (Polish: Krolewiez) to Kaliningrad.

My grandfather was Karl Tamm, born 1886, lived in Breslau, son of Berthold and Ottilie Tamm. He arrived in Australia in 1911. Would be grateful for any information regarding Karl before his arrival in Australia.

As an outsider (French and Italian) who enjoys central European history - I appreciate the author acknowledging the suffering of innocent Germans. I will say that central Europe is a murky mix of ethnicities and that constructing nation-states there was not simple, but by 1918, 100's of years of settlement had pretty much solidified and ethnic and linguistic borders were hard lines in theory, if not in fact. If 1/2 of Poland had not been stolen by the Russians, who could argue they had a historic claim to the lands they took, would Silesia and East Prussia be taken from the Germans? Alas, Poland needed to be compensated by the Russians for Polish lands they had stolen, and neither the Russians nor the Poles had a problem exacting revenge on the Germans. Breslau/Wroclaw (as were Stettin, Danzig, Koenigsberg, etc.) were built by Germans who lived in these places for nearly 1000 years. By any measure of any international border, Silesia and East Prussia and parts of Pomerania belonged to Poland as much as Greece and Spain belong to the city of Rome. The forced expulsion of 12 million humans from their homes was inexcusable and unjustified except as revenge. Period. The argument that these places were Polish in the 13th century and so they deserved to be returned to Poland is ridiculous. Pretending like 1945 wasn't genocide and trying to erase the past is a stain on Poland (and Russia). Revenge no matter how heinous the crimes of the perpetrators, should never dictate national policy. It invites problems. there's nothing that can be done today to right these wrongs but the honesty of the author and his acknowledgment of it, are welcome reading.

Naomi Zeidel was born on April 9, 1932, in what is now Afula, Israel, to Shlomo and Shoshana (Fleischman) Zeidel, who worked in construction. Her parents were Labor Zionist immigrants from western Ukraine who settled in Palestine during the turbulent time of the British Mandate, which governed Palestine after World War I until 1948, when much of that territory became the newly created state of Israel. Her first husband, Dr. Lawrence Breslau, a psychiatrist, moved the family to Cleveland in 1960. They raised three sons, Jonathan, Daniel and Joshua, while she worked toward her Ph.D. in sociology, which she received in 1972 from Case Western Reserve University. She and Dr. Breslau were divorced in 1986; he died in 2009.

I was born in Breslau in 1943. I would like to find family members that did not leave Poland when the Russians took the city. I just don't know where to start. Parents didn't share much info on family. I believe our address was 1 Dahlia Strasse. My maternal Grandmother was Bertha Spieske, my mother's maiden name was Machner.

I am looking for the family of a August Johann Albert of Breslau. August was part of the 4th Schlesisches Inf. Regt. 157 and died in WW1 If anyone might have ANY leads - it would be greatly appreciated. keithwbentley@gmail.com

My family, Bredau, has been said to have it's lineage to Breslau, Germany. My Great grandfather came to the USA in the mid 1800's and raised his family in Detroit. I know little of the entire history, but intend to look further in our historical ties to Breslau if it is true. Would a trip to Breslau (Wroclaw) be worth the time, effort and cost? Any input is appreciated.

My family name is Smigielski. I know that was originated in XV century by combination of von Oppeln bei Loebau/Bninski from Bnin commitment which was spinning for the good while on the border of Lower Silesia and Greater Poland provinces during the town of Schmiegel (Smigiel) was established as a result. I wonder if any one has knowledge about what happen with Oppeln-Smigielski descendants (paternal line) after they where forced out of Smigiel?

My grandfather was very wealthy and had several properties in Hamburg, which was destroyed during the war. I often wondered what happened to the land in which they were once built on

My grandmother Helga Duchscherer was born in Wroclaw when it was called Breslau, Germany in 1927. Her mother was murder by the Nazi and her father was forced into labor. Any info is much appreciated!

My mother Susanne was born in Breslau in 1929. Her father Karl was a powerplant worker and mother was a housewife. They fled just as the Russians invaded. My mother said she went to St. Salvatorkirche church which was destroyed during the war. The family name was Storek. It is very hard to do family history research on them.

My mother was born in Breslau, Germany Jan. 23, 1929. My mother also told me that they had lost everything during the war. Is there anyway that I can find out about any relatives decease or living. Their last name was Machunze. How does one go about searching since the city of Breslau was completely bombed? What about assets?

My mother’s family moved from Breslau before she was born. She was born in 1896. She called it Presslau. Her sisters were born there but the moved to America before she was born. She had a 3 year old sister, Maria buried there. Her last name was Moranz. Would love more information.

So glad my grandmother left Breslau in 1884 at age 9 or I , none of my cousins would have been born. What a turbulent history that fine city had over the millennium(s)! Fur schimmel! (sp?) as she would have said.

I was born in Breslau 14.12.1927

my father zbigniew lewandowski was a polish forced labourer near breslau 1944 before being moved to muhldor sub camp of dachau

My grandmother name and details are as follows Martha Anna Augusta Biener, born 15 November, 1876 in Breslau, Silesia, Prussia. She last lived in Corning California, but, married and raised a family in San Francisco, where I was born.. I was wondering if I have any relatives still in Wroclaw? If so, how can I search for any relatives present or/and in the past?

The Polish name for Breslau before the war was in deed what it is now, Wroclaw, and the German name is still, today, what is was back then, Breslau: it is like us English calling Rome, Rome, and not the way the Italians do it, Roma.

I was born in London 1950. My father had fought at Stalingrad and came from Upper Silesia. I have never met my relatives in Germany but feel a terrible wish to. I am sure that there are many that have lost contact. My name is Hajok. How do I find relatives?

Had Schall relatives (German) in both Rostock and Breslau prior to WW2. No trace of them now, would appreciate any information.

My father Klaus Schulz was born in Breslau in 1939 ,his mother was Hildegard Bernet-Schulz .My grandfather was an architect in Breslau ,surname Schulz,I am looking for information ,in 1945 my grandfather was sent to a concentration camp ,my grandmother escaped as a refugee to Pfulligen ,Reutlingen she also had a brother who lived in Gunsenhausen ,surname Bernet and his daughters married name was Regele ,I was born in Tubingen and lived with my grandmother till the age of 4 years ,my father and mother immigrated to South Africa as he was also an Architect in 1968 ,My grandmother died in Gunsenhausen and my father died very young ,I am trying to locate anyone or family who would have known them ,my grandfather also died in the concentration camp

I was born in 1951 near Landsberg, went to high school in Landsberg and studied in Breslau before leaving for UK in 1974. I agree with you that the propaganda was very strong and we were taught at school that it was a recovered Polish city. Now I am interested to know the truth, and I appreciated reading your article. Thank you. I live in Switzerland.

For all those seeking documents related to birth , death , etc. go to Urzad Stanu Cywilnego , Wroclaw.... address is :..........Urząd Stanu Cywilnego - Registry Office, Ulica Pawła Włodkowica 20/22, 50-001 Wrocław, Poland. Good luck, Polonus.

My father was born in Breslau in 1922, they left in 1938 . he was jewish. I wonder if i could find birth records or any other information regarding my family.

Thanks for this info and site. I am searching for info on Schmeigrode (Zmigrodek) where distant distant grandparent came from. Would any one your readers have suggestions, books, articles etc. Is anyone have family from here?

My mother was born in Breslau in 1929 and even though I have travelled all over Poland I have never been to Breslau, but I have decided that next year I must go and see where my mother was born.

I have a "Grand Father" clock which was made sometime I believe between 1900-1940. The name plate inside the clock shows it was made by Reinhold Assmann, Urmachermstr, Bismarckstr. 24. Breslau 10. I will be in Poland for the first time in September 2017 and will be traveling by train from Warsaw to Prague. If possible I would like to locate the location where the clock was made and determine if the Assmann family still lives at Bismarckstr 24.

I found the review most informative and have posted a question below

I was born in Breslau in 1940. We remained in the city until early 1946 because my grandfather was tri-lingual and was useful to the Polish officials as a translator. Luckily we left for Northern Germany before the Iron Curtain came down later that year. I would love to locate my birth certificate but don't know if it survived. Does anyone have any contact info?

This was really interesting. I believe that Breslau or in surrounding area is where my Mothers side is from. There are docs that talk about Silesia and also Hermsdorf - not sure but their family name is Roenisch - they were meat cutters. How would I go about finding more on this area to see if they were here? All who would know that I could ask are now gone. :(

my other was born in Brealau in 19-19, but I didn't read anything about all the Jews the Nazi's took and murdered, lucky for her, she got out and came to the U K in 19-39

Originally from Lindenhurst,New York. Founded by mr Schlier from Breslau Silesia in the late 19th century as Thr City of Breslau,The name was changed to Lindenhurst about 1900.

Interesting .Very informative, part of history I was not aware of.

I was born in Breslau in 1940 and I believe in 1944 my mother and I became fluchtlinge and relocated to Munich. My father was killed in this war. This was the worst of times for my mother. Munich was pretty much bombed out. I thought this article was objective and insightful.

My great great grandfather left Breslau in the early 1900's; however, several of his siblings remained. We have letters from his sister describing the turmoil after WW II. She talked about having her "papers" including her birth certificate taken from the Polish government and being forced to leave Breslau. She referred to herself as a refuge. She talks about losing all her families money when forced to leave. In one letter, she blames the "crazy, little Bohemian, Adolf Hitler" and reminds another brother about an argument they had in 1936 about the Nazi's. I assumed she was not a supporter. My question is this - my grandfather had copies of her letters. It does not say where she lived after she left Breslau. I was always told she lived in Eastern Germany. Does anyone know where many of the German residents of Breslau went? I read that most went to the Allied sectors, but she was caught behind the "iron curtain." She was 61 in 1945, so it has crossed my mind that she was not forced to leave immediately because of her age. No one left of that generation or my grandfather's to answer the questions.

My birth Mother was born in Breslau in 1937 I am trying to find further information as none was given. I have little to go on first and last name. Any help on accurately where to acquire /inquire information would be great.

My great-grandparents were from Breslau and they died in the camps in the early 1940s. My grandfather was able to escape by hiding in Vilnus for years. I have letters from them to my grandfather and had them translated. It's horrifying to read how they were one day living a "regular" life to then living in a labor camp then rounded up to be exterminated. I cannot find out any information on what happened to them. Poof! Just like that your family disappears. If anyone knows of a way to find out information on their disappearance, I'd love to know. The American-Holocaust Museum tried for me, but could not find anything. Very sad indeed.

paai from Netherlands, please educate us and list all those "polish lies" and "polish propaganda", if you care ? There is no Breslau anymore and never will be. It was for hundreds of years and Germans , Poles, Czechs and others lived there in harmony. Wroclaw is the city that has a very rich multinational origins and "roots" not only exclusively German . The cleansing was ethnic , not genetic, and it was forced and done by the Russians and was based on the post-war treaties. The ethnic cleansing is horrendous crime , period.

I am sorry (but not really surprised) to see a lot of polish propaganda and lies on this site. Genetic cleansing was wrong, is wrong and will remain wrong, no matter who does it and why. I hope that Breslau will find its german roots again and will be proud of both its polish and german history.

This is very interesting to me. My mother who just died was born in Breslau in 1920 and is one of the people who had to leave all their belongings behind. Our ancestors names are PROSKAUER and WINTER. I tried to find out somethings about my grandfather's ancestors before my mother died to no avail. His name was Artur Bruno Proskauer and he was a a chemist. I plan to travel to this city and retrace my mother's childhood if it is possible.

My paternal great grandfather, Joseph Franz Dierschke was born in Endersdorf, Breaslau, Silesia, on Sept, 14, 1836. He married Pauline Seidel on Nov. 10, 1863 in Breaslau. She was born in Grottkau on Nov. 9, 1841. They landed in Galveston, Texas, on Nov. 6, 1867. I know nothing about any of their relatives left behind and cannot seem to find anything. Can anybody give me clues on further searching? Thanks.

Thank you for the comments. I am tracing a distant relative who was born I believe born in Schmeigrode (a typing error had Lehmiegrode but I could not locate a village of this name in the municipality of Breaslau) I now believe it is the village called Schmeigrode)! Would u be able to derect me to a site of a map of this municipality listing towns and villages in the time of 1811-1837 when they immigrated to Australia. Many thanks for reading and help u can give Steve Oh sorry for the length!

Who wrote this article and what was it's purpose ? Identify yourself by name ! Otherwise sign it with the sign of swastika ! This is the most stupid, naïve, ignorant , idiotic article ever written on the subject of the city of Breslau/Wroclaw. Somewhere else , in other article someone on this site "Local Life" wrote that Wroclaw is a "small city", small ? at 640 thousand ? as compared to what ? New York, Tokyo or Mexico City ? The idiotic, shallow statements in this article are too numerous to argue, but as an example, why don't you as the background to the article, mention the fact that when the Poles from the East came to the city , they found 75% of the buildings in ruins, 100 kilometers of sewers blown up, and no electricity and water ? Like they had time and energy to chase all those Germans remaining there, equally terrified and exhausted by war ? The Germans were expelled , they no longer belonged and were not welcome there, period ! They left in the organized manner, since the war was over and they did not have to duck their own soldiers killing them for trying to escape. Now it's Wroclaw and will stay this way for the next thousand years ! Now here I am a little emotional and maybe not rational? No problem. If you want objective, informative articles related to the subject, go to Wikipedia and read "Generalplan Ost", "Lebensraum", "Drang nach Osten", "History of German settlement in Central and Eastern Europe", "Devastation of Europe after WWII" and many, many others on the history of Germany, Poland and Europe in general. Then you will understand why the outcome of the war and the lot of countless cities and villages couldn't be any different than it was at the end. That's just for the beginner's and relatively easy reading. I was born in Wroclaw in January , 1947 and I am 3/4 German. I can attest to the carnage and destruction that the Germans inflicted on the city as the ruins were still visible well into the sixties. Yes, the Germans, because by establishing the Festung Breslau they signed the death certificate for that city. From the comments I've red , there are still a few Nazis coming around to play the "blame game" as if the Poles were equally guilty of the "war crimes". Nonsense ! No comparison ! Show me the proof of any Polish crimes, not a "hearsay". To all the Nazis out there, please come to Wroclaw and see for yourself how fantastic job the Polish nation did in rebuilding that city, maybe it was yours at those times? do not be afraid, they do not check under your arms anymore for the swastika tattoos ! Poles are ready there to welcome you and forgive you. To all those emotionally connected to this city, come as tourists but do not expect to find any traces of the past , such as streets, buildings, plazas, monuments, whatever, they do not exist ! A few old buildings that survived here and there mean nothing. There is now a new, fantastic Polish city named Wroclaw, very worthy of your visit and attention ! Anyway, in conclusion, the undeniable fact remains that all the German Kaisers, Caesars, Chancellors, Kings, you name it, are turning in their graves as their last dictator, "emperor" Adolf Hitler squandered the German progress of the last thousand years and by loosing that war , helped to reset the German territory to it's prehistoric borders ? Not mentioning the fact that now the Germans have to work really hard for the next few hundred years to repair their reputation ? And now, can we all get along in peace ? :) :) :) :) !

I wondered the name Breslau and thats how I found this article. I didnt know much about the history of Wroclaw untill I read this article. Very interesting! I wanna visit soon.

I am interested to find a translation which helps to explore what is today's name of the prewar German street name. F.i what is the reichspraesidentenplatz platz called naw adays

I enjoyed reading this article, as it concerns my heritage, and it was written in a way that doesn't form a prejudice for either the Germans or Polish people. My mother and her family were among the Germans who were expelled from their home. My mother was 20 years old at the time, and she didn't speak of what happened in much detail, as it was very difficult. Neither my mother, or any of her children, myself included, ever returned to or visited her homeland again. My mother passed away in 2007 in the United States, without ever seeing her German family again, but for one niece, who paid her a visit in the states. I would have loved to go there to walk among the places of my mother's childhood, but there is to much turmoil going on today in Europe, to take a chance to travel there. Thank you for the fairness to all parties in this article.

Good article. Father was from Breslau but he was more than happy to call it Wroclaw. He visited the city only once more before he died and was overwhelmed with the welcome received from the Poles. He said it didn't matter who it belonged to as long as it was open for anyone to visit. I've been back many times, even learned some Polish (difficult language) much to the amusement and delight of the locals.

What a load of rubbish!!!! How dare anyone talks about "guilt"" that polish my feel in face of germans atrocities!!!!! The only true comment where you are right is you can forgive but never forget! !!!

I am hoping for some help locating any family I may have from my Grandfather's side of the family. His name at birth was Paul Fritz Manfred Pohla, registered on his birth certificate as from Breslau. He remained in Scotland after his capture I believe in the 2nd world war. His papers state he was a mechanic although I'm led to believe he was part of the aircraft team, possibly captured during the war. He was born in 1921 and died in 1957 here in Glasgow. I would love any help, WW2 records are closed at present while they are digitally recorded.

Hello All - my maternal Grandmother, her four siblings and mother were born in Breslau (she was born in 1923). We had a family history that went back well into the 1700s and likely much earlier. They escaped by train on February 13th, 1945 to Dresden, where their train stopped twice. The second stop was in a suburb, and the train could go no further. Then they set out on foot and walked following along the rail tracks to Bavaria, and just after the city began getting bombed. They ultimately left for Canada and the US in the early 1950s. She passed away in 2001. I have spent most of the summer collecting all of her stories about Breslau and their escape (as I was laid off from my job). I had been meaning to do this for many years, and now seemed like as good a time as any. I can't tell you how hard it has been, and how time consuming it has been. I have always considered myself an armature historian, so getting to the truth is very important to me. Information on this subject often times is very difficult to find, or I found is only partially accurate, or has misinformation of which the origins lie in both the communist Russian and Polish governments from the year just after the war (of which a small amount appears repeated above). Always cross reference your sources, and always be suspect when there is no author, publication or dates referenced. It is also very hard in that if you want a sense of the city as your German-Polish-Czech-Jewish ancestors experienced the city, everything is now in Polish. I had to recreate a big chunk of the city, in German, so I could begin to understand it the way my family had understood the city. The current tourist sites can only go so far in doing that for obvious reasons. I have found a number of ways to use the internet to translate information, and to sort out history. I have found, regarding some aspects of that history, that you will have to search for, and read several accounts, reconcile those accounts to your own family history, and then you might begin to see a more accurate picture. If your attempts at fining more "accuracy" lead you to additional discoveries, then you must be doing something right. It is not easy. It is very time consuming. It is tremendously rewarding. It is amazing what I have turned up, and the family members for which I have been able to reconnect with. As time permits, I would be happy to share anything I have learned about Breslau for those who had family living there from the late 1800s to 1945. I still have a great deal to learn, so I hope others can also help me advance my knowledge. There is no question the city, and culture were real gems in Europe. Good luck! My email address is: lothartime@yahoo.com

My grandmother was from Breslau and came to America in 1924. Her family remained in Breslau and after the 2nd WW moved west. Her mother , who ran a stall selling eggs and some dairy in the narket, was in a nursing home and was killed, her brother was also killed in t h e war. She had two sisters and a brother that survived the war and resettlement in the west germany. I recently learned more of their flight and live during the war in breslau. Previously when I visited the cousins had not spoken if their life then. It is truly a testament of survival those that survived.

My father was born in Breslau (now deceased).in 1926 ,his name was Erwin Kuntke .He never liked to talk about his life in Germany ,all we know is most of his family were killed and he was taken into Hitlers youth,was taken prisoner of war here and stayed and married my mum.Iwould love to know more but dont know where to start.Any ideas?