Landkreis Falkenberg O.S. Explained

The Falkenberg O.S. district was a Prussian district in Upper Silesia, which existed from 1743 to 1945. Its capital was the town of Falkenberg O.S. The territory of this district is now located within the Opole Voivodeship of Poland.

History

Kingdom of Prussia

After the conquest of most of Silesia, King Frederick the Great introduced Prussian administrative structures in Lower Silesia in 1742 and in Upper Silesia in 1743.^[1] This included the establishment of two war and domain chambers in Breslau and Glogau as well as their division into districts. The district of Falkenberg was initially under the War and Domain Chamber of Breslau. In the course of the Prussian Reform Movement, the administrative region of Oppeln was created in the Province of Silesia, which included the Falkenberg district.

During the district reform of January 1, 1818, the district boundaries were changed as follows:^[2]

• The villages of Budzieszowice, Bielitz, Groß Mahlendorf, Hermannshof, Kaltecke, Lamsdorf and Schaderwitz were transferred from the Neisse district to the Falkenberg district.
• The villages of Grüben and Sonnenberg were transferred from the Grottkau district to the Falkenberg district.
• The villages of Baumgarten, Ellguth-Friedland, Ellguth-Tillowitz, Floste, Groditz, Hammer, Jamke, Michelsdorf, Piechotzütz, Plieschnitz, Puschine, Sabine, Schedliske, Schiedlow, Seifersdorf, Sokollnik, Tillowitz, Weiderwitz and Woistrasch were transferred from the Oppeln district to the Falkenberg district.

German Reich

From 1871, the district belonged to the German Empire. On November 8, 1919, the province of Silesia was dissolved and the new province of Upper Silesia was formed from Regierungsbezirk Oppeln. In the spring of 1945, the district was occupied by the Red Army. After the war, the region became part of Poland under the terms of the Potsdam Agreement.

Demographics

The district had a German majority population, with a significant Polish minority.^[3]

1840! colspan="2"

1861
Germans	29,463	85.5%	34,797	88.9%
Poles	4,993	14.5%	4,355	11.1%
Total	34,456		39,152

Communities

The Falkenberg district comprised three towns and 75 rural communities in 1936.^{[4] [5]}

Arnsdorf Baumgarten Bauschwitz Bielitz Borkwitz Brande Dambrau Deutsch Jamke Ellguth-Hammer Ellguth-Tillowitz Falkenberg O.S., town Floste Friedland O.S., town Geppersdorf Golschwitz Graase Groditz Groß Mahlendorf Groß Mangersdorf Groß Sarne

Groß Schnellendorf Grüben Guhrau Guschwitz Heidersdorf Hilbersdorf Hillersdorf Jakobsdorf Jamke Jatzdorf Julienthal Karbischau Kirchberg Klein Mangersdorf Klein Sarne Klein Schnellendorf Kleuschnitz Korpitz Lamsdorf Lippen

Mauschwitz Michelsdorf Mullwitz Neuleipe Niewodnik Nikoline Norok Nüßdorf Petersdorf Piechotzütz Plieschnitz Puschine Ranisch Raschwitz Rauske Rautke Rogau Roßdorf Sabine Schaderwitz

Schedlau Schedliske Scheppanowitz Scheppelwitz Schiedlow Schönwitz Schurgast, town Seifersdorf Sonnenberg Sorge Springsdorf Stroschwitz Tarnitze Tillowitz Weiderwitz Weißdorf Weschelle Wiersbel

Place Names

In 1936/37 numerous parishes in the district were renamed:

Bauschwitz → Bauschdorf Borkwitz → Borkenhain Deutsch Jamke → Mittenwalde Ellguth-Tillowitz → Steinaugrund Golschwitz → Eichenried Groditz → Burgstätte Guschwitz → Buchengrund Jamke → Heinrichshof Korpitz → Korndorf Mauschwitz → Mauschdorf Niewodnik → Fischbach Nikoline → Niklasfähre Norok → Wolfsgrund Piechotzütz → Pechwalde → Bauerngrund

Plieschnitz → Fuchsberg Puschine → Erlenburg Raschwitz → Raschdorf → Rauschwalde Sabine → Annahof Schaderwitz → Schadeberg Schedliske → Waldsiedel Scheppanowitz → Stefansfeld Scheppelwitz → Steffansgrund Schiedlow → Goldmoor Stroschwitz → Straßendorf Tarnitze → Dornfeld Weiderwitz → Weidendorf Weschelle → Freudendorf Wiersbel → Weidengut

Notes and References

1. Book: Gehrke, Roland. Landtag und Öffentlichkeit: provinzialständischer Parlamentarismus in Schlesien 1825-1845. 2009. Böhlau Verlag Köln Weimar. 978-3-412-20413-6. de.
2. Web site: MDZ-Reader Band Amtsblatt des Regierungspräsidenten in Oppeln Amtsblatt des Regierungspräsidenten in Oppeln. 2021-02-13. reader.digitale-sammlungen.de.
3. Book: Belzyt, Leszek. Sprachliche Minderheiten im preussischen Staat: 1815 - 1914 ; die preußische Sprachenstatistik in Bearbeitung und Kommentar. 1998. Herder-Inst.. 978-3-87969-267-5. Marburg.
4. Web site: Falkenberg O.S.. 2021-02-13. www.territorial.de.
5. Web site: Deutsche Verwaltungsgeschichte Schlesien, Kreis Falkenberg. 2021-02-13. treemagic.org.