Wandering Volhynians

In the late 1700s, as the result of a weak monarchy, Poland was partitioned between Russia, Prussia, and Austria and ceased to exist as a nation. In 1807 after defeating Prussia and Russia, Napoleon established large portions of both Russian and Prussian held territories, but he was defeated in 1812. In 1815, the Congress Poland was established. It consisted of the Duchy of Warsaw except for some portions of the Torun, Poznan, and Bydgoszcz districts which were given to Prussia. The balance was ruled by Russia. Several rebellions occurred with the last ending in 1863 with defeat by the Russians. At this time, Russian became the official language and removed Polish nobility from any power they may have had.

Poland became independent after World War I. It regained vast portions of land from Russia and took back large portions of the former Prussian lands, regaining access to the Baltic Sea After World War II, much of the land Poland had regained to the east was returned to Russia and Ukraine. It seized land from Germany as compensation. This included former Prussian territories to the north and Silesia to the west and south.

Throughout these changes, hundreds of thousands of Germans lived in various parts of these Polish territories, often maintaining farms for their Polish noble landlords.

Over the centuries, hundreds of thousands of Germans have lived in Polish lands through to the end of World War II. Catherine the Great was largely responsible for bringing them to Poland, making it possible for them to receive land at no cost. Many returned to Germany before or during World War I. After World War II, most were expelled either to Germany or to eastern Asia (Siberia). One author lists over 1200 German settlements in 19th century Congress Poland. The Germans were of all faiths and denominations.

Map of East Europe about 1908