Upper Silesia (Poland)

An historical region located in southwestern Poland, near the borders with the Czech Republic and Germany. Prior to World War II, Upper Silesia had an ethnically diverse population with large communities of Poles and Germans, as well as Czechs and other minorities, including a flourishing Jewish community. The region was divided between Germany and Poland per decree of the League of Nations in 1921.

An important industrial area, Upper Silesia had rich deposits of coal and other minerals, making it strategically important economically and critical to the German war effort. During the war, it was the location of numerous concentration camps including the Auschwitz camp system, and forced labor camps where prisoners worked in factories and mines under brutal conditions.