The Historical Antecedents

Abstract

Silesia geographically encompasses much of the middle and upper watershed of the 848 kilometre-long Oder River (Odra in Polish) (see Map 2.1). To the south of this part of the watershed lies the Sudete massif, a natural obstacle separating Silesia from modem Czechoslovakia. At the highest point of the Oder valley, the Oder River flows past the Moravian Gate, so called because it provides a passage from Silesia and the North European Plain to the Moravian Plain and ultimately to the fertile Danube watershed. Slightly to the east of the upper Oder lies the Upper Silesian Plateau, an area not particularly fertile but exceedingly rich in minerals and coal. To the north, the Oder valley opens up and becomes an indistinguishable part of the North European Plain. Both in the east and in the west, Silesia is delineated roughly by the extent of the watershed, though exceptions to this are widespread and largely the result of historical developments.