History Centre Zajezdnia

Transcript

Zajezdnia’s central story begins in 1945: Breslau became Wrocław, the surviving German population was largely removed, and Polish settlers arrived. Many came from areas such as Lwów — now Lviv in Ukraine — that had been part of interwar Poland and were annexed by the Soviet Union.

This was not a blank-slate colonisation. New residents inherited streets, utilities, ruins, furniture, churches and memories created by people who were no longer there. They also brought their own displaced institutions and cultural references.

The depot later became important during the Solidarity era, when workers in Wrocław joined the nationwide opposition movement.

A city can change national identity remarkably fast on a map. Emotional ownership takes generations.

Zajezdnia is a fitting last stop because it treats post-war Wrocław not as an epilogue to Breslau, but as a historical creation in its own right — built by people who were often rebuilding themselves at the same time.

Synthetic narration. Sources are linked below.

Sources

• City of Wrocław — History of Wrocław: key facts
• History Centre Zajezdnia — Permanent exhibition / post-war Wrocław
• Wrocław Jewish Community — History of the White Stork Synagogue
• Jewish Wrocław — Religion and the White Stork Synagogue