Book description
The story of Central Europe is anything but simple. As the region
located between East and West, it has always been endowed with a rich
variety of migrants, and has repeatedly been the scene of nomadic
invasions, mixed settlements and military conquests. In order to
present a portrait of Central Europe, Norman Davies and Roger
Moorhouse have made a case study of one of its most colourful cities,
the former German Breslau, which became the Polish Wroclaw after the
Second World War.
The traditional capital of the province of Silesia rose to
prominence a thousand years ago as a trading centre and bishopric in
Piast Poland. It became the second city of the kingdom of Bohemia, a
major municipality of the Habsburg lands, and then a Residenzstadt
of the kingdom of Prussia. The third largest city of
nineteenth-century Germany, its population reached one million before
the bitter siege by the Soviet Army in 1945 wrought almost total
destruction. Since then Wroclaw has risen from the ruins of war and is
once again a thriving regional centre.
The history of Silesia's main city is more than a fascinating tale
in its own right. It embodies all the experiences which have made
Central Europe what it is - a rich mixture of nationalities and
cultures; the scene of German settlement and of the reflux of the
Slavs; a Jewish presence of exceptional distinction; a turbulent
succession of imperial rulers; and the shattering exposure to both
Nazis and Stalinists. In short, it is a Central European microcosm.
Norman Davies C. M. G., F. B. A. is a Professor Emeritus of the
University of London, a Supernumerary Fellow of Wolfson College,
Oxford, and the author of several books on Polish and European
history, including God's Playground, Europe and The
Isles.
Roger Moorhouse, who is a Germanist and historian, was chief
researcher on Davies's previous books. Since Microcosm he has
published two solo books: Killing Hitler and, most recently,
Berlin at War. He is a regular contributor to the BBC
History Magazine and History Today, a book reviewer for
the Independent on Sunday, and an occasional commentator on
television and radio
