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PaulMcNamara,BeyondtheIronCurtain:WesternTravellersintheBorderlandsofCommunistPoland...
Germansleftonpresent-dayPolishsoil,eventhoughsomeeightmillionPoles
havetakentheplaceoftheGermanswhousedtolivethere,eventhoughPoland
hasbuiltupatremendousindustrialcomplexintheseformerGermanterritories,
aswellaswholecitiessuchasWroclaw,whichareinhabitedbyafreshyoungand
enthusiasticgenerationofPoleswhowerebornthere.23
Theseenormouspopulationmovementsandupheavalbroughtaboutbywar
andbothforcedandvoluntarymigrationresultedinPolishsetlersendingupin
placesintheRecoveredTerritorieswheretheyhadlitleornoknowledgeoftheir
newenvironmentorthejobstheywouldberequiredtodo.Forexample,Woods
describeshowPoland’sshipbuildingindustryinitsnorthernportswasbuiltup
fromvirtuallynothingIwithnoexperiencetofallbackonatthestart,notrained
craftsmen,nodesigners,noteven...subcontractors...’24Notwithstanding,on6
November1948,theSołdekwaslaunched,namelyfirstsea-goingcargovesselbu-
iltinPoland.Theexperiencegainedoverthenextfewyearsledtothefirst10,000
tonnerbeingbuiltin1955.BythetimeofWoods’visitin1967,Poland’sshipbu-
ildingindustrywasno.5intheworldandprovidingseriouscompetitionforthe
British,GermansandJapanese.WithathirdofSzczecinshipyard’sworkforce
under25andjust13.7%over45,thoseworkinginPoland’smaritimeindustry
wereoftenthefirstorsecondgenerationtodoso.25Indeed,heheardfromaship’s
captainonPoland’sBalticcoasthowhisfamilyhadmovedtowhatusedtobe
EastPrussia:
Myfatherhadbeenkilled...Iwasonlyfourteen,butIthoughtmyselfasthehead
ofthefamily.AndeventhenIlovedthesea.SoIgotoutamap,stuckmyfingeron
avillageupnearthecoast,andsaidtomymotherandlitlebrother,IThat’swhere
we’regoing.There!’Sowedid,gotatravelvoucher,arrived,movedintothefirst
decent,emptyhousewecouldfindandthatwasthat.26
IncontrasttosuchstoriesofpioneeringPolishspirit,Woodswasshockedby
thecontradictionheencounteredinPoland’swesternmostprovinceofSzczecin,
whichcontainedthebusiestportontheBalticwhilebeingoneofthepoorest
areasofthecountry,onemainlypopulatedbyimpoverishedmigrantpeasants
andrepatriatesfromPoland’seasternregions:IOnlyinthepastgenerationhave
theseSzczecinpeasantsbeentaughttoreadandwearshoesonweek-days.They
arethedrabbestspecimensofhumanitythatIsawinallofPoland.’Inaddition,
thelandscapehesawnearbysupportedWasserman’sportrayalofPolishadmi-
nistrationoftheRecoveredTerritoriesasgovernedbyneglect,incompetenceand
waste,aregioninwhichI...one’simpressionisofdamageunrepaired,narrow
roadspitedwithpot-holes,andoneverysideanalmostunuterabledesolation.’
23
24
25
26
Ibidem,p.70.
Ibidem,pp.102–104.
Ibidem,p.104.
Ibidem,pp.71–72.
