At the beginning of the 20th century, Cieszyn, as well as the whole of Cieszyn Silesia, stood out very positively in terms of literacy. According to statistical data from 1910, only 4.5% of residents over the age of 6 could neither read nor write, most of whom were elderly people and immigrants. In comparison, illiterate people in Galicia accounted for 41% of the population over the age of 9, while in the Congress Kingdom of Poland the number was as high as 59%. Of the schools operating at the time, the Polish Gymnasium, now the Antoni Osuchowski 1st High School, had the most unique history. The local Poles, who constituted the majority of the inhabitants of the Cieszyn Duchy, wanted to have their own high school. This was not easy, as Austria at the time had many advantages, but the Austrian Germans wanted to maintain primacy among the nations of the Habsburg monarchy at all costs. Some Silesian Poles accepted this state of affairs. It is worth mentioning that today, for some unknown reason, they are sometimes referred to as the forerunners of the supporters of Silesian autonomy. The majority were ready to fight for linguistic equality, and since in those days language was considered the primary determinant of nationality, they are called the “supporters of the Polish national movement.”
One of the most important Polish national activists was Paweł Stalmach (1824–1891), born in Bażanowice near Cieszyn, a graduate of the Protestant Gymnasium in Cieszyn, the prestigious high school in Preßburg (now Bratislava) and Protestant theology in Vienna. At the age of 24, he returned to Cieszyn and became the editor of Tygodnik Cieszyński (“Cieszyn Weekly”), the first newspaper in Cieszyn, which appeared on a weekly basis. A few years later, it changed its title to Gwiazdka Cieszyńska (“Little Cieszyn Star”), and in the articles published therein, its editor spent four decades convincing his compatriots that the speech of their ancestors was worth defending. The Polish national movement experienced a number of serious conflicts – the biggest problem were the frictions between the Catholic and Protestant wings. However, the members of the movement managed to rise above denominational divisions and created the Educational Society of the Cieszyn Duchy (1885). Stalmach became its first president. The most important goal of the association was to establish a Polish high school, which was achieved in 1895. The Polish Gymnasium in Cieszyn, as it was called, was by no means closed to German culture. The best evidence of this is the fact that its graduates brought with them an excellent knowledge of Goethe’s and Schiller’s language, and often continued their education at the University of Vienna or the Technical Academy in Leoben. However, Polish activists were of the opinion that Polish students should learn German as a foreign language. They considered themselves to be just as good Austrian citizens as the Germans and expected the same rights with regard to linguistic issues. The school initially functioned at today’s 34 Stalmacha Street, only to be relocated in 1922 to a building at 2 Słowacki Square. In 1988, a statue of Paweł Stalmach was unveiled in front of the school.
The history of Cieszyn’s Sisters of Mercy of St. Borromeo (6 Upper Square) dates back to 1876. When this congregation was liquidated in the German Empire, the nuns moved to Cieszyn, which belonged to Austria.
author: Michael Morys-Twarowski
