German-Polish Border Research Articles

A new focus of the tick Haemaphysalis concinna in Western Poland

The relict tick Haemaphysalis concinna has a fragmented and focal distribution in Central Europe and Asia. Although in the majority of neighboring countries the occurrence of this tick species is well-documented (i.e., in Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine), to-date its occurrence in Poland has been registered only once, in 1953 in Troszyn in North-Western Pomerania, close to the German-Polish border. In the present study we report the first documented finding of H. concinna in Western Poland, confirmed both by collection of juvenile ticks from rodent hosts and questing ticks from vegetation. Trapping of rodents took place in the summer of 2018 in three locations in Western Poland (Słonin, Nowy Młyn 1, Nowy Młyn 2). Rodents were inspected for ectoparasites, which were detached and fixed in 70% ethanol. All the collected ticks were assigned to species and developmental stages using appropriate morphological keys, and representative individuals were genotyped by molecular methods. A total of 1482 feeding ticks were collected from 106 rodents from three sites. The common tick Ixodes ricinus was found in abundance on small rodents at all three sites; Dermacentor reticulatus ticks were identified at two sites in small numbers and, finally, numerous juvenile H. concinna (n = 427) were found at one of our study sites (Nowy Młyn 2). The highest prevalence and abundance of H. concinna were recorded on voles, Microtus agrestis and M. oeconomus, from this site in August. Additionally, questing nymphs and adult H. concinna were collected locally from vegetation (n = 20). Genotyping and phylogenetic analysis confirmed the species as H. concinna. A new focus of H. concinna has been described in Western Poland. Our long-term field work monitoring the expansion of the distribution of D. reticulatus in Poland, during which all collected ticks are identified, suggests that H. concinna is still very rare in the country.

Aspects of the environment and nature protection in the German-Polish border region of the Oder lagoon

The environmental problems of today have more and more border-crossing character. In the present paper the ecological problems of the german-polish border region of the Odra estuary, which form a border crossing ecological sensible unit, were studied for special parts of environmental protection, nature protection and water management regarding the quality of internal and external coastel waters, international conventions for protection of the Baltic Sea, cooperation in the field of protection and management of groundwater and waste water. A critical summarized evaluation based on the analysis was established which helps identifing the defizits and possibilities for progess of the bilateral cooperation and which indicate precise focal points for border-crossing fields of actions in the region of Odraestuary, to ensure a sustainable and continuing developpement of this region.

Development of an Ice Jam Flood Forecasting System for the Lower Oder River—Requirements for Real-Time Predictions of Water, Ice and Sediment Transport

Despite ubiquitous warming, the lower Oder River typically freezes over almost every year. Ice jams may occur during freeze-up and ice cover breakup phases, particularly in the middle and lower reaches of the river, with weirs and piers. The slush ice and ice blocks may accumulate to form ice jams, leading to backwater effects and substantial water level rise. The small bottom slope of the lower Oder and the tidal backflow from the Baltic Sea enhance the formation of ice jams during cold weather conditions, jeopardizing the dikes. Therefore, development of an ice jam flood forecasting system for the Oder River is much needed. This commentary presents selected results from an international workshop that took place in Wrocław (Poland) on 26–27 November 2018 that brought together an international team of experts to explore the requirements and research opportunities in the field of ice jam flood forecasting and risk assessment for the Oder River section along the German–Polish border. The workshop launched a platform for collaboration amongst Canadian, German and Polish scientists, government officials and water managers to pave a way forward for joint research focused on achieving the long-term goal of forecasting, assessing and mitigating ice jam impacts along the lower Oder. German and Polish government agencies are in need of new tools to forecast ice jams and assess their subsequent consequences and risks to communities and ship navigation along a river. Addressing these issues will also help research and ice flood management in a Canadian context. A research program would aim to develop a modelling system by addressing fundamental issues that impede the prediction of ice jam events and their consequences in cold regions.

Binding the Nation, Bounding the State: Germany and its Borders

The borders of Germany and of Europe have come under increased academic scrutiny over the last few years as questions of mobility and migration have surged to the forefront of public interest. Most such studies remain embedded in regional historiographies, although they are increasingly informed by interdisciplinary methodological and theoretical developments. Historians of the nineteeth- and twentieth-century French-German border emphasize transnational overlaps that arguably prefigured European cooperation, whereas studies of the Polish-German border stress the indifference and resentment generated by nationalism well into the twentieth century. Histories of divided Germany during the Cold War have transnationalized interpretations of everyday life in the GDR and the FRG, while studies of Europe since 1990 have probed the meanings and anxieties connected with Schengen. Taken together, these works show how interconnected discourses of ‘Europe’ have come together from experiences with borders that have varied greatly across time and space.

Wybrane cechy zagospodarowania przestrzennego i aktywności gospodarczej w otoczeniu miejsc przekraczania granicy polsko-niemieckiej = Selected features of spatial management and economic activity in the vicinity of border-crossing points on the Polish-German border

A basic research topic taken up within the framework of border studies concerns the function of political borders, as well as changes therein over time. As a matter of special importance is then the location of border crossing points and the character of their immediate surroundings, much depends on the analysis of transformations these areas undergo, in line with shifting formal and legal circumstances, as well as in terms of infrastructure and socio-economic conditions. Poland’s 2007 accession to the EU’s Schengen Agreement obviously had a number of major consequences in this respect, not least along the Polish-German border where border posts underwent formal liquidation, and the border could theoretically be crossed along its entire length. The rules applying to an internal Schengen border are known to favour spatial development in border areas, as permeability increases and there may be a long-term trend for the role of a border as a barrier to decline. Notably, the local dimension would seem to be of great importance to the achievement of practical effects (Bufon, 2008). The work detailed here has had as its main aims the identification of the spatial--development features characterising crossings along the Polish-German border, and the analysis of economic activity in their immediate vicinity, under the circumstances of a now-open internal border within the Schengen Area. The analysis covered areas surrounding the formal border crossings abolished on 21.12.2007, as well as new places in which organised crossings began to take place (along roads, walking or cycle paths or railway lines). This scope of interest led to a field inventory of 47 areas on both the Polish and German sides, at which a border crossing was made possible by roads (n = 29), or along cycle or walking paths (n = 18). Data obtained allowed for an identification of key regularities as regards the maintenance of border infrastructure, the reuse of the buildings of former border posts, road infrastructure, and numbers and type structure where operating companies were concerned. The newly-created border-crossing points were mainly seen to locate along the section of border between Pargów and the coast of the Szczecin Lagoon, as well as in the Świnoujście area (where the boundary does not run along rivers).Interestingly, use was being made of only half the former border-post buildings, on both the Polish and German sides. Where new designations of activity were present, a degree of diversification was visible. Our results show clearly how difficult it may still prove to introduce new functions in the reality of an open, internal Schengen Area border. The study offers grounds for a perhaps-surprising conclusion that, given the conditions under which the Polish-German border still functions, a formal status as open does not preclude significant limitations still being imposed on the possibilities for borderland integration, in a spatial context in particular.

Zamieszkując „pogranicze”. Migracja przygraniczna z Polski do Niemiec w doświadczeniach dzieci i rodziców

The article is devoted to the migration of Poles from the vicinity of Szczecin to the German villages located close to the German-Polish border. The empirical material was collected during five field trips, each lasting two weeks, to a Polish-German border area. I present a specific type of migration – short-distance cross-border migration – from the perspective of parents and children. I conducted research among Polish families who decided to move to one of the villages on the German side of the border, most often from Szczecin or the surrounding area. My research questions focused on the motivations for and experiences of short-distance migration. I present the perspective of parents in light of the phenomenon of future-oriented migration and the experience of children and youth “generation 1.5”, outlining at the same time the specific context of the border area. I include the voice of children to contribute to the development of research on migration of families and to better understand social processes taking place around the Polish-German border.

Delimitacja przygranicznych obszarów problemowych = The delimitation of problem border areas

While border areas are usually perceived as peripheral in nature, denoting only a limited level of economic development, it is clear that a border location might also be in a position to offer measurable benefit. In that context, work described here in relation to Poland has focused in on: (1) the delimitation of border areas; and (2) an identification and subdivision of units into those whose location by a state border brings either positive or negative economic consequences. The criterion applied most often in designating border areas is administrative (cf. Kałuski, 1990), with different hierarchical levels referred to (e.g. the NUTS 3 where pursuit of the EU policy on Territorial Cooperation is concerned; or LAU 2 where the need is to designate areas characterised by small-scale border traffic, with account then taken of the criterion of distance of a given administrative unit from the border). Alongside the administrative, a second main criterion relates simply to physical distance from a border, and usually gains application in denoting a zone of particularly intensive scrutiny by the Border Guard and other state services such as the Customs Administration (e.g. in the United States). Use of this criterion actually does much to hinder scientific research, given the lack of concordance with units of administration. Neither of the divisions referred to above embraces real functional linkages, while the real-life zone of impact of a border is likely to be indicated by just such linkages, of a socioeconomic nature, and specific in the sense that other parts of a country do not manifest them (Węcławowicz et al., 2006). Such linkages would seem to offer a basis to determine, first, if border areas actually exist at all, and, second, how they can be delimited in a detailed way, by reference to multiple criteria. It is certain that a key aspect is involved here, as the attempt is made to set the benefits of a border location against the “non-benefits”. But it is clear that attention also needs to be paid to the configuration of internal interactions, as aspects of a border location become all the more unfavourable the more peripherally a given unit is located. Ultimately, it is possible to indicate which border areas are actually problem areas, and to set these apart from other areas by a border whose geographical position ensures that a border represents no barrier to development and/or does not determine peripheral status. For the above reasons, the work presented here does indeed propose a delimitation based on real economic linkage (levels of export), as well as the degree to which regional centres are accessible from the given area. The first stage of the delimitation procedure thus takes in the designation of a border area formed from a belt of Polish communes (LAU 2) “two deep”. A second stage then sees elimination from this set of those units with a favourable location vis-à-vis the nearest regional centre (s), it being assumed that the proximity of these centres helps even out any potentially negative impact of the border; as well as with a high value for the statistic regarding the value of exports to the neighbouring country (the assumption then being that such units benefit from a border location, rather than suffering as a result of it). Units left behind following the application of this procedure were deemed to be border communes of problem status, potentially in need of support if they are to develop. In the event, such units are found to be located primarily along Poland’s borders with the Russian Federation, Lithuania, Belarus and Slovakia (as opposed to Germany, the Czech Republic and Ukraine). Unsurprisingly, it is communes by the Polish-German border that are seen to benefit most from their location. The authors set other divisions and classifications already in effect against the proposal for delimitation which is offered here, along with relevant recommendations for the development of regional policy.

A View of German-Polish Cross-Border Cooperation: an Experience from the 2007– 2013 INTERREG Programme

The aim of this article is to understand the nature and dynamism of cross-border cooperation in Europe by taking cross-border projects of INTERREG program implemented in the period 2007–2013 as examples and the concepts of (a)symmetry and potential differences as a conceptual framework. The case of the German-Polish border has been chosen and the authors attempt to further the already existing analysis by indicating additional analytical levels and interpreting findings with the help of the concept of asymmetry. INTERREG projects provide a great source of data to help analyse the cooperation processes established within the Schengen Area. The findings of this investigation reflect well the differences between the two countries in many aspects, especially the leading partners in projects (Germans lead more than Poles), as well as the fact that the German actors are more active in general, when at the same time urban and more dynamic areas are more able to take part in projects.

Die Nachbarsprache Polnisch aus einer sprachpolitischen und soziolinguistischen Perspektive im Kontext der Mehrsprachigkeit in Europa

The main goal of this article is to discuss the position of Polish language in the European Union, especially in the German-Polish border region. The role of language policy in the process of multilingualism will also be presented.

GRANICE PRZYRODY. NATURA POGRANICZA POLSKO-NIEMIECKIEGO W PERSPEKTYWIE IMAGOLOGICZNEJ

Polityczna decyzja o zmianie granicy pociąga za sobą lawinę konsekwencji, spośród których przesiedlenie ludności (jeśli wówczas następuje) jest najbardziej dramatyczne. Konieczność wytworzenia poczucia wspólnoty narodowej na nowozamieszkałym terytorium wymusza wiele różnorakich działań w sferze zarówno politycznej, jak i społecznej. Pojawienie się Polaków na tzw. Ziemiach Odzyskanych po II wojnie światowej wiązało się z nadaniem temu obszarowi znaczeń potwierdzających jego polskość. Pisma historyków, geografów, językoznawców, ekonomistów czy wreszcie przyrodników publikowane bezpośrednio po wojnie pokazują, w jaki sposób włączano fizyczną, geograficzną przestrzeń i przyrodę w sferę wyobrażoną polskiego narodu. Dekonstrukcja opisów natury tzw. Ziem Odzyskanych ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem granicy polsko-niemieckiej na Odrze pozwala przeanalizować nierozerwalność argumentów przyrodniczych i historycznych jako takich, które warunkują konstytuowanie się narodowej tożsamości Polaków po wojnie.

Symmetries, asymmetries and cross-border cooperation on the German–Polish border. Towards a new model of (de)bordering

La frontera entre Alemanya i Polonia representa un dels exemples mes interessants de dinamica politica i transformacio economica i social que es poden observar en l’Europa posterior a la Guerra Freda, i es un exemple reeixit d’estreta cooperacio. Les logiques desfronteritzadores en curs poden detectar-se aqui; tanmateix, les formes i els ritmes revelen un estancament i, fins i tot, regressio en determinats sectors. S’argumenta que la intensificacio de la cooperacio transfronterera, despres del col·lapse dels regims comunistes en aquesta part d’Europa, va ser el resultat d’un conjunt d’interaccions a escala europea, nacional i local. En aquell moment, els objectius principals eren relativament convergents, la qual cosa va contribuir a una rapida desfronteritzacio. No obstant aixo, amb el temps, aquests objectius van comencar a divergir entre els diferents nivells. Aquest proces s’ha contextualitzat en el marc de les simetries i asimetries existents en la frontera, que moltes vegades han donat com a resultat tendencies refronteritzadores.

Bijna-identieke toponiemen langs de rijksgrens: hoe weerspiegelen ze het taalkundige, bestuurlijke en culturele verleden?1

Abstract Near-identical twin toponyms along the state border. How do they reflect the linguistic and political past? The Netherlands (hereafter: NL) shares its national border with Belgium (B) and Germany (D). Alongside the border are toponyms which are either identical (like Lemiers: NL, also D), or near-identical, like Clinge (NL)/ De Klinge (B) or Aamsveen (NL)/ Amtsvenn (D). The names concerned denote adjoining settlements and regions. Name pairs like Aamsveen/ Amtsvenn, differring in pronunciation, are comparable to name pairs like Görlitz/ Zgorzelec, on the German-Polish border. The Belgian border is not a linguistic one; Dutch is the standard language on both sides of it. The German border, however, currently divides two standard languages, while there used to be a continuum on the dialectal level until until about 1940. Since the 19th C, both the Dutch and the German standard language have won ground at the expense of the dialect, due to the increased influence of the national administrations. This paper focuses on present twin names along the Dutch state border which show small differences. For example, some differences are (partly) orthographic (Clinge (NL)/De Klinge (B)), others imply (partial) translations and folk etymological adaptations (Aamsveen (NL)/ Amtsvenn (D)), or relate to lexical differences: Baarle Hertog (B) versus Baarle Nassau (NL). The paper proposes a typology and tries to explain the differences by relating them (with respect to the German border) to increased influence of the German standard language and orthography (and, by consequence, spelling pronunciation), and, with regard to the Belgian border, to different spelling regulations.

Border Regions as Disturbed Functional Areas: Analyses on Cross-border Interrelations and Quality of Life along the German–Polish Border

ABSTRACTBorder regions are commonly perceived as disadvantaged areas marked by peripheral location. Most of them are indeed suffering from the distance to political decision centers and economic core regions. The main reason for this drawback can be found in barrier effects caused by the presence of state borders, leading to a truncation of potential catchment areas. This paper attempts to bring together two different approaches: a spatially oriented approach focusing on cross-border flows and a sociological survey on the perceptions of the border region’s inhabitants. Based on a research project on quality of life and on cross-border interrelations in the southern part of the German–Polish border region, the paper provides a first set of data in order to verify whether cross-border flows increase during the process of gradual opening of state borders. It gives an overview of cross-border interrelations in the fields of demography, employment, economy, education, and tourism. Moreover, it includes the inhabitants’ perception of border effects and their motivations for border crossings, differentiating between the response patterns of German and Polish interviewees. The paper closes with policy options for regional development policy in the investigated border region.

The German-Polish Border Question and Historical Reconciliation: Culture Fusion and Hybridization and New Identity

The German-Polish Border Question and Historical Reconciliation: Culture Fusion and Hybridization and New Identity

The German-Polish Border Question and Historical Reconciliation: Culture Fusion and Hybridization and New Identity

The German-Polish Border Question and Historical Reconciliation: Culture Fusion and Hybridization and New Identity

Działania aparatu bezpieczeństwa wobec ludności niemieckiej i tzw. autochtonów polskich na Warmii i Mazurach w latach 1945-1956

The article describes the activities of the Communist political police against former German citizens who remained in their places of residence in the part of East Prussia incorporated into Poland. Polish communists until the end of the 1940s were conducting a policy that would eliminate German nationality from the inhabitants of Poland. From the end of the 1940s there was a concerted attempt to eliminate anyone with German nationality and those questioning the new Polish–German border that was created in 1945 among the remnants of the German citizenry. The Communist political police were also interested in people (and their views) who showed a critical attitude toward the Communist regime introduced into Poland

Socio-economic impact of the International Waterway E60 on the Polish and Lithuanian coastal regions

International Waterway E60 (IWW E60) is a sea-shore route running from Gibraltar to the North along European coast up to St. Petersburg then through the Baltic-White Sea Channel, then along the White Sea coast to Arkhangelsk. From the German-Polish border, along the Polish, Russian and Lithuanian coast to the Lithuanian-Latvian border, the route is 610 km-long and runs along 32 Polish municipalities and 4 Lithuanian regions. Determining the role of IWW E60 is important in the context of economic growth of municipalities and coastal regions, especially through the development of local seaports. Operations of the multifunctional port have a wide economic and social impact. Mutual interaction of functions can be observed on the example of fisheries, where in the port area fishing functions intermingle with the processing, tourism, storage and distribution function. The main socioeconomic benefits of E60 waterway development include the increase in employment, economic activity, generation of added value and improvement of transport infrastructure. In addition, ports influence attractiveness of the regions and create impulse for new jobs in the tourism industry. Until now there have been no attempts to make E60 route navigable or only on short sections, usually between two neighbouring ports. Despite the significant cross-border importance of this connection, no directions for its optimal development were defined. What is more, the route is not used. In connection with this, steps were taken to thoroughly investigate the problem and determine the possibility of its development as part of inland waterways network.

Migration and Migrant Entrepreneurship in a German-Polish border region

Migration and Migrant Entrepreneurship in a German-Polish border region

Place Image Formation and Cross‐Border Shopping: German Shoppers in the Polish Bazaar in Słubice

AbstractThis study focuses on differences in place image formation between cross‐border shoppers who visit the bazaar in the Polish part of the border‐crossing town of Frankfurt–Oder/Słubice. By examining the German–Polish border context and the historical and regional particularities of this shopping destination, our qualitative analysis reveals differences in place image formation between two groups of German border crossers: locals from Frankfurt–Oder and visitors from other parts of the borderland. It turns out that the locals regarded the border‐crossing town as part of daily life and had lost interest in the bazaar, while cross‐border shoppers from further afield visited the bazaar regularly, were motivated by leisure, and assessed the bazaar more positively. These differences in place image formation between the two groups resulted from differences in mind‐set and motivation, influencing not only the knowledge and experiences of the border crossers, but also the likelihood of visiting this specific shopping destination again.

Fear and Terror: The Expulsion of Polish Jews from Saxony/Germany in October 1938

ABSTRACTThis article is a regional study that focuses on the expulsion of Jews with Polish citizenship from Saxony, mostly long-term legal residents of Germany, in the context of the so-called ‘Polenaktion’ (27–29 October 1938). The article gives a brief overview of the expulsion of Polish Jews from Germany and highlights the special circumstances in Saxony, specifically in Leipzig. The article examines the role of the local police forces in carrying out the arrests and transports to the German–Polish border. It further draws attention to the tumultuous situation near Beuthen (Bytom) where the distressed expellees were chased across the border into Polish territory. The article also traces the steps of individuals and families after their disorienting arrival in Poland. Finally it addresses the question of the ‘returnees’ – a limited number of expellees who were allowed to return to their hometowns in Germany for a short period in order to take care of their businesses, financial affairs and apartments. Highlighting Saxony as one example, this article shows that the brutal mass expulsion of Polish Jews from Germany was not only an unprecedented act of mass violence and viciousness against Jews in Germany, but also became a precursor, a ‘test case,’ for subsequent mass deportations. The Security Service of the Reichsführer-SS and the Main Office of the Security Police most likely did not have fully developed plans for mass deportations ready in October 1938. However, the Nazi authorities could draw on their experiences during the Polenaktion with regard to logistics, coordination of administrative steps and offices, panic control, intimidation, and brutality. These measures set the stage for the arrests and mass transports during the November Pogrom not even two weeks after the Polenaktion and for the mass deportations during World War II.