Silesia

Silesia was a province of South-East Prussia (now a region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany) stretching South between Russian Poland (East) and Austria (West and South). The Oder flows North-West through the heart of the country, dividing the thickly forested and in parts marshy lands of the North and East from the mountainous and extremely fertile West. Rich coal-fields lie to the South, and zinc is also a valuable product. Agriculture and the breeding of cattle, horses, and sheep flourish, as also the manufacture of cottons, linens, &c.

Breslau was the capital of this province. For long under the successive dominions of Poland and Bohemia, the Silesian duchies became, in the 18th century, a casus belli between Austria and Prussia, resulting in the Seven Years' War and the ultimate triumph of Frederick the Great of Prussia.

Nearby pages
Silghat, Silhouette, Silicon, Silistria, Silius Italicus, Silloth