The stance of mysticism on language is located in the field of tensions between the fundamental inability to express the essence of God through the medium of language and the imperative, or the need, to talk about it. In the space betwixt and between, there extends mystic silence as a paradoxical, but effective way of communication and insight. Depending on individual mystics, whose selection from the Middle Ages to the Baroque is presented in the text, silence receives also various additional aspects.

The definition of the ubiquitous in art idea of sacrum is always quite subjective. That’s why it should be always viewed through the prism of an individual and cultural themes that guided and shaped the author or the founder of a particular piece of art. Natural and scenic wealth of Silesia with the cultural background and the garden design dated back to the 19th century, is an excellent example of pluralism of sacrum, which in the area of a garden can be marked by a path, sculpture that is a symbol of the national power, by a garden itself as a gift and by the landscape in general.

The article discusses one of the categories of marketing chrematonyms — the names of cafés, which constitute a colourful element of the naming landscape of Upper Silesia. The analysis has several research aims: 1) discovering the naming techniques and types, 2) the presentation of structural models, 3) identifying the changes of meaning and the (con)textual functionality of linguistic units which serve as a commercial medium of evaluation. The names of cafés are presented from the perspective of cultural linguistics, sociolinguistics and pragmalinguistics, as well as the theory of semantic fields. This combined methodological approach enables the author to draw conclusions about marketing chrematonyms in the sphere of culture and language, whereas the structural-semantic analysis of the onymic description of Upper Silesian cafés reveals tendencies that confirm the fact that naming models are created in a serial way. The material presented indicates that commercial chrematonyms belong to semantically and structurally diversified naming categories. The structures show the repetitiveness of naming, the tendency for language internalization and the use of native material, including local dialects.

Proper values of physical and mechanical properties and their homogeneity are one of major requirements deciding about technological suitability of the rocks quarried to manufacturing aggregates. These properties depend on the natural features of a rock, its mineral composition, texture and structure. The characteristic of aggregates and the technical requirements they must meet are normalized in adequate standards that describe the procedures of conducting particular determinations and the methods of interpreting their results. In the basaltoids (usually called basalts) of selected deposits of Lower Silesia that represent different intrusive forms, five textural varieties have been distinguished: aphanitic, aphanitic-porphyritic, porphyritic-aphanitic, porphyritic-nodular and nodular-porphyritic. The petrography and essential physical and mechanical properties of these varieties have been described in Tables 1 and 2, respectively. The highest technical parameters have the aphanitic and aphanitic-porphyritic rock varieties. They result mainly from the textures of these rocks and their insignificant weathering, and to a lesser degree from their mineral composition. The resistance to wear (micro-Deval) and the resistance to fragmentation (Los Angeles) of the aggregates that represent the grain fraction 10-14 mm of the five varieties of basaltoids and the rock composites were determined according to the standards PN-EN 12620: 2008 and PN-EN 13043: 2004. Of the aggregates produced from the five major varieties, only those made of the nodular-porphyritic basaltoids have the properties of lower categories, whereas the remaining four are the materials of very high quality. Additionally, it has been shown that by combining various basaltoid types it is possible to produce composite aggregates with the variable qualities belonging to the categories LA and MDE (Tab. 3). The effect of rock petrography on the differentiation of the parameters of aggregates depending on the grain fraction of the products (Fig. 1, Tab. 4) is the lowest in the case of the aggregates produced from the homogenous and not weathered rock. In contrast, the range of variability of the parameters is higher if the starting material to produce aggregates is composed of several textural varieties and shows signs of weathering as well. The possibility of delineation of the areas occupied in the deposit by basaltoids with specific textural varieties creates the conditions of determining the rock zones, from which the aggregates of the predicted quality may be produced. This quality may be controlled and partly changed to the user needs by producing aggregates from the specially prepared rock mixtures (i.e. the charge to crushers) with specified proportions of the basaltoid varieties.

Społeczne konsekwencje końca energetyki konwencjonalnej na Śląsku.

Villa architecture after 1914 comprises a diverse and extensive group of buildings. The lack of a system of valuating them leads to their analyses being a time-consuming and complex process. Their justification can refer primarily to architectural and urban planning tendencies, including: the impact on the space of previously built estates, the assessment of the quality of their architecture in the landscape context and the continuity of design traditions, contemporary interventions associated with renovation work. The protection of villas from the interwar period, appears to be particularly important. Their cultural value and the quality of the landscape, that they co-create with their accompanying gardens is highly significant to the identity of the city.

The history of Opole Zoological Garden reaches the beginning of the 20th century, when in the Bolko Island, shaped by the Odra river and its canals, the menagerie was founded. Present-day ZOO in Opole is a complex of modern paddocks and structures of an area of around 19 ha, integrated into the old growth of the Bolko Island. In the paper the history and stages of development of Zoological Garden in Opole are presented, the aesthetic and functional values indicated; these ones which make the garden attractive and individual.

This article presents the results of a study of the determinants of energy transformation of coal-dependent regions. The case study was on the region of Silesia. This region is the main producer of hard coal and coking coal in Poland, with nineteen mines and numerous coal-fired power plants. Silesia is highly industrialized and urbanized, contributing significantly to Poland’s GDP. However, it is also a leader in terms of methane and carbon dioxide emissions. The study used an approach based on Alvin L. Bertrand’s ‘stress-strain’ theory, to investigate the socio-cultural stresses emerging as a result of the interaction of external factors and internal process dynamics within the region itself. Then, using Marc Wolfram’s systems-based analytical framework approach, the current transformative capacity of Silesia was analyzed. The theoretical framework adopted assumes that socio-cultural stress can be inferred from past situations of tension, influencing the social structure of the region and shaping accepted patterns of adaptation to change. Socio-cultural stress emerges as a key determinant of a region’s coping strategy and shapes its ability to transform in the long term. The research approach presented in this article adopts a comprehensive framework that integrates socio-cultural, socio-ecological and technological dimensions, providing a holistic view of a region’s transformation challenges and opportunities. The research was conducted using focus group interviews and a structured interview questionnaire. Participants in the research were individuals representing a diverse community of experts and activists involved in the energy transition process in Silesia, including local government officials, businesses, professional associations and social activists.

This article discusses the anti-Czech plebiscite propa-ganda in the press of Cieszyn Silesia (Těšínské Slezsko), focusing on the successive issues of the Republika, a local Polish-language weekly, published between January and May 1920. The analysis shows that Republika's radical language and multiple articles aimed at discrediting Czechoslovakia and the Czech nation turned it into a potent instruments of pro-Polish agitation on the eve of the plebiscite (which was eventually cancelled).

This paper discusses selected types of native, appellative-form surnames of the inhabitants of 19th-century Cieszyn Silesia and its surrounding areas. Such appellative-form surnames (without derivative indicators) reflect the regional culture and values characteristic to, and cultivated by, the inhabitants of the region. An overview of them confirms that Cieszyn Silesia, as an ethnic-cultural borderland, stands out with its sub-regional distinctness in onymic stock. The described surnames not only reflect the values acknowledged by the inhabitants of 19th-century Cieszyn Silesia, showing the immanence of this set in the regional context, but they also depict the material and spiritual culture of the inhabitants of this region. The researcher used the semantic field method to analyse the anthroponymic material, and the sociolinguistic aspect of naming was considered when describing the collected set of appellative-based surnames, with references made to statistical research.

Artykuł podejmuje problem analizy rozpowszechnienia szczególnej techniki barokowej stosowanej w projektowaniu fasad budynków monumentalnych na Dolnym Śląsku. Po raz pierwszy metodę tę wykorzystał w swych rzymskich aranżacjach Francesco Borromini. Dlatego nazwa tej techniki pojawia się najczęściej w literaturze pod włoskim określeniem parete ondulata. Ten sposób formowania fasad rozpowszechnił się szybko krajach europejskich, gdzie przyjmowały się formy nieklasycznego baroku, w tym na Dolnym Śląsku. Metoda elewacji wklęsło-wypukłej dawała bowiem duże możliwości w kreowaniu przyciągającej uwagę architektury i umożliwiała wyszukaną aranżację wnętrz urbanistycznych o silnym oddziaływaniu na odbiorcę. Metoda parete ondulata nie została przyswojona w lokalnej architekturze śląskiej. Większość budowli, które prezentują tę formę powstała na podstawie projektów Kiliana Ignaca Dientzenhofera. Poza tym metoda w zredukowanej formie została też zastosowana w kilku przypadkach przez architektów austriackich działających na Śląsku (J. B. Peintner, Ch. Hackner). W ciasnych wnętrzach urbanistycznych technika parete ondulata umożliwiała silniejsze oddziaływanie. Jednak na Śląsku wykorzystano ją tylko w pałacowych fasadach pierzei ulicznych we Wrocławiu – pałac Hatzfeldów i Uniwersytet Wrocławski oraz drobnych formach stosowanych w architekturze w latach 1715–1740, np. w portalach. Pomimo to, tych kilka dzieł architektury monumentalnej wzniesionych na Dolnym Śląsku z użyciem omawianej techniki prezentuje się jako dzieła wybitne w skali ogólnoeuropejskiej o indywidualnych, lokalnych cechach. Ze względu na twórców, wykazują również powinowactwo z kręgiem austriackim i czeskim.

Artykuł podejmuje problem pamięci zbiorowej o czasach II wojny światowej wśród mieszkańców śląskiej wsi Bojszowy. Odwołując się do koncepcji traumy kulturowej Jeffreya C. Alexandra zadano pytanie: czy w przypadku pamięci mieszkańców badanej wsi o czasach wojny mamy do czynienia z wystąpieniem traumy kulturowej? Do analizy wybrano dwa problemy: pamięć o służbie mężczyzn w Wehrmachcie oraz pamięć o sąsiedztwie nazistowskiego obozu zagłady w Auschwitz-Birkenau (wieś znajduje się w bezpośrednim sąsiedztwie Oświęcimia). Odpowiedź na pytanie badawcze uzyskano dzięki analizie trzydziestu relacji zebranych techniką wywiadu pogłębionego. Badanie odtworzonych treści pamięci zbiorowej pokazało, że pamięć o służbie bojszowian w Wehrmachcie ma charakter traumy kulturowej. Pamięć o tych dramatycznych doświadczeniach przetworzona została na narrację, która odmieniła tożsamość mieszkańców wsi. Taki proces nie zaszedł w przypadku pamięci o obozie Zagłady, dlatego równie trudnych wydarzeń związanych z tym sąsiedztwem nie można ujmować w kategoriach traumy kulturowej.

Among Gierowski's research, an important place was occupied by works on the past of Silesia. He started Silesian studies that fit into socio‑economic history. He also published syntheses and source editions devoted to the history of Silesia. His research was continued by Józef Lesz-czyński and Krystyn Matwijowski. Leszczyński continued and developed his reflection on the social and legal history of Silesia. Among them, he examined the problems of peasant revolts, the situation of the poorest in Silesia during the Thirty Years' War and after its end. He studied Polish‑Silesian relations in the 17th and 18th centuries. Matwijowski conducted research on the history of Pietism and the history of everyday life in Silesia and works devoted to the past of Lower Silesian towns. Gierowski's research is inspired by Jerzy Maroń, the author of a book devoted to the Thirty Years' War in Silesia, Leszek Ziątkowski, authors part of the history of Wrocław and books about the past of Jews in Silesia. Jacek Dębicki deals with the history of culture in Silesia. Daniel Wojtucki develops studies on socio‑cultural phenomena in Silesia and Lusatia.

The article attempts to show Szczepan Twardoch’s novel Drach as a literary version of the counter- history, which constitute an alternative vision of the past. The theory of counter-history was taken from Michel Foucault’s writings Society Must Be Defended. By this conception Foucault tried to restore the history of those excluded from the offi cial historical discourse.

Zoo is a didactic assembly induced in the system of urban greenery. It has an educational, entertainment, and scientific values. This kind of gardens, directly derived from tradition of baroque menagerie, were created from the mid-18th century. Their greatest development occured since the 2nd half of 19th century and the 20th century. The article is regarding issues of the miniature zoo in Upper Silesia created before World War II. They will be presented their resource, state of preservation and the characteristics of selected examples.

In the collection of Silesian kwartniks of the National Museum in Wrocław there is a unique, unidentified example of type Fbg 1109. Previous attempts to attribute this coin to the Duchies of Wrocław or Świdnica were based on unclear premises. Re-analysis of the coin dies allows for the presentation of a new attribution proposal.

This paper is an attempt to answer the question: can the process of historical source construction be a way of responding to national catastrophe?
The primary meaning of the word catastrophe is the unexpected but logical conclusion of a play. Although the word "catastrophe" has changed its meaning, it still retains its connotation. It is not a meaningless ending. History cannot be the cure for catastrophe in the classical sense. Its effects are well described by the idea of Pharmakon, which we can find in Plato. Pharmakon is both a medicine and a poison. A person suffering a catastrophe is not cured, but rather is inebriated by history. It is what gives one the strength to survive the trauma of catastrophe. Historians are no exception.
The second half of the article is a concrete example (case‑study) of how, under the guise of objective studies of historical documents, historians create realities that help them to relive (but not cure) the trauma of catastrophe. Often the historical source is perceived as an immutable, natural basis for the construction of a historical narrative. A historical source has no nationality, but it can obtain it. The most popular and simple way is the publication of new (or first) historical sources edition as "nationals" This article examines a specific example of the race between Polish and German historians (after 1945) on the issue of publishing historical sources concerning mediaeval Silesian history. Since the very same documents had to be published, the primacy in publication of new editions had to determine its "nationality".

Chromium ore is treated as an important strategic raw material. It is used by many branches of the industry. The most important applications are metallurgical, refractory and chemical. Unfortunately, no chromium ore deposits have been found in Poland until now, with the exception of two chromium ore sites described in the Lower Silesia region. These concentrations are formed by chromitite, which is rock consisting mainly of chromian spinel. They are localized within so called Sudetic Ophiolite rocks along the edge of the Góry Sowie Massif. They form typical podiform deposits, which are characterized by the high Al content of the rock. The first locality, near Tąpadła village (the Gogołów-Jordanów Massif), is better known. The ore was exploited here at the turn of the19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century. According to the literature, 3500 tons of the ore was obtained - all the resources at this location. The second locality, situated at the Braszowice-Brzeźnica Massif, was never studied and described properly, falling into obscurity since the 19th century. During the field work at the Braszowice-Brzeźnica Massif, the author has found numerous chromium ore fragments among the debris. The rising prices of chromium on the world's markets suggest that it is reasonable to study the ore quality and overall resource potential of this deposit. The preliminary studies have shown that chromitities from Braszowice are typical ores of the podiform variety, the majority texturally massive and nodular. The chemical analyses of the primary chromianspinels grains revealed that they could be treated as refractory chromite (38% wt. of Cr2O3, lower than 30% wt. of Al2O3, and Cr/Fe ratio about 3:1). However, the metamorphic processes modified the primary chemical composition of the studied ore. They caused enrichment in Fe and Cr, and a decrease in Al in comparison to the primary ore. Moreover, the whole rock chemical analyses revealed that the content of the main elements is insufficient to use the ore without enrichment processes. Furthermore, the size and number of the potential ore bodies are presumably small. Consequently, both the chemical composition and the resources of the chromium ores from the Braszowice–Brzeźnica Massif are insufficient to allow for profitable exploitation, despite the high price of chromium.

Józef Andrzej Gierowski’s academic profile is presented in the light of his interest in the problems of universal history in relation to events, but above all to phenomena which allow for a better knowledge and understanding of the mentality of the people of the time, their activities and their consequences. Gierowski’s studies on the history of Europe were closely linked to the history of the Polish‑Lithuanian Commonwealth (especially the period of the Saxon Wettin dynasty on the Polish throne), highlighting its international position and associations, and the resulting foreign policy of its rulers. Among the questions raised, there was no shortage of issues relating to the culture and ideology of the Baroque and the Enlightenment and, of primary interest to the researcher, the problem‑laden, not fully deciphered transition period between the two currents.
The second ‘part’ of the article emphasises Józef Andrzej Gierowski’s understanding of Europe as a certain whole, encompassing not only political history, social or economic affairs, but also cultural patterns and phenomena to which he was particularly sensitive.

The article describes the finds of six Roman coins and a mysterious object with an Arabic legend discovered in the years 2000–2014 at the bottom of Lake Turawskie, created in 1939. With the creation of the reservoir many archaeological sites (of varied chronology, from the Roman period to the late Middle Ages) were flooded, many of which could not be properly investigated due to the time pressure. The Roman coins presented here are a standard part in the overall image of coins discovered in Silesia. The mysterious object with an Arabic legend is unique, it has partial analogies in Norman weights or early-Arab coins (al-wafā lillāh coinage).

The article examines the coverage of Cieszyn Silesia in the Ilustrowany Kurier Codzienny, a respected nation-wide daily based in Cracow, during the escalating crisis in Polish-Czechoslovak relations in August–October 1938. An analysis of over four hundred articles shows that while the primary focus was on the situation of ethnic Poles in the disputed region (Zaolzie, or Trans- Olza) and the problems facing Czechoslovakia on the international stage, the IKC also took care to provide its readers with information about the history and economic importance of the former Duchy of Cieszyn (Těšín, Teschen).

„Polonia” była dziennikiem Górnego Śląska założonym przez Wojciecha Korfantego. Wychodziła od 1926 roku i ukazywała się do końca okresu międzywojennego. Dziennik jest skarbnicą wiedzy na temat stosunków lokalnych na Górnym Śląsku, ale także źródłem na temat ważnych dla całego kraju problemów politycznych. Relacje na temat krajowych wydarzeń politycznych „Polonii” są istotne nie tylko ze względu na to, że obrazują regionalny punkt widzenia, ale także są skarbnicą informacji na temat konfliktu pomiędzy Korfantym a Piłsudskim.