# Józef Kożdoń

Józef Kożdoń (Czech: Josef Koždoň; 8 September 1873 – 7 December 1949) was a Silesian autonomist politician.

## Biography

Kożdoń was born on 8 September 1873 in Leszna Górna. He was a teacher (from 1893) and principal (from 1902) of primary schools in Strumień (1893–1898) and Skoczów (1898–1918), an active member of the Country Teachers Union in Austrian Silesia, the founder of the Polish public reading-room in Strumień and a co-founder of the German Reader's Association (Leseverein) in Skoczów, the founder (in summer 1908) and leader of the Silesian People's Party (1909–1938), a co-founder and general secretary of the Union of Silesians (1910–1938) in East Silesia, spokesman of autonomy or independence of Silesia and spokesman of Silesian nation, founder of the Committee for the Maintenance of Clearness of the Silesian dialect in 1910, the deputy of the Silesian Parliament in Opava in the period 1909-1918, member of the town council in Skoczów from 1911, editor of the most popular Silesian newspaper in East Silesia Ślązak (Silesian) and the magazine Śląski Kalendarz Ludowy (Silesian People's Calendar), member of the Austrian Committee to Support for Soldiers' Families in the period 1914-1918, and from October to December 1918 a political prisoner in Polish prison in Kraków. Kożdoń was also a member of the Czechoslovak delegation at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, a member of the Administration Commission for Country Silesia in Opava in the period 1919-1927, four-time mayor of Český Těšín in the period 1923–1938, author of many political articles, letters, petitions and brochures, for example author of petition "representation of Silesian nationality" to Sir Walter Runciman on the question of a plebiscite in Cieszyn Silesia in 1938. He was also the founder (1925) and president (in the period 1940-1944) of the Silesian People's Bank.
Kożdoń died on 7 December 1949 in Opava, at the age of 76.

## Controversies

Kożdoń wrote: "I'm not a German, but I'm not and I don't want to be a Pole, too. I'm Polish speaking Silesian [...] A language commonwealth don't decide about a national union, deciding factor is spirit commonwealth. Silesia has this commonwealth - own separate land's traditions". His politics supported bilingual Polish-German education, for example Kożdoń supported insertion of German language to Polish primary school in Górki Wielkie and demanded insertion of Polish language to German grammar and gymnasial schools in Cieszyn. His politics supported German-language Silesian culture, Slavic Silesian folk culture and local Slavic Silesian dialects. Kożdoń's stances on the position of German culture in Cieszyn Silesia remain however controversial, as several historians claim he and his supporters accented German character of the whole Cieszyn Silesia and supported Germanization policies.
On 18 September 1938 Walter Harbich, as leader of "assembly of Silesian nationality", sent a telegram to Adolf Hitler, requesting independence of Cieszyn Silesia under a protection of Nazi Germany. Petition in the same question was sent to the prime minister of the UK Neville Chamberlain, too. On 2 October 1938 Rudolf Francus and Walter Harbich - leaders of German-language faction of Silesian People's Party sent a next telegram to Hitler, speaking in protest of Silesian people and German people from Bohumín against cession of the Trans-Olza to Poland. All the telegrams were sent without knowledge of Kożdoń.

## Works

* Kożdoń Josef, Über die Sonderstellung der schlesischen Polen, die nationalen Verhältnisse und die allpolnische Propaganda in Ostschlesien (Beilage Rede des Landtagabg[eordneten] Koždon in der Budgetdebatte des schlesischen Landtages (44. Sitzung) am 8. November 1910), Skotschau 1910.
* Kożdoń Josef, Denkschrift der Schles[ischen] Volkspartei an die Interallierte Volksabstimmungkommission in Teschen, Cieszyn 1920.
* Kożdoń Józef, Krzyk rozpaczy o pomoc dla Ślązaków (dodatek skargi i żale Śląskiej Partyi Ludowej do międzynarodowej Komisyi plebiscytowej w Cieszynie w sprawie polskich aktów gwałtu i terroru), Moravská Ostrava 1920.
* Kożdoń Josef, 4. Beschwerde-Eingabe der schlesischen Volkspartei an die internationale Volksabstimmungkommission in Teschen, Moravská Ostrava 1920.
* Kożdoń Józef, Memoryał Śląskiej Partyi Ludowej w sprawie plebiscytu w Księstwie Cieszyńskim wystosowany do Międzynarodowej Komisyi Plebiscytowej w Cieszynie, Moravská Ostrava 1920.
* Kożdoń Josef, Das Recht unserer schlesischen Heimat auf die verwaltungmässige Selbständigkeit, Troppau 1927.
* Kożdoń Josef, Teschen und Teschner Land, Sonderdruck aus dem Werk „Schlesien“ Band 8, Berlin-Fiedenau 1930.
* Kożdoń Josef, "Aus der jüngster Geschichte der Teschener Landes – Erinnerungen und Erlebnisse", in: Schlesisches Jahrbuch, Breslau 1940.
* Kożdoń Józef, Mój stosunek do Polski, Polaków i do ludności naszej, Český Těšín 1946.
* Kożdoń Josef, Moje zkušenosti ve službě vlasti, můj osud, Opava 1948.