Od „góry z metalu” po „górę z lasu”. Kontrasty krajobrazowe Śląska

Abstract

From a “mountain of met al” to a “mountain of forest”. Contrasting landscapes in Silesia

The article focuses on the perception of Upper Silesia in the inter-war period, when it was seen as a geographical region comprising contrasting landscapes: mountains with all their attributes and land degraded by heavy industry.
The author carries out a detailed analysis of two texts. One is a poem by Julian Przyboś, an exponent of the avant-garde, entitled The King. Vistula-Foundry, and the other — the chapter The symbolism of landscape from an essay by the parish priest of the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Katowice, Rev. Emil Szramek, entitled Silesia as a Sociological Problem. The poetry and the essay bring about a clash of strongly contrasting landscapes, achieving a surprising aesthetic effect, and discover a new cognitive quality.