Silesia

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Silesia Historic region in e central Europe, now mostly lying in sw Poland, with the remainder in n Czech Republic and se Germany. A former Polish province, it passed from Poland to Bohemia in the 14th century, became part of the Habsburg empire, and was seized by Prussia from Austria in 1742. In World War 2, it was invaded by the Soviet Union, but in 1945 a greater part of the land returned to Poland by the terms of the Potsdam Conference. Upper Silesia is primarily an industrial region of mining and metals, based around Katowice; Lower Silesia, with a milder climate, is more agricultural.

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