Problemy narodowościowe i wyznaniowe w kontekście szkolnictwa konfesyjnego w Bielsku (Bielsku-Białej) w XX wieku

The article deals with the issues of religious education, its transformations and geopolitical and ethnic conditions in Bielsko (Bielsko-Biała). It presents the ethnic structure of the city at the time when Poland regained independence as well as subsequent changes that took place during the interwar period and after the Second World War. Once in Poland, Bielsko embarked upon an accelerated process of Polonisation, which stifled German education and led to a rapid expansion of Polish education. In practice, German education was limited to religious education in the Bielski Syjon (Bielitzer Zion) district. Numerous restrictions along with the spread of fascist ideology led to the complete radicalisation of the German community, thus giving the impression that Evangelical education equals German education. Unfortunately, the stigmatisation of Evangelical education and evangelicals themselves as Germans led to persecutions and alienation attempts after the war. The fate of the Catholic school run by the School Sisters of Notre Dame was similar. The accusations of collaboration with Nazi Germany during the occupation and the postwar state policy towards the Catholic Church made the sisters cease their education agenda. Despite difficulties, religious education in Bielsko-Biała recovered quickly after the 1989 political transformation. Today, it is experiencing its renaissance. Schools run by various religious denominations, often scoring high in education rankings, are very popular among both students and parents.