Silesian Parliament
The Silesian Parliament ( Sejm Slaski ) was a legislative body of the Autonomous Silesian Voivodeship to the seat in Katowice voivodship. It was created after the First World War, by virtue of the founding statute of the Province ( Statutu Organiczny Województwa Śląskiego ) of 15 July 1920 the principles of the Silesian Autonomy regulated within Poland. The Silesian Parliament in turn appointed a Woiwodschaftsrat and had laws violence in Silesia, where the foreign policy and military matters were withdrawn its competence and the Warsaw Parliament documents.
The first elections to the Silesian Parliament took place in September 1922 were elected 48 delegates ( Posel ). Was elected to three constituencies:
The first Marshal of the Silesian Parliament was Konstanty Wolny.
German minority
In Silesia there was a significant German minority. This was represented by three parties in Parliament:
- Catholic People's Party ( KVP )
- German Party ( DP)
- German Social Democratic Party ( DSP)
CIP and DP competed on a common electoral list, the German electoral bloc. The members of all three parties formed a common fraction to 1926, the German Club. From 1926 the Social Democrats resigned and formed with the PPS a common fraction.
Voivod and the Wojewodschaftsrat
The Silesian Sejm elected a voivode as head of the Autonomous Silesian Voivodeship and consisting of 5 persons Wojewodschaftsrat. The only German representative in the Wojewodschaftsrat was 1922-1934 Leopold Michatz.
Building
During the German occupation in the Second World War and the creation of the Nazi Gau Upper Silesia, 1941 Upper Silesia and Lesser Poland Katowice areas was converted into a provincial capital and the Silesian Parliament for County House.
The parliament building was built from 1925 to 1929 partly of sandstone and was at that time with 634 rooms and 161 474 cubic meters of enclosed space, the largest building in Poland. Only in 1932 the works were completed and equipped the interior. The cube is a square with a courtyard represents, at the corners just such components are connected.
Now located in the Parliament building is the headquarters of Marshal of the Silesian Voivodeship.