In the People’s Republic of Poland (PRL), physical goods were rare and difficult to come by, and when they were available, the quality was low. Frequently, when people were looking for something durable, they would use something “poniemieckie” (ex-German/post-German or “postdeutsch” in German).
Even in my youth in the eighties, more than 40 years after the war, in the area of Poznań, some of the most precious possessions were often remnants of the German presence.
I witnessed more than once when a proud owner of furniture, equipment, etc., would bang it with an open palm and exclaim: “poniemieckie.”
The term literally means post-German, but such a brief translation hardly conveys the full meaning.
These objects did not have to belong at any point to the German state or even to German owners to be considered “poniemieckie.”
Someone better acquainted with the difficult history of German-Polish relations might suspect that these objects (and buildings) were left by the German population expelled in the aftermath of the Second World War, but even that does not have to be true.
In large part, the significant remains of German influence in Poznań result from a tragic twist in Polish history when, close to the end of the 18th century, Poland underwent three so-called partitions, where gradually this large state ceased to exist, divided entirely between neighboring Russia, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Prussia.
Poznań was annexed by Prussia (along with the entire region of Greater Poland – Wielkopolska) during the second partition in 1793. By the time Poland regained independence in 1918, the German influence had been huge.
This influence is reflected not only in material remains but also in the local dialect (gwara poznańska).
Even today, someone born in Poznań eats “kartofle” rather than “ziemniaki” (from German “Kartoffeln”), and when going on a trip, takes a “banę” (nominative – “bana” from the German “Bahn”) and for dessert, takes a paper “tytkę” (nominative – “tytka” from “die Tüte”) with a “szneka z glancem” (a traditional pastry resembling a snail in shape – German “Schnecke,” which is covered with glaze “Glanz”).
It is worth remembering this regional characteristic when preparing materials specific to this region.