This place is one of several where Korfanty lived during his stay in the Czech capital. Other addresses associated with his time in Prague included Na Zbořenci 9 and various locations in the city’s suburbs. This plaque serves as a quiet tribute to an outstanding political figure whose life and work left a lasting mark even beyond Poland’s borders.

Wojciech Korfanty, born Adalbert Korfanty on 20 April 1873 in the hamlet of Sadzawka, which was later absorbed by Siemianowice Śląskie, was the son of a miner. His education began at the elementary school in Siemianowice, and he subsequently continued his studies at the Royal Grammar School in Katowice (now the Maria Skłodowska-Curie Grammar School). Whilst at secondary school, Korfanty, in opposition to forced Germanisation and Bismarck’s policies – about whom he spoke very negatively, incidentally – became involved in the defence of Polish identity. As he himself recalled: ‘I must attribute the credit for my national awakening to my anti-Catholic teachers at the secondary school in Katowice, who, by vilifying everything Polish and Catholic, aroused in me a curiosity about Polish literature, from which I longed to learn what this reviled and humiliated nation was, whose language I spoke at home”. Among other things, he founded a secret literary circle. His patriotic activities, including critical remarks about Chancellor Bismarck, led to his expulsion from the secondary school in 1895.

After completing his secondary education as an external student in 1895, thanks to the intervention of the MP Józef Kościelski, Korfanty began his studies at the Technical University of Charlottenburg. He then transferred to the Royal University of Wrocław, where he completed two semesters at the Faculty of Philosophy. His education was interrupted for two years, during which he worked as a private tutor for the Lithuanian aristocrat Witold Jundziłło. He resumed his studies in 1899, and in May 1901 he moved to Berlin for his final semester, where he graduated.

Wojciech Korfanty’s political activity between 1901 and 1908 was a period of intense involvement in Polish and national affairs. After completing his studies, Korfanty began working with the National League, collaborating with the group’s leading activist, Roman Dmowski. From 1901, he served as editor-in-chief of *Górnoślązak*, a newspaper with a strong nationalist and social focus, aimed at the Polish population of Upper Silesia, and from 1905, of the journal *Polak*.

In 1902, Korfanty was sentenced to imprisonment in Wronki for publishing the articles ‘To the Germans’ and ‘To My Upper Silesian Brothers’, which had a patriotic tone and raised the issue of Silesia’s Polish identity. During this time, Korfanty gained recognition and support amongst the Polish population, which strengthened his position as a national leader in Upper Silesia.

Between 1903 and 1912, and again in 1918, Korfanty served as a member of the Reichstag, representing the Polish Circle. In the German parliament, he was committed to defending the rights of Poles and demanded the incorporation of the Polish territories under Prussian rule into the reborn Republic of Poland. His speech of 25 October 1918, in which he demanded the incorporation of all Polish territories under Prussian rule into Poland, as well as the release of Józef Piłsudski, marked a significant milestone in his political career and underscored his determination in the struggle for the Polish cause.

Between 1920 and 1923, Wojciech Korfanty’s activities were characterised by his intense commitment to the Polish identity of Upper Silesia and his participation in the political life of the reborn Poland. Korfanty, appointed by the Polish government as commissioner for the Upper Silesian plebiscite in 1920, oversaw the organisational, propaganda and political preparations for the forthcoming plebiscite, which was to determine the region’s affiliation.

Korfanty co-led the Second Silesian Uprising in 1920, which was a response by Polish military and plebiscite organisations to anti-Polish actions by the Germans in the run-up to the plebiscite. The order to fight was issued on 19 August 1920, and the uprising began during the night of 19–20 August, encompassing virtually the entire industrial district. The insurgents’ aim was to drive the German Security Police out of the plebiscite area and to dismantle German paramilitary organisations and militias.

As a result of dissatisfaction with the outcome of the plebiscite, which took place on 20 March 1921 – in which 40.3 per cent of the population voted in favour of joining Poland, meaning that almost the entire plebiscite area fell to the Germans – the Third Silesian Uprising broke out. Korfanty, despite his initial scepticism towards the uprisings, took command of it. Following initial military successes, he gave the order to suspend hostilities and await the decision of the Entente’s Inter-Allied Commission.

As a result of the Third Silesian Uprising, the region was partitioned in a manner more favourable to Poland. Of the plebiscite area, 29 per cent of the territory and 46 per cent of the population were incorporated into Poland, which was also economically beneficial, as the incorporated territory included, amongst other things, 53 of the 67 existing mines and 9 of the 14 steelworks.

In 1922, Korfanty became a member of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland and was even nominated as Prime Minister, though this was blocked by Józef Piłsudski. In 1924, he bought the magazine *Polonia* from Ignacy Paderewski and founded it.

In the 1930s, Wojciech Korfanty’s activities were closely linked to his opposition to the Sanation government and his work in exile.

Following the May Coup of 1926, Korfanty found himself in opposition to the government of Józef Piłsudski and the Sanation movement. During this period, Wojciech Korfanty gained a reputation as an outstanding publicist, whose writing skilfully commented not only on current events but also addressed fundamental ideological issues. His journalistic work reflected not only a deep understanding of political realities but also a rich intellectual background, shaped over the years by his reading of works spanning a wide range of disciplines.

He took a critical stance towards the authoritarian tendencies of the authorities, particularly following the events in Brest in 1930. As a co-organiser of Centrolew, he was arrested and imprisoned in the Brest Fortress, which had a significant impact on his subsequent political and personal fate. His opponents accused him, amongst other things, of having made a opportunistic decision to suspend hostilities during the uprising, thereby limiting Poland’s ability to occupy the whole of Upper Silesia. In the spring of 1935, facing the threat of further arrest, Korfanty went into exile in Czechoslovakia, where he continued his political activities.

Whilst in exile in Prague, Korfanty was an active participant in the political life of the Polish émigré community, being one of the founders of the Morges Front. The Morges Front, named after the town in Switzerland where it was formed, brought together prominent figures from the Polish political scene, such as Ignacy Paderewski, Józef Haller and Wincenty Witos. The Front’s aim was to create a strong opposition to the authoritarian Sanacja regime and to promote a democratic order in Poland.

Korfanty was also involved in organising and leading the Labour Party, which emerged from a merger between the Christian Democrats and the National Workers’ Party. The Labour Party was a centre-left party, focusing on social, labour and economic issues, and striving to build a just society in accordance with the principles of Christian democracy.

Following the annexation of Czechoslovakia, he left for France. In April 1939, after the Third Reich had terminated the Non-Aggression and Non-Violence Pact, Korfanty decided to return to Poland. Unfortunately, his return led to his arrest and imprisonment at Pawiak, where he spent almost three months. He was released on 20 July due to his deteriorating health. He died on 17 August 1939 in Warsaw. His death was the result of a serious illness, which led to his admission to St Joseph’s Hospital on Hoża Street. The circumstances of his death gave rise to much controversy, and one theory suggests that he may have been poisoned by arsenic vapours, as the walls of his cell at Pawiak were impregnated with the substance.

Wojciech Korfanty’s funeral took place in Katowice at the cemetery on Francuska Street. The ceremony was attended by around 5,000 people, which demonstrated the strong support for the pro-independence policies he had championed, and served as an expression of remembrance and respect for him amongst the Silesian people. Many people remembered, in fact, that the Third Silesian Uprising, of which Korfanty was the leader, was one of the few successful Polish armed uprisings, much like the Greater Poland Uprising.

The plaque, cast in bronze, features a relief depiction of the subject’s head within a medallion enclosed by a decorative frame at the top, which transitions into a Neo-Art Nouveau decoration characterised by flowing lines, volutes and geometric motifs. An inscription cast on either side of Korfanty’s portrait reads: WOJCIECH KORFANTY / 1873 1939 //. Below: POLISH INDEPENDENCE ACTIVIST, LEADER / CHRISTIAN DEMOCRACY, FRIEND / OF THE CZECH NATION, RESIDED IN PRAGUE 1935–1938. / POLISH POLITICIAN AND FIGHTER FOR INDEPENDENCE, / LEADING FIGURE OF THE CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATS. / A FRIEND OF THE CZECH NATION, HE LIVED IN PRAGUE FROM 1935 TO 1938. / WROCŁAW – PRAGUE – KATOWICE / 2007 //.