Introduction

The latest issue of the Ignatianum Philosophical Yearbook includes a thematic section featuring articles prepared to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the State Archives in Opole—one of 33 such institutions within the network of Polish state archives. These anniversaries, which began in 2019 with the centenary of the Decree on the Organization of State Archives and the Protection of Archival Materials issued by Head of State Józef Piłsudski, provide an opportunity to revisit the invaluable historical sources preserved in archival storage. The jubilee of the Opole archives, celebrated in 2023, inspired researchers to embrace the idea of returning to the sources. Consequently, the presented texts are based on archival analysis and are primarily situated within the broadly understood discourse on the history of Silesia.