▁was ▁spoken , ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁the ▁land ▁area ▁in ▁which ▁it ▁was ▁spoken ▁by ▁the ▁majority , ▁decl ined ▁between ▁ 1 7 9 0 ▁and ▁ 1 8 9 0 . ▁Polish ▁authors ▁before ▁ 1 9 1 8 ▁estimated ▁the ▁number ▁of ▁Pol es ▁in ▁Pr uss ian ▁Upper ▁S iles ia ▁as ▁slightly ▁higher ▁than ▁according ▁to ▁official ▁German ▁cens uses . ▁ ▁Ple bis cite ▁in ▁Pr uss ian ▁Upper ▁S iles ia ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁ 1 9 2 1 ▁ple bis cite , ▁ 4 0 . 6 % ▁of ▁el ig ible ▁vot ers ▁( people ▁over ▁ 2 0 ▁years ▁old ▁– ▁a ▁minimum ▁age ▁that ▁fav oured ▁the ▁German - spe aking ▁population , ▁whose ▁median ▁age ▁was ▁greater ▁than ▁that ▁of ▁Polish - spe akers ▁of ▁Upper ▁S iles ia , ▁according ▁to ▁cens uses ▁of ▁ 1 9 0 0 – 1 9 1 0 ) ▁decided ▁to ▁se ced e ▁from ▁Germany ▁and ▁become ▁Polish ▁citizens . ▁In ▁total , ▁over ▁seven ▁hundred ▁towns ▁and ▁villages ▁voted ▁in ▁favour ▁of ▁Poland , ▁especially ▁in ▁the ▁count ies ▁of ▁P sz cz yna , ▁Ry b nik , ▁T arn ow skie ▁Gó ry , ▁T os zek - G li w ice , ▁Str zel ce ▁O pol skie , ▁By tom , ▁Kat ow ice , ▁Lub lin iec , ▁Z ab rze , ▁Ra ci b ór z , ▁O les no , ▁Ko ź le ▁and ▁O