Katowice

In the Katowice region, in Upper Silesia , ethnic Silesians live with the earliest documented history ^{[3] [4]} . Initially, it was ruled by the Polish Silesian Piast dynasty until its disappearance ^[5] . The settlement of the area surrounding Katowice dates back to the end of the 12th century. Since 1138, Bytom's castolin covered the territory where Katowice is now located. In 1177, the lands were legally transferred by the Duke Casimir II the Righteous to his nephew Meshko I Tangelfut ^[6] . This justified their inclusion in the medieval Silesian provinces. At the turn of the XIV century, new villages were created under the names Bogusice, Ligot, Chopenice and Podlesi, as well as the village of Domb, mentioned in 1299 in a document issued by the Duke Casimir of Bytom.

Since 1327, the region was ruled by the Czech Republic as part of the Kingdom of Bohemia . In historical documents dated 1468, there was a reference to the settlement of Podlesi, which is currently one of the urban areas, while the village of Katowice (or “Katowice” in the old records) was first mentioned in 1598 ^[7] . Historians believe that Katowice was founded on the right bank of the Rava River by Andrzej from Bogucice around 1580.

In 1742, the First Silesian War transferred Upper Silesia, including Katowice, to Prussia. Subsequently, from the second half of the XVIII century, many German or Prussian artisans, traders and artists began to settle in the region, which in the last hundreds of years was inhabited by Poles. At the same time, Silesia experienced the influx of the first Jewish settlers. In the first half of the 19th century, intensive industrialization turned local mills and farms into industrial steel mills, mines, foundries and craft workshops. It also contributed to the creation of companies and the rapid growth of the city. At the same time, Katowice connected to the railway system with the first train arriving at the main station in 1847.

Katowice received city status in 1865 in the Prussian province of Silesia ^[7] . The city flourished due to large mineral (especially coal) deposits in the nearby mountains. The vast growth of cities and prosperity depended on the coal and steel industry, which began during the industrial revolution. The city was inhabited mainly by Germans, Silesians, Jews and Poles. In 1884, 36 Jewish Zionist delegates met to form the Hovevei Zion movement. Previously, part of the Bechten district, in 1873, became the capital of the new Katowice district. April 1, 1899 the city was separated from the district, becoming an independent city ^[4] .

In accordance with the Treaty of Versailles after the First World War, a plebiscite of Upper Silesia was organized by the League of Nations ^[8] . The population voted (22,774 people) to remain part of Germany, but 3,900 people voted for Poland. Despite the majority of votes, the city was attached to Poland. After the Silesian Uprising of 1918-21, Katowice became part of the second Polish Republic with some autonomy for the Silesian Parliament as an electoral district and the Council of the Silesian Voivodeship as an executive body) ^[8] .

In the early stages of World War II, Katowice was essentially abandoned, as the Polish army had to position itself around Krakow. At a time when the shelling of Westerplatte on September 1, 1939 was recognized as the first to be involved in World War II, Hitler actually ordered a silent sabotage mission the day before, dressing his SS officers like Polish soldiers. Under Nazi occupation, many historical and religious monuments of the city were destroyed, especially the Great Katowice Synagogue, which was burned to the ground on September 4, 1939. This was followed by a change in street names and the introduction of strict rules. In addition, the use of the Polish language in public conversations was prohibited. The German administration is also notorious for organizing public executions of civilians, and by mid-1941 most of the Polish and Jewish population had been expelled.

During the German occupation, the Ferum plant in the city of Katowice for the Wehrmacht produced rockets ^[9] . An underground group of Polish communists acted in the city (one of the participants of which was the Soviet border guard, senior lieutenant S. V. Kozlenkov) ^[10] .

In January 1945, Katowice was liberated by the Red Army from German occupation ^[11] .

The post-war period of Katowice was characterized by the time of development of heavy industry in the Upper Silesian region, which helped the city regain its status as an industrialized Polish city and a large administrative center. As the city developed rapidly, the 1950s marked a significant increase in the population and the influx of migrants from the Eastern border regions, the so-called Kresi. The urban area began to expand rapidly due to the inclusion of neighboring communes and counties.

From March 7, 1953 to December 10, 1956, Katowice was called Stalinogrud in honor of the leader of the Soviet Union Joseph Stalin ^[12] . This change was made by decision of the Council of State. In 1956, the former name was returned after numerous protests ^[13] . In 1999, Katowice became the center of the Silesian Voivodeship, in 1975-1998 it was the center of the Katowice Voivodeship .

In 1990, the first democratic local elections marked a new period in the history of the city. The economy of Katowice has evolved from the heavy industry of steel and coal mines into “one of the most attractive investment sites for the branches of the modern economy in Central Europe ” ^[14] . Recently, the city’s efficient infrastructure, rapid progress in overall development and an increase in office space have made Katowice a popular business venue. The Katowickie Centrum Wystawiennicze organizes fairs or exhibitions and attracts investors from all over the world ^[15] . Katowice is the central city of the Upper Silesian Industrial Region and the main city of the Upper Silesian Conurbation .

Katowice is the center of the coal and metallurgical industry.

The climate is temperate continental. The average temperature is +8.2 ° C (-1.5 ° C in January and up to +18 ° C in July). The average annual rainfall is 608.5 mm. Characteristic westerly weak winds blow at a speed of about 2 m / s. ^[sixteen]

Katowice is one of the largest transport hubs in Poland.

• At a distance of 30 km from the city is Katowice International Airport .
• The city has the Katowice Railway Station , serving more than 12 million people annually. In addition, there are 14 other railway stations and platforms, in particular, the important stations of Katowice-Zavodze and Katowice-Ligota .
• The city has 10 tram lines included in the Silesian Tram system, which covers 13 cities of the Silesian Voivodeship . In the city there are more than 100 bus routes for urban and intercity communication.

Katowice is located on the Katowice Upland (highlands), part of the Silesian Mountains, in the eastern part of Upper Silesia , in the south of Poland , about 50 km north of the Silesian Beskids (part of the Carpathian Mountains) and about 100 km southeast of the Sudeten Mountains, in the central part of the Upper Silesian coal basin. The city lies on the watershed of the Vistula and Oder basins, several rivers flow through its territory, the main of which are the Rava (tributary of Brynitsa ) and Klodnitsa (tributary of the Oder), as well as several smaller watercourses.

Katowice is an urban community in the Silesian Voivodeship in southwestern Poland. This is the central area of ​​the Silesian Metropolis - a metropolis with a population of two million people. It borders the cities of Chorzow , Siemianowice Silesia, Sosnowiec , Myslowice , Lodziny , Tychy , Mikolow , Ruda Slaska and Celada ^[17] .

Within 600 km from Katowice are the capitals of six countries: Berlin , Vienna , Prague , Bratislava , Budapest and Warsaw .

Currently, the city of Katowice is inhabited mainly by Poles and ethnic Silesians, as well as several minorities of Germans, Czechs and Moravians ^[18] . It also makes the region religiously and culturally diverse. Over the years, this diversity has been strongly reflected in local architecture, such as an apartment building and government buildings. A recent Polish census showed that Silesians are the largest ethnic minority in Poland, and the Germans are second in the list. Both of these minorities live mainly in the Silesian region. Therefore, it is the most multicultural province of Poland.

Before World War II, Katowice was mainly inhabited by Poles and Germans. The Silesian demographic census of 1905 showed that Germans accounted for almost 75% of the total population. After the defeat of Germany in 1945, the large German majority was forced to flee ^[18] .

Katowice was not built as a medieval city. The city center began to form in the middle of the XIX century, when it was part of the Kingdom of Prussia and had an ethnic German majority. The buildings of that time are decorated in an eclectic style (mainly a renaissance with Baroque elements). By the end of the nineteenth century, the center was called “little Paris” due to the presence of apartment buildings in the Parisian style. Examples of modernism, especially the International Style and the Bauhaus-inspired architecture, still coexist with modern office buildings in central Katowice. In the 1950s and 1980s, many socialist apartment buildings were built in the inner suburbs. Famous examples of this period include a multi-purpose arena complex called Spodek and parts of the Kozyutka area ^[19] .

Katowice is one of the few cities in Poland where almost all architectural styles are present. For example, the market square in Katowice (Polish: Rynek Katowicki) is surrounded by the vast majority of buildings and structures representing styles such as neoclassicism, modernism, socialist realism. Some apartments have neo-Gothic elements that are an outstanding example of this type in Central and Eastern Europe ^[20] . The outlines of the streets, especially in the old inland areas, are very reminiscent of those in Paris. Representative boulevards and boardwalks were created despite the strong industrial character of the city. They, however, mainly adorned the city center, rather than the outer suburbs of the working class.

Unfortunately, many old stately buildings were demolished in the 1950s to make way for monumental modern blocks. Among other reasons for their destruction were huge architectural details that once represented the wealth of local industrialists and owners. At that time, this was not particularly consistent with the socialist system and the communist government.

Katowice is a major coal mining and steel center. It has several coal mines (Uyek mine, Myslowice-Wesola mine, Vechzorek mine, Murky mine, Stasic mine), organized in trade unions - the Katowice Coal Company (pl: Katowicki Holding Węglowy), two metallurgical factory (Huta Baildon, Huta Ferrum) and one non-ferrous metal foundry (Huta Metali Nieżelaznych Szopienice) ^[21] .

Katowice is a major trade fair center. Every year, dozens of international trade fairs are held at the Katowice International Fair and in Spodek. Katowice has the second largest business center in Poland (after the Warsaw Business Center). Skyscrapers stand along the streets of Khorzhovsk, Korfantego and Rodzhensky. The newest office buildings are Khorzovskaya 50, Altus skyscraper and Silesia towers.

Katowice is a resident of the Katowice Special Economic Zone (Katowice Special Econo-Arrow).

The unemployment rate is one of the lowest in Poland - 2% (2008) ^[22] . The city is still characterized by the strength of the working class and attracts many people from neighboring cities and countries.

Katowice is a major research center. The city has more than 20 universities with a total number of students over 100,000, among them:

• Silesian University of Katowice
• University of Economics in Katowice
• Silesian Medical University, en: Medical University of Silesia
• Silesian University of Technology , en: Silesian University of Technology
• University of Social Psychology and Humanities
• Academy of Music named after Karol Szymanowski

Also available:

• about 80 high schools
• 35 gymnasiums
• 55 elementary schools
• about 50 libraries , including en: Silesian Library

• May 28 is the annual holiday of Kashanka ( Polish. Święto Krupnioka ).
• One of the sights of the city is the large sports complex " Spodek ".
• May 14, 2014 - a monument to Soviet soldiers who died during the Second World War was dismantled ^[23] .
• The annual ESL One Katowice eSports World Championship is held in Katowice: Dota 2 , Counter-Strike: Global Offensive , Hearthstone , Heroes of the Storm , StarCraft II , Overwatch and League of Legends .

•   Germany : Cologne
•   Czech Republic : Ostrava
•   USA : Mobile (Alabama)
•   France : Saint-Etienne
•   Denmark : Odense
•   Hungary : Miskolc
•   Netherlands : Groningen
•   Ireland : South Dublin
•   China : Shenyang
•   Ukraine : Donetsk

• Great Synagogue in Katowice
• Parachute tower in Katowice
• Brynuv
• Gishovec
• Nikishevets

• City Council
• City commercial site
• About Katowice
• Webcam in Katowice (inaccessible link)
• Hotels in Katowice
• Trams in Katowice