1.
Poland
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Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe, situated between the Baltic Sea in the north and two mountain ranges in the south. Bordered by Germany to the west, the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south, Ukraine and Belarus to the east, the total area of Poland is 312,679 square kilometres, making it the 69th largest country in the world and the 9th largest in Europe. With a population of over 38.5 million people, Poland is the 34th most populous country in the world, the 8th most populous country in Europe, Poland is a unitary state divided into 16 administrative subdivisions, and its capital and largest city is Warsaw. Other metropolises include Kraków, Wrocław, Poznań, Gdańsk and Szczecin, the establishment of a Polish state can be traced back to 966, when Mieszko I, ruler of a territory roughly coextensive with that of present-day Poland, converted to Christianity. The Kingdom of Poland was founded in 1025, and in 1569 it cemented a political association with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania by signing the Union of Lublin. This union formed the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, one of the largest and most populous countries of 16th and 17th century Europe, Poland regained its independence in 1918 at the end of World War I, reconstituting much of its historical territory as the Second Polish Republic. In September 1939, World War II started with the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany, followed thereafter by invasion by the Soviet Union. More than six million Polish citizens died in the war, after the war, Polands borders were shifted westwards under the terms of the Potsdam Conference. With the backing of the Soviet Union, a communist puppet government was formed, and after a referendum in 1946. During the Revolutions of 1989 Polands Communist government was overthrown and Poland adopted a new constitution establishing itself as a democracy, informally called the Third Polish Republic. Since the early 1990s, when the transition to a primarily market-based economy began, Poland has achieved a high ranking on the Human Development Index. Poland is a country, which was categorised by the World Bank as having a high-income economy. Furthermore, it is visited by approximately 16 million tourists every year, Poland is the eighth largest economy in the European Union and was the 6th fastest growing economy on the continent between 2010 and 2015. According to the Global Peace Index for 2014, Poland is ranked 19th in the list of the safest countries in the world to live in. The origin of the name Poland derives from a West Slavic tribe of Polans that inhabited the Warta River basin of the historic Greater Poland region in the 8th century, the origin of the name Polanie itself derives from the western Slavic word pole. In some foreign languages such as Hungarian, Lithuanian, Persian and Turkish the exonym for Poland is Lechites, historians have postulated that throughout Late Antiquity, many distinct ethnic groups populated the regions of what is now Poland. The most famous archaeological find from the prehistory and protohistory of Poland is the Biskupin fortified settlement, dating from the Lusatian culture of the early Iron Age, the Slavic groups who would form Poland migrated to these areas in the second half of the 5th century AD. With the Baptism of Poland the Polish rulers accepted Christianity and the authority of the Roman Church
2.
Central Statistical Office (Poland)
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The president of GUS reports directly to the Prime Minister of Poland and is considered the equivalent of a Polish government minister. GUS was organized in 1918 by Ludwik Krzywicki, one of the most notable sociologists of his time, inactive during World War II, GUS was reorganized in 1945. The office is divided into separate branches, each responsible for a different set of data. Notable GUS publications include Rocznik Statystyczny, Mały Rocznik Statystyczny, and Wiadomości Statystyczne
3.
City
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A city is a large and permanent human settlement. Cities generally have complex systems for sanitation, utilities, land usage, housing, a big city or metropolis usually has associated suburbs and exurbs. Such cities are associated with metropolitan areas and urban areas. Once a city expands far enough to another city, this region can be deemed a conurbation or megalopolis. Damascus is arguably the oldest city in the world, in terms of population, the largest city proper is Shanghai, while the fastest-growing is Dubai. There is not enough evidence to assert what conditions gave rise to the first cities, some theorists have speculated on what they consider suitable pre-conditions and basic mechanisms that might have been important driving forces. The conventional view holds that cities first formed after the Neolithic revolution, the Neolithic revolution brought agriculture, which made denser human populations possible, thereby supporting city development. The advent of farming encouraged hunter-gatherers to abandon nomadic lifestyles and to settle near others who lived by agricultural production, the increased population density encouraged by farming and the increased output of food per unit of land created conditions that seem more suitable for city-like activities. In his book, Cities and Economic Development, Paul Bairoch takes up position in his argument that agricultural activity appears necessary before true cities can form. According to Vere Gordon Childe, for a settlement to qualify as a city, it must have enough surplus of raw materials to support trade and a relatively large population. To illustrate this point, Bairoch offers an example, Western Europe during the pre-Neolithic, when the cost of transport is taken into account, the figure rises to 200,000 square kilometres. Bairoch noted that this is roughly the size of Great Britain, the urban theorist Jane Jacobs suggests that city formation preceded the birth of agriculture, but this view is not widely accepted. In his book City Economics, Brendan OFlaherty asserts Cities could persist—as they have for thousands of years—only if their advantages offset the disadvantages, OFlaherty illustrates two similar attracting advantages known as increasing returns to scale and economies of scale, which are concepts usually associated with businesses. Their applications are seen in more basic economic systems as well, increasing returns to scale occurs when doubling all inputs more than doubles the output an activity has economies of scale if doubling output less than doubles cost. To offer an example of these concepts, OFlaherty makes use of one of the oldest reasons why cities were built, in this example, the inputs are anything that would be used for protection and the output is the area protected and everything of value contained in it. OFlaherty then asks that we suppose the protected area is square, the advantage is expressed as, O = s 2, where O is the output and s stands for the length of a side. This equation shows that output is proportional to the square of the length of a side, the inputs depend on the length of the perimeter, I =4 s, where I stands for the quantity of inputs. So there are increasing returns to scale, O = I2 /16 and this equation shows that with twice the inputs, you produce quadruple the output
4.
Town
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A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size definition for what constitutes a town varies considerably in different parts of the world, the word town shares an origin with the German word Zaun, the Dutch word tuin, and the Old Norse tun. The German word Zaun comes closest to the meaning of the word. An early borrowing from Celtic *dunom, in English and Dutch, the meaning of the word took on the sense of the space which these fences enclosed. In England, a town was a community that could not afford or was not allowed to build walls or other larger fortifications. In the Netherlands, this space was a garden, more specifically those of the wealthy, in Old Norse tun means a place between farmhouses, and is still used in a similar meaning in modern Norwegian. If there was any distinction between toun and burgh as claimed by some, it did not last in practice as burghs, for example, Edina Burgh or Edinburgh was built around a fort and eventually came to have a defensive wall. In some cases, town is a name for city or village. Sometimes, the town is short for township. A places population size is not a determinant of urban character. In many areas of the world, as in India at least until recent times, in the United Kingdom, there are historical cities that are far smaller than the larger towns. Some forms of settlement, such as temporary mining locations, may be clearly non-rural. Towns often exist as governmental units, with legally defined borders. In the United States these are referred to as incorporated towns, in other cases the town lacks its own governance and is said to be unincorporated. Note that the existence of a town may be legally set forth through other means. In the case of planned communities, the town exists legally in the form of covenants on the properties within the town. Australian geographer Thomas Griffith Taylor proposed a classification of towns based on their age, although there is no official use of the term for any settlement. In Albanian qytezë means small city or new city, while in ancient times small residential center within the walls of a castle
5.
Warsaw
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Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It stands on the Vistula River in east-central Poland, roughly 260 kilometres from the Baltic Sea and 300 kilometres from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population is estimated at 1.750 million residents within a metropolitan area of 3.101 million residents. The city limits cover 516.9 square kilometres, while the area covers 6,100.43 square kilometres. Once described as Paris of the East, Warsaw was believed to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world until World War II. On 9 November 1939, the city was awarded Polands highest military decoration for heroism, Warsaw is one of Europe’s most dynamic metropolitan cities. In 2012 the Economist Intelligence Unit ranked Warsaw as the 32nd most liveable city in the world, in 2017 the city came 4th in the “Business-friendly” category and 8th in the “Human capital and life style”. It was also ranked as one of the most liveable cities in Central, Warsaw is considered an Alpha– global city, a major international tourist destination and a significant cultural, political and economic hub. The city is a significant centre of research and development, BPO, ITO, the Warsaw Stock Exchange is the largest and most important in Central and Eastern Europe. Frontex, the European Union agency for external security, has its headquarters in Warsaw. Together with Frankfurt, London and Paris, Warsaw is also one of the cities with the highest number of skyscrapers in the European Union, the city is the seat of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra and the University of Warsaw. The historic city-centre of Warsaw with its picturesque Old Town in 1980 was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, buildings represent examples of nearly every European architectural style and historical period. Warsaw provides many examples of architecture from the gothic, renaissance, baroque, neoclassical and modern periods, furthermore, the city is positioning itself as Europes chic cultural capital with thriving art and club scenes and renowned restaurants. Folk etymology attributes the city name to a fisherman, Wars, according to legend, Sawa was a mermaid living in the Vistula River with whom Wars fell in love. In actuality, Warsz was a 12th/13th-century nobleman who owned a village located at the site of Mariensztat neighbourhood. See also the Vršovci family which had escaped to Poland, the official city name in full is miasto stołeczne Warszawa. A native or resident of Warsaw is known as a Varsovian – in Polish warszawiak, warszawianin, warszawianka, warszawiacy, other names for Warsaw include Varsovia and Varsóvia, Varsovie, Varsavia, Warschau, װאַרשע /Varshe, Варшава /Varšava /Varshava, Varšuva, Varsó. The first fortified settlements on the site of todays Warsaw were located in Bródno, after Jazdów was raided by nearby clans and dukes, a new similar settlement was established on the site of a small fishing village called Warszowa
6.
Szczecin
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Szczecin is the capital city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea, it is a major seaport, as of June 2011, the population was 407,811. Szczecin is located on the Oder, south of the Szczecin Lagoon, the city is situated along the southwestern shore of Dąbie Lake, on both sides of the Oder and on several large islands between the western and eastern branches of the river. The citys recorded history began in the 8th century as a Slavic Pomeranian stronghold, in the 12th century, when Szczecin had become one of Pomeranias main urban centres, it lost its independence to Piast Poland, the Duchy of Saxony, the Holy Roman Empire and Denmark. At the same time, the House of Griffins established themselves as rulers, the population was Christianized. The native Slavic population was subjected to discrimination and Germanization in the following centuries, between 1237 and 1243, the town was rebuilt, granted extensive autonomy rights and eventually joined the Hanseatic League. After the Treaty of Stettin in 1630, the town came under the control of the Swedish Empire, in the late-19th century Stettin became an industrial town, vastly increasing in size and population, and served as a major port for Berlin. During the Nazi era, opposition groups and minorities were persecuted and treated as enemies, by the end of World War II Stettins status was in doubt, and the Soviet occupation authorities at first appointed officials from the citys almost entirely German pre-war population. In July 1945, however, Polish authorities were permitted to take power, Stettin was renamed Szczecin and became part of the newly established the Polish Peoples Republic, and from 1989 the Republic of Poland. From 1999 onwards, Szczecin has served as the site of the headquarters of NATOs Multinational Corps Northeast, the names Szczecin and Stettin are of Slavic origin, though the exact etymology is the subject of ongoing research. Other medieval names for the town are Burstaborg and Burstenburgh and these names, which literally mean brush burgh, are likely derived from the translation of the citys Slavic name. The recorded history of Szczecin began in the century, when West Slavs settled Pomerania. Since the 9th century, the stronghold was fortified and expanded toward the Oder bank, Mieszko I of Poland took control of Pomerania between 960 and 967, and the region with the city of Szczecin became part of Poland in 967. Subsequent Polish rulers, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Liutician federation all aimed to control the territory, after the decline of the neighbouring regional centre Wolin in the 12th century, the city became one of the more important and powerful seaports of the Baltic Sea. In a campaign in the winter of 1121–1122, Bolesław III Wrymouth, the inhabitants were Christianized by two missions of Bishop Otto of Bamberg in 1124 and 1128. At this time, the first Christian church of Saints Peter, Polish minted coins were commonly used in trade in this period. The population of the city at that time is estimated to be at around 5, Polish rule ended with Boleslaws death in 1138. There, a Polish contingent supplied by Mieszko III the Old joined the crusaders, however, the citizens had placed crosses around the fortifications, indicating they already had been Christianised
7.
Bydgoszcz
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Bydgoszcz /ˈbɪdɡɒʃtʃ/ is a city in northern Poland, on the Brda and Vistula rivers. With a city population of 358,614, and an urban agglomeration with more than 470,000 inhabitants and it has been the seat of Bydgoszcz County and the co-capital, with Toruń, of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999. Prior to this, between 1947 and 1998, it was the capital of the Bydgoszcz Voivodeship, and before that, Bydgoszcz is part of the metroplex Bydgoszcz-Toruń, which totals over 850,000 inhabitants. Bydgoszcz is the seat of Casimir the Great University, University of Technology and Life Sciences, Bydgoszcz hosts the Pomeranian Philharmonic concert hall, the Opera Nova opera house, and the Bydgoszcz Ignacy Jan Paderewski Airport. There are also a number of other Polish place-names which make use of the goszcz suffix, the name Byd-gost contains archaic elements of the Proto-Slavonic root byd which existed as a variant of the verb to raise, and the common Slavic root Goszcz. Some people identify the name of the town as Budorgis, a name from the 2nd century which is listed next to the village Calisia on the amber route, during the early Slavic times a fishing settlement called Bydgozcya, became a stronghold on the Vistula trade routes. In the 13th century it was the site of a castellany, the city was occupied by the Teutonic Knights in 1331, and incorporated into the monastic state of the Teutonic Knights. The city was relinquished by the Knights in 1343 with their signing of the Treaty of Kalisz along with Dobrzyń, king Casimir III of Poland, granted Bydgoszcz city rights on 19 April 1346. The city increasingly saw an influx of Jews after that date, in 1555, however, due to pressure by the clergy, the Jews were expelled and came back only with the annexion to Prussia in 1772. In the 15th and 16th centuries Bydgoszcz was a significant site for wheat trading, during 1629, near the end of the Polish-Swedish War of 1626–29, the town was conquered by Swedish troops led by king Gustav II Adolph of Sweden personally. During the events of war the town suffered demolitions, the town was conquered a second and third time by Sweden in 1656 and 1657 during the Second Northern War. On the latter occasion the castle was destroyed completely and has since remained a ruin. After the war only 94 houses were inhabited,103 stood empty and 35 were burned down, also the suburbs had been damaged considerably. In 1772, in the First Partition of Poland, Bydgoszcz was acquired by the Kingdom of Prussia, renamed Bromberg, at the time, the town was seriously depressed and semi-derelict. In 1807, after the defeat of Prussia by Napoleon and the signing of the Treaty of Tilsit, with Napoleons defeat at the Battle of Nations in 1815, the town was returned to Prussia as part of the autonomous Grand Duchy of Posen. In 1871 the Province of Posen, along with the rest of the Kingdom of Prussia, in the mid-19th century, the arrival of the Prussian Eastern Railway contributed greatly to the development of Bromberg. The first stretch, from Schneidemühl to Bromberg, was opened in July 1851, the city grew from 12,900 in 1852 to 57,700 in 1910 – of whom 84 percent were Germans and 16 percent Poles. After World War I, despite Brombergs German majority, it was assigned to the recreated Polish state by the 1919 Versailles Treaty, now officially Bydgoszcz again, the city belonged to the Poznań Voivodeship
8.
Lublin
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Lublin is the ninth largest city in Poland and the second largest city of Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the center of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 349,103, Lublin is the largest Polish city east of the Vistula River, and is located approximately 170 kilometres to the southeast of Warsaw by road. One of the events that contributed to the citys development was the Polish-Lithuanian Union of Krewo in 1385. In 1474, Lublin, which was part of the Sandomierz region. Lublin also witnessed the early stages of Reformation in the 16th century, a Calvinist congregation was founded and certain groups of radical Arians also appeared in the city, making it an important national centre of Arianism. Until the partitions at the end of the 18th century, Lublin was a city of the Crown Kingdom of Poland. Its delegates and nobles had the right to participate in the Royal Election, although Lublin was not spared from severe destruction during World War II, its picturesque and historical Old Town has been preserved. The district is one of Polands official national Historic Monuments, as designated May 16,2007, the city is viewed as an attractive location for foreign investment and the analytical Financial Times Group has found Lublin to be one of the best cities for business in Poland. The Foreign direct investment ranking placed Lublin second among larger Polish cities in the Cost-effectiveness category, Lublin is also noted for its green spaces and a high standard of living. Archaeological finds indicate a presence of cultures in the area. A complex of settlements started to develop on the site of Lublin and in its environs in the 6th-7th centuries. Remains of settlements dating back to the 6th century were discovered in the center of todays Lublin on Czwartek Hill, the next period of the early Middle Ages was marked by intensification of habitation, particularly in the areas along river valleys. The settlements at the time were centered around the stronghold on Old Town Hill, when the tribal stronghold was destroyed in the 10th century, the center shifted to the north-east, to a new stronghold above Czechówka valley, and after the mid-12th century to Castle Hill. At least two churches are presumed to have existed in Lublin in the medieval period. One of them was most probably erected on Czwartek Hill during the rule of Casimir the Restorer in the 11th century. The castle became the seat of a Castellan, first mentioned in sources from 1224. The oldest historical document mentioning Lublin dates from 1198, so the name must have come into use some time earlier. The location of Lublin at the borders of the Polish lands gave it military significance
9.
Katowice
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Katowice /ˌkætəˈviːtsə/ is a city in southwestern Poland and the center of the Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 299,910 as of 2015. Throughout the mid-18th century, Katowice had developed into a village upon the discovery of coal reserves in the area. In 1742 the infamous Silesian War transferred Upper Silesia, including Katowice, simultaneously Silesia experienced the influx of the first Jewish settlers. In the first half of the 19th century, intensive industrialization transformed local mills and farms into industrial steelworks, mines, foundries and this also contributed to the establishment of companies and eventual rapid growth of the city. At the same time, Katowice became linked to the system with the first train arriving at the main station in 1847. The outbreak of World War I was favourable for Katowice due to the steel industry. Following Germanys defeat and the Silesian Uprisings aimed at unfair pro-German plebiscites, Katowice, Poland was then backed by the Geneva Convention and the ethnic Silesian minority. On 3 May 1921, the Polish army entered Katowice and the Polish administration took control, the city became the capital of the autonomous Silesian Voivodeship as well as the seat of the Silesian Parliament and Committee of Upper Silesia. After the plebiscite many former German citizens emigrated, however a vibrant German community remained until the end of World War II, in 1939, after the Wehrmacht seized the town, Katowice and the provinces were incorporated into the Third Reich. The town was liberated by the Allies on 27 January 1945. Katowice is a center of science, culture, industry, business, trade, and transportation in Upper Silesia and southern Poland, today, the city is considered as an emerging metropolis. The whole metropolitan area is the 16th most economically powerful city by GDP in the European Union with an output amounting to $114.5 billion, Katowice is the seat of the Polish National Radio Symphony and Orchestra. It also hosts the finals of Intel Extreme Masters, a video game tournament. The area around Katowice, in Upper Silesia, has been inhabited by ethnic Silesians from its earliest documented history, initially it was ruled by the Polish Silesian Piast dynasty until its extinction. The settlement of the area surrounding Katowice dates back to the end of the 12th century, from 1138, the Bytom castellany encompassed territories where Katowice is located nowadays. In 1177 the lands were handed over by Duke Casimir II the Just to his nephew Mieszko I Tanglefoot. From 1327, the region was under Czech administration as part of the Kingdom of Bohemia, historians assume that Katowice was founded on the right bank of the Rawa river by Andrzej Bogucki in around 1580. In 1598 a village called Villa Nova was also documented to stand in the now occupied by the city of Katowice
10.
Gdynia
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Gdynia is a city in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland and an important seaport of Gdańsk Bay on the south coast of the Baltic Sea. For centuries, Gdynia remained an agricultural and fishing village on the Baltic coast. At the beginning of the 20th-century Gdynia became as a resort town. This also triggered an increase in local population and it was then that the town was given a more cosmopolitan character with modernism being the dominant architectural style and emerged as a city in 1926. The rapid development of Gdynia was interrupted by the outbreak of World War II, although the German troops refrained from deliberate bombing, the newly built port and shipyard were completely destroyed. The population of the city suffered much heavier losses as most of the inhabitants were evicted and expelled, the locals were either displaced to other regions of occupied Poland or sent to Nazi concentration camps throughout Europe. After the war, Gdynia was settled with the inhabitants of Warsaw and lost cities such as Lviv. The city was gradually regenerating itself with its shipyard being rebuilt, in December 1970 the shipyard workers protest against the increase of prices was bloodily repressed. This greatly contributed to the rise of the Solidarity movement in Gdańsk, today the port of Gdynia is a regular stopover on the itinerary of luxurious passenger ships and a new ferry terminal with a civil airport are under realisation. The city won numerous awards in relation to safety, infrastructure, quality of life, in 2013 Gdynia was ranked as Polands best city to live in and topped the rankings in the overarching category of general quality of life. Gdynia is also noted for its access to education. There are prestigious universities such as the Polish Naval Academy located nearby, Gdynia hosts the Gdynia Film Festival, the main Polish film festival, and was the venue for the International Random Film Festival in 2014. Late 10th century, Pomerelia was united with Poland, during the reign of Mieszko II Pomerelia seceded from Poland and became independent. 1116/1121, Bolesław III reunited Pomerelia with Poland,1227, Pomerelia again became an independent Duchy. 1253, First known mention of the name Gdynia, as a Pomeranian fishing village, the first church on this part of the Baltic Sea coast was built there. 1294, Pomerelia was inherited by the future Polish king Przemysł II. and remained as part of Poland until – 1309–1310, The Teutonic Order conquered Pomerelia,1380, The owner of the village which became Gdynia, Peter from Rusocin, gave the village to the Cistercian Order. 1382, Gdynia became property of the Cistercian abbey in Oliva, Pomerelia became part of Royal Prussia, a newly established province of the Kingdom of Poland, and later on of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. 1772, In the First Partition of Poland, Royal Prussia was annexed into the Kingdom of Prussia, Gdynia became known in German as Gdingen, and was expropriated from the Cistercian Order
11.
Radom
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Radom is a city in east-central Poland with 219,703 inhabitants. It is located 100 kilometres south of Polands capital, Warsaw, on the Mleczna River, in the Masovian Voivodeship, despite being part of the Masovian Voivodeship, the city historically belongs to Lesser Poland. For centuries, Radom was part of the Sandomierz Voivodeship of the Kingdom of Poland and it was an important center of administration, having served as seat of the Crown Council. The Pact of Vilnius and Radom was signed there in 1401, in 1976, it was a center of anti Communist street protests. The city is home to the biennial Radom Air Show, the largest and best-attended air show in Poland, held during the last weekend of August. Radom is also the unofficial name for a semiautomatic 9 mm Para pistol of Polish design which was produced from 1935 to 1944 at the national arsenal located in the city. The Łucznik Arms Factory continues to modern military firearms. The international Radom Jazz Festival and the International Gombrowicz Theater Festival are held in the city, Radoms original settlement dates back to the 8th–9th century. It was a mediaeval town in the valley of the Mleczna River. In the second half of the 10th century, it became a gord, called Piotrówka, which was protected by a rampart, Piotrówka was probably named after St. Peter church, which in 1222 was placed under the authority of a Benedictine Abbey in nearby Sieciechów. The church no longer exists, the oldest still-extant church in Radom is St. Wacław, the first documented mention of Radom comes from the year 1155, in a bull of Pope Adrian IV. By 1233, Radom was the seat of a castellan, the name of the city comes from the ancient Slavic given name Radomir, and Radom means a gord, which belongs to Radomir. In the second half of the 13th century, Radom was granted a Środa Śląska town charter by Prince Bolesław V the Chaste, although no documents exist to confirm the exact date of this event. The town prospered in the 14th century, when in 1350 King Kazimierz Wielki established the so-called New Town, with a castle, a defensive wall. There was also a square and a grid plan of the streets. The area of New Town was 9 hectares, and the length of the wall was 1,100 meters. Radom had three gates, named after main merchant roads, Iłża Gate, Piotrków Trybunalski Gate, the defensive wall was further protected by 25 fortified towers. New Town had the Church of John the Baptist, and the Royal Castle was built between the church and the moat, in 1364, Radom’s obsolete Środa Śląska rights were replaced with more modern Magdeburg rights, and residents gained several privileges as a result
12.
Sosnowiec
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Sosnowiec is an industrial city county in southern Poland, which is also part of the Silesian Metropolis municipal association. The population of the city is 220,450, Sosnowiec is the centre of the Zagłębie Dąbrowskie area within the historic Lesser Poland region near the border with Silesia. It is located about 10 km northeast to the downtown of Katowice and 65 km northwest of Kraków, situated in the Silesian Upland on the rivers Brynica and Przemsza, the city is part of Silesian Voivodeship since its formation in 1999. Previously, it was part of Katowice Voivodeship, and before World War II, allegedly its name comes from Polish word sosna, referring to the pine forests which were common prior to 1830. It was originally known as Sosnowice, other variations of the name include Sosnowietz, Sosnowitz, Sosnovitz, Sosnovyts, Sosnowyts, Sosnovytz, Sosnowytz, and Sosnovetz. There are five smaller towns in Poland also called Sosnowiec, located in the Kielce Voivodship, Łódź Voivodship. The history of Sosnowiec in the proper sense begins in 1902 when it was granted city rights by merging a number of often several centuries old. However, the history of the village of Sosnowiec dates back to the year 1227 and it then was a small settlement in the Polish Duchy of Kraków, located in close vicinity of much larger and better developed villages of Sielce and Zagórze. Milowice was first mentioned in 1123 as Miley, documents from 1228 already mention Milowice, Klimontów, and Zagórze. Furthermore, Milowice was placed on a 1561 map, as part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Sosnowiec belonged to Kraków Voivodeship, one of three voivodeships of Lesser Poland. It became a town after the neighbouring Duchies of Silesia passed to the Bohemian Crown in 1335. In result of the Third partition of Poland in 1795, however, during the Napoleonic Wars, it became part of the Duchy of Warsaw in 1807 and later, of Congress Poland ruled by the namiestniks of the Russian Empire. Located at the borders with the German Empire and Austria-Hungary, Sosnowiec became famous for the Three Emperors Corner tripoint, which was located within current limits of the city. With effect from 10 June 1902, by the order of Emperor Nicholas II of Russia, Sosnowiec was legally named a city with the area of 19 square kilometres, obtaining the city rights helped the dynamic economic and cultural development of the town. Apart from steelworks and coal-mines and many enterprises of heavy and light industry, the newly established town consisted of the districts of Sosnowiec, Pogoń, Ostra Górka, Sielec, Kuźnica and Radocha, all of which had been separate villages before. Sosnowiec was first post-1860s location in Congress Poland to have received town charter, natural resources and the good geographical location had an important influence on the development of Sosnowiec. The opening of a line of the Warsaw-Vienna Railway in 1859 was vitally important for the growth of the town. The Summer Theatre and, in 1887, the Winter Theatre were founded, the second of which was called City Theatre from 1924 in independent Poland, in 1914, the village of Środula was incorporated into Sosnowiec
13.
Kielce
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Kielce is a city in south central Poland with 199,475 inhabitants. It is also the city of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship since 1999. The city is located in the middle of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains, at the banks of the Silnica River, the history of Kielce dates back over 900 years and the exact date when the town was founded remains unknown. The name of the city derives from the migrating Celts, who stopped here during their journey across the European continent. The area was inhabited at the beginning of the 11th century by hunters and beekeepers. It was then that a marketplace was established, where forest products were exchanged for agricultural produce, at the turn of the 12th century, the bishops of Kraków became the owners of the settlement and began constructing a castle on a nearby hill. Under the influence of Vincent Kadłubek, a school was established in the town. Kielce was mentioned in documents for the first time in 1212. In the 13th century, Tatar raids on Poland destroyed the city completely, at the end of 15th century, Frederick Jagiellon granted the town its official symbols, a golden crown on a red shield with the letters CK - Civitas Kielcensis, Latin for the City of Kielce. Between 1637 and 1642, due to the initiative of bishop Jakub Zadzik, a Renaissance palace was erected, the city was burned to the ground during the Swedish Deluge in the 17th century. After the Partitions of Poland, Kielce became part of the Austrian Empire, in 1809, the city was incorporated into the Duchy of Warsaw and after 1815 into the Congress Kingdom of Poland. During World War II, Kielce was the sight of German Nazi atrocities, after the war the city saw an outbreak of violence against the Jewish community, which later became known as the Kielce pogrom. Kielce was once an important centre of mining and the vicinity is famous for its natural resources like copper, lead and iron. The area of Kielce has been inhabited since at least the 5th century BC, until the 6th or 7th century the banks of the Silnica were inhabited by Celts. The lands of Wiślanie were at first subdued by Bohemia, however they came under the control of the Piast dynasty. According to a legend, Mieszko, son of Boleslaus II of Poland dreamt he was attacked by a band of brigands in a forest. In the dream he saw a vision of Saint Adalbert who drew a line which turned into a stream. When Mieszko woke up, he found the Silnica River whose waters helped him regain strength and he also discovered huge white tusks of an unknown animal
14.
Gliwice
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Gliwice is a city in Upper Silesia, southern Poland, near Katowice. Gliwice is the west district of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union – a metropolis with a population of 2 million, the city is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica river. Situated in the Silesian Voivodeship since its formation in 1999, Gliwice was previously in Katowice Voivodeship. Gliwice is one of the cities of a 2.7 million conurbation known as the Katowice urban area and is within the larger Silesian metropolitan area, the population of the city is 185,196. Founded in the 13th century, Gliwice is one of the oldest settlements in Upper Silesia, despite rapid development during the industrial and socialist eras, the central Old Town fully retained its medieval character and is surrounded by defensive walls dating back to the 15th century. Gliwice is primarily known as a city with developed industries such as coal mining, steel making and production of machinery. It is also an important educational centre, being home to most of the departments of the renowned Silesian University of Technology, in Slavic languages, the root gliw or gliv suggests terrain characterized by loam or wetland. In South Slavic languages, glive or gljive refers to mushrooms, Gliwice was first mentioned as a town in 1276 and was ruled during the Middle Ages by the Silesian Piast dukes. During the reign of Mieszko I Tanglefoot, the town was part of a duchy centered on Opole-Racibórz, according to 14th-century writers, the town seemed defensive in character and was ruled by Siemowit of Bytom. The town became a possession of the Bohemia crown in 1335, because of the vast expenses incurred by the Habsburg Monarchy during their 16th century wars against the Ottoman Empire, Gleiwitz was leased to Friedrich Zettritz for the amount of 14,000 thalers. Although the original lease was for a duration of 18 years, it was renewed in 1580 for 10 years, during the mid 18th century Silesian Wars, Gleiwitz was taken from the Habsburg Monarchy by the Kingdom of Prussia along with the majority of Silesia. After the end of the Napoleonic Wars, Gleiwitz was administered in the Prussian district of Tost-Gleiwitz within the Province of Silesia in 1816, the city was incorporated with Prussia into the German Empire in 1871 during the unification of Germany. In 1897 Gleiwitz became its own Stadtkreis, or urban district, the first coke-fired blast furnace on the European continent was constructed in Gleiwitz in 1796 under the direction of John Baildon. Gleiwitz began to develop into a city through industrialization during the 19th century. The towns ironworks fostered the growth of other fields in the area. The citys population in 1875 was 14,156, however, during the late 19th century Gleiwitz had,14 distilleries,2 breweries,5 mills,7 brick factories,3 sawmills, a shingle factory,8 chalk factories and 2 glassworks. Other features of the 19th century industrialized Gleiwitz were a gasworks, a factory, a beer bottling company. Economically, Gleiwitz opened several banks, Savings and loan associations, according to the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, Gleiwitzs population in 1905 was 61,324
15.
Olsztyn
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Olsztyn is a city on the Łyna River in northeastern Poland. Olsztyn is the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, and is a city with powiat rights, founded in the 14th century, Olsztyn was under the control and influence of the Teutonic Order until 1466, when it was incorporated into the Polish Crown. For centuries the city was an important centre of trade, crafts, science, at the time Olsztyn was inhabited by ethnic Masovians and was predominantly Roman Catholic. Following the First Partition of Poland in 1772 Warmia was annexed by Prussia, Olsztyn entered a period of economic stagnation and decline, devastated by a series of wars as well as plagues which depopulated the city almost completely. After the partition Olsztyn ceased to be the property of the clergy and was in the hands of the Prussian king, in the 19th century the city changed its status completely, becoming the most prominent economic hub of the southern part of Eastern Prussia. The construction of a railway and industrialization greatly contributed to Olsztyns significance, the city remained part of Germany under the name Allenstein until 1945 when it was captured by the Red Army and handed over to the Polish authorities. As a result of the devastation caused by the Soviets during the final stages of World War II. After the war Olsztyn rapidly recovered and grew to be one of the most important centres of commerce in the country, since 1999 Olsztyn is the capital city of the Warmia-Masuria. In the same year, the University of Warmia and Masuria was founded from the fusion of three local universities. Today, the Castle of Warmian Bishops houses a museum and is a venue for concerts, art exhibitions, film shows and other cultural events, the most important sights of the city include the medieval Old Town and the Olsztyn Cathedral, which dates back more than 600 years. The picturesque market square is part of the European Route of Brick Gothic, Olsztyn, for a number of years, has been ranked very highly in quality of life, income, employment and safety. It currently is one of the best places in Poland to live and it is also one of the happiest cities in the country. In 1346, the forest was cleared at a location on the Alle River for a new settlement in Prussian Warmia, the following year, Teutonic Knights began the construction of an Ordensburg castle as a stronghold against the Old Prussians. The German name Allenstein refers to a stronghold on the Alle River – which became known in Polish transliteration as Olsztyn, Allenstein received municipal rights in October 1353, and the castle was completed in 1397. Allenstein joined the Prussian Confederation in 1440 and rebelled against the Teutonic Knights in 1454 upon the outbreak of the Thirteen Years War, although the Teutonic Knights recaptured the town the following year, it was retaken by Polish troops in 1463. The Second Peace of Thorn in 1466 designated Allenstein and the Prince-Bishopric of Warmia as part of Royal Prussia under the sovereignty of the Polish Crown, from 1516 to 1521, Nicolaus Copernicus lived at the castle as administrator of both Allenstein and Mehlsack. Copernicus was in charge of the Siege of Allenstein and Warmia during the Polish-Teutonic War of 1519–21, Allenstein was sacked by Swedish troops in both 1655 and 1708 during the Polish-Swedish wars, and the towns population was nearly wiped out in 1710 by epidemics of bubonic plague and cholera. The town became part of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1772 after the First Partition of Poland, a Prussian census recorded a population of 1,770 people, predominantly farmers, and Allenstein was administered within the Province of East Prussia
16.
Bytom
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Bytom is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. It lies in the district of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union – a metropolis with a population of 2 million. Bytom is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Bytomka river, the city has belonged to the Silesian Voivodeship since its formation in 1999. Previously it was in Katowice Voivodeship, Bytom is one of the cities within the conurbation of the Katowice urban area as well as within a greater Silesian metropolitan area populated by about 5,294,000 people. The population of the city is 183,251, Bytom is located on the range Bytom-Katowice, in the Upland of Miechowice, which is in turn a central part of the Silesian Upland. The city straddles between north latitudes 50°19′ i 50°26′ and east longitudes 18°47′ i 18°58′, the city itself is not placed exclusively in the Upland of Miechowice, where only the central part of the town stands. The rest of the city reaches as far as the valleys of Drama and Szarlejka to the north, Brynica to the north and east, the bedrock of the Upland of Miechowice consists primarily of sandstones and slates. The rocks are punctuated with abundant natural resources of coal and iron ore from the Carboniferous period. In the north part of the upland, in the Bytom basin lays the broad range of the rocks, from sandstones to limestones, with rich ore, zinc. The upper layer is composed of clay, sand and gravel, one half of the coat of arms of Bytom depicts a miner mining coal, while the other half presents a yellow eagle on the blue field – the symbol of Upper Silesia. Bytom is one of the oldest cities of Upper Silesia, originally recorded as Bitom in 1136 and it received city rights from prince Władysław in 1254 with its first centrally located market square. The city of Bytom benefited economically from its location on a route linking Kraków with Silesia from east to west. The first Roman Catholic Church of the Virgin Mary was built in 1231, in 1259 Bytom was raided by the Mongols. The Duchy of Opole was split and in 1281 Bitom became a duchy, since 1289 under overlordship. Due to German settlers coming to the area, the city was Germanized and it came under control of the Habsburg Monarchy of Austria in 1526, which increased the influence of the German language. The city became part of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1742 during the Silesian Wars, in the 19th and the first part of the 20th centuries, the city rapidly grew and industrialized. Before 1939, the town, along with Gleiwitz, was at the tip of German Silesia. The Bytom Synagogue was burned down by Nazi German SS and SA troopers during the Kristallnacht on 9–10 November 1938, during World War II, the Beuthen Jewish community was liquidated via the first ever Holocaust transport to be exterminated at Auschwitz-Birkenau
17.
Zabrze
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Zabrze is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. The west district of the Silesian Metropolis, a metropolis with a population of around 2 million and it is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Bytomka River, a tributary of the Oder. Zabrze is situated in the Silesian Voivodeship which was reformulated in 1999, prior to 1999 it was situated in Katowice Voivodeship. The population of Zabrze as of June 2009, is 188,122, biskupice, which is now a subdivision of Zabrze, was first mentioned in 1243 as Biscupici dicitur cirka Bitom. Alt-Zabrze was mentioned in 1295-1305 as Sadbre sive Cunczindorf, in the Late Middle Ages, the local Silesian Piast dukes invited German settlers into the territory resulting in increasing German settlement. Zabrze became part of the Habsburg Monarchy of Austria in 1526, in 1774, the Dorotheendorf settlement was founded. When the first mine in Zabrze became operational in 1790, the became an important mining center. In 1905, the Zabrze commune was formed by the former communes Alt-Zabrze, Klein-Zabrze, the Zabrze commune was renamed Hindenburg in 1915 in honour of Generalfeldmarschall Paul von Hindenburg. The name change was approved by King Wilhelm II on 21 February 1915, during the plebiscite held after World War I,21,333 inhabitants of the Hindenburg commune voted to remain in Germany, while 14,873 voted for incorporation to Poland. In May 1921 the Third Silesian Uprising broke out and Hindenburg was captured by Polish insurgents, when Upper Silesia was divided between Poland and Germany in 1921, the Hindenburg commune remained in Germany. It received its city charter in 1922, just five years after founding Hindenburg became the biggest city in German Upper Silesia and the second biggest City in German Silesia after Breslau. In the March 1933 elections, most of the citizens voted for Nazi Party, followed by Zentrum, Nazi politician Max Fillusch became the citys mayor and remained in the position until 1945. The towns synagogue, that had stood since 1872, was destroyed in the Kristallnacht pogroms of November 1938, following World War II, the city was assigned to Poland in 1945 and was renamed back to Zabrze on May 19,1945. Most of the German inhabitants were expelled, on the 17th September 2012, the Zabrze city council decided on a new administrative division of the city. Zabrze was subsequently divided into 15 districts and 3 housing estates, the polish A4, which is part of the European E40, has a motorway junction near Zabrze. The Drogowa Trasa Srednicowa leads through the town
18.
Rybnik
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Rybnik ) is a city in southwestern Poland, in the Silesian Voivodeship. The city first developed as a centre in medieval ages. Rybnik grew as an important centre of mining and the seat of the surrounding county in the 19th century. Under Polands communist rule from 1945-1989 the city was projected to grow as a mining centre of southern Poland. The city of Rybnik has a population of about 141,410 as of December 2010, the city itself has 141,410 inhabitants out of which 88. 9% identified themselves as Polish in the 2002 National Census. Its density is 955.3 per km², the citys population peaked in 1997 at 144,943. After that, it decreased slightly to 141,080 in 2007, since then, the number of inhabitants has ticked up slightly. Rybniks demographic situation remains far better than most other Polish cities, with a young population,18. 2% being under the age of 18. According to the National Census of 2002 out of 142,731 Rybniks citizens,126,860 declared Polish nationality,8,980 were Silesians and 382 were of German origin, Rybnik is a powiat divided into 27 districts that have its own administrative body. There are also four former towns that have merged with Rybnik, Boguszowice Stare, Chwałowice, Niedobczyce. Two districts are typical Polish housing estates, with blocks of flats. The remaining three districts, Smolna, Śródmieście and Paruszowiec-Piaski formed the town of Rybnik. Those areas are densely built-up, with old town, city hall, most of schools, offices and shopping malls in Śródmieście, the city of Rybnik is the centre of a metropolitan area, the Rybnik Coal Region with a total population of 600,000. The distance to Katowice is about 50 km, and to Ostrava about 30 km, the citys name derives from the Proto-Slavic word for fish and meant fishpond in the Old Polish language. The name highlights the importance of farming for the citys economy in the Middle Ages. The citys origins can be traced back into the 9th and 10th century, in the course of the medieval eastward migration of German settlers, Rybnik, as many other Polish settlements, was incorporated according to the so-called Magdeburg Law at some point before 1308. The city continued to grow and developed into a trade centre. In the 15th century, the Hussites devastated the city, before being defeated in a decisive battle on a hill nearby
19.
Tychy
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Tychy is a city in Silesia, Poland, approximately 20 kilometres south of Katowice. Situated on the edge of the Upper Silesian industrial district. The Gostynia river, a tributary of the Vistula, flows through Tychy, since 1999 Tychy has been located within the Silesian Voivodeship, a province consisting of 71 regional towns and cities. Tychy is well known for its industry and its international developed brand Tyskie. Since 1950 Tychy has grown rapidly, mainly as a result of post-war socialist planning policies enacted to disperse the population of industrial Upper Silesia, although appropriate for most of Tychys history, the name is now somewhat ironic considering the growth of the city from 1950 onwards. Originally established as an agricultural settlement on the medieval trade route between Oświęcim and Mikołów, Tychy was first documented in 1467. In 1629 the first trace of serious economic activity was recorded in the shape of the Książęcy Brewery, from 1526 onwards the area on which Tychy is built was part of the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy. This situation came to an end when Prussia forcibly took the land in 1742 and its population also grew between World War I and World War II, reaching a population of 11,000 at its highest point during this time. Fortunately the city received minimal damage during the invasion, thanks largely to the fact that most of the fighting took place in the Mikołów-Wyry area. The New City was designated by the Polish government in 1950, Tychy is the largest of the so-called new towns in Poland and was built from 1950 to 1985, to allow for urban expansion in the southeast of the Upper Silesian industrial region. By 2006, the population had reached 132,500, the design and planning of New Tychy was entrusted to Kazimierz Wejchert and his wife Hanna Adamczewska-Wejchert. In the administrative reforms which came into effect in 1999, Tychy was made a city with the status of a powiat, between 1999 and 2002, it was also the administrative seat of an entity called Tychy County, which is now known as the Bieruń-Lędziny County. Tychy is twinned with the town of Milton Keynes, United Kingdom, a large Fiat car factory is located in Tychy, that was opened in 1975, and is owned by the Italian manufacturer since 1992. In 2008, the factory had a production of half a million cars. It produces the new Fiat 500, the Ford Ka, and it was the exclusive manufacturing site for the second generation Fiat Panda until 2012, when it ended production. Also in Tychy is located the GM Powertrain Poland factory producing automobile engines for General Motors cars and this plant was opened by Isuzu as Isuzu Motors Polska in 1996,2002 GM took over 60% interest of that company, and in 2013 the remaining 40%. The Tyskie beer is produced in Tychy, by Kompania Piwowarska and it is reportedly one of the best selling brands of beer in Poland, with around 18% share of the Polish market as of 2009. In Tychy operates one of three remaining systems in Poland
20.
Opole
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Opole is a city located in southern Poland on the Oder River. With a population of approximately 127,792, it is the capital of the Opole Voivodeship and, with it long history dating back to the 9th century, Opole is considered to be one of the oldest towns in Poland. The origins of the first settlement are connected with the town being granted Magdeburg Rights in 1217 by Casimir I of Opole, the rapid development of the town was also caused by the establishment of a seat of regency in Opole in 1816. During its existence Opole belonged to Poland, Bohemia, Prussia, prior to World War II it was located in eastern Germany and was one of the largest centres of Polish minority in the entire country. In 1945, according to Yalta and Potsdam Agreements, the region was assigned to Poland, many German Upper Silesians and Poles of German ancestry still live in the Opole region, in the city itself, however, ethnic Germans make up less than 3% of the population. It was also the capital of the region of Upper Silesia. The National Festival of Polish Song has been held annually since 1963 and each year new regular events, fairs, shows. Opole is sometimes referred to as Polish Venice, because of its picturesque Old Town and several canals, the name Opole likely originated from the medieval Slavic term for a group of settlements. Opoles history begins in the 8th century, at this time, according to the archeological excavations, the first Slavic settlement was founded on the Ostrówek - the northern part of the Pasieka Island in the middle of the Oder river. In the early 10th century it developed one of the main gróds of the Slavic Opolanie. At the end of the century Silesia became part of Poland and was ruled by the Piast dynasty, from the 11th-12th centuries it was also a castellany. After the death of Duke Władysław II the Exile, Silesia was divided in 1163 between two Piast lines- the Wrocławska line in Lower Silesia and the Opolsko-Raciborska of Upper Silesia. Opole would become a duchy in 1172 and would share much in common with the Duchy of Racibórz, in 1281 Upper Silesia was divided further between the heirs of the dukes. The Duchy of Opole was temporarily reestablished in 1290, in the early 13th century, Duke Casimir I of Opole decided to move the settlement from the Pasieka Island into the right shore of the Oder river. All of the inhabitants had to be moved in order to place for the castle that was eventually built in the place of the old city. Former inhabitants of Ostrówek together with German merchants that immigrated here from the West, Opole received German town law in 1254, which was expanded with Neumarkt law in 1327. Opole developed during the rule of duke Bolko I of Opole, in this time the castle was finally completed and new buildings, including the city walls and the Holy Cross Church, were constructed. Along with most of Silesia, in 1327 the Duchy of Opole came under the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Bohemia, in 1521 the Duchy of Racibórz was inherited by the Duchy of Opole, by then also known by its German equivalent - Oppeln
21.
Koszalin
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Koszalin is a city in Western Pomerania in north-western Poland. It is located 12 kilometres south of the Baltic Sea coast, Koszalin is also a county-status city and capital of Koszalin County of West Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999. Previously, it was a capital of Koszalin Voivodeship, the current mayor of Koszalin is Piotr Jedliński. In 1214, Bogislaw II, Duke of Pomerania, made a donation of a known as Koszalice/Cossalitz by Chełmska Hill in Kołobrzeg Land to the Norbertine monastery in Białoboki near Trzebiatów. New, mostly German, settlers from outside of Pomerania were invited to settle the territory, in 1248, the eastern part of Kołobrzeg Land, including the village, was transferred by Duke Barnim I to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kammin. On 23 May 1266, Kammin bishop Hermann von Gleichen granted a charter to the village, granting it Lübeck law, local government, autonomy and multiple privileges. When in 1276 the bishops became the sovereign in neighboring Kołobrzeg, they moved their residence there, while the administration of the diocese was done from Koszalin. The city obtained direct access to the Baltic Sea when it gained the village of Jamno, parts of Lake Jamno, a spit between the lake and the sea and the castle of Unieście in 1353. Thence, it participated in the Baltic Sea trade as a member of the Hanseatic League, from 1356 until 1417/1422, the city was part of the Duchy of Pomerania-Wolgast. In 1534 during the Protestant Reformation, the city became mostly Lutheran under the influence of Johannes Bugenhagen, in 1568, Johann Friedrich, Duke of Pomerania and bishop of Cammin, started constructing a residence. After the 1637 death of the last Pomeranian duke, Bogislaw XIV, as part of the Kingdom of Prussia, Cöslin was heavily damaged by a fire in 1718, but was rebuilt in the following years. It was occupied by French troops in 1807 after the War of the Fourth Coalition, following the Napoleonic wars, the city became the capital of Fürstenthum District and Regierungsbezirk Cöslin within the Province of Pomerania. The Fürstenthum District was dissolved on 1 September 1872 and replaced with the Cöslin District on December 13 and it became part of the German Empire in 1871 during the unification of Germany. The railroad from Stettin through Cöslin and Stolp to Danzig was constructed from 1858-78, a military cadet school created by Frederick the Great in 1776 was moved from Kulm to the city in 1890. During the Second World War Köslin was the site of the first school for the rocket troops created on orders of Walter Dornberger, on 4 March 1945, the city was captured by the Red Army. According to the post-war Potsdam Agreement, Koszalin became part of Poland, most of the German population fled or was expelled to post-war Germany. The city was resettled by Poles from Central and pre-war Eastern Poland, initially, the city was considered to become the capital of the voivodeship created from the former German province east of the Oder-Neisse line, which nevertheless was assigned to Szczecin. In 1950 this voivodeship was divided into a truncated Szczecin Voivodeship, in years 1950-75 Koszalin was the capital of the enlarged Koszalin Voivodeship sometimes called Middle Pomerania due to becoming the fastest growing city in Poland
22.
Kalisz
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Kalisz is a city in central Poland with 103,738 inhabitants, the capital city of the Kalisz Region. Situated on the Prosna river in the part of the Greater Poland Voivodeship. See Kalisz County for the administrative area. Kalisz is an important regional industrial and commercial centre, with many notable factories, the city is also a centre for traditional folk art. The town was also the site of the former Calisia piano factory, the name Kalisz might stem from either the Celtic term cal which means stream, or the Slavic term kal, meaning swamp or marsh. Kalisz is one the oldest cities in Poland, archaeological excavations have uncovered early mediaeval settlement from the Piast dynasty period, c. Modern Kalisz was most likely founded in the 9th century as a provincial capital castellany, in 1106 Bolesław III Wrymouth captured the town and made it a part of his feudal domain. Between 1253 and 1260 the town was incorporated according to the German town law called the Środa Śląska Law, a variation of the Magdeburg Law. One of the richest towns of Greater Poland, during the fragmentation of Poland it formed a separate duchy ruled by a local branch of the Piast dynasty. After Poland was reunited, the became a notable centre of weaving and wood products. Jewish settlement of Kalisz dates back to 1139, in 1282 the city laws were confirmed by Przemysł II of Poland, and in 1314 it was made the capital of the Kalisz Voivodeship by king Władysław I the Elbow-high. Located roughly in the centre of Poland, Kalisz was a centre of trade. Because of its location, King Casimir III the Great signed a peace treaty with the Teutonic Order there in 1343. As a royal town, the city managed to defend many of its initial privileges, the Polish king Mieszko III the Old was buried in Kalisz. The economic development of the area was aided by a number of Protestant Czech Brothers. In 1792, fire destroyed much of the city centre, the following year, in the second partition of Poland, the Kingdom of Prussia absorbed the city, called Kalisch in German. In 1801, Wojciech Bogusławski set up one of the first permanent theatre troupes in Kalisz, in 1807 Kalisz became a provincial capital within the Duchy of Warsaw. After the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte, Kalisz became a capital of Congress Poland
23.
Legnica
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Legnica is a city in southwestern Poland, in the central part of Lower Silesia, on the Kaczawa River and the Czarna Woda. Between 1 June 1975 and 31 December 1998 Legnica was the capital of the Legnica Voivodeship and it is currently the seat of the county and since 1992 the city has been the seat of a Diocese. As of 2012, Legnica had a population of 102,708 inhabitants, the city was first referenced in chronicles dating from the year 1004, although previous settlements could be traced back to the 7th century. The name Legnica was mentioned in 1149 under High Duke of Poland Bolesław IV the Curly, the Christian coalition under the command of the Polish Duke Henry II the Pious, supported by nobles, knights, and mercenaries, was decisively defeated by the Mongols. This, however, was a point in the war as the Mongols, having killed Henry II, halted their advance into Europe. During the Renaissance period, Legnica was one of the most important cities of Central Europe, the city began to rapidly develop after the sudden discovery of gold in the Kaczawa River between Legnica and the town of Złotoryja. In 1742 the city was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia after King Frederick the Greats victory over Austria in the War of the Austrian Succession. It remained in Germany until the end of World War II, Legnica is an economic, cultural and academic centre in Lower Silesia, together with Wrocław. The city is renowned for its architecture, spanning from early medieval to modern period. According to the Foreign direct investment ranking from 2016, Legnica is one of the fastest developing cities in the Silesian region. As of 31 December 2012 Legnica has 102,708 inhabitants and is the third largest city in the voivodeship and it also constitutes the southernmost and the largest urban center of a copper deposit with agglomeration of 448,617 inhabitants. Legnica is the largest city of the conurbation and is a member of the Association of Polish Cities, a settlement of the Lusatian culture people existed in the 8th century B. C. After Celtic invasions beyond upper danube basin the area of Legnica was inhabited by their tribes, tacitus and Ptolemy recorded the Lugii in the area, and mentioned their town of Lugidunum, which has been attributed to both Legnica and Głogów. Slavic Lechitic tribes moved into the area in the 8th century and were the first group to settle it permanently, the city was first officially mentioned in chronicles from 1004, although settlement dates to the 7th century. It is mentioned in 1149 when the High Duke of Poland Bolesław IV the Curly funded a chapel at the St. Benedict monastery. Legnica was the most likely place of residence for Bolesław and it became the residence of the High Dukes of Poland in 1163 and was the seat of a principality ruled from 1248–1675. Legnica became famous for the battle took place at Legnickie Pole near the city on 9 April 1241 during the Mongol invasion of Europe. As the capital of the Duchy of Legnica at the beginning of the 14th century, Legnica was one of the most important cities of Central Europe, the city began to expand quickly after the discovery of gold in the Kaczawa River between Legnica and Złotoryja
24.
Voivode
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Voivode is an Eastern European title that originally denoted the principal commander of a military force. It derives from the word vojevoda, which in early Slavic meant the bellidux, i. e. the military commander of an area, in Byzantine times it referred to mainly military commanders of Slavic populations, especially in the Balkans. In medieval Serbia it meant an official and - before the Ottoman conquest in the 15th century - the commander of a military area. During Ottoman times, Voivode was the title borne by the ruler of a province, whose powers included the administration, security, the same title was borne by the Ottoman official who oversaw the “Chora Metzovo” each time. The word gradually came to denote the governor of a province, the territory ruled or administered by a voivode is known in English as a voivodeship. In the English language, the title is translated as duke or prince. In Eastern European terminology, the rank of a voivode is considered equal of that of a German Herzog, a voivode was often considered to be an assistant of the Knyaz. During military actions the voivode was in charge of an army that consisted of the local population, the voj, while the knyaz had its own regular military formation. As of 2016 in Poland the term means the centrally-appointed governor of a Polish province or voivodeship. The Polish title is rendered in English as palatine or prince palatine. Other similar titles include Margrave, Governor-General, and others, with the expansion of the Russian Empire the title of voivode was superseded by namestnik. Later, voivode denoted the highest military rank in the principalities of Montenegro and Serbia, in the Romanian medieval principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, voievode became part of the official titulature of the sovereign prince, showing his right to lead the entire army. Voivode or vajda was also the title of the Hungarian governors of Transylvania in the Middle Ages, baida was a title of a Ruthenian nobleman and Cossack leader Dmytro Vyshnevetsky. Similarly, the leaders in the Balkans were called voivodes. The term derives from Slavic voi or vojsko + vodi, the word has developed to take various forms in the modern Slavic languages, such as vojvoda, wojewoda, воевода, войвода or воевода, воєвода, vévoda and војвода. It has also borrowed into some non-Slavic languages, taking such forms as voievod, vajda. Voivode is also related to state such as Vojvodina, Polish provinces voivodeship. For this reason, the Slavic terms are translated as duke
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Voivodeship sejmik
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A voivodeship sejmik, also known as a provincial or regional assembly, is the regional-level elected legislature for each of the sixteen voivodeships of Poland. Sejmiks are elected to terms, decided during nationwide local elections. The size of the legislative assembly varies for each voivodeship depending on the population, in lower populated provinces, there are 30 members, elected representatives of an assembly are known as councillors. The word sejmik is a diminutive of sejm, a term for an assembly of nobles. Assemblies are elected for a four-year term during nationwide local elections, the board acts as the collective executive body of the voivodeship, and is the provinces de facto cabinet. The assembly additionally elects a chairman and deputy chairmen from among their ranks, if the assembly fails to elect an executive board within three months following an election, the legislature must dissolve itself and the voivodeship is obliged to call another election. Earlier elections can also be approved in the event of a referendum or if the Sejm has dissolved a regional assembly. Provincial assemblies can debate, adopt and pass statutes on matters concerning the province which are not reserved for the administration of the central government, since the end of the 1990s, the powers of the sejmiks and their respective executive boards have grown. However, sejmiks are unable to enact provincewide taxes to fund internal policies and projects, throughout its elected term, the assembly reserves the right to hold the marshal and the executive board accountable for their policies. Assemblies do not, on the hand, have a say in the choice nor dismissal of the centrally-appointed voivode for the province. Assemblies are assisted by the marshals office, which provides legal, technical. Sejmik Sejm Voivodeship marshal Voivodeship executive board Council of Europe, Structure and Operation of Local Regional Democracy. Machnikowski, Piotr, Justyna Balcarczyk, Monika Drela, alphen aan den Rijn, The Netherlands, Kluwer Law International. Post-Communist Poland – Contested Pasts and Future Identitie, Local Government Reform in Poland, An Insiders Story. Local Government in Poland, Political Failure and Economic Success, in Edward G. Goetz, Susan E. Clarke. The New Localism, Comparative Urban Politics in a Global Era, the Making of Regions in Post-Socialist Europe, the Impact of Culture, Economic Structure, and Institutions
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Masovian Voivodeship
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Masovian Voivodeship or Mazovia Province, is the largest and most populous of the sixteen Polish provinces, or voivodeships, created in 1999. It occupies 35,579 square kilometres of east-central Poland, and has 5,324,500 inhabitants. Its principal cities are Warsaw in the centre of the Warsaw metropolitan area, Radom in the south, Płock in the west, Siedlce in the east, the capital of the voivodeship is the national capital, Warsaw. The province was created on January 1,1999, out of the former Warsaw, Płock, Ciechanów, Ostrołęka, Siedlce and Radom Voivodeships, the provinces name recalls the traditional name of the region, Mazowsze, with which it is roughly coterminous. Masovian Voivodeship is divided into 42 counties,5 city counties and 37 land counties and these are subdivided into 314 gminas, which include 85 urban gminas. The counties, shown on the map, are described in the table below. The voivodeship contains 85 cities and towns and these are listed below in descending order of population, Protected areas in Masovian Voivodeship include one National Park and nine Landscape Parks. Together with Płock and Rawa Voivodeships, it formed the province of Masovia, Masovian Voivodeship was one of the voivodeships of Congress Poland. It was formed from Warsaw Department, and transformed into Masovia Governorate, there are three main road routes that pass through the voivodship, Cork–Berlin–Poznań–Warszawa–Minsk–Moscow–Omsk, Prague–Wrocław–Warsaw–Białystok–Helsinki and Pskov–Gdańsk–Warsaw–Kraków–Budapest. Currently there are small stretches of autostrada in the area. However, the A2 autostrada, upon its completion, will be the first autostrada to connect the region, the autostrada will pass directly through the voivodship from east to west connecting it with Belarus and Germany. The railroad system is based on Koleje Mazowieckie and PKP Intercity, the main international airport in the region is Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport. Masovian Voivodeship is the wealthiest province in Poland and it produces 22% of Polish GDP, and GDP per capita is 160% of country average. Second Polish Republics Warsaw Voivodeship Official website Things to do in Warsaw
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Lesser Poland Voivodeship
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Lesser Poland Voivodeship, also known as Małopolska Voivodeship or Małopolska Province, is a voivodeship, in southern Poland. It has an area of 15,108 square kilometres, the provinces name recalls the traditional name of a historic Polish region, Lesser Poland, or in Polish, Małopolska. Current Lesser Poland Voivodeship, however, covers only part of the broader ancient Małopolska region which, together with Greater Poland and Silesia. Historic Lesser Poland is much larger than the current province and it stretches far north, to Radom, and Siedlce, also including such cities, as Stalowa Wola, Lublin, Kielce, Częstochowa, and Sosnowiec. The province is bounded on the north by the Świętokrzyskie Mountains, on the west by Jura Krakowsko-Częstochowska, politically it is bordered by Silesian Voivodeship to the west, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship to the north, Subcarpathian Voivodeship to the east, and Slovakia to the south. Almost all of Lesser Poland lies in the Vistula River catchment area, the city of Kraków was one of the European Cities of Culture in 2000. Kraków has railway and road connections with Katowice, Warsaw, Wrocław and it lies at the crossroads of major international routes linking Dresden with Kiev, and Gdańsk with Budapest. Located here is the second largest international airport in Poland, the John Paul II International Airport, the regions economy includes high technology, banking, chemical and metallurgical industries, coal, ore, food processing, and spirit and tobacco industries. The most industrialized city of the voivodeship is Kraków, the largest regional enterprise operates here, the Tadeusz Sendzimir Steelworks in Nowa Huta, employing 17,500 people. Another major industrial center is located in the west, in the neighborhood of Chrzanów, Kraków Park Technologiczny, a Special Economic Zone, has been established within the voivodeship. There are almost 210,000 registered economic entities operating in the voivodeship, mostly small and medium-sized, foreign investment, growing in the region, reached approximately US$18.3 billion by the end of 2006. 130,000 students attend fifteen Kraków institutions of higher learning, the Jagiellonian University, the largest university in the city, was founded in 1364 as Cracow Academy. Nicolaus Copernicus and Karol Wojtyła graduated from it, the AGH University of Science and Technology is considered to be the best technical university in Poland. The Academy of Economics, the Pedagogical University, the Kraków University of Technology, there are also the Fine Arts Academy, the State Theatre University and the Musical Academy. Nowy Sącz has become an educational center in the region thanks to its Higher School of Business and Administration, with an American curriculum. There are also two higher schools in Tarnów. The city of Tarnów, which is located in Lesser Poland, is the hottest place in Poland all year round and it all depends on the many various wind patters that affect Poland from different regions of the world. Błędów Desert the only desert in Poland is located in Lesser Poland, four national parks and numerous reserves have been established in the voivodeship to protect the environment of Lesser Poland
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Lower Silesian Voivodeship
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Lower Silesian Voivodeship, or Lower Silesia Province, in southwestern Poland, is one of the 16 voivodeships into which Poland is divided. Historically the area had ties to both German and Polish culture, with additional Czech influence in the southern mountainous region. Silesia was once divided into many small duchies reigned by dukes and princes of the Piast dynasty, during this time, cultural and ethnic Germanic influence prospered due to immigrants from the German-speaking areas of the mighty Holy Roman Empire. This also impacted on the architecture as well as traditions. Throughout the upcoming centuries, Lower Silesia experienced several key events such as the Protestant Reformation, Lower Silesia is one of the richest provinces in Poland as it has valuable natural resources such as copper, brown coal and rock materials, which are exploited by the biggest enterprises. Its well developed and varied industries attract both domestic and foreign investors and its capital and largest city is Wrocław, situated on the Odra River. Furthermore, the voivodeship is famous for its castles and palaces and is one of Polands most visited regions by tourists. The voivodeship was created on 1 January 1999 out of the former Wrocław, Legnica, Wałbrzych and Jelenia Góra Voivodeships and it covers an area of 19,946 square kilometres, and as of 2013 has a total population of 2914362. Although much of the region is relatively low-lying it also includes Sudeten Foreland, popular ski resorts in Lower Silesian Voivodeship include Karpacz and Szklarska Poręba in the Karkonosze mountains. Other important tourist destinations in the include the chief city, Wrocław, as well as the towns of Jelenia Góra. The town of Boleslawiec is famed for its pottery, an international airport is located in Wrocław–Copernicus Airport. The main railway station is Wrocław Główny, the A4 motorway, A8 motorway and A18 motorway run through the voivodship. Lower Silesian Voivodeship is one of the most visited voivodeships in Poland and it is famous for a large number of castles and palaces, inter alia, Książ Castle, Czocha Castle, Chojnik Castle, Grodziec castle, Gorzanów Castle, Kliczków Castle. There is also a lot in the Jelenia Góra valley, the voivodships most widely visited city is Wrocław with many sights and attractions, inter alia open all year round Aquapark, Wrocław SPA Center and famous Wrocławs dwarfs. The Festival of Good Beer is held every year, on the weekend of June. Śnieżka is one of the first European peaks visited by tourists, it is also the highest peak of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Lower Silesia is one of the richest regions in Poland. GDP per capita in 2007 accounted for 108. 7% of the average for the country, since 2005, the voivodeship recorded the highest in the country economic growth rate. The voivodeship contains 91 cities and towns and these are listed below in descending order of population, Lower Silesian Voivodeship is divided into 30 counties, four of which are city counties
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Greater Poland Voivodeship
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Greater Poland Voivodeship, also known as Wielkopolska Voivodeship or Wielkopolska Province, is a voivodeship, or province, in west-central Poland. It was created on 1 January 1999 out of the former Poznań, Kalisz, Konin, Piła and Leszno Voivodeships, the province is named after the region called Greater Poland or Wielkopolska. The modern province includes most of historic region, except for some south-western parts. Greater Poland Voivodeship is second in area and third in population among Polands sixteen voivodeships, with an area of 29,826 square kilometres and its capital city is Poznań, other important cities include Kalisz, Konin, Piła, Ostrów Wielkopolski, Gniezno and Leszno. The city of Poznań has international twinning arrangements with the English county of Nottinghamshire, Greater Poland, sometimes called the cradle of Poland, formed the heart of the 10th-century early Polish state. In the testament of Bolesław III Wrymouth, which initiated the period of fragmentation of Poland, the eastern part, with Gniezno and Kalisz, was part of the Duchy of Kraków, granted to Władysław II the Exile. However, for most of the period the two parts were under a ruler, and were known as the Duchy of Greater Poland. The region came under the control of Władysław I the Elbow-High in 1314, in the reunited kingdom, and later in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the country came to be divided into administrative units called voivodeships. In the case of the Greater Poland region these were Poznań Voivodeship, the Commonwealth also had larger subdivisions known as prowincja, one of which was named Greater Poland. However, this covered an larger area than the Greater Poland region itself, also taking in Masovia. In 1768 a new Gniezno Voivodeship was formed out of the part of Kalisz Voivodeship. However more far-reaching changes would come with the Partitions of Poland, in the first partition, northern parts of Greater Poland along the Noteć were taken over by Prussia, becoming the Netze District. In the second partition the whole of Greater Poland was absorbed by Prussia and it remained so in spite of the first Greater Poland Uprising, part of the unsuccessful Kościuszko Uprising directed chiefly against Russia. More successful was the Greater Poland Uprising of 1806, which led to the regions becoming part of the Napoleonic Duchy of Warsaw, however, following the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Greater Poland was again partitioned, with the western part going to Prussia. The eastern part joined the Russian-controlled Kingdom of Poland, where it formed the Kalisz Voivodeship until 1837, within the Prussian empire, western Greater Poland became the Grand Duchy of Posen, which theoretically held some autonomy. Following an unrealized uprising in 1846, and the substantial but still unsuccessful uprising of 1848. Following the end of World War I, the Greater Poland Uprising ensured that most of the region part of the newly independent Polish state. Northern and some parts of Greater Poland remained in Germany
Masovian
Lesser Poland
Łódź
Lower Silesian
Greater Poland
Pomeranian
West Pomeranian
Kuyavian-Pomeranian
Lublin
Silesian
Podlaskie
Świętokrzyskie
Podkarpackie
Warmian-Masurian
Lubusz
Opole
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