Cieszyn ( , ; cs, Těšín ; german: Teschen; la, Tessin; szl, Ćeszyn) is a border town in southern

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

on the east bank of the

Olza River The ( cs, Olše, german: Olsa) is a river in Poland and the Czech Republic, a right (eastern) tributary of the River Oder. It flows from the Silesian Beskids mountains through southern Cieszyn Silesia in Poland and the Frýdek-Místek and Karvin ...

, and the administrative seat of Cieszyn County,

Silesian Voivodeship Silesian Voivodeship, or Silesia Province ( pl, województwo śląskie ) is a voivodeship, or province, in southern Poland, centered on the historic region known as Upper Silesia ('), with Katowice serving as its capital. Despite the Silesian V ...

. The town has 33,500 inhabitants (as of December 2021), and lies opposite

Český Těšín Český Těšín (; pl, Czeski Cieszyn ; german: Tschechisch-Teschen) is a town in the Karviná District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 24,000 inhabitants. Český Těšín lies on the west bank of the Olza ...

in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

. Both towns belong to the historical region of

Cieszyn Silesia Cieszyn Silesia, Těšín Silesia or Teschen Silesia ( pl, Śląsk Cieszyński ; cs, Těšínské Slezsko or ; german: Teschener Schlesien or ) is a historical region in south-eastern Silesia, centered on the towns of Cieszyn and Český T� ...

, and formerly as one town composed the capital of the

Duchy of Cieszyn The Duchy of Teschen (german: Herzogtum Teschen), also Duchy of Cieszyn ( pl, Księstwo Cieszyńskie) or Duchy of Těšín ( cs, Těšínské knížectví), was one of the Duchies of Silesia centered on Cieszyn () in Upper Silesia. It was spli ...

Geography

The town is situated on the

Olza Olza may refer to: *Olza (river), a river in the Czech Republic and Poland *Olza, Silesian Voivodeship, a village in Poland *Cendea de Olza/Oltza Zendea, a municipality in Spain *SS Olza, SS ''Olza'', a Polish ship {{disambig ...

river, a tributary of the Oder River, which forms the border with the

. It is located within the western

Silesian Foothills Silesian Foothills ( pl, Pogórze Śląskie, cs, Slezské podhůří, szl, Pogōrze Ślōnske) are foothills located in Silesian Voivodeship, Poland. It has an area of 545 km2. Its western border is Olza river, eastern Skawa. Other main r ...

north of the

Silesian Beskids Silesian Beskids ( Polish: , Czech: , german: Schlesische Beskiden) is one of the Beskids mountain ranges in Outer Western Carpathians in southern Silesian Voivodeship, Poland and the eastern Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic. Most of ...

and Mt.

Czantoria Wielka or Wielka Czantoria ( cs, Velká Čantoryje) is a mountain on the border of Poland and the Czech Republic, in the Silesian Beskids mountain range. It reaches a height of . Parts of the mountain on both sides are designated a protected area. Geo ...

, a popular

ski resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area – a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In Nort ...

. Cieszyn is the heart of the historical region of

, the southeasternmost part of

Upper Silesia Upper Silesia ( pl, Górny Śląsk; szl, Gůrny Ślůnsk, Gōrny Ślōnsk; cs, Horní Slezsko; german: Oberschlesien; Silesian German: ; la, Silesia Superior) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, locate ...

. Until the end of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

in 1918 it was a seat of the Dukes of Teschen. In 1920 Cieszyn Silesia was divided between the two newly created states of

and

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

, with the smaller western suburbs of Teschen becoming part of Czechoslovakia as a new town called

. The larger part of the town joined Poland as Cieszyn. Three bridges connect the

twin towns A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...

. After Poland and the Czech Republic joined the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

and its passport-free

Schengen zone The Schengen Area ( , ) is an area comprising 27 European countries that have officially abolished all passport and all other types of border control at their mutual borders. Being an element within the wider area of freedom, security and ...

, border controls were abolished and residents of both the Polish and Czech part could move freely across the border. The combined population of Polish and Czech parts of the city is 61,201 inhabitants. Cieszyn is the southern terminus of the Polish National road 1 leading to Gdańsk on the

Baltic Baltic may refer to: Peoples and languages * Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian *Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originati ...

coast. The town combines both Polish and Old–Austrian peculiarities in the style of its buildings. Because of several major fires and subsequent reconstructions (the last one in the late 18th century), the picturesque old town is sometimes called ''Little Vienna''. The only relic of the ancient castle is a square tower, dating from the 14th century and 11th century romanesque chapel.

History

The area has been populated by West Slavic peoples since at least the 7th century. According to legend, in 810 three sons of a prince – Bolko, Leszko and Cieszko, met here after a long pilgrimage, found a spring, and decided to found a new settlement. They called it Cieszyn, from the words ''cieszym się'' ("I'm happy"). This well can be found at ''ulica Trzech Braci'' ("Three Brothers Street"), just west of the town square. Sąd Rejonowy w Cieszynie 3

The town was the capital of the

Duchy of Teschen The Duchy of Teschen (german: Herzogtum Teschen), also Duchy of Cieszyn ( pl, Księstwo Cieszyńskie) or Duchy of Těšín ( cs, Těšínské knížectví), was one of the Duchies of Silesia centered on Cieszyn () in Upper Silesia. It was split o ...

since 1290, which was ruled by Piast dynasty until 1653 and by the

Habsburg Dynasty The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

of Austria until 1918. It was in Teschen that Maria Theresa and Frederick II on in May 1779 signed the Teschen Peace Treaty, which put an end to the

War of the Bavarian Succession The War of the Bavarian Succession (; 3 July 1778 – 13 May 1779) was a dispute between the Austrian Habsburg monarchy and an alliance of Saxony and Prussia over succession to the Electorate of Bavaria after the extinction of the Bavarian br ...

. In the 19th century Teschen was known for its ethnic, religious and cultural diversity, containing mostly German, Polish, Jewish and Czech communities. There was also a small Hungarian community in the town consisting mostly of officers and clerks. The town was divided in July 1920, by the Spa Conference, a body formed by the

Versailles Treaty The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 19 ...

, leaving a Polish minority on the Czechoslovak side. Its smaller western suburbs became what is now the town of

in the

. During the interwar period two villages were merged into Cieszyn: Błogocice in 1923 and Bobrek in 1932. After 1920 many ethnic Germans left the town, while many Poles from the Czechoslovakian part of the region moved in. According to the Polish census of 1921, Cieszyn had 15,268 inhabitants, of whom 9,241 (60.5%) were Poles, 4,777 (31.2%) were Germans, 1014 (6.6%) were Jews, and 195 (1.3%) were Czechs. The census from 1931 indicated 14,707 inhabitants, of whom 12,145 (82.7%) were Poles, while the rest consisted mostly of Germans and Jews (in 1937 estimated to be 12 and 8% respectively). Cieszyn and Český Těšín were merged again in October 1938 when Poland annexed the

Zaolzie Trans-Olza ( pl, Zaolzie, ; cs, Záolží, ''Záolší''; german: Olsa-Gebiet; Cieszyn Silesian: ''Zaolzi''), also known as Trans-Olza Silesia ( Polish: ''Śląsk Zaolziański''), is a territory in the Czech Republic, which was disputed betwe ...

area together with Český Těšín. In 1939 Cieszyn Silesia was occupied by German forces and during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

it was part of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

. Almost the entire Jewish community was murdered by the Nazis. After World War II, the border between Poland and Czechoslovakia was restored to that of 1920. Most Germans fled or were expelled and were replaced with Poles expelled from the

Polish areas annexed by the Soviet Union Seventeen days after the German invasion of Poland in 1939, which marked the beginning of the Second World War, the Soviet Union entered the eastern regions of Poland (known as the ''Kresy'') and annexed territories totalling with a population o ...

. Signs of the former German presence in the town were removed by a special committee. On 19 July 1970, five firefighters from Cieszyn died when a bridge they were on fell into the Olza River, due to heavy flooding. In 1977, Boguszowice,

Gułdowy Gułdowy is a district of Cieszyn, Silesian Voivodeship, Poland. It was a separate municipality, but became administratively a part of Cieszyn in 1973. The village was first mentioned in 1461. It belonged then to the Duchy of Cieszyn The Duchy ...

Kalembice Kalembice () is a district of Cieszyn, Silesian Voivodeship, Poland. It was a separate municipality, but became administratively a part of Cieszyn in 1973. The name is of patronymic origins derived from personal name ''Kalemba'' (locally also deno ...

, Krasna,

Mnisztwo Mnisztwo (previously also ''Mnichy'', ) is a district of Cieszyn, Silesian Voivodeship, Poland. It was a separate municipality, but became administratively a part of Cieszyn in 1973. The name is patronymic in origin derived from monks (Polish and ...

, Pastwiska were amalgamated with Cieszyn and Marklowice.

Culture

Since the 18th century Cieszyn Silesia has been an important centre of Polish

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

when the Jesus Church was built as the only one in

. Currently, Cieszyn is also the site of the Cieszyn Summer Film Festival, one of the most influential

film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upo ...

s in Poland. There is also an earlier established Czech-Polish-Slovak film festival.

Industry

Cieszyn is an important centre of the electromechanical industry. It is also the site of the ''Olza Cieszyn'' sweets factory (where the famous

Prince Polo Prince Polo is a Polish wafer chocolate bar and one of Poland's top-selling candy brands. It is also sold in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Lithuania and Ukraine under the name Siesta, and in Iceland under Prins Póló. According to meas ...

wafer A wafer is a crisp, often sweet, very thin, flat, light and dry biscuit, often used to decorate ice cream, and also used as a garnish on some sweet dishes. Wafers can also be made into cookies with cream flavoring sandwiched between them. They ...

s are made) and the Brackie Browar, where Żywiec Porter is brewed. The main source of income for many citizens is trade with the nearby

and retail trade associated with transit across the two bridges over the

to Český Těšín. In the past, the city was home to many furniture factories.

Sites of interest

* Romanesque St. Nicholas' Chapel (''Kaplica św. Mikołaja'', a rotunda from the 11th century) * Remnants of the

Piast The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I (c. 930–992). The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of king Casimir III the Great. Branche ...

dynasty castle ** Piast Castle Tower (''Wieża Piastowska'', mostly 14th century) **

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

St. Mary Magdalene Church (''Kościół Marii Magdaleny'', 13th century) * Old Town Square (''Rynek'') ** bourgeoisie houses (15th–19th centuries) ** Town Hall (''Ratusz'', early 19th century) * Former minting house (18th century) *

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

Church of Jesus (18th century) * Museum of

in the former Larisch family palace (''Pałac Laryszów'', ''

Muzeum Śląska Cieszyńskiego The Museum of Cieszyn Silesia ( pl, Muzeum Śląska Cieszyńskiego) in Cieszyn is one of the oldest public museums in Central Europe and the oldest public museum in Poland, set up by father Leopold Jan Szersznik in 1802. History The town pa ...

'', the first museum in Poland) *

Castle Brewery Castle Brewery is one of the oldest commercial breweries in South Africa. As company-endorsed legend would have it, the company was founded by Charles Glass in Johannesburg in 1894. UCT history professor Anne Kelk Mager has argued that the offic ...

(''Browar Zamkowy'', 1846) *

Habsburg Palace in Cieszyn Habsburg Hunting Palace is a Classicist palace built in 1838–1840 in Cieszyn, Poland. It has been designed by Viennese architect Joseph Kornhäusel, constructed on the earthwork of the lower castle. History In 1838 the arch-prince Karl Lud ...

* Bonifraters Monastery (18th century) * The

protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

Church of Jesus (''Kościół Jezusowy''), with a baroque tower and statues of the Four Evangelists above the

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

that liven up the plain interior.

Notable people

Jiří Třanovský Jiří Třanovský ( pl, Jerzy Trzanowski, sk, Juraj Tranovský, la, Georgius Tranoscius; 9 April 1592 – 29 May 1637), was a Lutheran priest and hymnwriter from the Cieszyn Silesia. Sometimes called the father of Slovak hymnody and the "Lu ...

(1592–1637), theologian and composer * Adam Christian Agricola (1593–1645), evangelical preacher *

Carl Friedrich Kotschy Carl Friedrich Kotschy ( pl, Karol Fryderyk Kotschy, Karol Koczy, 26 January 1789 – 9 February 1856) was an Austrian Protestant theologian and botanist born in Cieszyn, Teschen (today Cieszyn, Poland). He was the father of botanist Theodor K ...

(1789–1856), botanist and

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

* Friedrich Uhl (1825–1906),

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...

, writer *

Rudolf Ramek Rudolf Ramek (12 April 1881 – 24 July 1941) was an Austrian Christian Social politician, who served as Chancellor of Austria from 1924 to 1926. Life Ramek was born in Teschen in Austrian Silesia (present-day Cieszyn, Poland). A member ...

(1881–1941), Austrian politician,

Chancellor of Austria The chancellor of the Republic of Austria () is the head of government of the Republic of Austria. The position corresponds to that of Prime Minister in several other parliamentary democracies. Current officeholder is Karl Nehammer of the Aus ...

* (1887–1915), Polish writer * Hermann Heller (1891–1933), jurist *

Viktor Ullmann Viktor Ullmann (1 January 1898, in Teschen – 18 October 1944, in KZ Auschwitz-Birkenau) was a Silesia-born Austrian composer, conductor and pianist. Biography Viktor Ullmann was born on 1 January 1898 in Těšín (Teschen), which belonged ...

(1898–1944), Jewish musician *

Max Rostal Max Rostal (7 July 1905 – 6 August 1991) was a violinist and a viola player. He was Austrian-born, but later took British citizenship. Biography Max Rostal was born in Cieszyn to a Jewish merchant family. As a child prodigy, he started studyin ...

(1905–1991), violinist and educator * Herbert Czaja (1914–1997), German politician ( CDU) * Richard Pipes (1923–2018), Polish-American historian,

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

Professor * (born 1943), German sculptor, professor * Jadwiga Smykowska (1945–2017), artist *

Karol Semik Karol Semik (born 13 August 1953 in Cieszyn) is a Polish teacher and educator. Since 2008 the Superintendent. The best graduate of AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków in 1977. He was teaching assistant in Radom University of Tech ...

(born 1953), teacher and educator * Beata Nowok (born 1978), statistician and researcher *

Magdalena Gwizdoń Magdalena Gwizdoń (born 4 August 1979) is a Polish biathlete, born in Cieszyn. Career Gwizdoń competed in the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics for Poland. Her best finish was 7th, as part of the 2006 Polish relay team. Her best individual fini ...

(born 1979),

biathlete The biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. It is treated as a race, with contestants skiing through a cross-country trail whose distance is divided into shooting rounds. The shooting rounds are not time ...

Ireneusz Jeleń Ireneusz Jeleń (; born 9 April 1981) is a retired Polish footballer who played as a right-winger or striker for the Poland national football team. Club career Jeleń was born in Cieszyn. From 2002 to 2006 he played for Wisła Płock in th ...

(born 1981), footballer *

Tomisław Tajner Tomisław Tajner (born 1 January 1983) is a Polish former ski jumper who competed from 2001 to 2010. His best individual World Cup results were 24th in Titisee-Neustadt on 1 December 2001, and 24th in Engelberg on 22 December 2002. In team comp ...

(born 1983),

ski jumper Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the fina ...

Jan Błachowicz Jan Maciej Błachowicz (; born 24 February 1983) is a Polish professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Cham ...

(born 1983),

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

and former

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

Light Heavyweight Champion *

Piotr Żyła Piotr Paweł Żyła (Polish pronunciation: ; born 16 January 1987) is a Polish Ski jumping, ski jumper. He is a member of the national team and competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. He is the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2021, 2021 ...

(born 1987), ski jumper, world champion

Twin towns – sister cities

Cieszyn is twinned with: *

Balchik Balchik ( bg, Балчик ; ro, Balcic) is a Black Sea coastal town and seaside resort in the Southern Dobruja area of northeastern Bulgaria. It is in Dobrich Province, 35 km southeast of Dobrich and 42 km northeast of Varna. It spr ...

, Bulgaria * Cambrai, France *

, Czech Republic *

Genk Genk () is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg near Hasselt. The municipality only comprises the town of Genk itself. It is one of the most important industrial towns in Flanders, located on the Albert Canal, ...

, Belgium * Puck, Poland *

Rožňava Rožňava ( hu, Rozsnyó, german: Rosenau, Latin: ''Rosnavia'') is a town in Slovakia, approximately by road from Košice in the Košice Region, and has a population of 19,182. The town is an economic and tourist centre of the Gemer. Rožňava ...

, Slovakia *

Teuva Teuva ( sv, Östermark) is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the South Ostrobothnia region. The population of Teuva is () and the municipality covers an area of of which is inland water (). The population density is . The municipali ...

, Finland

Gallery

File:Cieszyn Rynek2.jpg, Town Hall at the Cieszyn Market Square File:Cieszyn Buildings 39.jpg, Townhouses in Cieszyn File:2012 Powiat cieszyński, Cieszyn, Góra Zamkowa, Rotunda św. Mikołaja 02.jpg, Rotunda from circa 1180 / St. Nicholas Church File:Ciesz wieza 361.jpg, 14th century

tower File:Teschen-figura.jpg, Statue of

Saint Florian Florian ( la, Florianus; 250 – 304 AD) was a Christian holy man, and the patron saint of Linz, Austria; chimney sweeps; soapmakers, and firefighters. His feast day is 4 May. Florian is also the patron saint of Upper Austria, jointly with Le ...

File:Cieszyn 01.jpg, Monastery, church, and hospital of the Sisters of Saint Elizabeth File:Cieszyn sw Marii Magdaleny od pd wsch.jpg, Mary Magdalene Dominican Church, begun in late 13th century File:Pałac Myśliwski Habsburgów w Cieszynie 1.JPG, Hunting Palace of the Habsburgs and monument commemorating Silesian legionnaries fallen for Poland File:Kamienica Mieszkalna.DanielG44K.jpg, Hotel on the town square File:Cieszyn 57.jpg,

Evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual expe ...

Protestant Church of Jesus, begun in 1710 File:Brama cmentarza komunalnego w Cieszynie1.JPG, Communal Cemetery in Cieszyn File:Pałac Larischów w Cieszynie 1.JPG, Museum of the

References

External links

*
Museum of Cieszyn Silesia
(Muzeum Śląska Cieszyńskiego)
Jewish Community in Cieszyn
on Virtual Shtetl {{Authority control Czech Republic–Poland border crossings Silesian Voivodeship (1920–1939) Divided cities