Świętochłowice (; ; ) is a

city with powiat rights A city with powiat rights () is in Poland a designation denoting 66 of the 107 cities (the urban gminas which are governed by a city mayor or ''prezydent miasta'') which exercise also the powers and duties of a Powiat, county (), thus being an inde ...

Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...

in southern

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, near

Katowice Katowice (, ) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Katowice urban area. As of 2021, Katowice has an official population of 286,960, and a resident population estimate of around 315,000. K ...

. It is also one of the central cities of the

Metropolis GZM The Metropolis GZM (, formally in Polish (Upper Silesian-Dąbrowa Basin Metropolis)) is a metropolitan association () composed of 41 contiguous gminas, with a total population of over 2 million, covering most of the Katowice metropolitan area i ...

, with a population of 2 million, and is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Rawa River (tributary of the

Vistula The Vistula (; ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest in Europe, at in length. Its drainage basin, extending into three other countries apart from Poland, covers , of which is in Poland. The Vistula rises at Barania Góra i ...

). It is situated in the

Silesian Voivodeship Silesian Voivodeship ( ) is an administrative province in southern Poland. With over 4.2 million residents and an area of 12,300 square kilometers, it is the second-most populous, and the most-densely populated and most-urbanized region of Poland ...

since its formation in 1999, previously in Katowice Voivodeship, and before then, of the Autonomous Silesian Voivodeship. Świętochłowice is one of the cities of the 2.7 million conurbation –

Katowice urban area The Katowice urban area (, ), also known as the Upper Silesian urban area (, ), is an urban area/conurbation in southern Poland, centered on Katowice. It is located in the Silesian Voivodeship. The Katowice urban area is the largest urban are ...

and within a greater

Katowice-Ostrava metropolitan area The Katowice-Ostrava metropolitan areaBrookings Institutionbr>Redefining global cities: The seven types of global metro economies(2016), p. 16. European Spatial Planning Observation Network (ESPON"''Metroborder: Cross-border Polycentric Metropol ...

populated by about 5,294,000 people. The population of the city is 49,762 (2019).

History

Initially, Świętochłowice was divided into two parts: the older Małe Świętochłowice (''Little Świętochłowice'') and newer Duże Świętochłowice (''Big Świętochłowice''), which date back to the 12th and 13th centuries, respectively. The oldest known mention of Świętochłowice comes from 1313, while the present-day district of Chropaczów was mentioned in 1295. Both settlements were located within the

Duchy of Bytom The Duchy of Bytom (, , ) was a duchy in Upper Silesia, one of the Duchies of Silesia, Silesian duchies of fragmented Piast dynasty, Piast-ruled Poland. It was established in Upper Silesia about 1281 during the division of the Duchy of Opole and Ra ...

of fragmented

and remained under the rule of the

Piast dynasty The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented List of Polish monarchs, Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I of Poland, Mieszko I (–992). The Poland during the Piast dynasty, Piasts' royal rule in Pol ...

until 1532, as part of the duchies of Bytom and

Opole Opole (; ; ; ) is a city located in southern Poland on the Oder River and the historical capital of Upper Silesia. With a population of approximately 127,387 as of the 2021 census, it is the capital of Opole Voivodeship (province) and the seat of ...

, before passing to the

Kingdom of Bohemia The Kingdom of Bohemia (), sometimes referenced in English literature as the Czech Kingdom, was a History of the Czech lands in the High Middle Ages, medieval and History of the Czech lands, early modern monarchy in Central Europe. It was the pr ...

.''Miejska strategia rozwiązywania problemów społecznych Świętochłowic na lata: 2006–2015'', Świętochłowice 2005, p. 13 (in Polish)
/ref> The village received

Magdeburg rights Magdeburg rights (, , ; also called Magdeburg Law) were a set of town privileges first developed by Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor (936–973) and based on the Flemish Law, which regulated the degree of internal autonomy within cities and villages gr ...

at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries. Until the end of the 17th century, the village of Świętochłowice was owned by the families of Świętochłowski, Paczyński, Kamieński, Rotter, Skall, Myszkowski and Guznar. Pomnik Powstanca Slaskiego w Chropaczowie

Pomnik Powstanca Slaskiego w Chropaczowie

In 1742 the settlement was annexed by

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

and from 1871 to 1922 it was part of

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Both parts of Świętochłowice merged in 1790. In the 19th and first part of the 20th century the area rapidly industrialized (based on the numerous local resources, including coal and zinc), leading to the transformation of the village into an industrial settlement. In the early 20th century, numerous Polish organizations were established there. During the Silesian Uprisings the present-day districts Lipiny and were captured by the Polish insurgents in 1920. In the 1921

Upper Silesia plebiscite The Upper Silesia plebiscite was a plebiscite mandated by the Versailles Treaty and carried out on 20 March 1921 to determine ownership of the province of Upper Silesia between Weimar Germany and the Second Polish Republic. The region was ethni ...

, in Świętochłowice 51.9% voted for Germany, while in Chropaczów 70.0% voted for Poland, and in Lipiny and Piaśniki combined 56.4% voted for Poland. In 1922 all named settlements were integrated with the re-established Polish state. In 1929 Zgoda became part of Świętochłowice as its new district. In 1939 Świętochłowice was granted

city rights Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the tradition ...

with effect from January 1, 1940, however, due to outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the actual implementation of this law did not take place until 1947. In early September 1939, during the German

invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...

which started World War II, Świętochłowice was the site of Polish defense, also by the civilian population. Already on September 3–4, 1939, ''

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

'' and ''

Freikorps (, "Free Corps" or "Volunteer Corps") were irregular German and other European paramilitary volunteer units that existed from the 18th to the early 20th centuries. They effectively fought as mercenaries or private military companies, rega ...

'' troops murdered 10

Poles Pole or poles may refer to: People *Poles (people), another term for Polish people, from the country of Poland * Pole (surname), including a list of people with the name * Pole (musician) (Stefan Betke, born 1967), German electronic music artist ...

in Świętochłowice (see ''

Nazi crimes against the Polish nation War crime, Crimes against the Polish nation committed by Nazi Germany and Axis powers, Axis collaborationist forces during the invasion of Poland, along with Schutzmannschaft#Police battalions, auxiliary battalions during the subsequent occu ...

''). Afterwards, the town was occupied by Germany. In 1943, the Germans established the Eintrachthütte concentration camp, a

forced labour Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, or violence, including death or other forms of ...

subcamp of the

Auschwitz concentration camp Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 Nazi concentration camps, concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany, occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) d ...

. In early 1945 it was occupied by the Soviets, who established the Zgoda labour camp. After the war, Świętochłowice once again restored to Poland. In 1951 its city limits were extended with Chropaczów and Lipiny becoming new districts.

Location

Świętochłowice is situated in the middle of a highly populated area of

Upper Silesia Upper Silesia ( ; ; ; ; Silesian German: ; ) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, located today mostly in Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic. The area is predominantly known for its heav ...

and is part of the

, the largest urban center in Poland and one of the largest in Europe.

Population

Currently (2013) Świętochłowice has about 53,000 inhabitants and is thus the city county with the highest

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

in Poland. The population of the entire urban area is about 3.5 million.

Climate and soil

Świętochłowice is situated in Silesian-Krakowian climate-zone. The annual precipitation totals to about . The wettest month is July and the driest February. The average temperature is approximately in January and in July. Brunate and swamp soils predominate in Świętochłowice.

Districts

Świętochłowice has five administrative subdivisions: * Centrum * Chropaczów * Lipiny * * Zgoda

Sights

The , devoted to the history of the Silesian Uprisings (1919–1921), is located in Świętochłowice. In addition, the city has historical industrial architecture, town halls, churches, tenement houses and familoks. File:Muzeum Powstań Śląskich SW.jpg, Silesian Uprisings Museum File:Swietochlowice town hall.jpg, Town Hall File:Świętochłowice kościół ewangelicki im. Jana Chrzciciela DSC 7508.jpg, Church of St. John the Baptist File:Swietochlowice Katowicka 30d-e-f 2022.jpg, Former mine and steelwork headquarters

Sport

The most popular sport in Świętochłowice is

motorcycle speedway Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to simply as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four clockwise, anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. The motorcycles are specialist machines that ...

. The Skałka Stadium is located in the Centrum.

Sport clubs

Śląsk Świętochłowice Śląsk Świętochłowice (full name: Miejski Klub Sportowy Śląsk Świętochłowice) is a Polish sports club based in Świętochłowice, Upper Silesia, known for its motorcycle speedway and Association football, football teams. Name Its name c ...

–

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

speedway Speedway may refer to: Racing Race tracks *Daytona International Speedway, a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida. *Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, a former motor raceway in Edmonton, Alberta. *Indianapolis Motor Spe ...

Naprzód Lipiny ŚKS Naprzód Lipiny is a sports club from Świętochłowice's district of Lipiny (Upper Silesia, Poland), founded in 1920 by Alfons Maniura, who became Naprzód's first chairman. Throughout the years, the club changed its name many times. Fro ...

–

* Czarni Świętochłowice –

Sportspeople of Świętochłowice in Olympic Games

*1928 –

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

**football –

Teodor Peterek Teodor Peterek (nicknames: ''Mietlorz'' and ''Teo''; 7 November 1910 – 12 January 1969), was a Polish footballer who played as a forward. Life and career Peterek's career started in Śląsk Świętochłowice in 1925. Two years later, he mov ...

**gymnastics – Paweł Galus, Franiciszek Pampuch, Teofil Rost, Franciszek Tajstra *1936 –

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

**football – Hubert Gad, Ryszard Piec,

**gymnastics – Klara Sierońska-Kostrzewa *1952 –

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

**football – Ewald Cebula **swimming – Gotfryd Gremlowski *1956 –

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

**gymnastics – Małgorzata Błaszczyk-Wasilewska *1960 –

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

**football – Roman Lentner *1964 –

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

**gymnastics – Gerda Bryłka-Krajciczek, Małgorzata Wilczek-Rogoń *1976 –

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

**fencing – Barbara Wysoczańska **weightlifting – Leszek Skorupa *1976 –

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the Wipptal, Wipp Valley, which provides access to the ...

**ice-hockey – Kordian Jajszczok *1980 –

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

**fencing – Barbara Wysoczańska

Politics

The President of Świętochłowice is Daniel Beger. He was elected in 2018.

Notable people

* Ewald Cebula (1917–2004), footballer * Arthur Goldstein (1887–1943), German journalist and communist politician * Krzysztof Hanke (born 1957), actor and satiris * Salomon Morel (1919–2007), commandant of Zgoda labour camp *

(1910–1969), footballer * Jacob Sonderling (1878–1964), German-American Rabbi * Paweł Waloszek (1938–2018), motorcycle speedway rider

Twin towns – sister cities

Świętochłowice is twinned with: *

Heiloo Heiloo () is a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and Dorp (town), town in the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland. The community is part of the cooperation region Kennemerland and is located in the histori ...

, Netherlands *

Laa an der Thaya Laa an der Thaya is a town in the Mistelbach District of Lower Austria in Austria, near the Czech Republic, Czech border. The population in 2016 was 6,224. Geography The town is located in the northern Weinviertel region, near the Thaya river, ...

, Austria *

Nový Jičín Nový Jičín (; ) is a town in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 23,000 inhabitants. The historic centre of Nový Jičín is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument reservati ...

, Czech Republic * Rimavská Sobota, Slovakia * Tai'an, China * Tiszaújváros, Hungary * Torez, Ukraine

References

External links

Official web

Jewish Community in Świętochłowice
on Virtual Shtetl
Świętochłowician discussion forum
{{Authority control City counties of Poland Cities and towns in Silesian Voivodeship Holocaust locations in Poland Sites of Nazi war crimes during the Invasion of Poland