Rudy (, also known as ''Rudy Wielkie'' or ''Rudy Raciborskie'') is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in the administrative district of

Gmina Kuźnia Raciborska __NOTOC__ Gmina Kuźnia Raciborska is an urban-rural gmina (administrative district) in Racibórz County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. Its seat is the town of Kuźnia Raciborska, which lies approximately north of Racibórz and west ...

, within

Racibórz County __NOTOC__ Racibórz County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland, on the Czech Republic, Czech border. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish loca ...

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 ...

, in southern Poland. It lies approximately east of

Kuźnia Raciborska Kuźnia Raciborska () is a town in Racibórz County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland, with 5,359 inhabitants (2019). It is situated on the Ruda River. History The settlement was founded in 1641. During World War II, it was the location ...

, north-east of

Racibórz Racibórz (, , , ) is a city in Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland. It is the administrative seat of Racibórz County. With Opole, Racibórz is one of the historic capitals of Upper Silesia, being the residence of the Duchy of Racibórz, Du ...

, and west of the regional capital

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 ...

. With history going back to the 13th century, it is a site of the gothic

Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...

Rudy Palace-Monastery The Palace-Monastery of Rudy ( or or ) is located in Rudy, Silesian Voivodeship, Rudy within the Racibórz County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. The Gothic architecture, gothic Cistercian monastery was founded in the 13th century. ...

. There is also a narrow gauge railway station and museum in the village. Rudy gives its name to the

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...

called

Rudy Landscape Park Rudy Landscape Park (full name ''Park Krajobrazowy Cysterskie Kompozycje Krajobrazowe Rud Wielkich'': "Landscape Park of the Cistercian Landscape Compositions of Rudy Wielkie") is a protected area ( landscape park) in southern Poland, establishe ...

(in full: "Landscape Park of the Cistercian Landscape Compositions of Rudy Wielkie").

History

In the early 13th century a monastery was founded at the site, however, it was destroyed in the

First Mongol invasion of Poland The Mongol invasion of Poland from late 1240 to 1241 culminated in the Battle of Legnica, where the Mongols defeated an alliance which included forces from Testament of Bolesław III Wrymouth, fragmented Poland and their allies, led by Henry ...

in 1241. The

Cistercians The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...

rebuilt the monastery in 1252–1255. A foundation document was issued by Duke

Władysław Opolski Vladislaus I of Opole () ( – 27 August/13 September 1281/2) was a Duke of Kalisz during 1234–1244, Duke of Wieluń from 1234 to 1249 and Duke of Opole–Racibórz from 1246 until his death. He was the second son of Casimir I of Opole b ...

of the Polish

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 ...

in 1258, and it was confirmed by

Pope Gregory X Pope Gregory X (; – 10 January 1276), born Teobaldo Visconti, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1 September 1271 to his death and was a member of the Third Order of St. Francis. He was elected at the ...

in 1274. The Cistercians developed the village. In the early 14th century, Duke

Przemysław of Racibórz Przemysław of Racibórz () (between 21 October 1258 and 12 June 1268 – 7 May 1306) was a Duke of Racibórz since 1282 until his death (until 1290 with his brother as co-ruler). He was the fourth son of Władysław, Duke of Opole- Racibórz, ...

funded the construction of a new church (present-day Basilica) in Rudy. During

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 Germans established and operated three

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 ...

subcamps (E374, E588, E742) of the Stalag VIII-B/344

prisoner-of-war camp A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured as Prisoner of war, prisoners of war by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, inte ...

in the village. In the final stages of the war, in 1945, a German-conducted

death march A death march is a forced march of prisoners of war, other captives, or deportees in which individuals are left to die along the way. It is distinct from simple prisoner transport via foot march. Article 19 of the Geneva Convention requires tha ...

of prisoners of a subcamp of the Auschwitz concentration camp in

Sosnowiec Sosnowiec is an industrial city county in the Dąbrowa Basin of southern Poland, in the Silesian Voivodeship, which is also part of the Metropolis GZM municipal association.—— Located in the eastern part of the Upper Silesian Industrial Re ...

passed through the village towards

Opava Opava (; , ) is a city in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 55,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Opava (river), Opava River. Opava is one of the historical centres of Silesia and was a historical capital of Czech Sile ...

Sports

The local

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 ...

team is LKS Buk Rudy. It competes in the lower leagues.

Notable people

* Viktor II (1847–1923), Duke of Ratibor * Viktor III (1879–1945), Duke of Ratibor

Gallery

Rudy - Kościół 2.JPG, Our Lady Basilica 2020-09 Rudy Raciborskie 176.jpg, Narrow gauge railway station and museum Rudy - Park 02.JPG, Park Rudy - Kościół Św. Marii Magdaleny 01.jpg, St. Mary Magdalene Church

References

{{Authority control Villages in Racibórz County 13th-century establishments in Poland Populated places established in the 13th century