Chorzów
Chorzów
Chorzōw (Silesian) | |
---|---|
UTC+2 (CEST) | |
Postal code | 41–500 to 41–506 |
Area code | +48 32 |
Car plates | SH |
Primary airport | Katowice Airport |
Website | https://chorzow.eu/ |
Chorzów (
Administratively, Chorzów is in the
History
City name
The city of Chorzów was formed in 1934–1939 by a merger of 4 adjacent cities: Chorzów, Królewska Huta, Nowe Hajduki and Hajduki Wielkie. These cities were a part of Germany. The name of the oldest settlement Chorzów was applied to the amalgamated city.[citation needed]
The etymology of the name is not known. Chorzów is believed to be first mentioned as Zversov or Zuersov in a document of 1136 by Pope Innocent II as a village with peasants, silver miners, and two inns. Another place-name likely indicating Chorzów is Coccham or Coccha, which is mentioned in a document of 1198 by the Patriarch of Jerusalem, who awarded this place to the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. Chorzów is then mentioned as Chareu or Charev in 1257 and then Charzow in 1292. The last name may originate from the personal name Charz, short for Zachary and may mean Zachary's place. The a in the early names may have been later modified to the current pronunciation with o perhaps due to similarity to the common adjective chory=ill and a presence of a hospital (which was moved in 1299 to Rozbark at the gates of Bytom). Today, the place of the old village is a subdivision called Chorzów III or Chorzów Stary = the Old Chorzów.[citation needed]
The industrial and residential settlement south-west of Chorzów constructed since 1797 around the Royal Coal Mine and Royal Iron Works was named Królewska Huta by the Poles or Königshütte by the Germans, both names meaning Royal Iron Works. As it was growing quickly this settlement was granted city status in 1868. Today this neighbourhood is called Chorzów I or Chorzów-Miasto meaning Chorzów Centre.[citation needed]
The etymology of Hajduki is ambiguous and is interpreted as either related to the German word for
From 12th century to World War I
Village of Chorzów
In the 12th century, the castellany of Bytom, including the Chorzów area, belonged to the Seniorate Province (Kraków Duchy) of Poland. In 1179 it was awarded by Duke Casimir the Just to the Duke of Opole, and since that time the history of Chorzów has been connected to the history of Upper Silesia (Duchy of Opole).[citation needed]
The oldest part of the city, the village of Chorzów, today called Chorzów Stary, belonged since 1257 to the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. Already at that time silver and lead ores were mined nearby, later also the ores of iron. There is more documentation for 16th century developments.[citation needed]
From 1327, the Upper Silesian duchies were ruled by the dukes of the
Royal iron works, coal mines and chemistry
With the discovery of
Królewska Huta: from village to city
Settlements grew near the new coal and ironworks. Since 1797, one group of settlements was called Königshütte (Królewska Huta in Polish) after the ironworks. In 1846 Królewska Huta received a
The population of Królewska Huta was increasing rapidly: from 19,500 inhabitants in 1870 to 72,600 in 1910. Among them 17,300 workers were employed in the industry (similar number for 1939). The population spoke mostly Polish or German.[citation needed]
Hajduki Wielkie suburb
In the village of Hajduki Wielkie, just south of Chorzów and Królewska Huta, Bismarck Iron Works (Bismarckhütte) was opened in 1872, later called Bathory Iron Works (Huta Batory). A large carbochemical plant was started in 1889, the first such chemical plant in what was to later become the Polish state. Today the company operates as "Zakłady Koksochemiczne Hajduki SA".
Polish community
Towards the end of 19th century, Chorzów experienced a revival of Polish national feelings. Ethnic tensions were mixed with the religious and
Interwar Poland (1922–1939)
In the
In part due to the German-Polish trade war in the 1920s, the industry of Chorzów, a border city at that time, stagnated until 1933. In 1927, a division of Huta Piłsudski was separated into a company making rail cars, trams and bridges; today it operates as Alstom-Konstal. The State Factory of Nitrogen Compounds (Państwowa Fabryka Związków Azotowych) was in 1933 merged with a similar company (largely its copy) in Tarnów-Mościce.
German occupation during World War II (1939–1945)
On the day of the outbreak of
There were several
After 1945
At the end of World War II, Chorzów was given to Poland. Generally, the Chorzów industry suffered little damage during World War II due to its inaccessibility to Allied bombing, a Soviet Army enveloping manoeuvre in January 1945,[17] and perhaps Albert Speer's slowness or refusal to implement the scorched earth policy. This intact industry now played a critical role in the post-war reconstruction and industrialization of Poland. After the war, businesses were nationalized and operated, with minor changes, until 1989. Some were used as Soviet labour and concentration camps. Some industrial hardware and at least 100,000 Polish Silesians were deported to the Ukrainian Donbass region. At the "fall of communism" in 1989, the area was in decline. Since 1989, the region has been transitioning from heavy industry to a more diverse economy.
On 28 January 2006, a roof collapsed at an
In 2007, Chorzów became a part of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union (precedessor to the Metropolis GZM), a voluntary union of a continuous chain of cities aimed at increasing the poor visibility of the area, improving its competitiveness, and modernizing the infrastructure.
The region experienced several waves of migrations, including those commencing in 1945 (to Germany and from Poland and Ukraine), in 1971–1976 (to Germany), in 1982 (to Western countries), and from 2003 (to other countries of the EU).
Geography
Location
Chorzów is in the middle of the largest urban center in Poland. The Metropolis GZM is the largest legally recognized urban entity in Poland with a population of 2 million.
Nine million people live within 100 kilometres (62 miles) of
Climate
The average annual temperature in Chorzów is 7.9 °C (46.2 °F). The annual precipitation is 723 mm (28 in). Weak West winds (less than 2 m/s) prevail.
Demographics
Detailed data as of 31 December 2021:[1]
Description | All | Women | Men | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unit | person | percentage | person | percentage | person | percentage |
Population | 105268 | 100 | 55516 | 52.7% | 49752 | 47.3% |
Population density | 3166.9 | 1670.1 | 1496.8 |
Economy
Chorzów used to be one of the most important cities in the largest Polish economic area (the Upper Silesian Industry Area) with extensive industry in coal mining, steel, chemistry, manufacturing, and energy sectors. Many heavy-industry establishments were closed or scaled down in the last two decades because of environmental issues in the center of a highly urbanized area, and also because of decades-long lack of investment. Others were restructured and modernized. Wedged between a dozen of other cities, the population has been decreasing. The city character has been evolving towards the service economy as new industrial development takes mostly place at the border of the industrial area. The Unemployment rate is high (12.6% on 2007-12-31) but decreasing;[18] the workforce is generally highly technically skilled.
Major industrial establishments are:
- Huta Batory – steel
- Huta Kościuszko SA – steel
- Chorzów Power Station
- Zakłady Chemiczne Hajduki SA – carbochemistry
- Zakłady Azotowe SA – nitrogen fixation and methanol
- Alstom-Konstal – transport manufacturing and construction
- KWK Polska Wirek, rejon Prezydent – coal mine
- ProLogis– logistics
- Messer – technical gases
Transport
Car:
- Freeway A4: from German Autobahn A4 at Görlitz/Zgorzelec to Wrocław-Gliwice-Chorzów (Batory)-Katowice-Kraków (and towards Ukraine)
- Express Route (DTŚ): Katowice-Chorzów-Ruda Śląska-Zabrze
- National Route DK79: Katowice-Chorzów-Bytom
Three railway stations on two major routes:
- Katowice-Chorzów Batory-Gliwice
- Katowice-Chorzów Batory-Chorzów Miasto-Chorzów Stary-Bytom
Air:
- Katowice International Airport
Public transport:
- Chorzów is well connected within the Katowice urban area with Bus lines and tram lines. Silesian Interurbans is one of the largest streetcar systems in the world, in existence since 1894. The system spreads for more than 50 km (31 mi) (east-west) and covers the following cities: Będzin, Bytom, Chorzów, Czeladź, Dąbrowa Górnicza, Gliwice, Katowice, Mysłowice, Ruda Śląska, Siemianowice Śląskie, Sosnowiec, Świętochłowice, and Zabrze.
Higher education
Within the city limits of Chorzów:
- University of Silesia(Uniwersystet Śląski), two faculties
- WSB Merito Universities – WSB Merito University in Chorzów (Wyższa Szkoła Bankowa)[19]
- Górnośląska Wyższa Szkoła Pedagogiczna (Upper-Silesian Teachers College)
- Górnośląska Wyższa Szkoła Przedsiębiorczości im. Karola Goduli (Karl Godulla Upper-Silesian Higher Business School)
- Śląska Wyższa Szkoła Informatyki (Silesian Higher School of Information Technology)
- Numerous general and technical high schools
The nearby cities of Katowice and Gliwice are far larger academic centers than Chorzów.
Silesian Central Park and nature
The nationally known
- Silesian Zoological Garden
- Stadion Śląski, the largest sports stadium in Poland
- Planetarium and Astronomical Observatory
- A large rose-exhibition garden (7 hectares, 385 varieties of roses)
- Legendia Theme Park
- Upper Silesian Ethnographic Park
- International Exhibition Grounds
- A swimming-pool complex
- A water sports center
- A tennis court complex
- Green areas
Chorzów also features other notable nature areas, including:
- nature-landscape protected area "Żabie Doły" (at the border with Bytom and Piekary Śląskie),
- nature-landscape protected area of "Uroczysko Buczyna" (at the border with Katowice and Ruda Śląska),
- aquatic complex "Amelung".
Sports
Clubs:
- handballteam (9 time national champion).
- Alba Echo Chorzów – men's basketball team (2nd division)
- SCS Sokół Chorzów – women's volleyball team (B division, 6th place in 2003/2004)
- Clearex Chorzów – 5-player football team (Polish Cup winner, 1st division, 2nd in 2003/2004)
Historically notable is the former club AKS Chorzów.
Notable people
Born in Chorzów
- Kurt Alder (1902–1958), German chemist, Nobel Prize in chemistry
- Reinhard Appel (1927–2011), German journalist and television presenter
- Gerard Cieślik (1927–2013), Polish footballer
- Marcin Dylla (born 1976), Polish classical guitarist
- Jakub Dziółka (born 1980), Polish former footballer
- August Froehlich (1891–1942), German Roman Catholic priest, member of the resistance against Nazism and martyr
- Karolina Gluck, Polish victim of the 7/7 Bombing in London on 7 July 2005 (killed on the Number 30 bus at Tavistock Square)
- George Golla (born 1935), Australian jazz musician
- Monika Hojnisz(born 1991), biathlete
- Szymon Kapias (born 1984), Polish footballer
- Agnieszka Krukówna (born 1971), actress
- Marek Kubisz (born 1974), Polish footballer
- Olgierd Łukaszewicz (born 1946), Polish actor
- Janusz Michallik (born 1966), former American national team soccer player, currently a commentator for ESPN
- Bishop of Augsburg and military Bishop of the Bundeswehr
- Helga Molander (1896–1986), German actress, and mother of Hans Eysenck
- Paul Mross or Paweł Mróz (1910–1991), Polish and German chess player
- Leonard Piątek (1913–1967), Polish soccer star of the interbellum period
- Antoni Piechniczek (born 1942), Polish soccer coach (lead twice the national team at World Cup)
- Polish poetand entrepreneur
- Ryszard Riedel (1956–1994), blues rock vocalist
- Günther Rittau (1893–1971), German cameraman and film director
- Oskar Seidlin (1911–1984), American scholar
- Tino Schwierzina (1927–2003), last mayor of East Berlin
- Hanna Schygulla (born 1943), German actress and chanson singer
- Stephan Stompor (1931–1995), musicologist
- Adam Taubitz (born 1967), German jazz and classic musician
- Franz Waxman (1906–1967), American composer
- Friedrich Weißler (1891–1937), lawyer
- Gerard Wodarz (1913–1982), Polish soccer star of the interbellum period
Associated with Chorzów
- Friedrich Wilhelm von Reden (1752–1815), German pioneer in mining
- John Baildon (1772–1846), Scottish pioneer in metallurgy
- Adolph Menzel (1815–1905), German artist
- President of Poland
- Fritz Haber (1868–1934), German chemist
- Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski (1888–1974), eminent Polish economist and politician
- Joe Wickham (1890–1968), Irish sportsperson
- Ernest Wilimowski(1916–1997), Silesian soccer star
- Jerzy Buzek (born 1940), Prime minister of Poland, former President of the European Parliament
Twin towns – sister cities
References
- ^ a b c "Local Data Bank". Statistics Poland. Retrieved 7 August 2022. Data for territorial unit 2463011.
- European Spatial Planning Observation Network (ESPON).Espon.eu Archived 28 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Jacek Kurek "Historia Wielkich Hajduk", Związek Górnośląski Koło, Wielkie Hajduki, Chorzów, 2001
- ^ Herder Institut[permanent dead link] (in German)
- JSTOR 2190232
- ^ Wardzyńska, Maria (2009). Był rok 1939. Operacja niemieckiej policji bezpieczeństwa w Polsce. Intelligenzaktion (in Polish). Warszawa: IPN. p. 58.
- ^ Wardzyńska, p. 277
- ISSN 1641-9561.
- ^ Wardzyńska, p. 139
- ^ Wardzyńska, p. 135-136, 139
- ^ "Polenlager Königshütte". Bundesarchiv.de (in German). Retrieved 6 November 2020.
- ^ "Zwangsarbeitslager für Juden Königshütte". Bundesarchiv.de (in German). Retrieved 6 November 2020.
- ^ "Zwangsarbeitslager für Juden Königshütte-Bismarckhütte". Bundesarchiv.de (in German). Retrieved 6 November 2020.
- ^ "Working Parties". Lamsdorf.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
- ^ a b "Bismarckhütte". Memorial and Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
- Open Society Institute, Center for Publishing Development, Budapest, Hungary, 1999, RSS.archives.ceu.hu Archived 24 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Max Hastings, "Armageddon. The Battle for Germany 1944–1945", Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2004, page 248
- ^ Official regional statistics, Wup.katowice.pl Archived 28 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved 18 March 2008.
- ^ WSB University in Chorzów Archived 1 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine – WSB Universities
- ^ "Stadion Ślaski wraca na muzyczną mapę Polski. Wspominamy najważniejsze koncerty". Archived from the original on 19 August 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
- ^ "Miasta partnerskie". mieszkancy.chorzow.eu (in Polish). Chorzów. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
Further reading
- J. Janas, Historia Kopalni Król w Chorzowie 1871–1945, Katowice 1962
- A. Stasiak, Miasto Królewska Huta. Zarys rozwoju społeczno-gospodarczego i przestrzennego w latach 1869–1914, Warszawa 1962
- J. Surowiński, 75 lat Zakładów Koksochemicznych Hajduki 1888–1963, Warszawa 1963
- L. Pakuła, Chorzów, [in:] Encyklopedia Historii Gospodarczej Polski do 1945, Warszawa 1981
- Chorzów, [in:] J.Bochiński, J.Zawadzki, Polska. Nowy podział terytorialny, przewodnik encyklopedyczny, Warszawa 1999