Zawiercie

Zawiercie
Szymański Palace
Car plates		SZA
Website	https://www.zawiercie.eu

Zawiercie (

.

Name and location

Zawiercie, even though currently associated with Silesia, belongs to Lesser Poland. The town lies near the source of the Warta river, and its name probably comes from the location.^[2] The inhabitants of the ancient village of Kromołów, to reach another village located on the other side of the river, would go behind the Warta, or in Polish - za Wartę. From the perspective of Kromołów, Zawiercie is located behind the Warta. There is also a theory that the name of the city comes from settlers who zawiercili (or circled) the settlement area.^[3] The town is a gateway to the Polish Jura, where several castles, which used to defend western border of Lesser Poland, are located.

Zawiercie has the area of 85 square kilometers, and until 1945, the town was administratively tied with Lesser Poland's Kielce. It is located along the Warsaw–Vienna railway, and is a road hub, on the National Road Nr. 78.

History

First mention of the village of

of Kromołów.

In 1795 Zawiercie was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia in the Third Partition of Poland, becoming part of the small province of New Silesia. In the 1807 Treaties of Tilsit it became part of the short-lived Polish Duchy of Warsaw, a French client state in a personal union with the Kingdom of Saxony. In 1815 it passed to Russian-controlled Congress Poland. Zawiercie owes its development to the construction of the railroads. On December 1, 1847 the first train came to the village, along the newly built Warsaw–Vienna railway. This gave Zawiercie a boost, and in the second half of the 19th century, several companies and coal mines were opened in the village, including Zawiercie Steel Plant, opened in 1901. In 1878, construction of a settlement for workers was initiated, with schools, parks and churches. In 1894, Polish Socialist Party organized a mass sit-in at Zawiercie's Cotton Plant, and by 1914, the population of the village grew to 30,000. Zawiercie finally got its town charter on July 1, 1915. After World War I, in 1918, Poland regained independence and the town was reintegrated with Poland.

World War I and the 1920s was a bad time for Zawiercie. Unemployment grew, the steel plant closed and the TAZ factory reduced the number of workers. The situation did not improve until 1927 when Zawiercie County, part of Kielce Voivodeship, was created.

On the eve of the Second World War there were 7,000 Jews in Zawiercie – about a quarter of its residents. They made their living primarily from trade, crafts, the clothing industry and the metal industry. Printing houses owned by Jews played a central role in the cultural life in the city. The city had labor unions which were composed of small traders and artisans, as well as two banks, a charitable fund companies and charities. Between the World Wars in Zawiercie there were various

parties and Agudat Israel. The city had a traditional “cheder” (religious primary school), a Talmud Torah, and a school and kindergarten which were part of the "Tarbut" Network. In 1926, A. Bornstein who was head of the Jewish community was also appointed mayor of the town.

There were Pogroms were Zawiercie in 1919 and in 1921^[4] which killed some Jews, and most of the city's Jews were affected – whether physically or having suffered material damage.

World War II

During the German

At the beginning of 1940 the Germans confiscated all Jewish businesses. On January 5, 1940, they imposed a fine of 10 zloty for every Jewish resident of the city. In April 1940, 600 Jewish refugees from Cieszyn were brought to Zawiercie. In April–May 1940, over 150 Poles from Zawiercie were murdered by the Russians in the large Katyn massacre.^[8] On September 18, 1940, the Gestapo carried out mass arrests of over 100 members of the Płomień organization,^[6] who were then either sentenced to death and executed or imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps, where many died.^[7]

In the winter of 1940/41 the Jews were required to hand over all valuables, furniture and furs. On 22 July 1941, the Germans murdered seven Jews who were accused of

. In early 1943, a factory to manufacture uniforms of the German Air Force was created and about 2500 Jews worked there. At the end of 1942 an underground group was formed in Zawiercie by the "Hashomer HaTzair" (Zionist Youth Movement) led by Berl Schwartz. Mordechai Anielewicz (commander of Warsaw Ghetto Uprising) from Warsaw visited the underground. The Underground assisted some Jewish families to escape across the border into Slovakia. Some of those smuggled across were captured and murdered. Zawiercie ghetto was liquidated in August 1943. SS, Gestapo, German gendarmes, and Blue Police deported to Auschwitz 6,000–7,000 Jews as well as locals and refugees who were brought from other places. Judenrat members were killed in the city before deportation. At the uniform factory there remained about 500 workers whose deportation was postponed since they were considered essential employees, and they were deported to Auschwitz on 18 October 1943.

German occupation ended in January 1945 and the town was restored to Poland. Afterwards Zawiercie was transferred from Kielce Voivodeship to Katowice Voivodeship.

Points of interest

• St. Trinity Church at Zawiercie-Skarżyce (16th-17th century),
• St. Nicolaus Church at Zawiercie-Kromołów (16th century),
• manor house at Zawiercie-Bzów (early 19th century)
• the palace of Stanisław Szymański (late 19th century)
• TAZ workers settlement (late 19th century)
• Collegiate Church of Saints Peter and Paul

Zawiercie and Warsaw-Vienna Railway

In 1847, the

was completed. The railroad connection facilitated the trade between Russia, Germany and Austria. The fact that Zawiercie was located less than one kilometre from the railroad triggered the rapid development of the region. Twenty-five years later, there were coal and iron ore mines in Zawiercie and an industry was developed around the mines in the town. The first industrial plant, a glass factory, started around 1870. Immediately other industries followed; a large cotton spinnery, large weaving mill, iron mining, cast iron, brick manufacturing, sawmill, chemical laboratories, steam and water flour mills, machining, etc. The flourishing economics accelerated the local population growth.

Education

• University of Management and Administration

Sports

Zawiercie is home to the volleyball club

.

Twin towns – sister cities

Zawiercie is twinned with:^[9]

References

External links

• Official website
• Jewish Community in Zawiercie on Virtual Shtetl