text:
Talk:Lists of Marvel Comics characters/Archive 1

This talk page was archived on December 4, 2003.

Guidelines

 * If the character's name clearly could only mean a Marvel character, then the entry should simply be the name: Spider-Man. If, on the other hand, the character's name could possibly be confused, then add "(Marvel character)" to the end of the entry; for example, the entry for Wolverine should be Wolverine (Marvel character).
 * I don't like this idea. See below. -mhr 17:18, 25 Nov 2003 (UTC)

 * In the list that appears on this page, the text "(Marvel character)" should not be visible on links; thus, for example, the link to Wolverine would be: Wolverine.
 * Abbreviations are not used. Thus, "Mister Fantastic", not "Mr. Fantastic", and "Doctor Octopus", not "Dr. Octopus".
 * Characters should be listed by codename, not by first and last name, except when the character is must more well-known by first and last name than by any codename (example: Nick Fury).
 * But what about Jean Grey, who is known by multiple code-names, and also popularly by her real name? -mhr 17:18, 25 Nov 2003 (UTC)
 * For these characters, I'd suggest handling them the same way I suggested handling "prominent public personalities" (like Matt Murdock and Tony Stark). That is, the main article for Jean Grey would be listed under Phoenix (followed by whatever disambiguation phrase we end up settling on). The article Jean Grey would have a redirect to Phoenix. In the list of Marvel Comics characters, we would show her as three entries:
 * Grey, Jean (see Phoenix)
 * Jean Grey (see Phoenix)
 * Phoenix
 * --Lowellian 23:02, Nov 26, 2003 (UTC)

 * If a character is usually known by a combination of first name and last name, then the character will be listed by first name. For example, the primary link to Graydon Creed will be listed under "G", not "C". However, there should also be a link under "C", of the following form:
 * Creed, Graydon (see Graydon Creed)
 * Characters with extremely well-known public personas (examples: Matt Murdock as superstar lawyer, Peter Parker as high school nerd, Reed Richards as scientific genius, Tony Stark as billionaire industrialist) are also listed by their first and last names. For example:
 * Stark, Tony (see Iron Man)
 * If a character's first and last name start with the same letter, there is no need to make double entries based on first-name-first and last-name-first, since the entries would be close to one another anyway.
 * Whether a character is important enough to warrant inclusion in this list will be determined by number of appearances in the Marvel Chronology Project.
 * Please be more specific about this. How many appearances? Appearances in what, exactly?  Number of issues, or number of references in the project, or what? -mhr 17:18, 25 Nov 2003 (UTC)
 * I'm not sure yet either. First let me say that I am in no way affiliated with the Chronology Project; I am only using it because it is the most complete database of its kind that I know of in existence. The reason that I brought up this point is because the article shouldn't become a list of every single character that has ever, at any time, appeared in the Marvel Universe. That would make the list grow to huge proportions, better suited for websites dedicated to indexing Marvel characters. (For example, how many people know or care about characters like the Sky-Walker, appearing only on one page of a single decades-old issue of Daredevil?) Yet it is difficult to arbitrarily say whether a character is "important" or not; one character that is important to one person might not be important to another. I thought that a way to set a definitive standard would be by number of appearances. However, I haven't determined that exact number, nor would I advocate setting one such number immediately. Rather, I think it will gradually emerge by consensus. --Lowellian 23:02, Nov 26, 2003 (UTC)
 * Personally, I think there's little point in having a standard if characters such as Marrow, Shinobi Shaw and Pip The Troll are included. These are extremely borderline characters.  I guess it comes down to what the purpose of the page is.  It could be a listing of every Marvel character someone wants to see here (not necessarily a bad thing), or it should filter based on some ultimate goal (e.g., characters who have had their own titles; or characters who are not members of some group with which they're better known than on their own, such as many individual X-Men; or, major characters plus characters with entries but who aren't linked to from any other WP page).  I guess it doesn't really matter to me, I'm just suggesting that the page's purpose should drive who appears on it. -mhr 23:42, 28 Nov 2003 (UTC)

 * What should we do about characters whose names include definite articles? E.g. "The Beast" or "The Angel"?  I'm inclined to include the article in their page titles, since that's how they're generally referred to. -mhr 18:21, 25 Nov 2003 (UTC)
 * I would argue for not including the "The" in the main article for that character. Look through your comic books; no one talking to Beast says, "Watch out for that villain behind you, The Beast!" Characters simply say, "Watch out for that villain behind you, Beast!" Also, note that Marvel itself, in its published trading cards in the early 1990s, left off articles like "The" on the names of the character cards. Also, over the years, comics companies have had a tendency to move away from articles. In the 1960s, using the word "The" was very popular with both Marvel and DC, but gradually, most characters who had the word "The" have dropped it. --Lowellian 23:13, Nov 26, 2003 (UTC)
 * Obviously, articles with "The" could be redirects, though. --Lowellian 23:19, Nov 26, 2003 (UTC)

 * How about characters with superlatives in their names? For instance, "The Incredible Hulk" or "The Uncanny X-Men"?  My feeling is to make the main page exclude the superlative ("The Hulk") and have a redirect from the superlative-including page, since it's generally the case that the superlative applies to a comic book title, not to the team itself. -mhr 18:21, 25 Nov 2003 (UTC)
 * I agree. --Lowellian 23:13, Nov 26, 2003 (UTC)

Name Standardization
Once I find the time, I would like to start a WikiProject to standardize the entry titles of all existing Wikipedia articles on Marvel characters. This has two primary aims:
 * First, the proper disambiguation phrase for characters should be "Marvel character", not "superhero". Part of the reasoning behind this is that it is often not quite clear whether a character is a hero or a villain. Though usually considered a hero, the Punisher could be considered a villain (Cardiac (Marvel character) follows the same methods, and is usually considered a villain). Similar cases of ambiguity of moral affiliation could be made for Deadpool, Elektra, Thanos, and many other characters. Another reason is to allow a distinction to be made in cases when a Marvel Universe character and a character from another universe, such as that of DC, share the same name. What this means is that, for example, the page Wolverine (superhero) will be moved to Wolverine (Marvel character). However, Wolverine (superhero) will be kept as a redirect. Also, double redirects will need to be taken care of.
 * I think we should go with "(comics)" instead, and use "(Marvel Comics)" or something similar only in the few cases where disambiguation with other companies is necessary. See below. -mhr 17:18, 25 Nov 2003 (UTC)

--Lowellian 12:57, Nov 24, 2003 (UTC)
 * Second, the primary entry for all characters should use their codename, not their first and last name. Thus, the primary entry of Doctor Doom should be Doctor Doom, not Victor Von Doom, and the primary page for Mister Fantastic should be Mister Fantastic, not Reed Richards. This will bring pages in line with other precedents (just ask yourself: who is more well known, Clark Kent or Superman? Bruce Wayne or Batman? Peter Parker or Spider-Man?).

Discussion Poll 1
(Poll posted on November 24, 2003; please do not make changes to title of main page until at earliest December 1, 2003, after one week has passed)

I'm wondering what title other Wikipedians think would be most appropriate for this page:

 * List of Marvel characters
 * List of Marvel Comics characters
 * List of Marvel Universe characters

Obviously, the two that are not chosen will be redirects to this page.

--Lowellian 16:00, Nov 24, 2003 (UTC)

 * List of Marvel Comics characters makes the most sense to me, since it makes it clear that these are comic book characters right off the bat. Non-comics fans won't generally understand what the "Marvel Universe" is without some description. -mhr 17:18, 25 Nov 2003 (UTC)

Discussion Poll 2
(Poll posted on November 25, 2003; please do not make changes to disambiguation phrases until at earliest December 2, 2003, after one week has passed)

What do other Wikipedians feel would be the most appropriate text disambiguation marker for Marvel characters?

 * Storm (comics) - does not clarify the comics continuity within which the character belongs
 * Storm (Marvel character) - does not indicate genre
 * Storm (Marvel Comics) - see mhr's comments below
 * Storm (Marvel Comics character) - long and hard to remember
 * Storm (superhero) - For why I feel this is inappropriate, see my comments above on the WikiProject for comics characters. Basically, many characters are not clearly superheroes or supervillains. And furthermore, it seems to limit comics to just the superhero genre, which is not the only genre of comics. Should we consider certain characters who have no special powers (e.g. supporting characters like Uncle Ben) to be heroes? What about characters with no superpowers, but just military training, like Nick Fury?

I'm personally in favor of either the second or third option right now.

--Lowellian 04:43, Nov 25, 2003 (UTC)

The more I think about it, the better the idea of

 * Storm (Marvel Comics)

seems compared to the other options. It has the advantage of clearly marking the entry as being associated with Marvel and being associated with comics. Furthermore, unlike "(Marvel character)", this is an entry that could be applied to teams like Generation X (Marvel Comics) and alien races like Asgardians (Marvel Comics) as well.

--Lowellian 05:07, Nov 25, 2003 (UTC)

Also, another problem with the "(superhero)" or "(supervillain)" designation is that it is not necessarily gender-neutral. For example, for Storm, should she be:

 * Storm (superhero)
 * Storm (superheroine)

And for the Lilith, should she be:

 * Lilith (supervillain)
 * Lilith (supervillainess)

We should get around these problems by using some other disambiguation phrase.

--Lowellian 05:11, Nov 25, 2003 (UTC)

 * FWIW, I have just made a redirect that sends Hercules (Marvel character) to Hercules (comics), mostly because there already was a page there that discusses the Marvel Hercules as well as several other comic book incarnations of Hercules -- and Heracles, for that matter. Then again, all comic book Herculi relate in some way to the Hercules of Greek mythology.  Personally, I'd favor names like Hercules (comics), if only because it's easy to remember.  There are always going to be cases like Captain Marvel that will require special handling.  -- Smerdis of Tlön 05:26, 25 Nov 2003 (UTC)

 * I dislike "Marvel Character" a great deal, and would discourage using it. I don't care much for "superhero", but that at least makes it clear to non-comics fans what it is.  Many non-comics fans won't know what Marvel is, or what a "Marvel character" is.  (Marvel is popular in the mainstream right now; will it be in 10 years? In 5?)  The medium or genre needs to be indicated somehow.  I think the extension "(comics)" (e.g., "Wolverine (comics)") is sufficient and simple and needs no further disambiguation, except for a very few cases (e.g., Captain Marvel).  I could see an argument for using "(comic books)" or "(comic book character)" or "(comic character)", but all of those seem needlessly verbose.  Let's keep it short and stick with just "(comics)" except for necessary exceptions. -mhr 17:18, 25 Nov 2003 (UTC)

 * Another reason not to use "(Marvel Character)" is the possibility that Marvel might someday be bought by another company (it's often been rumored that DC might buy it, and I wouldn't put it past current ownership to sell out to a good offer) or change its name (as happened during the Silver Age). Then renaming all the WP pages would be a large undertaking.  I think this is a compelling reason to stick to disambiguators based on factors which aren't likely to change, such as "(comics)", except for cases where it's really the best (if not only) way to distinguish a character or group from one at another comics company. -mhr 18:09, 25 Nov 2003 (UTC)


text:
Piekary Śląskie

Piekary Śląskie (Piekary) is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. One of the core cities of the Metropolis GZM – metropolis with the population of 2 million. Located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Brynica river (tributary of the Vistula).

It is situated in the Silesian Voivodeship. Piekary Śląskie is one of the cities of the 2.7 million conurbation – Katowice urban area and within a greater Katowice-Ostrava metropolitan area populated by about 5,294,000 people. The population of the city is 54,226 (2021).

Piekary is a spiritual center of Upper Silesia, a Marian shrine which is a pilgrimage site for thousands of the faithful, and a mining town.

History
Piekary Śląskie was created in 1934 in interwar Poland by merging the communes of Szarlej and Wielkie Piekary into Szarlej-Wielkie Piekary. In 1935 it was renamed Piekary Śląskie.

Name and early history
There are two legends about the founding of Piekary, according to one it was founded in the late 10th century, and according to the other it was founded by Polish ruler Casimir I the Restorer in 1041. The area formed part of Poland after the establishment of the state in the 10th century. Under the Latinized name of Pecare, the settlement was mentioned in a document by the bishop of Kraków Paweł of Przemankowo from 1277. The name is of Polish origin. It derives from the word piekarz (meaning "baker"), referring to possible bakers baking bread here for the nearby city of Bytom or from the word pieczara (meaning "cavern"), as caverns were supposedly created here as a result of exploitation of ore.

As a result of the 12th-century fragmentation of Poland it was part of various Piast-ruled duchies, the last being the Duchy of Opole until 1526. Between 1303 and 1318, the first church and independent parish were created there. In the 15th century, the zinc and lead mining industry developed and the process of settlement evolution begun.

Modern era
In 1526 Piekary came under the suzerainty of the Habsburg monarchy. In 1645, along with the Duchy of Opole, Piekary returned to Polish rule under the House of Vasa. Polish King John III Sobieski visited Piekary in 1683, while rushing to the relief of Vienna during the Ottoman invasion. The next years brought several peasant revolts against the German magnates. In 1697, newly elected King of Poland Augustus II the Strong stopped in Piekary before his royal coronation in Kraków. He converted to Catholicism in the local church and at the same time he sworn the pacta conventa. In January 1734, his son, elected king Augustus III of Poland, also stopped here, while heading for his royal coronation, and also swore the pacta conventa here.

In 1742 the settlement was annexed by Prussia and colonisation and Germanisation of Piekary Śląskie increased. The result was a strong movement towards maintaining the Polish origins of the land. In 1842, Piekary's rector, priest Jan Alojzy Ficek, commissioned a new neo-romanesque Basilica of St. Mary and St. Bartholomew designed by Daniel Grötschel. A painting of the Virgin Mary was placed there. In the mid-19th century, founded a Polish printing house. In the late 19th century Polish singing and gymnastic societies, reading rooms and the first patriotic organizations were established. In 1905 the Polish Gymnastic Society "Sokół" was established in Piekary. Tram communication was available from 1894.

Recent history
It was one of the centers of Silesian Uprisings and in 1922 was ceded to the Second Polish Republic by Weimar Germany as 86% of the population voted for joining the re-established Polish state. In June 1922, a symbolic ceremony of reintegration of Piekary with Poland took place. Polish Uhlans under the command of Stanisław Szeptycki entered Piekary, greeted by the St. Mary church by the local populace led by, local Polish independence activist and poet, nicknamed the "Silesian Wernyhora". On July 10, 1939, Piekary Śląskie received city rights with effect from 1940. As a result of the outbreak of World War II, the actual implementation of this law did not take place until 1947.

During the joint German-Soviet invasion of Poland, which started World War II, Piekary was captured by Germany in September 1939, and then was under German occupation until 1945. Already in September 1939, the Germans carried out several executions of Poles (see Nazi crimes against the Polish nation). On September 6, Germans murdered three Poles in the present-day district of Brzozowice. On September 17, the Freikorps murdered two miners, one local official and one former Silesian Uprisings participant in Piekary. Several miners from the present-day district of Brzozowice were murdered in nearby Lasowice (present-day district of Tarnowskie Góry). Local teachers were among Polish teachers murdered in Nazi concentration camps. The Polenlager No. 188, a forced labour camp for Poles, was operated in the city. During the occupation, the city's main street, Bytomska, was renamed Adolf Hitler Street (Adolf-Hitler-Straße).

In 1973 Kozłowa Góra was included within the city limits as the northernmost district. Under the administrative reform of 1975, the city limits were expanded by including the surrounding towns and settlements: Dąbrówka Wielka, Brzeziny Śląskie, Brzozowice and Kamień.

Sights
The main landmark of Piekary Śląskie is the Romanesque Revival Basilica of St. Mary and St. Bartholomew, a popular Catholic pilgrimage site. Another symbol of the city is the, erected in 1932–1937 to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the march of the Polish hussars of King John III Sobieski through Piekary to Vienna and the 15th anniversary of reintegrating eastern Upper Silesia with Poland after the Silesian Uprisings. It is the highest point within the city limits. Also the Piekary Calvary with the Church of the Resurrection of Christ is one of the city's landmarks.

Other historic architecture includes the Sacred Heart church, Saints Peter and Paul church, Our Lady Help of Christians church and the Our Lady of Perpetual Help chapel in Kozłowa Góra, as well as numerous historic townhouses and buildings. In the city there are also monuments commemorating Poles murdered during the German occupation in World War II, and a monument to local Polish independence activist and poet Wawrzyniec Hajda, located in the Szarlej district.

Sports
The city's most notable sports club is handball team Olimpia Piekary Śląskie, which competes in the I Liga (Polish second tier), but in the past played in the Polish Superliga (top division), where it finished 4th in 2007.

Notable people

 * Karol Langner (1843–1912), Polish priest
 * (1844–1923), Polish independence activist and poet
 * Hans Marchwitza, born at Szarlej (1890–1965), German writer and Communist
 * Hans Kroll (1898–1967), German diplomat
 * Wilhelm Antoni Góra (1916–1975), Polish footballer
 * Marek Siwiec (born 1955), Polish politician, Member of the European Parliament
 * Jerzy Polaczek (born 1961), Polish politician
 * Adam Matysek (born 1968), Polish footballer
 * Dariusz Wosz (born 1969), German footballer

Twin towns – sister cities
Piekary Śląskie is twinned with:
 * Kobuleti, Georgia
 * 🇨🇿 Kroměříž, Czech Republic
 * Marija Bistrica, Croatia

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Piekary Śląskie


text:
Wodzisław Śląski

Wodzisław Śląski (Loslau, Vladislav, Vladislavia, וואידסלוב, Władźisłůw) is a city in Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland with 47,992 inhabitants (2019). It is the seat of Wodzisław County.

It was previously in Katowice Voivodeship (1975–1998); close to the border with the Czech Republic, about 350 km south of Warsaw and about 150 km west of Kraków, on the southern outskirts of the metropolitan area known as the Upper Silesian Coal Basin.

Location
Wodzisław Śląski is an urban gmina in the south-eastern part of Upper Silesia, now in Silesian Voivodeship in south Poland, within the south portion of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin. It borders the towns of Pszów, Radlin and villages Marklowice, Mszana, Godów, Gorzyce and Lubomia. It lies between the Vistula and Oder rivers, near Czech border in the foreground Moravian Gate. Several rivers flow through the city, the major two being the Leśnica and "Zawadka" rivers. Within 500 km of Wodzisław Śląski are the capital cities of six countries: Berlin, Vienna, Prague, Bratislava, Budapest and Warsaw.

Climate
The climate of the area is continental humid. The average temperature is 8 °C (average -1.7 °C in January and up to average 17.7 °C in July). Yearly rainfall averages at 786 mm, the most rainy month being July. The area's characteristic weak and medium winds blow at about 4 m/s from the south-west (Moravian Gate).

Districts
The town is divided into 9 districts that have its own administrative body:
 * Jedłownik Szyb
 * Jedłownik-Turzyczka-Karkoszka
 * Kokoszyce
 * Nowe Miasto (new city)
 * Trzy Wzgórza (Three Hills)
 * Radlin II
 * Stare Miasto (old city)
 * Wilchwy
 * Zawada

History
Being a borderland town, Wodzisław Śląski is a centre of the Wodzisław County, formed during a historical process lasting many centuries. Rich excavations the oldest finds dated back to the Stone Age give evidence about its ancient inhabitants.

Middle Ages

The city's name derives from the Piast Duke Władysław of Opole. He located the city and established the Wodzisław monastery about 1257.

The city's origins can be traced back into the 10th and 11th century, when three Slavic settlements existed on Wodzisław's present-day territory which eventually merged to form one town. In the course of the medieval eastward migration of Flemish and German settlers (Ostsiedlung), Wodzisław, as many other Polish settlements, was incorporated (granted city status and right) according to the so-called Magdeburg Law at some point before 1257 (the exact date remains unknown). This, however, is not to be confused with a change in national affiliation; Wodzisław continued to be part of the Kingdom of Poland, until Silesia as a whole became a fiefdom of the Bohemian crown in 1327. At that times of Duchess Constance, the town developed fast. Wodzisław was one of the most populated and richest towns of Upper Silesia. In 14 and 15th century the city continued to grow and developed into a regional trade centre. In the 15th century, the Hussites devastated the city. From 1526, Bohemia, including the fiefdom of Silesia, which Wodzisław was a part of, came under the authority of the Habsburg crown.

Early Modern Age
In 16th and 17th century and during the time of the Thirty Years' War, Wodzisław been part of the Habsburg Empire. After the end of the Thirty Years' War Wodzisław was destroyed. Never back to Middle Ages' "golden time". At the beginning of the War of the Austrian Succession between King Frederick II of Prussia (the Great) and the Habsburg empress Maria Theresa of Austria, the greatest part of Silesia, including Wodzisław, was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia in 1740, which Austria eventually recognized in 1763. In 1815 the city became part of the Prussian Province of Silesia and was located in the Rybnik district. Coal mining gained importance for Wodzisław's economy as early as the 19th century.

20th century
After the end of World War I in 1918, Polish statehood was restored. Amidst an atmosphere of ethnic unrest, a referendum was organized to determine the future national affiliation of Upper Silesia. Although an overall majority had opted for Germany, the area was divided in an attempt to satisfy both parties. Although both parties considered the territory they were assigned insufficient, the division was justified insofar as in the German and Polish parts a majority had voted in favour of the respective nation.

The lowest numbers of pro-German votes were registered in the districts of Rybnik and Pszczyna (Pless). In the town Wodzisław (Loslau), out of 2,333 votes, 1,669 (72%) were in favour of Germany and 662 (28%) were in favour of Poland. However, the Rybnik district as a whole voted in favour of Poland with a 65% majority. The town and the largest part of the district were attached to the territory of the Second Polish Republic; Wodzisław thus became part of a Polish state for the first time since 1335 when Poland had ceded Silesia to Bohemia in the Treaty of Trentschin. The Upper Silesia plebiscite and eventual division of Upper Silesia were accompanied by three Silesian Uprisings of Polish militants. Within the Second Polish Republic of the interwar period, Wodzisław was part of the Silesian Voivodeship, which enjoyed far-reaching political and financial autonomy.

With the outbreak of World War II in 1939, the border city Wodzisław returned under the rule of Germany, being in the part of Poland that was directly incorporated into the German state. The population was ethnically categorized and either "re-Germanized" or disfranchised and partially deported into the General Government as Poles.

On 22 January 1945 a death march from Nazi German's death camp Auschwitz, 35 mi away, ended in Wodzisław Śląski, where the prisoners were put on freight trains to other camps. When the Soviet army advanced on Poland, nine days before the Soviets arrived, the Schutzstaffel had marched 60,000 prisoners out of the camp. Approximately 15,000 prisoners died on the way. There is a memorial to the victims of the Holocaust from Wodzisław in the Baron Hirsch Cemetery Staten Island, New York where the Wodzisław  landsmanshaft has a section.

In March 1945 the Soviet army arrived near Wodzisław. Approximately 80% of the town was destroyed in World War II. From 26 March 1945 Wodzisław was once more integrated into Poland. The Old Town, including the Market Square, was fully restored after the war.

Transport
Wodzisław Śląski is situated at the junction of several major lines of road, railway and air communication. Only 5 km from center the town crossing motorway A1. The town is crossed by one national road ( "DK78" ) and tree regional roads running from Gliwice to Ostrava and regional roads from Żory and Jastrzębie-Zdrój to Racibórz ( "DW932", "DW933", "DW936" ). The railway junction at "Wodzisław Śląski" is a major transshipment point.

The town is very well connected to three international airports: Katowice – Pyrzowice (about 80 km away), Kraków – Balice (about 100 km away) and Ostrava – Mosnov (about 45 km away).

Economy
Wodzisław Śląski is center and capital of the Wodzisław County. City is situated on the main highway from nord Poland to south Poland and border with Czech Republic.

Coal centre
Wodzisław Śląski is a medium coal and industrial centre. Although there is no coal mines in the town (1 Maja Coal Mine closed in 2001), there are a few in its neighborhood (Radlin – Marcel Coal Mine, Pszów, Rydułtowy – Rydułtowy-Anna Coal Mine, Jastrzębie – Jas-Mos Coal Mine) and a coke manufacture in Radlin. The window factory Eko-Okna is also located in Wodzisław Śląski.

Culture

The town has one library, one museum and one cinema.

Tourism
In contrast to the central part of the Upper Silesian industry area, located a short distance to the north, Wodzisław enjoys the reputation of a "green" city having a relatively clean environment. While the city is not a centre of tourism, it does have various interesting sights and opportunities for recreation. The Beskidy Mountains, a popular recreational area for skiing, are within one-hour drive also 10 km from town along the Odra river are interesting natural reserve and at summer places for swimming.

Sights
 * the medieval gothic church, dedicated to the Holy Trinity (pol. Kościół św. Trójcy), erected in 1257;
 * the Monastery from 17th century ( "Klasztor franciszkański" ), erected in 1257;
 * the neo-gothic church of "Assumption of St. Mary" (Kościół WNMP),
 * the building of the former district authority (19th century),
 * the neo-classical Wall tower ("Baszta rycerska"),
 * the Classicist Palace oldest in Poland from 1745. (Today Museum),
 * the old town square (Rynek),
 * the Palace in Kokoszyce (Pałac w Kokoszycach), built in 1823,
 * the Synagogue (Synagoga) from 1826 ( today "Rosmann")
 * the Balaton small lake in the forest (Grodzisko)

Education
In Wodzisław Śląski there are:
 * 19 kindergartens
 * 13 primary schools
 * 4 gimnasia
 * 5 high schools
 * 2 colleges

Sport

 * Odra Wodzisław – football team
 * MOSiR Stadium
 * WSP Wodzisław Śląski (juniors)

Notable people

 * Constance, Duchess of Wodzisław (?–1351), princess from the House of Piast and sovereign Duchess of Wodzisław Śląski from 1324 until her death
 * Benjamin Wolf Löw (1775–1851), Polish–Hungarian rabbi
 * Paweł Pośpiech (1879–1922), priest, activist and journalist
 * Bolesław Kominek (1903–1974), Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church
 * Stanisław Oślizło (born 1937), footballer
 * Idzi Panic (born 1952), historian
 * Henryk Siedlaczek (born 1956), politician
 * Ryszard Wieczorek (born 1962), football coach and former player
 * Tomasz Sikora (born 1973), biathlete and Olympic medalist
 * Leszek Blanik (born 1977), gymnast, World and Olympic champion in vault
 * Wojtek Czyz (born 1980), German Paralympic athlete
 * Mariusz Pawełek (born 1981), footballer
 * Claudia Ciesla (born 1987), Polish-German model and actress, best known for her work in Bollywood
 * Kamil Wilczek (born 1988), footballer

Twin towns – sister cities
Wodzisław Śląski is twinned with:

 * 🇹🇷 Alanya, Turkey
 * 🇦🇲 Artik, Armenia
 * 🇩🇪 Gladbeck, Germany
 * 🇨🇿 Karviná, Czech Republic
 * 🇫🇷 Sallaumines, France
 * 🇷🇴 Siret, Romania

title: Wodzisław Śląski


text:
Siemianowice Śląskie

Siemianowice Śląskie (Siemianowitz-Laurahütte; Śymjanowice Ślůnskje) also known as Siemianowice is a city in Upper Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice, in the core of the Metropolis GZM - a metropolis with a population of 2 million people and is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Brynica river (tributary of the Vistula).

It is situated in the Silesian Voivodeship since its formation in 1999, previously in Katowice Voivodeship, and before then in the Autonomous Silesian Voivodeship. Siemianowice is one of the cities of the 2.7 million conurbation, the Katowice urban area, at the heart of the greater Katowice-Ostrava metropolitan area populated by about 5,294,000 people. The population of the city is 65,684 (2021). Siemianowice Śląskie borders four cities: Piekary Śląskie, Chorzów, Czeladź and the voivodeship capital Katowice.

Etymology
There are three hypothetical explanations for the origins of the name Siemianowice: either it comes from seven huts which were called Siedminowice/Siedmionowice in Old Polish; from the old legend about Siemion (Siemian), Michał and Maciej, or Siemion, Michał and Jakub; or it comes from ziemia nawa which means earth taken away from water.

Administrative division

 * Centrum – 11,98 km2
 * Michałkowice – 5,46 km2
 * Bańgów – 2,96 km2
 * Przełajka – 2,7 km2
 * Bytków – 2,3 km2

History
Siemianowice dates back to medieval Piast-ruled Poland. It was probably first mentioned in documents in 1253.

In 1924, Siemianowice and Huta Laury communes were merged. The new city was named Siemianowice Śląskie and gained town privileges in 1932.

On 1 September 1939, the first day of the German invasion of Poland and World War II, there was a skirmish between German saboteurs and the Polish self-defense in the present-day district of Michałkowice. German saboteurs then entered the local mine, taking several dozen Polish miners as hostages. After a battle, Polish troops and volunteers, including members of the "Sokół" Polish Gymnastic Society and boy scouts, recaptured the mine. There were deaths on both sides, and the Poles also captured dozens of German saboteurs. The Germans eventually invaded and captured the city in the following days, and already on 8 September 1939 the German Freikorps murdered six Poles in the city. In September 1939, the German Einsatzgruppe I operated in the city and committed various crimes against the Polish population. During the German occupation, two forced labour camps were established and operated in the city: one for Poles (Polenlager) and one for Jews. In April 1944, the Germans also established a subcamp of the Auschwitz concentration camp, in which over 900 people were held and subjected to forced labour. In January 1945, the prisoners of the subcamp were taken to the Mauthausen concentration camp, and shortly afterwards the Germans left the city and the occupation ended.

In 1951, Michałkowice, Bytków, Bańgów and Przełajka were included within the city limits of Siemianowice as new districts.

Industry

 * Adient (🇺🇸, Car Parts Manufacturing)
 * Arcelor Mittal (🇱🇺, Steel Manufacturing)
 * Fastening Elements Factory (🇵🇱, Fastening Hardware Manufacturing)
 * Rosomak S.A. (🇵🇱, Defence Systems)
 * Fabud (🇵🇱, Building Company)
 * Huhtamäki (🇫🇮, Specialty Packaging Products)

Notable architectural structures

 * Bytków TV Tower
 * Park Tradycji ("Tradition Park") at the old coal mine
 * Municipal Museum in an old granary
 * Municipal Bath
 * Palace of the Mieroszewskis and Donnersmarcks
 * Zameczek Palace (Rheinbaben Palace)
 * Town hall
 * Saint Michael Archangel church
 * Holy Cross church
 * Municipal Public Library
 * Siemianowice Culture Center
 * Brewery

Parks and squares

 * Park Miejski ("Municipal Park")
 * Park Górnik ("Miner Park")
 * Park Pszczelnik
 * Planty Michałkowickie
 * Skwer Laury ("Laura Square")
 * Plac Wolności ("Freedom Square")

Sports
The local football club is MKS Siemianowiczanka. It competes in the lower leagues.

Notable people

 * Hugo Henckel von Donnersmarck (1811–1890), German industrialist, founder of Laurahütte
 * Ernst Steinitz (1871–1928, German mathematician
 * Wojciech Korfanty (1873–1939), Polish politician
 * Otto Josef Schlein (1895–1944), German physician
 * Michael Jary (1906–1988), German composer
 * Heinz A. Lowenstam (1912–1993) German-born, Jewish-American paleoecologist
 * Antoni Halor (1937–2011), Polish film director, artist, writer
 * Witold Ziaja (born 1940), Polish field hockey player
 * Zygmunt Maszczyk (born 1945), Polish footballer
 * Józef Skrzek (born 1948), musician, leader of SBB band
 * Barbara Blida (1949–2007), Polish politician
 * Bronisław Korfanty (born 1952), Polish senator
 * Apostolis Anthimos (born 1954), musician
 * Henryk Średnicki (1955–2016), Olympic boxer
 * Krzysztof Globisz (born 1957), Polish actor
 * Daniel Podrzycki (1963–2005), Polish politician
 * Jacek Fröhlich (born 1965), Automotive Designer, BMW exterior design chief
 * Kryspin Hermański (born 1984), Polish dancer
 * Karol Gwóźdź (born 1987), Silesian artist, writer and musician
 * Kajetan Duszyński (born 1995), Polish sprinter, Olympic medallist

Twin towns – sister cities
Siemianowice Śląskie is twinned with:

 * 🇷🇴 Câmpia Turzii, Romania
 * 🇨🇿 Jablunkov, Czech Republic
 * 🇩🇪 Köthen, Germany
 * 🇭🇺 Mohács, Hungary
 * 🇫🇷 Wattrelos, France

title: Siemianowice Śląskie


text:
Mysłowice

Mysłowice (Myslowitz; Myslowicy) is a city in Silesia in Poland, bordering Katowice. The population of the city is 72,124.

It is located in the core of the Metropolis GZM in the Silesian Highlands, on the Przemsza and Brynica rivers (tributaries of the Vistula). It is situated in the Silesian Voivodeship since its formation in 1999, previously in the Katowice Voivodeship, and before then, the Autonomous Silesian Voivodeship. Mysłowice is one of the cities comprising the 2.7 million conurbation – Katowice urban area and within the greater Katowice-Ostrava metropolitan area with a population of about 5,294,000.

History
Mysłowice is one of the oldest cities in Upper Silesia. Located at the confluence of the White and Black Przemsza rivers, it is situated on an important trading route from Wrocław to Kraków. The earliest traces of the modern settlement date back to the 11th and 12th century, when it was part of Piast-ruled Poland. The first mention of a parish priest is found in a document from 1306. In 1360, Mysłowice was already referred to as a town. The previously existing village was granted city rights around 1260.

Over the centuries the ownership of the city changed frequently, as did the borders between different countries. After the foundation of the German Empire in 1871 the area became known as Dreikaisereck ("triangle of the three emperors"), as it was situated at the point where the Austrian, German and Russian Empires adjoined. After World War I, in 1918, Poland regained independence, and in 1919, local Polish miners organized large protests in Mysłowice. On August 15, 1919, the German Grenzschutz opened fire on protesting Polish miners and their families. Seven miners, two women and a teenage boy were killed, and many people were wounded. The event, known as the "Mysłowice massacre", sparked the First Silesian Uprising against Germany. In 1921, the Upper Silesia plebiscite was held, in which 56% of the residents of Myslowitz voted to remain in Germany and 44% voted to rejoin Poland, while the overwhelming majority in the present-day districts (then surrounding villages) of Brzezinka, Brzęczkowice, Dziećkowice, Kosztowy, Krasowy and Wesoła opted to reintegrate with Poland, with the result ranging from 77.3% voting for Poland in Brzęczkowice to 96.7% in Wesoła. After the Silesian Uprisings in 1922, Mysłowice and the rest of East Upper Silesia became part of the newly restored Second Polish Republic.

During the German occupation of Poland (World War II), the Germans operated a Nazi prison in the town. Many Polish children passed through the prison during the implementation of the Nazi genocidal policy towards Polish families in Silesia. In the Wesoła district, the Germans also established and operated a forced labour camp for Jews and a subcamp of the Auschwitz concentration camp. In the final stages of the war, most prisoners of the subcamp were evacuated by the Germans in a death march to Gliwice and then deported to Germany, while the remaining sick prisoners were mostly murdered by the SS. A dozen or so prisoners managed to hide and survived the massacre, and were taken care of by Polish miners afterwards.

In 1951, city limits were expanded, and Brzezinka and Brzęczkowice were included as new districts.

Districts
Mysłowice is subdivided into 14 districts:

 * Bończyk–Tuwima
 * Brzezinka
 * Brzęczkowice and Słupna
 * Dziećkowice
 * Janów Miejski–Ćmok
 * Kosztowy
 * Krasowy
 * Larysz–Hajdowizna
 * Morgi
 * Mysłowice Centrum
 * Piasek
 * Stare Miasto (Old Town)
 * Szopena–Wielka Skotnica
 * Wesoła

Education
Mysłowice is home to a university-level institution called Górnośląska Wyższa Szkoła Pedagogiczna im. Kard. Augusta Hlonda (August Hlond College of Pedagogy) located at ul. Piastów Śląskich 10.

Mysłowice has eight Junior High Schools and five Secondary and vocational schools. There are at least 20 kindergartens located in Mysłowice, residing at location with greater density of children. On top of that, there are also 17 primary schools operating in the city.

Monuments
There are some buildings in Mysłowice which prove the medieval origin of the town. Farna Church, located near the market square, is the oldest and probably the only brick church in Mysłowice. Saint Cross Church is another brick building, maintained in baroque and classicistic style; according to Catholic tradition, it is the oldest place of religious worship in the town. There is also a Jewish cemetery in the town. The origins of the place trace back to the 18th century, when Jews decided to buy a tract in order to create their own graveyard.

Culture
The Off Festival is an annual music festival started in 2006 by musician Artur Rojek (however, in 2010 it was moved to Katowice ). Bands from Mysłowice include Myslovitz formed 1992 (named after their hometown), as well as Lenny Valentino (1998–2001).

Economy
As of 2017, the city was the location of one of five Amazon logistics centres in Poland, which serves customers across Europe.

Notable people

 * August Hlond (1881–1948), cardinal, Archbishop of Poznań and Gniezno, Primate of Poland
 * Georg Koßmala (1896–1945), Wehrmacht general
 * Albert Norden (1904–1982), East German politician
 * Jerzy Chromik (1931–1987), long-distance runner
 * Ireneusz Pacula (born 1966), former ice hockey player and coach
 * Mariusz Puzio (born 1966), former ice hockey player
 * Jolanta Fraszyńska (born 1968), film and theatre actress
 * Artur Rojek (born 1972), musician, former guitarist and lead singer of the Polish alternative rock group Myslovitz
 * Piotr Bajtlik (born 1982), actor

Twin towns – sister cities
Mysłowice is twinned with:
 * 🇩🇪 Enz (district), Germany
 * 🇨🇿 Frýdek-Místek, Czech Republic

Former twin towns:
 * 🇷🇺 Sokolinaya Gora (Moscow), Russia

In February 2022, Mysłowice severed its partnership with Moscow's Sokolinaya Gora district as a reaction to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

title: Mysłowice


text:
Fordism

Fordism is an industrial engineering and manufacturing system that serves as the basis of modern social and labor-economic systems that support industrialized, standardized mass production and mass consumption. The concept is named after Henry Ford. It is used in social, economic, and management theory about production, working conditions, consumption, and related phenomena, especially regarding the 20th century. It describes an ideology of advanced capitalism centered around the American socioeconomic systems in place in the post-war economic boom.

Overview
Fordism is "the eponymous manufacturing system designed to produce standardized, low-cost goods and afford its workers decent enough wages to buy them." It has also been described as "a model of economic expansion and technological progress based on mass production: the manufacture of standardized products in huge volumes using special purpose machinery and unskilled labor." Although Fordism was a method used to improve productivity in the automotive industry, the principle could be applied to any kind of manufacturing process. Major success stemmed from three major principles:

 * 1) The standardization of the product (nothing is handmade, but everything is made through machines and molds by unskilled workers)
 * 2) The employment of assembly lines, which use special-purpose tools and/or equipment to allow common-skilled workers to contribute to the finished product
 * 3) Workers are paid higher "living" wages so that they can afford to purchase the products they make

The principles, coupled with a technological revolution during Henry Ford's time, allowed for his revolutionary form of labor to flourish. His assembly line was revolutionary though not original as it had previously been used at slaughterhouses. His most original contribution to the modern world was breaking down complex tasks into simpler ones, with the help of specialised tools. Simpler tasks created interchangeable parts that could be used the same way every time. That allowed for a very adaptable flexibility, creating an assembly line that could change its constituent components to meet the needs of the product being assembled. In reality, the assembly line had existed before Ford, although not in quite the same effectiveness as he would create. His real accomplishment was recognizing the potential by breaking it all down into its components, only to build it back up again in a more effective and productive combination, thereby producing an optimum method for the real world.

The major advantages of such a change was that it cut down on the manpower necessary for the factory to operate, and it deskilled the labour itself, cutting down on costs of production.

There are four levels of Fordism, as described by Bob Jessop.

 * 1) Capitalist labour process: Through implementing highly organized, Taylorist methods of production, designed to produce higher output, output can be increased and workers fully utilized.
 * 2) Accumulation regime: Under the adherence to a belief in a  'virtuous circle of growth,' by increasing productivity, wages rise resulting in higher productivity, demand, investment, and operational efficacy.
 * 3) Social mode of economic regulation: Clarity is gained by analyzing the in/outflow of capital, both in micro- [wages, internal movement] and macro- [monetary body, commerciality, external relations].
 * 4) Generic mode of 'societalization': Deciphering State's and company's roles in the day-to-day economic lifestyles and patterns of the workforce, their economic habits, and the regional impact.

Background

The Ford Motor Company was one of several hundred small automobile manufacturers that emerged between 1890 and 1910. After five years of producing automobiles, Ford introduced the Model T, which was simple and light but sturdy enough to drive on the country's primitive roads. The mass production of this automobile lowered its unit price, making it affordable for the average consumer. Furthermore, Ford substantially increased his workers' wages to combat rampant absenteeism and employee turnover, which approached 400% annually, which had the byproduct of giving them the means to become customers. That led to massive consumption. In fact, the Model T surpassed all expectations because it attained a peak of 60% of the automobile output within the United States.

The production system that Ford exemplified involved synchronization, precision, and specialization within a company.

Ford and his senior managers did not use the word "Fordism" themselves to describe their motivations or worldview, which they did not consider an "ism". However, many contemporaries framed their worldview as one and applied the name Fordism to it.

History
The term gained prominence when it was used by Antonio Gramsci in 1934 in his essay "Americanism and Fordism" in his Prison Notebooks. Since then, it has been used by a number of writers on economics and society, mainly but not exclusively in the Marxist tradition.

According to historian Charles S. Maier, Fordism proper was preceded in Europe by Taylorism, a technique of labor discipline and workplace organization, based upon supposedly scientific studies of human efficiency and incentive systems. It attracted European intellectuals, especially in Germany and Italy, from the fin de siècle to World War I.

After 1918, however, the goal of Taylorist labor efficiency thought in Europe moved to "Fordism", the reorganization of the entire productive process by the moving assembly line, standardization, and the mass market. The grand appeal of Fordism in Europe was that it promised to sweep away all the archaic residues of precapitalist society, by subordinating the economy, society, and even the human personality to the strict criteria of technical rationality. The Great Depression blurred the utopian vision of American technocracy, but World War II and its aftermath revived the ideal.

Later, under the inspiration of Gramsci, Marxists picked up the Fordism concept in the 1930s and developed Post-Fordism in the 1970s. Robert J. Antonio and Alessandro Bonanno (2000) trace the development of Fordism and subsequent economic stages, from globalization to neoliberal globalization, during the 20th century, and emphasized the United States role in globalization. "Fordism," for Gramsci, meant routine, intensified labor to promote production. Antonio and Bonanno argue that Fordism peaked in the post-World War II decades of American dominance and mass consumerism but collapsed from political and cultural attacks on the people in the 1970s.

Advances in technology and the end of the Cold War ushered in a new "neoliberal" phase of globalization in the 1990s. Antonio and Bonanno further suggest that negative elements of Fordism, such as economic inequality, remained, allowing related cultural and environmental troubles, which inhibited America's pursuit of democracy to surface.

Historian Thomas Hughes has detailed how the Soviet Union, in the 1920s and the 1930s, enthusiastically embraced Fordism and Taylorism by importing American experts in both fields as well as American engineering firms to build parts of its new industrial infrastructure. The concepts of the Five-Year Plan and the centrally-planned economy can be traced directly to the influence of Taylorism on Soviet thinking. Hughes quotes Joseph Stalin:

""American efficiency is that indomitable force which neither knows nor recognizes obstacles; which continues on a task once started until it is finished, even if it is a minor task; and without which serious constructive work is inconceivable...The combination of the Russian revolutionary sweep with American efficiency is the essence of Leninism.""

Hughes describes how, as the Soviet Union developed and grew in power, both the Soviets and the Americans chose to ignore or deny the contribution of American ideas and expertise. The Soviets did so because they wished to portray themselves as creators of their own destiny and not indebted to their rivals, while the Americans did so because they did not wish to acknowledge, during the Cold War, their part in creating a powerful rival.

Post-Fordism

The period after Fordism has been termed Post-Fordist and Neo-Fordist. The former implies that global capitalism has made a clean break from Fordism, including overcoming its inconsistencies, but the latter implies that elements of the Fordist ROA continued to exist. The Regulation School preferred the term After-Fordism (or the French Après-Fordisme) to denote that what comes after Fordism was or is not clear.

In Post-Fordist economies:
 * New information technologies are important.
 * Products are marketed to niche markets rather than in mass consumption patterns based on social class.
 * Service industries predominate over manufacturing.
 * The workforce is feminized.
 * Financial markets are globalized.
 * White collar creativity is needed.
 * Workers do not stay in one job for their whole lives.
 * 'Just-in-time' systems in which products are manufactured after orders are placed.

Cultural references
The mass-produced robots in Karel Čapek's play R.U.R. have been described as representing "the traumatic transformation of modern society by the First World War and the Fordist assembly line."

A religion based on the worship of Henry Ford is a central feature of the technocracy in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, where the principles of mass production are applied to the generation of people as well as to industry.

title: Fordism


text:
Jaworzno

Jaworzno is a city in southern Poland, near Katowice. It lies in the Silesian Highlands, on the Przemsza river (a tributary of the Vistula). Jaworzno belongs to Lesser Poland and despite belonging to Silesian Voivodeship since 1999, Jaworzno is not part of Silesia. The city is situated in the Silesian Voivodeship since its formation in 1999, previously (1975–1999) it was in Katowice Voivodeship. Jaworzno is one of the cities of the 2,7 million conurbation – Katowice urban area and within a greater Katowice-Ostrava metropolitan area populated by about 5,294,000 people. The population of the city is 89,350 (2021).

Location
The municipality is situated a short distance to the north-east of Junction 41 on the A4 Highway. It lies in the Silesian Highlands, in the historical region of Lesser Poland, and since its foundation until 1975, it was administratively tied with Lesser Poland's capital, Kraków. Until 1795, it belonged to Kraków Voivodeship, then, together with Kraków, was seized by the Habsburg Empire in the Partitions of Poland. In 1815–1846 it belonged to the Free City of Kraków, which was annexed by Austria and merged with Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria. In 1918 Jaworzno returned to Poland. The name of the city comes from the jawor trees (sycamore maple), which in the past were abundant in this area.

Administrative position
Jaworzno was placed into the Silesian Voivodeship (province) effective January 1, 1999 under the Local Government Reorganization Act. Previously, it was attached to the Katowice Voivodeship (1975–1998) and before that to the Kraków Voivodeship. Jaworzno lies in the east of the largest metropolis in Poland and one of the largest in the European Union, numbering about 3,5 million. This urban expansion bloomed in the 19th century thanks to the rapid development of mining and metallurgical industries. In 2006 Jaworzno and 14 neighboring cities formed a multimunicipal structure, the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union. Its population was 2 million and its area was 1304 km2. In 2016 Jaworzno left the Union, and in 2017 refused to join the Metropolis GZM (which eventually superseded the Union), mainly due to concerns about public transport quality.

Climate
The climate of the area is continental humid. The annual average temperature is 8 °C (January average -1.7 °C and July average 17.7 °C °C). Yearly rainfall averages at 750 mm, the most rainy month being July. The area's characteristic weak winds blow at about 2 m/s from the west (Moravian Gate).

Transport
Jaworzno is located at the intersection of a number of road routes such as the A4 motorway (part of European route E40), the S1 expressway which is connected with the A1 motorway (both forming part of the European route E75), the National road No. 79 (Warsaw–Bytom), and Voivodeship road 903.
 * Routes
 * Public transport

Public transport is provided by PKM Jaworzno (Przedsiębiorstwo Komunikacji Miejskiej w Jaworznie – public transport company in Jaworzno) not belonging to the KZK GOP. PKM Jaworzno was one of the first public transport companies in Poland which introduced the magnetic card called Jaworznicka Karta miejska (Jaworzno Urban Card) instead of paper tickets. Currently PKM Jaworzno is one of the most modern public transport companies in Poland. The PKM Jaworzno's fleet is based 40% on electric vehicles.

Districts and housing estates

 * Bory
 * Byczyna
 * Cezarówka
 * Ciężkowice
 * Dąbrowa Narodowa
 * Długoszyn
 * Dobra
 * Gigant
 * Góra Piasku
 * Jeleń
 * Jeziorki
 * Koźmin
 * Niedzieliska
 * Pieczyska
 * Siłownia
 * Podwale
 * Stara Huta
 * Stare Miasto (Old City)
 * Szczakowa
 * Śródmieście (Downtown)
 * Wilkoszyn
 * Wysoki Brzeg
 * Osiedle Stałe
 * Osiedle Awaryjne
 * Osiedle Cegielniana
 * Osiedle Chrząstówka
 * Osiedle Energetyków
 * Osiedle Gagarina
 * Osiedle Górnicze
 * Osiedle Kościuszki
 * Osiedle Warpie
 * Osiedle Leopold
 * Osiedle Łubowiec
 * Osiedle Pańska Góra
 * Osiedle Podłęże
 * Osiedle Skałka
 * Osiedle Pszczelnik
 * Osiedle Sobieski

History
In the Middle Ages, a gord was established on the Grodzisko hill, traces of which can still be found. First known mention of Jaworzno comes from the year 1229, and in 1335, a parish church of St. Wojciech existed here. Jaworzno remained a small village, located in western Lesser Poland, near the much larger and more important town of Chrzanów. From 1179, the nearby Przemsza river marked the border between Lesser Poland and Silesia. It also became a state border of Poland until 1922. The area of Jaworzno was originally under the rule of the bishops of Kraków. After Austria seized Silesia at the end of the 17th century, several coal mines were developed near Jaworzno. In the 18th century, deposits of silver, lead, iron and zinc were found here. In 1767, first coal mine in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was opened in Szczakowa.

After the Partitions of Poland Jaworzno belonged to the Habsburg Empire. In 1809 – 1815 it was part of the Duchy of Warsaw, and in 1815–1846, it belonged to the Free City of Krakow, which in 1846 was annexed by the Austrian Empire. Jaworzno remained in Austrian Galicia until November 1918. In the 19th century, the village became famous for the so-called Three Emperors' Corner, where borders of three powers met (German Empire, Russian Empire and Austria-Hungary). In 1847 a new railway line connects Jaworzno's Szczakowa district with Kraków and Prussian Upper Silesia. The village became a center of industrialization. A power plant was opened in 1898, and Jaworzno's coal mines extracted 84% of Galician coal. Several new factories were established here in the late 19th and early 20th century. As a result, on September 21, 1901, Emperor Franz Joseph I granted a town charter to Jaworzno.

Following World War I, in 1918, Poland regained independence and control of the town. In the Second Polish Republic, Jaworzno belonged to the Kraków Voivodeship, in which it also remained after the war, until 1975.

Following the joint German-Soviet invasion of Poland, which started World War II in September 1939, the town was occupied by Germany. The Germans operated several forced labour camps in the town, including a Nazi prison/forced labour camp, a subcamp of the Auschwitz concentration camp and the E596 subcamp of the Stalag VIII-B/344 prisoner-of-war camp for Western Allied POWs at the Jan Kanty Coal Mine (under occupation named Dachsgrube), and the E561, E563 and E732 subcamps of Stalag VIII-B/344, located at a local railway depot, at the Sobieski Coal Mine (then renamed Robertsgrube) and in the present-day district of Szczakowa, respectively.

After the war, the town was restored to Poland, although with a Soviet-installed communist regime, which stayed in power until the Fall of Communism in the 1980s. The communists converted the former Nazi German subcamp of Auschwitz into the Central Labour Camp Jaworzno. In the People's Republic of Poland Jaworzno developed as an important center of industry. Its population quickly grew, when thousands of migrants came here in search of work at coal mines, power plants and other factories. Furthermore, several villages were integrated with Jaworzno. As a result, Jaworzno's area reaches 152 km2. In 1975 the city became part of Katowice Voivodeship. Despite the fact that most towns of pre-1975 Chrzanów County returned to Lesser Poland, Jaworzno was attached to the Silesian Voivodeship in 1999.

Environment
Greens, forests, and undeveloped land constitute 60 percent of the town's area. Jaworzno has environmentally valuable areas which as a group present a diversity of landscapes and vegetation as well as a richness of flora and fauna. These include the Dolina Zabnika nature reserve, the Dobra Wilkoszyn landscape protection area, the Sasanka natural surface monument, Grodzisko hill, and Sosina lake. Within Jaworzno's boundaries there are 41 plant species under strict protection and 11 under partial protection.

Media

 * Online News
 * Jaw.pl
 * Jaworzno.naszemiasto.pl
 * Mojejaworzno.pl
 * TV Station
 * DlaCiebie.TV
 * Newspapers
 * Co Tydzień
 * Tydzień w Jaworznie
 * Extra
 * Sokół Jaworznicki

Sport and culture
The city of Jaworzno has many sporting facilities at the Europe-wide level and offers a rich variety of educational and cultural activities. The city major arena, the Hala Widowiskowo-Sportowa, can seat 2,500 spectators. The Sosina water sports centre is the venue for the annual Polish water-skiing championships.

Football

 * Szczakowianka Jaworzno – football team (1st league 2002/2003)
 * GKS Victoria Jaworzno – Poland's oldest miner's team
 * The Puma Youth Academy (Akademia Los Puma) – football team (Junior league 2012/2013)

Notable people

 * Shelomo Selinger (born 1924), Polish-Jewish sculptor
 * Andrzej Stalmach (1942–2020), athlete
 * Basia Trzetrzelewska (born 1954), singer and songwriter
 * Bogdan Wołkowski (born 1957), professional billiards player
 * Andrzej Karweta (1958–2010), Polish Navy Admiral
 * Jan Urban (born 1962), footballer
 * Wojciech Saługa (born 1969), economist and politician
 * Paweł Sarna (born 1977), poet
 * Grzegorz Proksa (born 1984), boxer

Twin towns – sister cities
Jaworzno is twinned with:
 * 🏴 Hereford, England, United Kingdom
 * 🇨🇿 Karviná, Czech Republic
 * 🇭🇺 Szigethalom, Hungary
 * 🇨🇳 Yiwu, China
 * 🇺🇦 Berezan, Ukraine

title: Jaworzno


text:
Doric Club

The Doric Club was an association of Loyals set up in Lower Canada by Adam Thom, a lawyer and journalist, in March 1836. A noted opponent of the Patriotes, the group was both a social club and a paramilitary organization. It was used as the armed faction of the Constitutional Party and many of its members took part in the Lower Canada Rebellions of 1837 and 1838 on the British side.

History
The members of the club were mostly young anglophone radicals who had been forced to leave the British Rifle Corps after its dissolution by Lord Gosford in January 1836. Gosford affirmed that British subjects were not in danger, being adequately protected by the army, and that such groupings were useless. Believing them to be about 2,000 in number, he judged them to be troublemakers.

On March 16, 1836, the Club published its manifesto, calling all loyal British men to unite against what it had called the "French domination" in Lower Canada. "If we are deserted by the British government and the British people, rather than submit to the degradation of being subject of a French-Canadian republic, we are determined by our own right arms to work out our deliverance", read the document.

Despite the opposition of Lord Gosford, the Doric Club was tolerated by General John Colborne, as were many other Loyal armed groups. On November 6, 1837, after an assembly of the Société des fils de la liberté, a group of young Patriote supporters, a violent skirmish erupted between the latter and the club. Finally, during the Lower Canada Rebellions, Colborne recruited several of its members as volunteers to quell the rebels.

title: Doric Club