Bytom
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| Bytom | |
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| (Flag) | (Coat of arms) |
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| Basic Information | |
| Country | Poland |
| Voivodeship | Silesian |
| Population | 198 000 |
| Founded | - |
| City rights | 1254 |
| Latitude Longitude |
50°23' N 18°54' E |
| Area | 69,3 km² |
| Agglomeration | - |
| Density | 2856/km² |
| Area code | +48 32 |
| Car plates | SY |
| Twin towns | - |
| Economy and Traffic | |
| Administration | |
| Mayor | Piotr Koj |
| Municipal Website | |
Bytom (['bitɔm] ; German: Beuthen) is a city in southern Poland with 205,560 inhabitants (1999). Since 1999 it has been situated in the Silesian Voivodeship, having previously been in the Katowice Voivodeship (1975-1998).
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[edit] History
Bytom is one of the oldest cities of Upper Silesia, having been known as Bitom in 1136 and Beuthen in 1450. It received city rights in 1254 and grew owing to its location on a strategic crossroads. In 1259 it was raided by the Mongols.
Bytom belonged originally to the Kingdom of Poland and became the seat of a Slavic duchy from 1281-1355. It was administered by the Kingdom of Bohemia in 1289. Due to German settlers coming to the area, the city was slowly Germanized. It came passed to the Habsburg Monarchy of Austria in 1526, which increased influence of the German language. The city became part of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1742 during the Silesian Wars and part of the German Empire in 1871. In 1945 it was transferred to Poland as a result of the Potsdam Conference. Its German population was largely expelled by the Polish and Soviet armies and replaced with Poles.
Bytom is an average post-industrial city. The majority of its coal mines are now closed, while steel mills are slowly fading. The city is struggling to transfer its profile from industry to services. Bytom cooperates with two cities with more or less the same problems: Recklinghausen in Germany, and Butte-Silver Bow, United States. The city has a considerable unemployment rate, but it is centered in the poorest part of city, Bobrek.
[edit] Coat of arms
One half of the coat of arms of Bytom depicts a miner mining coal, while the other half presents a yellow eagle on the blue field - the symbol of Upper Silesia.
[edit] Education
- Secondary schools
- I Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Jana Smolenia
- Universities
- Wyższa Szkoła Ekonomii i Administracji
- Silesian University Of Technology - Faculty of Transport
[edit] Culture
- Opera Śląska (Silesian Opera) - ul. Moniuszki 21/23
[edit] Politics
[edit] Bytom/Gliwice/Zabrze constituency
Members of Parliament (Sejm) elected from Bytom/Gliwice/Zabrze constituency
- Jan Chojnacki, SLD-UP
- Stanisław Dulias, Samoobrona
- Andrzej Gałażewski, PO
- Ewa Janik, SLD-UP
- Józef Kubica, SLD-UP
- Wacław Martyniuk, SLD-UP
- Wiesław Okoński, SLD-UP
- Wojciech Szarama, PiS
- Krystyna Szumilas, PO
- Marek Widuch, SLD-UP
[edit] External links
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Silesian Voivodship |
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Cities: Bielsko-Biała | Bytom | Chorzów | Częstochowa | Dąbrowa Górnicza | Gliwice | Jastrzębie Zdrój | Jaworzno | Katowice | Mysłowice | Piekary Śląskie | Ruda Śląska | Rybnik | Siemianowice Śląskie | Sosnowiec | Świętochłowice | Tychy | Zabrze | Żory |
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