Ruda Śląska
| Ruda Śląska | |||
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  Ruda Śląska
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country |  Poland |
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| Voivodeship | Silesian | ||
| County | city county | ||
| Established | 13th century | ||
| Town rights | 1959 | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Andrzej Stania | ||
| Area | |||
| - City | 77.7 km² (30 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2007) | |||
| - City | 149,346 | ||
| - Density | 1,922.1/km² (4,978.2/sq mi) | ||
| - Metro | 3,487,000 | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 41-700 to 41-718 | ||
| Area code(s) | +48 32 | ||
| Car plates | SRS, SL | ||
| Website: http://www.rudaslaska.pl/ | |||
Ruda Śląska [ˈruda ˈɕlɔ̃ska] (
listen) is a city in south Poland with 149,000 inhabitants (2001), member of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union.
It is situated in the Silesian Voivodship (since 1999), having previously been in Katowice Voivodship (1975-1998).
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Subdivisions
The city or Ruda Śląska is divided into the following subdivisions:
1. Ruda
2. Czarny Las
3. Godula
4. Orzegów
5. Bykowina
6. Halemba
7. Kochłowice
8. Chebzie
9. Nowy Bytom
10. Wirek
11. Bielszowice
History
A large village is known to have existed at the location of the today's city center in 1243. The city name appears to indicate the awareness of existence and perhaps exploitation of ores from the early times.
The area underwent rapid industrialization (coal, steel, zinc) in the 19th and the beginning of 20th century. However, it remained a cluster of industrial settlements and villages until the 1950s, when it was administratively united. It never developed into a truly unified city.
After the fall of communism in 1989, the significant heavy industry was largely scaled down or restructured. The area has been transforming to a service-based economy. The well-known still operating coal mine is "Halemba".
Since 2007, Ruda Śląska has been a member of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union, the largest legally recognized urban area in Poland.
Transport and Infrastructure
Significant roadways are Highway A4 and the Drogowa Trasa Średnicowa. There are several small railways stations, mainly on the line Katowice-Gliwice.
Since 1950 Ruda Śląska is site of a transmission facility, which was used from 1950 to 1988 for medium-wave radio broadcasting.
Higher Education
The neighboring cities of Katowice and Gliwice are large academic centers. Ruda Śląska is a seat of Higher Academy of Commerce (Wyższa Szkoła Handlowa).
Sports
- Zgoda Ruda Śląska - women's handball team playing in Polish Ekstraklasa Women's Handball League: Polish Cup winner 2004; 6th place in 2003/2004 season.
Famous people
- Otylia Jędrzejczak (born December 13 1983) - Olympic gold medalist and world record-holder in swimming
- Ernest Pohl
- Erwin Wilczek
- Marcin Baszczynski
- Paweł Cyganek
- Franciszek Bukal
Ruda Śląska is the largest population center in Poland never to have been visited by Lech Wałęsa.
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