| Wodzisław Śląski | |||
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| Wodzisław Old Town Squere | |||
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Wodzisław Śląski
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Poland | ||
| Voivodeship | Silesian | ||
| County | Wodzisław | ||
| Gmina | Wodzisław Śląski (urban gmina) | ||
| Town rights | 1257 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Mieczysław Kieca | ||
| Area | |||
| • City | 49.62 km2 (19.2 sq mi) | ||
| Highest elevation | 290 m (951 ft) | ||
| Lowest elevation | 210 m (689 ft) | ||
| Population (2007) | |||
| • City | 50,493 | ||
| • Density | 1,017.6/km2 (2,635.6/sq mi) | ||
| • Metro | 650,000 | ||
| Postal code | 44-286 to 44-373 | ||
| Website | http://www.wodzislaw-slaski.pl/ | ||
Wodzisław Śląski [vɔˈd͡ʑiswaf ˈɕlɔ̃ski] (German: Loslau) is a town in Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland with 50,493 inhabitants (2007). It is the seat of Wodzisław County.
It was previously in Katowice Voivodeship (1975–1998); close to the border with the Czech Republic, about 290 km (180 mi) south of Warsaw and about 100 km west of Kraków, on the southern outskirts of the metropolitan area known as the Upper Silesian Coal Basin (Polish: Górnośląskie Zagłębie Węglowe, GZW).
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In administrative terms, Wodzisław is an urban 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. In geographical terms, it lies between the Vistula and Oder rivers, near Czech border. Several rivers flow through the city, the major two being the Leśnica and "Zawadka" rivers. Within 600 kilometres of Wodzisław are the capital cities of six countries: Berlin, Vienna, Prague, Bratislava, Budapest and Warsaw.
The climate of the area is continental humid. The average temperature is 8 °C (46 °F) (average −1.7 °C (28.9 °F) in January and up to average 17.7 °C (63.9 °F) in July). Yearly rainfall averages at 786 mm (30.94 in), 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).
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 Flanders 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).[1] 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. The city continued to grow and developed into a regional trade centre. In the 15th century, the Hussites devastated the city.[2] From 1526, Bohemia, including the fiefdom of Silesia, which Wodzisław was a part of, came under the authority of the Habsburg crown.
In 16th and 17th century and during the time of the Thirty Years' War, Wodzisław been part of 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 Frederick II of Prussia (the Great) and the Habsburg empress Maria Theresa of Austria, the greatest part of Silesia, including Wodzisław, was annexed by Prussia in 1740, which Austria eventually recognized in 1763. Coal mining gained importance for Wodzisław's economy as early as the 19th century.
After the end of World War I in 1918, Polish statehood was finally 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 finally 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 amount of pro-German votes (nevertheless still 49 % of the total) was registered in the districts of Rybnik and Pszczyna (Pless). The city and the largest part of the district of Rybnik were attached to the territory of the Second Polish Republic; Wodzisław thus became part of a Polish state for the first time since 1526. The Upper Silesia plebiscite and eventual division of Upper Silesia were accompanied by three Silesian Uprisings of Polish milicians.
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 miles 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 SS 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.[3]
In March 1945 the Soviet army arrived near Wodzisław. 80% of the town was destroyed in the war.[4] From 26 March 1945 Wodzisław was once more integrated into Poland.[5]
Wodzisław is situated at the junction of several major lines of road, railway and air communication. 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. Thanks to its proximity to the A1 motorway, the town will be very well connected to three the international airport at Katowice - Pyrzowice (about 70 km from Wodzisław), Kraków - Balice ( about 100 km from Wodzisław) and Ostrava - Mosnov (about 40 km from Wodzisław).
Wodzisław 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.
Biblioteka Miejska i Powiatowa, ul. Daszyńskiego 2
In contrast to the central part of the Upper Silesian Industry Area a short distance to the north, Wodzisław enjoys the reputation of a "green" city having a relatively clean environment. While the city is no centre of tourism, it does have various interesting sights and opportunities for recreation. The Beskidy Mountains, a popular recreational area, also for skiing, are within a 1 hours drive.
Sights worth visiting:
In Wodzisław there are:
Wodzisław Śląski is twinned with:
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