Cieszyn ( , ; cs, Těšín ; german: Teschen; la, Tessin; szl, Ćeszyn) is a border town in southern

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

on the east bank of the Olza River, and the administrative seat of

Cieszyn County __NOTOC__ Cieszyn County ( pl, powiat cieszyński) is a unit of territorial administration and local government ( powiat) in Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland, on the Czech and Slovak border. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a resul ...

, Silesian Voivodeship. The town has 33,500 inhabitants (as of December 2021), and lies opposite Český Těšín in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

. Both towns belong to the historical region of

Cieszyn Silesia Cieszyn Silesia, Těšín Silesia or Teschen Silesia ( pl, Śląsk Cieszyński ; cs, Těšínské Slezsko or ; german: Teschener Schlesien or ) is a historical region in south-eastern Silesia, centered on the towns of Cieszyn and Český T� ...

, and formerly as one town composed the capital of the Duchy of Cieszyn.

Geography

The town is situated on the Olza river, a tributary of the

Oder The Oder ( , ; Czech, Lower Sorbian and ; ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river in total length and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows ...

River, which forms the border with the

. It is located within the western Silesian Foothills north of the Silesian Beskids and Mt. Czantoria Wielka, a popular

ski resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area – a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In Nort ...

. Cieszyn is the heart of the historical region of

, the southeasternmost part of

Upper Silesia Upper Silesia ( pl, Górny Śląsk; szl, Gůrny Ślůnsk, Gōrny Ślōnsk; cs, Horní Slezsko; german: Oberschlesien; Silesian German: ; la, Silesia Superior) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, locate ...

. Until the end of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

in 1918 it was a seat of the

Dukes of Teschen Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranked ...

. In 1920 Cieszyn Silesia was divided between the two newly created states of

and

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

, with the smaller western suburbs of Teschen becoming part of Czechoslovakia as a new town called Český Těšín. The larger part of the town joined Poland as Cieszyn. Three bridges connect the twin towns. After Poland and the Czech Republic joined the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...

and its passport-free Schengen zone, border controls were abolished and residents of both the Polish and Czech part could move freely across the border. The combined population of Polish and Czech parts of the city is 61,201 inhabitants. Cieszyn is the southern terminus of the Polish National road 1 leading to

Gdańsk Gdańsk ( , also ; ; csb, Gduńsk;Stefan Ramułt, ''Słownik języka pomorskiego, czyli kaszubskiego'', Kraków 1893, Gdańsk 2003, ISBN 83-87408-64-6. , Johann Georg Theodor Grässe, ''Orbis latinus oder Verzeichniss der lateinischen Benen ...

on the

Baltic Baltic may refer to: Peoples and languages *Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian *Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originatin ...

coast. The town combines both Polish and Old–Austrian peculiarities in the style of its buildings. Because of several major fires and subsequent reconstructions (the last one in the late 18th century), the picturesque old town is sometimes called ''Little Vienna''. The only relic of the ancient castle is a square tower, dating from the 14th century and 11th century romanesque chapel.

History

The area has been populated by West Slavic peoples since at least the 7th century. According to legend, in 810 three sons of a prince – Bolko, Leszko and Cieszko, met here after a long pilgrimage, found a spring, and decided to found a new settlement. They called it Cieszyn, from the words ''cieszym się'' ("I'm happy"). This well can be found at ''ulica Trzech Braci'' ("Three Brothers Street"), just west of the town square. Sąd Rejonowy w Cieszynie 3

The town was the capital of the Duchy of Teschen since 1290, which was ruled by

Piast dynasty The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I (c. 930–992). The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of king Casimir III the Great. Branch ...

until 1653 and by the Habsburg Dynasty of Austria until 1918. It was in Teschen that

Maria Theresa Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position '' suo jure'' (in her own right) ...

and Frederick II on in May 1779 signed the Teschen Peace Treaty, which put an end to the War of the Bavarian Succession. In the 19th century Teschen was known for its ethnic, religious and cultural diversity, containing mostly German, Polish, Jewish and Czech communities. There was also a small Hungarian community in the town consisting mostly of officers and clerks. The town was divided in July 1920, by the Spa Conference, a body formed by the

Versailles Treaty The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 19 ...

, leaving a Polish minority on the Czechoslovak side. Its smaller western suburbs became what is now the town of Český Těšín in the

. During the interwar period two villages were merged into Cieszyn: Błogocice in 1923 and Bobrek in 1932. After 1920 many ethnic Germans left the town, while many Poles from the Czechoslovakian part of the region moved in. According to the Polish census of 1921, Cieszyn had 15,268 inhabitants, of whom 9,241 (60.5%) were Poles, 4,777 (31.2%) were Germans, 1014 (6.6%) were Jews, and 195 (1.3%) were Czechs. The census from 1931 indicated 14,707 inhabitants, of whom 12,145 (82.7%) were Poles, while the rest consisted mostly of Germans and Jews (in 1937 estimated to be 12 and 8% respectively). Cieszyn and Český Těšín were merged again in October 1938 when Poland annexed the Zaolzie area together with Český Těšín. In 1939 Cieszyn Silesia was occupied by German forces and during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

it was part of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

. Almost the entire Jewish community was murdered by the Nazis. After World War II, the border between Poland and Czechoslovakia was restored to that of 1920. Most Germans fled or were expelled and were replaced with Poles expelled from the Polish areas annexed by the Soviet Union. Signs of the former German presence in the town were removed by a special committee. On 19 July 1970, five firefighters from Cieszyn died when a bridge they were on fell into the Olza River, due to heavy flooding. In 1977, Boguszowice, Gułdowy, Kalembice, Krasna, Mnisztwo, Pastwiska were amalgamated with Cieszyn and Marklowice.

Culture

Since the 18th century Cieszyn Silesia has been an important centre of Polish

Protestantism Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

when the Jesus Church was built as the only one in

. Currently, Cieszyn is also the site of the Cieszyn Summer Film Festival, one of the most influential

film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upo ...

s in Poland. There is also an earlier established Czech-Polish-Slovak film festival.

Industry

Cieszyn is an important centre of the electromechanical industry. It is also the site of the ''Olza Cieszyn'' sweets factory (where the famous

Prince Polo Prince Polo is a Polish wafer chocolate bar and one of Poland's top-selling candy brands. It is also sold in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Lithuania and Ukraine under the name Siesta, and in Iceland under Prins Póló. According to mea ...

wafers are made) and the Brackie Browar, where Żywiec Porter is brewed. The main source of income for many citizens is trade with the nearby

and retail trade associated with transit across the two bridges over the Olza to Český Těšín. In the past, the city was home to many furniture factories.

Sites of interest

* Romanesque St. Nicholas' Chapel (''Kaplica św. Mikołaja'', a rotunda from the 11th century) * Remnants of the Piast dynasty castle ** Piast Castle Tower (''Wieża Piastowska'', mostly 14th century) **

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

St.

Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to his crucifixion and resurre ...

Church (''Kościół Marii Magdaleny'', 13th century) * Old Town Square (''Rynek'') **

bourgeoisie The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. Th ...

houses (15th–19th centuries) **

Town Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

(''Ratusz'', early 19th century) * Former minting house (18th century) *

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...

Church of Jesus (18th century) * Museum of

in the former Larisch family palace (''Pałac Laryszów'', ''

Muzeum Śląska Cieszyńskiego The Museum of Cieszyn Silesia ( pl, Muzeum Śląska Cieszyńskiego) in Cieszyn is one of the oldest public museums in Central Europe and the oldest public museum in Poland, set up by father Leopold Jan Szersznik in 1802. History The town pa ...

'', the first museum in Poland) * Castle Brewery (''Browar Zamkowy'', 1846) * Habsburg Palace in Cieszyn * Bonifraters Monastery (18th century) * The

protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

Church of Jesus (''Kościół Jezusowy''), with a

baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including ...

tower and statues of the Four Evangelists above the

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in pagan ...

that liven up the plain interior.

Notable people

* Jiří Třanovský (1592–1637), theologian and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Def ...

* Adam Christian Agricola (1593–1645), evangelical preacher * Carl Friedrich Kotschy (1789–1856),

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

and

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

* Friedrich Uhl (1825–1906),

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...

, writer * Rudolf Ramek (1881–1941), Austrian politician,

Chancellor of Austria The chancellor of the Republic of Austria () is the head of government of the Republic of Austria. The position corresponds to that of Prime Minister in several other parliamentary democracies. Current officeholder is Karl Nehammer of the Aus ...

* (1887–1915), Polish writer * Hermann Heller (1891–1933), jurist * Viktor Ullmann (1898–1944), Jewish musician * Max Rostal (1905–1991), violinist and educator *

Herbert Czaja Herbert Czaja (November 5, 1914 – April 18, 1997) was a German Christian democratic politician. Czaja was born to a multi-ethnic and multilingual family in Cieszyn in Poland, which was part of Austria-Hungary at the time of his birth. Durin ...

(1914–1997), German politician ( CDU) *

Richard Pipes Richard Edgar Pipes ( yi, ריכארד פּיִפּעץ ''Rikhard Pipets'', the surname literally means 'beak'; pl, Ryszard Pipes; July 11, 1923 – May 17, 2018) was an American academic who specialized in Russian and Soviet history. He publi ...

(1923–2018), Polish-American historian,

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...

Professor * (born 1943), German sculptor, professor * Jadwiga Smykowska (1945–2017), artist * Karol Semik (born 1953), teacher and educator * Beata Nowok (born 1978), statistician and researcher *

Magdalena Gwizdoń Magdalena Gwizdoń (born 4 August 1979) is a Polish biathlete, born in Cieszyn. Career Gwizdoń competed in the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics for Poland. Her best finish was 7th, as part of the 2006 Polish relay team. Her best individual finish ...

(born 1979), biathlete *

Ireneusz Jeleń Ireneusz Jeleń (; born 9 April 1981) is a retired Polish footballer who played as a right-winger or striker for the Poland national football team. Club career Jeleń was born in Cieszyn. From 2002 to 2006 he played for Wisła Płock in the ...

(born 1981), footballer * Tomisław Tajner (born 1983), ski jumper *

Jan Błachowicz Jan Maciej Błachowicz (; born 24 February 1983) is a Polish professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champ ...

(born 1983),

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion * Piotr Żyła (born 1987), ski jumper, world champion

Twin towns – sister cities

Cieszyn is twinned with: * Balchik, Bulgaria *

Cambrai Cambrai (, ; pcd, Kimbré; nl, Kamerijk), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord department and in the Hauts-de-France region of France on the Scheldt river, which is known locally as the ...

, France * Český Těšín, Czech Republic *

Genk Genk () is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg near Hasselt. The municipality only comprises the town of Genk itself. It is one of the most important industrial towns in Flanders, located on the Albert Canal, ...

, Belgium * Puck, Poland *

Rožňava Rožňava ( hu, Rozsnyó, german: Rosenau, Latin: ''Rosnavia'') is a town in Slovakia, approximately by road from Košice in the Košice Region, and has a population of 19,182. The town is an economic and tourist centre of the Gemer. Rožň ...

, Slovakia *

Teuva Teuva ( sv, Östermark) is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the South Ostrobothnia region. The population of Teuva is () and the municipality covers an area of of which is inland water (). The population density is . The municipali ...

, Finland

Gallery

File:Cieszyn Rynek2.jpg, Town Hall at the Cieszyn Market Square File:Cieszyn Buildings 39.jpg, Townhouses in Cieszyn File:2012 Powiat cieszyński, Cieszyn, Góra Zamkowa, Rotunda św. Mikołaja 02.jpg, Rotunda from circa 1180 / St. Nicholas Church File:Ciesz wieza 361.jpg, 14th century Piast tower File:Teschen-figura.jpg, Statue of Saint Florian File:Cieszyn 01.jpg, Monastery, church, and hospital of the Sisters of Saint Elizabeth File:Cieszyn sw Marii Magdaleny od pd wsch.jpg,

Dominican Church, begun in late 13th century File:Pałac Myśliwski Habsburgów w Cieszynie 1.JPG, Hunting Palace of the Habsburgs and monument commemorating Silesian legionnaries fallen for Poland File:Kamienica Mieszkalna.DanielG44K.jpg, Hotel on the town square File:Cieszyn 57.jpg,

Evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual expe ...

Protestant Church of Jesus, begun in 1710 File:Brama cmentarza komunalnego w Cieszynie1.JPG, Communal Cemetery in Cieszyn File:Pałac Larischów w Cieszynie 1.JPG, Museum of the

References

External links

*
Museum of Cieszyn Silesia
(Muzeum Śląska Cieszyńskiego)
Jewish Community in Cieszyn
on Virtual Shtetl {{Authority control Czech Republic–Poland border crossings Silesian Voivodeship (1920–1939) Divided cities