Mysłowice ( szl, Myslowicy; german: Myslowitz) is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. S ...

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 ...

, near

Katowice Katowice ( , , ; szl, Katowicy; german: Kattowitz, yi, קאַטעוויץ, Kattevitz) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Upper Silesian metropolitan area. It is the 11th most popu ...

. The population of the city is 74,085. It is located in the south district of the

Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union The Metropolis GZM ( pl, Metropolia GZM, formally in Polish Górnośląsko-Zagłębiowska Metropolia) is a metropolitan unit composed of 41 contiguous municipalities in the Silesian Voivodeship of Poland. The seat of the metropolitan council i ...

in the

Silesian Highlands Silesian Upland or Silesian Highland ( pl, Wyżyna Śląska) is a highland located in Silesia and Lesser Poland, Poland. Its highest point is the St. Anne Mountain (406 m). See also * Silesian Lowlands * Silesian-Lusatian Lowlands *Silesia ...

, on the

Przemsza Przemsza (german: Przemsa) is a river in the south of Poland, a tributary of the Vistula. According to one view, it originates at the confluence of the Black ( pl, Czarna) Przemsza and White (''Biała'') Przemsza, between the towns of Mysłowi ...

and Brynica rivers (tributaries of the

Vistula The Vistula (; pl, Wisła, ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest river in Europe, at in length. The drainage basin, reaching into three other nations, covers , of which is in Poland. The Vistula rises at Barania Góra in ...

). It is situated in the Silesian Voivodeship since its formation in 1999, previously in the Katowice Voivodeship, and before then, the

Autonomous Silesian Voivodeship In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy, from , ''autonomos'', from αὐτο- ''auto-'' "self" and νόμος ''nomos'', "law", hence when combined understood to mean "one who gives oneself one' ...

. Mysłowice is one of the cities comprising the 2.7 million conurbation –

Katowice urban area The Katowice urban area ( pl, Konurbacja katowicka, ), also known as the Upper Silesian urban area ( pl, Konurbacja górnośląska, ), is an urban area/conurbation in southern Poland, centered on Katowice. It is located in the Silesian Voi ...

and within the greater

Silesian metropolitan area The Upper Silesian metropolitan area is a metropolitan area in southern Poland and northeastern Czech Republic, centered on the cities of Katowice and Ostrava in Silesia and has around 5 million inhabitants. Located in the three administrative ...

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 Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, r ...

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula, Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland un ...

. The earliest traces of the modern settlement date back to the 12th and 13th century, when it was part of Piast-ruled

. The first mention of a parish priest is found in a document from 1306. In 1360, Mysłowice was already referred to as a town. Over the centuries the ownership of the city changed frequently, as did the borders between different countries. After the foundation of the

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

in 1871 the area became known as '' Dreikaisereck'' ("triangle of the three emperors"), as it was situated at the point where the

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

and Russian Empires adjoined. After

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, 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 The Upper Silesia plebiscite was a plebiscite mandated by the Versailles Treaty and carried out on 20 March 1921 to determine ownership of the province of Upper Silesia between Weimar Germany and Poland. The region was ethnically mixed with ...

was held, in which 56% of the residents of Myslowitz voted to remain in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

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 Wesoła () is one of the districts of Warsaw, and has been as such since October 27, 2002. Wesoła is located in the south-eastern part of city. Wesoła received town privileges on December 17, 1968. Then, the town included Wola Grzybowska, We ...

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 The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 1918 and 1939. The state was established on 6 November 1918, before the end of the First World ...

. During the

German occupation of Poland German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

(

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 ...

), 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

district, the Germans also established and operated a

forced labour Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, violence including death, or other forms of ex ...

camp for

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

and a subcamp of the

Auschwitz concentration camp Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. I ...

. In the final stages of the war, most prisoners of the subcamp were evacuated by the Germans in a

death march A death march is a forced march of prisoners of war or other captives or deportees in which individuals are left to die along the way. It is distinguished in this way from simple prisoner transport via foot march. Article 19 of the Geneva Conven ...

to Gliwice and then deported to

, 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 *Szopena–Wielka Skotnica *

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 School A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...

s and five

Secondary Secondary may refer to: Science and nature * Secondary emission, of particles ** Secondary electrons, electrons generated as ionization products * The secondary winding, or the electrical or electronic circuit connected to the secondary winding i ...

and vocational schools. There are at least 20

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

s located in Mysłowice, residing at location with greater density of children. On top of that, there are also 17

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

s 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 The market square (or sometimes, the market place) is a square meant for trading, in which a market is held. It is an important feature of many towns and cities around the world.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 ...

and classicistic style; according to Catholic tradition, it is the oldest place of religious worship in the town. There is also a

Jewish cemetery A Jewish cemetery ( he, בית עלמין ''beit almin'' or ''beit kvarot'') is a cemetery where Jews are buried in keeping with Jewish tradition. Cemeteries are referred to in several different ways in Hebrew, including ''beit kevarot' ...

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 Artur Marcin Rojek (born May 6, 1972) is the former guitarist and lead singer of the Polish alternative rock group Myslovitz.''Gazeta Wyborcza'', "Jak Artur Rojek redagował ?Gazetę?", 2006-06-29,/ref> He and the lead guitarist Wojciech Powaga ...

(however, in 2010 it was moved to

). Bands from Mysłowice include Myslovitz formed 1992 (named after their hometown), as well as

Lenny Valentino Lenny Valentino was a dream pop band from Mysłowice, Poland formed in 1998. They disbanded in 2001. Lenny Valentino formed in 1998, with guitarist/vocalist Artur Rojek (of the band Myslovitz) as the primary songwriter. Mietall Waluś (bass), M ...

(1998–2001).

Economy

As of 2017, the city was the location of one of five

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...

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 Albert Norden (4 December 1904 – 30 May 1982) was a German communist politician. Early years Albert Norden was born in Myslowitz, Silesia on 4 December 1904, one of the five recorded children born to the liberal rabbi (1870–1943) and hi ...

(1904–1982),

East German East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

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 *

(born 1972), musician, former guitarist and lead singer of the Polish

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercial ...

group Myslovitz * Piotr Bajtlik (born 1982), actor

Twin towns – sister cities

Mysłowice is twinned with: * Enz (district), Germany *

Frýdek-Místek Frýdek-Místek (, pl, Frydek-Mistek; german: Friede(c)k-Mistek) is a city in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 54,000 inhabitants. The historic centres of both Frýdek and Místek are well preserved and are protecte ...

, 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 On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. A ...

References

External links

* http://www.myslowice.pl Official site of Mysłowice * https://web.archive.org/web/20081016003036/http://m-ce.net/ Site of Mysłowice * http://www.m-ce.pl The Website of Myslowice (Polish, some content in English)
Jewish Community in Mysłowice
on Virtual Shtetl * http://www.myslowice.zobacz.slask.pl Myslowice, Silesia (Polish, some content in English) {{DEFAULTSORT:Myslowice City counties of Poland Cities and towns in Silesian Voivodeship Silesian Voivodeship (1920–1939)