Racibórz (, , , ) is a city in

Silesian Voivodeship Silesian Voivodeship ( ) is an administrative province in southern Poland. With over 4.2 million residents and an area of 12,300 square kilometers, it is the second-most populous, and the most-densely populated and most-urbanized region of Poland ...

in southern

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. It is the administrative seat of

Racibórz County __NOTOC__ Racibórz County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland, on the Czech Republic, Czech border. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish loca ...

. With

Opole Opole (; ; ; ) is a city located in southern Poland on the Oder River and the historical capital of Upper Silesia. With a population of approximately 127,387 as of the 2021 census, it is the capital of Opole Voivodeship (province) and the seat of ...

, Racibórz is one of the historic capitals of

Upper Silesia Upper Silesia ( ; ; ; ; Silesian German: ; ) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, located today mostly in Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic. The area is predominantly known for its heav ...

, being the residence of the Dukes of Racibórz from 1172 to 1521.

Geography

The city is situated in the southwest of the voivodeship on the upper

Oder The Oder ( ; Czech and ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and its largest tributary the Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows through wes ...

river, near the border with the Polish

Opole Voivodeship Opole Voivodeship ( , , ), is the smallest and least populated voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship (province) of Poland. The province's name derives from that of the region's capital and largest city, Opole. It is part of Silesia. A relatively lar ...

and the

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

. The Racibórz Basin (''Kotlina Raciborska'') forms the southeastern extension of the

Silesian Lowlands Silesian Lowlands (or Silesian Plains, , , ) are lowlands located in Silesia, Poland in Central Europe. A small part is located in the Czech Republic. The Silesian ridge runs through northern Silesia from west-northwest to east-southeast and adjo ...

, surrounded by the

Opawskie Mountains The Opawskie Mountains (, ) or Zlatohorská Highlands / Zlaté Hory Highlands (, ) are a mountain range of the Eastern Sudetes in the Czech Republic and Poland. Location The Opawskie Mountains stretch from northern Czech Silesia into Polish Uppe ...

in the west (part of the

Eastern Sudetes The Eastern Sudetes (, or ''Jesenická oblast'') are the eastern part of the Sudetes mountains on the border of the Czech Republic and Poland. They stretch from the Kłodzko Valley and the Eastern Neisse River in the west down to the Moravian ...

), the

Silesian Upland Silesian Upland or Silesian Highland () is a highland located in Silesia and Lesser Poland, Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Ca ...

in the north, and the

Moravian Gate The Moravian Gate (, , , ) is a geomorphological feature in the Moravian region of the Czech Republic and the Upper Silesia region in Poland. It is formed by the depression between the Carpathian Mountains in the east and the Sudetes in the west. ...

in the south. The town centre is located about southwest of

Katowice Katowice (, ) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Katowice urban area. As of 2021, Katowice has an official population of 286,960, and a resident population estimate of around 315,000. K ...

and about southeast of the regional capital

Wrocław Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...

. As of 2019, the city has a population of approximately 55,000 inhabitants. From 1975 to 1998, it belonged to

Katowice Voivodeship Katowice Voivodeship () can refer to one of two political entities in Poland: Katowice Voivodeship (1), initially "Silesian-Dabrowa Voivodeship" (), was a unit of administrative division and local government in the years 1946–1975. It was super ...

History

Until the end of the 5th century AD, the lands of the later Racibórz settlement were inhabited by

East Germanic East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that eas ...

Silinger tribes. The town is one of the oldest in Upper Silesia, the site of a

hill fort A hillfort is a type of fortification, fortified refuge or defended settlement located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typical of the late Bronze Age Europe, European Bronze Age and Iron Age Europe, Iron Age. So ...

where the old trade route from the Moravian Gate down to

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

crossed the Oder river. There is a possibility that Racibórz was mentioned in a work of the "

Bavarian Geographer The epithet "Bavarian Geographer" () is the conventional name for the anonymous author of a short Latin medieval text containing a list of the tribes in Central and Eastern Europe, headed . The name "Bavarian Geographer" was first bestowed (in its ...

" in 845 (this document mentions five strongholds of the Slavic Golensizi (Golenshitse, ''Holasici'' in

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

), a proto-Polish tribe, probably Racibórz was one of them). The name Racibórz is of

Slavic Slavic, Slav or Slavonic may refer to: Peoples * Slavic peoples, an ethno-linguistic group living in Europe and Asia ** East Slavic peoples, eastern group of Slavic peoples ** South Slavic peoples, southern group of Slavic peoples ** West Slav ...

origin and probably is derived from the name of one Duke Racibor, the city's founder.

Middle Ages

However, the first confirmed mention of Racibórz was made in 1108 in the ''

Gesta principum Polonorum The (; "''Deeds of the Princes of the Poles''") is the oldest known medieval chronicle documenting the history of Poland from the legendary times until 1113. Written in Latin by an anonymous author, it was most likely completed between 1112 an ...

'' chronicle by the Benedictine monk

Gallus Anonymus ''Gallus Anonymus'', also known by his Polonized variant ''Gall '', is the name traditionally given to the anonymous author of (Deeds of the Princes of the Poles), composed in Latin between 1112 and 1118. ''Gallus'' is generally regarded as the ...

, at a time when the

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

duke

Bolesław III Wrymouth Bolesław III Wrymouth (; 20 August 1086 – 28 October 1138), also known as Boleslaus the Wry-mouthed, was the duke of Lesser Poland, Silesia and Sandomierz between 1102 and 1107 and over the whole of Poland between 1107 and 1138. He was the onl ...

had to ward off the attacks by the forces of Duke

Svatopluk of Bohemia Svatopluk the Lion (; died 21 September 1109) was Duke of Bohemia from 1107 until his assassination in 1109. His rule was overshadowed by the fierce conflict around the Bohemian throne in the 12th century. Family A member of the Přemyslid dyn ...

invading from the

Moravia Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The medieval and early ...

n lands in the south. The Polish rule over the Racibórz area was confirmed in 1137, it was incorporated into the

Duchy of Silesia The Duchy of Silesia (, ) with its capital at Wrocław was a medieval provincial duchy of Poland located in the region of Silesia. Soon after it was formed under the Piast dynasty in 1138, it fragmented into various Silesian duchies. In 1327, t ...

according to the Testament of Bolesław III in the following year. Racibórz was an important center of beer production, and the townspeople enjoyed a privilege that allowed

brewing Brewing is the production of beer by steeping a starch source (commonly cereal grains, the most popular of which is barley) in water and #Fermenting, fermenting the resulting sweet liquid with Yeast#Beer, yeast. It may be done in a brewery ...

already in the early 12th century. Brewing was an important source of the town's income, and local beer was popular not only in Silesia, but also in neighboring Czechia. From 1155, Racibórz was the seat of a

castellany A castellan, or constable, was the governor of a castle in medieval Europe. Its surrounding territory was referred to as the castellany. The word stems from . A castellan was almost always male, but could occasionally be female, as when, in 1 ...

. The town became the first historical capital of Upper Silesia, when the

Duchy of Racibórz Duchy of Racibórz (, , ) was one of the duchies of Silesia, formed during the medieval fragmentation of Poland into provincial duchies. Its capital was Racibórz in Upper Silesia. States and territories disestablished in the 1200s States and ...

was established by the

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

duke

Mieszko I Tanglefoot Mieszko IV Tanglefoot () (c. 1130 – 16 May 1211) was Duke of Kraków and High Duke of Poland from 9 June 1210 until his death one year later. He was also Duke of Silesia from 1163 to 1173 (with his brother as co-ruler), Duke of Racibórz fr ...

upon the first partition of Silesia in 1172. From 1202 onwards, Duke Mieszko ruled over whole Upper Silesia as Duke of Opole and Racibórz. He had the settlement beneath his residence laid out and the area colonized by

Flemish Flemish may refer to: * Flemish, adjective for Flanders, Belgium * Flemish region, one of the three regions of Belgium *Flemish Community, one of the three constitutionally defined language communities of Belgium * Flemish dialects, a Dutch dialec ...

merchants, the first coin with the Polish description "MILOST" was issued in Racibórz in 1211. Mieszko's son and successor Duke Casimir I granted the Racibórz citizens municipal privileges in 1217. In 1241, the Poles led by local Duke

Mieszko II the Fat Mieszko II the Fat () ( – 22 October 1246) was a Duke of Opole-Racibórz from 1230 until his death, and Duke of Kalisz-Wieluń during 1234–1239 (with his brother as co-ruler). He was the eldest son of Duke Casimir I of Opole by his wife Viola ...

won the Battle of Racibórz during the

first Mongol invasion of Poland The Mongol invasion of Poland from late 1240 to 1241 culminated in the Battle of Legnica, where the Mongols defeated an alliance which included forces from Testament of Bolesław III Wrymouth, fragmented Poland and their allies, led by Henry ...

and the Duke founded a Dominican monastery in the city, where he was buried in 1246. The first Polish national anthem ''

Gaude Mater Polonia ''Gaude Mater Polonia'' was one of the most significant medieval Polish hymns, written in Latin between the 13th and the 14th century to commemorate Saint Stanislaus, Bishop of Kraków. Polish knights sang and chanted the hymn after victory i ...

'' was written ca. 1260–70 in

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

by the Dominican brother

Wincenty of Kielcza Wincenty of Kielcza (c. 1200 – after 1262) was a Polish canon, poet, and composer, working in Kraków and writing in Latin. He was a member of the Dominican Order The Order of Preachers (, abbreviated OP), commonly known as the Dominican Or ...

. In 1285 Duke

Przemysław of Racibórz Przemysław of Racibórz () (between 21 October 1258 and 12 June 1268 – 7 May 1306) was a Duke of Racibórz since 1282 until his death (until 1290 with his brother as co-ruler). He was the fourth son of Władysław, Duke of Opole- Racibórz, ...

granted the

bishop Thomas II Zaremba asylum during his fierce struggle with the Silesian duke

Henry IV Probus Henry Probus (Latin for the Righteous; or ''Prawy''; ; – 23 June 1290) was a member of the Silesian branch of the royal Polish Piast dynasty. He was Duke of Silesia at Wrocław from 1266 as well as the ruler of the Seniorate Province ...

. In turn, Bishop Thomas donated a college of canons at Racibórz Castle, dedicated to

Saint Thomas of Canterbury Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then as Archbishop of Canterbury fr ...

. Duke Przemysław also founded a Dominican nunnery and his daughter

Euphemia Euphemia (; 'well-spoken f), known as Euphemia the All-praised in the Eastern Orthodox Church, was a virgin martyr, who died for her faith at Chalcedon in 303 AD. According to tradition, Euphemia was martyred for refusing to offer sacrifices t ...

became its first

prior The term prior may refer to: * Prior (ecclesiastical), the head of a priory (monastery) * Prior convictions, the life history and previous convictions of a suspect or defendant in a criminal case * Prior probability, in Bayesian statistics * Prio ...

ess in 1313. Around 1300, the Dominican friar Peregrine of Opole compiled his ''Sermones de tempore'' and ''Sermones de sanctis'' collections. From 1299 onwards, Racibórz was ruled by an autonomous city council according to Magdeburg town law. When in 1327 Duke

Leszek of Racibórz Leszek of Racibórz ( 1292 – 1336) was a Duke of Racibórz since 1306 and Duke of Koźle from 1334 until his death. He was the eldest child and only son of Duke Przemysław of Racibórz by his wife Anna, daughter of Duke Konrad II of Masovia. ...

paid homage to the

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

king

John of Bohemia John of Bohemia, also called the Blind or of Luxembourg (; ; ; 10 August 1296 – 26 August 1346), was the Count of Luxembourg from 1313 and King of Bohemia from 1310 and titular King of Poland. He is well known for having died while fighting ...

, his duchy became a

Bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, originally practised by 19th–20th century European and American artists and writers. * Bohemian style, a ...

fiefdom. The Bohemian feudal suzerainty, confirmed in the 1335

Treaty of Trentschin The Treaty of Trentschin was concluded on 24 August 1335 between King Casimir III of Poland and King John of Bohemia together with his son Margrave Charles IV. The agreement was reached by the agency of Casimir's brother-in-law King Charles I of ...

, led to the seizure of Racibórz as a reverted fief, when the line of the Silesian Piasts became extinct upon Duke Leszek's death in 1336. The next year King John enfeoffed Leszek's brother-in-law Duke

Nicholas II of Opava Nicholas II of Opava (also: ''Nicholas II of Troppau'', ''Nicholas II of Ratibór''; ; 1288 – 8 December 1365) was Duke of Duchy of Opava, Opava () from 1318 to 1365 and Duchy of Ratibor, Duke of Ratibór from 1337 to 1365 and Burgrave of Coun ...

with the duchy, which from that time on was ruled by the Opava cadet branch of the Bohemian

Přemyslid dynasty The Přemyslid dynasty or House of Přemysl (, , ) was a Bohemian royal dynasty that reigned in the Duchy of Bohemia and later Kingdom of Bohemia and Margraviate of Moravia (9th century–1306), as well as in parts of Poland (including Silesia ...

and incorporated into the

Lands of the Bohemian Crown The Lands of the Bohemian Crown were the states in Central Europe during the Middle Ages, medieval and early modern periods with feudalism, feudal obligations to the List of Bohemian monarchs, Bohemian kings. The crown lands primarily consisted o ...

. The Racibórz citizens retained their autonomy and the town developed to an important commercial centre for the region with significant

cloth Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, and different types of fabric. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is n ...

, tanning and

industries.

Modern Era

When the last Přemyslid duke Valentin died and was buried in the Dominican church in 1521, Racibórz according to a 1512 inheritance treaty fell to the

dukes

Jan II the Good Jan II of Opole () ( – 27 March 1532) was a Duke of Opole-Brzeg (until 1481)- Strzelce-Niemodlin in 1476 (with his brothers as co-rulers during 1476), ruler over Gliwice (in 1494), Toszek (in 1495), Niemodlin (again, in 1497), Bytom (in 1498), Ko ...

, also a vassal of Bohemian king. As he himself left no male heirs, his lands fell back to the

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

king Ferdinand I. With Opole, Racibórz was temporarily given in pawn to the

Hohenzollern The House of Hohenzollern (, ; , ; ) is a formerly royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) German dynasty whose members were variously princes, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzollern, Brandenburg, Prussia, the German Empire, and Romania. ...

margraves of

Ansbach Ansbach ( , ; ) is a city in the Germany, German state of Bavaria. It is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk, administrative region of Mittelfranken, Middle Franconia. Ansbach is southwest of Nuremberg and north of Munich, on the river Fränk ...

and to the royal Polish

House of Vasa The House of Vasa or Wasa was a Dynasty, royal house that was founded in 1523 in Sweden. Its members ruled the Kingdom of Sweden from 1523 to 1654 and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1587 to 1668. Its agnatic line became extinct with t ...

. The town's economy suffered from the devastations in the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

. In 1683, on his way to the

Battle of Vienna The Battle of Vienna took place at Kahlenberg Mountain near Vienna on 1683 after the city had been besieged by the Ottoman Empire for two months. The battle was fought by the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarchy) and the Polish–Li ...

, Polish King

John III Sobieski John III Sobieski ( (); (); () 17 August 1629 – 17 June 1696) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1674 until his death in 1696. Born into Polish nobility, Sobieski was educated at the Jagiellonian University and toured Eur ...

stopped in Racibórz, which he called a ''beautiful and fortified town'' in a letter to his wife Queen Marie Casimire. After the

First Silesian War The First Silesian War () was a war between Kingdom of Prussia, Prussia and Habsburg monarchy, Austria that lasted from 1740 to 1742 and resulted in Prussia's seizing most of the region of Silesia (now in south-western Poland) from Austria. The ...

in 1742, Racibórz was ceded to the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

under

Frederick the Great Frederick II (; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was the monarch of Prussia from 1740 until his death in 1786. He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled ''King in Prussia'', declaring himself ''King of Prussia'' after annexing Royal Prussia ...

. With most of the Silesian territory it was incorporated into the

Province of Silesia The Province of Silesia (; ; ) was a province of Prussia from 1815 to 1919. The Silesia region was part of the Prussian realm since 1742 and established as an official province in 1815, then became part of the German Empire in 1871. In 1919, as ...

in 1815 and the town became the administrative seat of a ''

Landkreis In 13 German states, the primary administrative subdivision higher than a '' Gemeinde'' (municipality) is the () or (). Most major cities in Germany are not part of any ''Kreis'', but instead combine the functions of a municipality and a ''K ...

''. In the 18th century, Racibórz belonged to the tax inspection region of

Prudnik Prudnik (, , , ) is a town in southern Poland, located in the southern part of Opole Voivodeship near the border with the Czech Republic. It is the administrative seat of Prudnik County and Gmina Prudnik. Its population numbers 21,368 inhabitant ...

. The mediate Lordship of Ratibor was acquired by Elector William I of Hesse in 1812, succeeded by Landgrave Victor Amadeus of Hesse-Rotenburg in 1821 and Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst in 1834, who was vested with the title of a "Duke of Ratibor" by King

Frederick William IV of Prussia Frederick William IV (; 15 October 1795 – 2 January 1861), the eldest son and successor of Frederick William III of Prussia, was King of Prussia from 7 June 1840 until his death on 2 January 1861. Also referred to as the "romanticist on the th ...

in 1840. At that time, Ratibor had already lost its status as a residential town, while the princes held court in Rudy palace in Rudy (then officially ''Groß Rauden''). In the 19th century, Prussian policies increased the

Germanisation Germanisation, or Germanization, is the spread of the German language, people, and culture. It was a central idea of German conservative thought in the 19th and the 20th centuries, when conservatism and ethnic nationalism went hand in hand. In l ...

Poles Pole or poles may refer to: People *Poles (people), another term for Polish people, from the country of Poland * Pole (surname), including a list of people with the name * Pole (musician) (Stefan Betke, born 1967), German electronic music artist ...

smuggled large amounts of gunpowder through the town to the

Russian Partition The Russian Partition (), sometimes called Russian Poland, constituted the former territories of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that were annexed by the Russian Empire in the course of late-18th-century Partitions of Poland. The Russian ac ...

of Poland during the

January Uprising The January Uprising was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at putting an end to Russian occupation of part of Poland and regaining independence. It began on 22 January 1863 and continued until the last i ...

in 1863. Ratibor became part of the

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

in 1871.

20th century

According to the Prussian census of 1910, the city of Ratibor had a population of 38,424, of which around 60% spoke German, 30% spoke Polish and 10% were bilingual. After

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the

Upper Silesian 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 the Second Polish Republic. The region was ethni ...

was held in 1921, in which 90.9% of votes in Ratibor town were for

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and 9.1% were for

. Consequently, the town remained in Germany, as part of the Prussian

Province of Upper Silesia The Province of Upper Silesia (; Silesian German: ''Provinz Oberschläsing''; ; ) was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Free State of Prussia from 1919 to 1945. It comprised much of the region of Upper Silesia and was eventually divided int ...

, and became a

border town A border town is a town or city close to the boundary between two countries, states, or regions. Usually the term implies that the nearness to the border is one of the things the place is most famous for. With close proximities to a different coun ...

, while the present-day district of Brzezie, lying east of the

was reintegrated with Poland.

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

increasingly persecuted local Polish activists since 1937. In May 1939, the Germans searched the local branch of the

Union of Poles in Germany Union of Poles in Germany (, ) is an organisation of the Poland, Polish minority in Germany, founded in 1922. In 1924, the union initiated collaboration between other minorities, including Sorbs, Danish minority in Southern Schleswig, Danes, Fris ...

and arrested both its secretary Leon Czogała and Ludwika Linderówna, activist of the local Association of Polish Women. In June 1939, the

Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...

seized the headquarters of local Polish organizations, which was then handed over to the

Hitler Youth The Hitler Youth ( , often abbreviated as HJ, ) was the youth wing of the German Nazi Party. Its origins date back to 1922 and it received the name ("Hitler Youth, League of German Worker Youth") in July 1926. From 1936 until 1945, it was th ...

, while the Polish library and documents were confiscated. During the German

invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...

, which started

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the ''

Einsatzgruppe I (, ; also 'task forces') were (SS) paramilitary death squads of Nazi Germany that were responsible for mass murder, primarily by shooting, during World War II (1939–1945) in German-occupied Europe. The had an integral role in the impl ...

'' entered the town on September 4, 1939, to commit atrocities against Poles. In September 1939, the Germans confiscated assets of the local Polish bank, and carried out mass arrests of prominent Poles, including the chairman of the local "Sokół" Polish Gymnastic Society, the

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accoun ...

of local Polish newspaper ''Dziennik Raciborski'', the chairman of the local Polish bank and activists of the Association of Polish Women. During the war, the Germans operated a Nazi prison, a '' Polenlager''

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, or violence, including death or other forms of ...

camp for Poles, a forced labour camp for

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

, and six labour subcamps of the Stalag VIII-B/344

prisoner-of-war camp A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured as Prisoner of war, prisoners of war by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, inte ...

in the town, and three labour subcamps of Stalag VIII-B/344 in the present-day district of Brzezie. In 1945, the Germans sent 176 prisoners of the Nazi prison on a

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

Kłodzko Kłodzko (; ; ; ) is a historic town in south-western Poland, in the region of Lower Silesia. It is situated in the centre of the Kłodzko Valley, on the Eastern Neisse (Nysa Kłodzka) river. Kłodzko is the seat of Kłodzko County (and of the ru ...

, and two German-conducted death marches of prisoners of the

Auschwitz concentration camp Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 Nazi concentration camps, concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany, occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) d ...

and its subcamps passed through the town towards the

Gross-Rosen concentration camp Gross-Rosen was a network of Nazi concentration camps built and operated by Nazi Germany during World War II. The main camp was located in the German village of Gross-Rosen, now the modern-day Rogoźnica in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland, di ...

and

Opava Opava (; , ) is a city in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 55,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Opava (river), Opava River. Opava is one of the historical centres of Silesia and was a historical capital of Czech Sile ...

. In the final stages of the war, it was initially spared by the Red Army Vistula–Oder Offensive but occupied and devastated on 30 March 1945. After end of the war, in June 1945, the army of

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

briefly entered into the town and Czechoslovakia officially claimed the area of Racibórz and

Głubczyce Głubczyce ( or sparsely ''Glubčice'', or ''Gubczycy'', ) is a town in Opole Voivodeship in south-western Poland, near the border with the Czech Republic. It is the administrative seat of Głubczyce County and Gmina Głubczyce. Geography Głu ...

(''Ratibořsko'' and ''Hlubčicko'') because of having a substantial Czech minority (see border conflicts between Poland and Czechoslovakia). At the same time the expulsion of Germans started, while the town became wholly part of

as defined at the Potsdam Conference. The German CDU politician Herbert Hupka at the end of his life promoted reconciliation between the former German inhabitants, including himself, and the new Polish settlers and administration of Racibórz. In 1997, a

flood A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant con ...

devastated the town. As a result, the Racibórz Dolny flood control reservoir located nearby the town was built and officially opened in 2020. The reservoir has the capacity of 185 million cubic meters and cost an estimated 2 billion zloty. It played a crucial role in protecting Racibórz and the cities of

and

from flooding during the

2024 Central European floods The 2024 Central European floods were a series of floods caused by a record heavy rainfall generated by Storm Boris, an extremely humid Genoa low. The flooding began in Austria and the Czech Republic, then spread to Poland, Romania and Slova ...

Climate

Racibórz has an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

: ''Cfb'') using the isotherm or a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(Köppen climate classification: ''Dfb'') using the isotherm.

Districts

*Centrum *Nowe Zagrody *Ocice *Stara Wieś *Miedonia *Ostróg *Markowice *Płonia * Brzezie *Sudół *Studzienna *Obora

Culture

The officially protected traditional beverage from Racibórz is local

beer Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The grain is mashed to convert starch in the ...

, which is produced in various styles (as designated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland).

Sports

The local men's

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

team is

KP Unia Racibórz Unia Racibórz is a football club from Racibórz, Silesia, Poland. History As part of a sports club Unia Racibórz was founded on 27 April 1946 as a men's team. Its initial name was ''Klub Sportowy Plania Racibórz''. The club has undergone sever ...

. It competes in the lower leagues, however, it played in the Polish top division in the past. Defunct women's football club

RTP Unia Racibórz RTP Unia Racibórz was a women's football club from Racibórz Racibórz (, , , ) is a city in Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland. It is the administrative seat of Racibórz County. With Opole, Racibórz is one of the historic capitals of ...

was also based in the town. It played in Poland's top division, and won five consecutive national championships from 2009 to 2013.

Notable people

* Wawrzyniec z Raciborza (1381–1448), Roman Catholic theologian *

Joseph Freiherr von Eichendorff Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...

(1788–1857), Prussian poet, playwright * Julius Reinhold Friedlander (1803–1839), educator, founder of the Pennsylvania Institution for the Instruction of the Blind *

Ludwig Traube Ludwig Traube may refer to: *Ludwig Traube (physician) (1818–1876), German physician and co-founder of experimental pathology in Germany *Ludwig Traube (palaeographer) (1861–1907), his son, German paleographer {{hndis, Traube, Ludwig ...

(1818–1876), German physician *

Moritz Traube Moritz Traube (12 February 1826 – 28 June 1894) was a German chemist and universal private scholar. Traube worked on chemical, biochemical, medical, physiological, pathophysiological problems. He was engaged in hygienics, physical chemistry a ...

(1826–1894), German chemist *

Paul Guttmann Paul Guttmann (9 September 1834 in Ratibor () – 24 May 1893 in Berlin) was a German-Jewish pathologist. He studied medicine in Berlin, Würzburg and Vienna, earning his doctorate in 1858. From 1859 he worked in Berlin, where he later became an ...

(1834–1893), German pathologist * Eufemia von Adlersfeld-Ballestrem (1854-1941), German novelist * Hermann Traube (1860–1913), German mineralogist *

Johannes Thiele Johannes Thiele may refer to: *Johannes Thiele (zoologist) *Johannes Thiele (chemist) {{hndis, Thiele, Johannes ...

(1865–1918), German chemist * Wilhelm Traube (1866–1942), German chemist *

Else Berg Else Berg (19 February 1877–19 November 1942) was a German-born Dutch painter of Jewish descent; associated with the Bergense School. She was married to the Dutch painter, Mommie Schwarz. She and her husband were both murdered in the Holocaus ...

(1877–1942), German-Dutch painter *

Arthur Löwenstamm Arthur Löwenstamm (also spelt Loewenstamm) (20 December 1882– 22 April 1965) was a Jewish theologian, writer and rabbi in Berlin and in London, where he came in 1939 as a refugee from Nazi Germany. He was the last rabbi of the Jewish commun ...

(1882–1965), rabbi * Augustin Souchy (1892–1984), German anarchist * Fritz Otto Bernert (1893–1918), German fighter ace of World War I * Willibald Borowietz (1893–1945),

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

general *

Gertrud Arndt Gertrud Arndt (''née'' Hantschk; 20 September 1903 – 10 July 2000) was a German photographer and designer associated with the Bauhaus movement. She is remembered for her pioneering series of self-portraits from around 1930. Biography Born Ger ...

(1903–2000), German photographer * Günther Friedländer (1912–1920), Founder of Teva Pharmaceuticals * Herbert Kutscha (1917–2003), German

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

fighter ace *

Hannes Rosenow Hannes Rosenow (5 May 1925 in Ratibor – 28 July 2000 in Munich) was a German portrait and landscape painter. Biography After his graduation from the gymnasium in Ratibor in Upper Silesia, military draft and release from military internment ...

(1925-2000), German painter *

Claus Ogerman Claus Ogerman (born Klaus Ogermann; 29 April 1930 – 8 March 2016) was a German arranger, conductor, and composer best known for his work with Billie Holiday, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Frank Sinatra, Bill Evans, Michael Brecker, and Diana Krall. ...

(1930–2016), German–American musician * Hubert Kostka (born 1940), footballer *

Marek Migalski Dr Marek Henryk Migalski (born 14 January 1969 in Racibórz) is a Polish politician, Member of the European Parliament, political scientist, and columnist. A member of Poland Comes First (PjN), Migalski was elected to the European Parliament at th ...

(born 1969), politician,

Member of the European Parliament A member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been Election, elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the European Coal and S ...

, political scientist, and columnist *

Ryszard Wolny Ryszard Marcin Wolny (born 24 March 1969 in Racibórz) is a Polish wrestler and Olympic champion in Greco-Roman wrestling. Olympics Wolny has competed in five Olympics, from 1988 to 2004. At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta where ...

(born 1969), wrestler and Olympic champion * Arkadiusz Mularczyk (born 1971), politician *

Magdalena Walach Magdalena Walach (born 13 May 1976) is a Polish film and theater actress. In 1999 she completed studies at the Ludwik Solski Academy for the Dramatic Arts in Kraków. She is a member of the Bagatela Theatre acting company. Walach is married t ...

(born 1976), actress *

Rafał Brzoska Rafał Brzoska (born 13 November 1977) is a Polish entrepreneur, investor, economist and philanthropist. He is the founder and CEO of InPost S.A. Life and career Brzoska attended Jan Kasprowicz High School in Racibórz, Poland and later the ...

(born 1977), entrepreneur, founder of

InPost InPost sp. z o.o. is a Polish public logistics limited company with courier, package delivery and express mail service. It is based in Kraków, Poland, and it is owned by Integer.pl corporate group. The company specializes in parcel locker servi ...

Michał Kamiński Michał Tomasz Kamiński (born 28 March 1972) is a Polish politician and a member of the Senate with the Union of European Democrats. He was chairman of the European Conservatives and Reformists in the European Parliament from July 2009 until ...

(born 1987), volleyball player *

Artur Noga Artur Noga (born 2 May 1988 in Racibórz) is a Polish athlete. He mainly competes in the 110 metres hurdles. He finished 5th at the 2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officia ...

(born 1988), athlete * Sebastian Tyrała (born 1988), Polish-German footballer *

Justyna Święty-Ersetic Justyna Święty-Ersetic (; born 3 December 1992) is a Polish sprinter specialising in the 400 metres. She was the 2018 European champion and a two-time European Indoor Championship medallist in this event. Święty-Ersetic won many medals ...

(born 1992), sprinter * Łukasz Moneta (born 1994), footballer * Denis Kudla (wrestler) (born 1994), German wrestler

Twin towns – sister cities

Racibórz is twinned with: *

Kędzierzyn-Koźle Kędzierzyn-Koźle () is a city in south-western Poland, the administrative center of Kędzierzyn-Koźle County. With 58,899 inhabitants as of 2021, it is the second most-populous city in the Opole Voivodeship. Founded from the merger of the prev ...

, Poland *

Leverkusen Leverkusen () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, on the eastern bank of the Rhine. To the south, Leverkusen borders the city of Cologne, and to the north the state capital, Düsseldorf. The city is part of the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan ...

, Germany *

, Czech Republic * Roth, Germany * Tysmenytsia, Ukraine *

Villeneuve-d'Ascq Villeneuve-d'Ascq (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department in northern France. With more than 60,000 inhabitants and 50,000 students, it is one of the main cities of the Métro ...

, France * Zugló (Budapest), Hungary Former twin towns: *

Kaliningrad Kaliningrad,. known as Königsberg; ; . until 1946, is the largest city and administrative centre of Kaliningrad Oblast, an Enclave and exclave, exclave of Russia between Lithuania and Poland ( west of the bulk of Russia), located on the Prego ...

, Russia (terminated in 2022 due to the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

)

Gallery

File:Kościół Wniebowzięcia NMP w Raciborzu 12.JPG, Parish church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary File:Baszta więzienna w Raciborzu 4.JPG, Prison Tower File:Kościół św. Jakuba w Raciborzu 5.JPG, Saint James church File:Kaplica zamkowa pw. św. Tomasza Kantuaryjskiego w Raciborzu 2.JPG, Chapel of St. Thomas Becket File:Kościół św. Jana Chrzciciela w Raciborzu 6.JPG, Church of John the Baptist File:Sąd Rejonowy w Raciborzu 2.JPG, District Court File:Dąb Sobieskiego 7.JPG,

Sobieski Oak The Sobieski Oak () is an over 400-year-old specimen of Quercus robur, pedunculate oak (''Quercus robur'') located within the Łężczok nature reserve, within the administrative boundaries of Racibórz. It is the thickest and oldest tree in Rac ...

File:Racibórz Dolny A02.jpg, Racibórz Dolny reservoir

References

External links

Official website

Jewish Community in Racibórz
on Virtual Shtetl {{DEFAULTSORT:Raciborz Cities and towns in Silesian Voivodeship Populated riverside places in Poland Racibórz County Cities in Silesia