Wirek () is a

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

in the centre of

Ruda Śląska Ruda Śląska (; ) is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. It is a city in the Metropolis GZM, a metropolis with a population of two million. It is in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica River (tributary of the Oder). It h ...

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 ...

, 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 ...

. In 2006 it had an area of 5.9 km² and was inhabited by 20,595 people. On January 12, 2006 a part of it was split off to form a new district, Czarny Las.

History

Originally, the area belonged to Kochłowice. First a settlement called Nowa Wieś (lit. ''New Village'') was established. Wirek would later be developed around ''Antonienhütte'' ironworks, opened in 1805, and became a separate municipality in 1828. In the second half of the nineteenth century, the settlement grew owing to industrial development. A school was opened in 1856; a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

church in 1874; and a year later, a rail connection with

Chebzie Chebzie () is a district in the east of Ruda Śląska, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. It has an area of 1.7 km2 and was inhabited by 1,101 people. History The settlement evolved around an inn built in the late 18th century. As ''H ...

was constructed. The municipality lost its independence in 1870. In 1921, Wirek became part of Polish

Autonomous Silesian Voivodeship In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy is the capacity to make an informed, uncoerced decision. Autonomous organizations or institutions are independent or self-governing. Autonomy can also be defi ...

. In 1924 Nowa Wieś again absorbed Wirek. A town hall was built in years 1929–1930. During

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 ...

, it was occupied by

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 ...

. In 1948 Nowa Wieś was renamed to Wirek. Wirek was merged into

Nowy Bytom Nowy Bytom () is a district serving as administrative centre of Ruda Śląska, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. In 2006 it had an area of 4.6 km2 and was inhabited by 12,058 people. On January 12, 2006 a part of it was split off to form ...

in 1951, and as part of Nowy Bytom was amalgamated with Ruda to form Ruda Śląska on December 31, 1958.

Notable residents

Franz Machon Matrosengefreiter Franciszek Machoń (18 March 1918 – 1968), known as Franz Machon and later as Frank J. Machon, was the only survivor of the sunken , and one of few World War II U-boat survivors. His story strikes remarkable similarities with ...

Gallery

File:Ruda Śląska - Wirek - Poczta.JPG, Mail office File:Wirek St.Lawrence2.jpg, Saint Lawrence church File:Ruda Śląska Kościół Ewangelicko-Augsburski im Odkupiciela DSC 7263.jpg, Lutheran church File:RudaSynagogue.jpg, Synagogue, destroyed in 1939

References

Districts of Ruda Śląska {{Silesian-geo-stub