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Gliwice

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Gliwice (pronounce: Ltspkr.png [[gli'viʦε]] in Polish, German: Gleiwitz), is an industrial city in southern Poland with 200,361 inhabitants (2004) over the Kłodnica River, about 20 km to the west from Katowice. While it was situated in the Katowice Voivodship from 1975-1998, Gliwice has been situated in the Silesian Voivodship since 1999.

Contents

History

Late Middle Ages

Gliwice was first mentioned as a town in 1276 and was ruled during the Middle Ages by the Silesian Piast dukes. It became a possession of the Bohemia crown in 1335, passing with that crown to the Austrian Habsburgs in 1526.

Early Modern Age

Because of the vast expenses incurred by the Habsburg Monarchy during their 16th century wars against the Ottoman Empire, Gliwice was leased to Friedrich Zettritz for the meager amount of 14,000 thalers. Although the original lease was for a duration of 18 years, it was renewed in 1580 for 10 years and in 1589 for an additional 18 years.

During the Silesian Wars fought from 1740- 1746 and then again from 1757-1763, Gliwice was taken from Austria by the Kingdom of Prussia along with the majority of Silesia. After the end of the Napoleonic Wars, Gleiwitz was administered in the Prussian Tost-Gleiwitz Landkreis ("district") in 1816. The city was incorporated with Prussia into the German Empire in 1871. In 1897 Gleiwitz became its own Stadtkreis, or urban district.

Industrialization

Gleiwitz began to develop into a major city through industrialization during the 19th century. The town's ironworks fostered the growth of other industrial fields in the area. During the latter 19th century Gliwice had: Other features of the 19th century industrialized Gliwice were a gasworks, a furnace factory, a beer bottling company, and a plant for asphalt and paste. Economically, Gleiwitz opened several banks, Savings and loan associations, and bond centers. Its tram system was completed in 1892, while its theater was opened in 1899; until World War II, Gliwice's theater featured actors from through Europe. The city's population in 1875 was 14,156.

20th century

According to the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica, Gleiwitz's population in 1905 was 61,324. By 1911 it had two Protestant and four Roman Catholic churches, a synagogue, a mining school, a convent, a hospital, two orphanages, and a barracks. Gleiwitz was the center of the mining industry of Upper Silesia. It possessed a royal foundry, with which were connected machine manufactories and boiilerworks. Other industrialized areas of the city had other foundries, meal mills, and manufactories producing wire, gas pipes, cement, and paper.

After the end of World War I, ethnic clashes between Poles and Germans occurred during the Silesian Uprisings as the Polish inhabitants of Upper Silesia and Gleiwitz tried to separate from Germany and become a part of the new Polish state. Because of these three different Polish uprisings, the League of Nations held a plebiscite on March 20 1921 to determine which country Gleiwitz should belong to. Germany received 32,029 votes (78.7% of given votes), Poland received 8,558 (21.0%), and 113 (0.3%) votes were declared invalid. Total voter turnout was fraudently listed as 97.0%.[[Citing sources citation needed]] The League of Nations determined that Gleiwitz would remain in Germany, as opposed to nearby Katowice which joined Poland.

A staged attack on a radio station in Gleiwitz on August 31, 1939 served as a pretext for Nazi Germany to invade Poland, thus starting World War II. Following World War II, Gliwice became a part of Poland and became part of the Silesian-Dabrowa Voivodship in 1946.

Education

Gliwice is a hometown of

Sports

Piast Gliwice, Polish football club

Famous people

Politics

Bytom/Gliwice/Zabrze constituency

Members of Parliament (Sejm) elected from Bytom/Gliwice/Zabrze constituency

Municipal politics

to be written yet

Buildings

The Gliwice Radio Tower of Radiostacja Gliwicka ("Radio Station Gliwice") is the only remaining radio tower of wood construction in the world, and with a height of 118 metres, is perhaps the tallest remaining construction made out of wood in the world.

Gliwice Trynek narrow-gauge station is a protected monument. The narrow-gauge line to Raciborz via Rudy closed in 1991 although a short section still remains as a museum line.

Sister cities

Gliwice is twinned with the following cities:

Literature

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
[Special]
Metropolian Katowice>Districts of Metropolian Katowice
Będzin • Bytom • Chorzów • Czeladź • Dąbrowa Górnicza • Gliwice • Jaworzno • Katowice • Knurów • Mysłowice • Piekary Śląskie • Ruda Śląska • Siemianowice Śląskie • Sosnowiec • Świętochłowice • Tychy • Zabrze


Silesian Voivodship
Cities: Bielsko-Biała | Bytom | Chorzów | Częstochowa | Dąbrowa Górnicza | Gliwice | Jastrzębie Zdrój | Jaworzno | Katowice | Mysłowice | Piekary Śląskie | Ruda Śląska | Rybnik | Siemianowice Śląskie | Sosnowiec | Świętochłowice | Tychy | Zabrze | Żory
Powiats: Będzin | Bielsko-Biała | Bieruń-Lędziny | Cieszyn | Częstochowa | Gliwice | Kłobuck | Lubliniec | Mikołów | Myszków | Pszczyna | Raciborz | Rybnik | Tarnowskie Góry | Wodzisław Śląski | Zawiercie | Żywiec

 

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