Zawiercie

created: 13 November 2026, last updated: 13 November 2026
From WikiZagłębie
Motyw MIASTO
Herb miastaZawiercie
Administrative location
VoivodeshipSilesian Voivodeship
GminaGmina Zawiercie
Rodzaj gminyurban municipality
History and residents
Prawa miejskie1915
Powierzchnia (km²)85.25
Population51,000
MayorWitold Grim
Location and information
Tablice rejestracyjneSZA
City website


Zawiercie is a city with county rights in the northern part of Zagłębie Dąbrowskie.

History

The history of Zawiercie as an urban settlement essentially begins only in the second half of the 19th century, when major industrial development began in Zagłębie. Thus, the history of Zawiercie is also the history of part of the Zagłębie region's industry. However, the history of the city's present-day districts is often much older than the 19th century, as shown by references in documents to Kromołów in 1193, Żerkowice in 1220, Skarżyce in 1327 and Blanowice in 1335.

See Zawiercie on old postcards (catalogue)

See Zawiercie in historical photographs (catalogue)

See Zawiercie in historical advertisements (catalogue)

See Zawiercie in historical documents (catalogue)

Piast period

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Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth

During the period of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the area of the present-day city belonged to the Kraków Voivodeship and formed part of the Pilica estates situated in Lesser Poland.

Period of the partitions

Administrative affiliation

Map of Będzin County in the Piotrków Governorate, 1867–1914.

In the 16th century, the area where Zawiercie developed belonged to part of the Pilica estates, which were situated in Lesser Poland, in Kraków Voivodeship and Lelów County, and remained within the borders of the Commonwealth until 1795. Following the Third Partition of Poland, the western edge of Kraków Voivodeship, together with the Duchy of Siewierz (which by then had already been incorporated into Kraków Voivodeship), was occupied by Prussia. An administrative district called New Silesia was then established here. Following the successes of Napoleon's army, the area was liberated, and in 1807 the village of Zawiercie and the town of Kromołów became part of the Duchy of Warsaw, in the Kraków Department and Lelów County. From 1815 until 1915, Zawiercie belonged to the Kingdom of Poland under Russian rule.

Struggles for independence

During the January Uprising in 1863, a skirmish took place near Zawiercie at Kuźnica Masłońska. In Kromołów, now a district of Zawiercie, there was a local centre of the underground state's authority during the uprising, with Edmund Zachert, owner of the Kromołów estates, serving as commissioner.

Industry

The development of industry in Zawiercie and the surrounding area was strongly influenced by its location near trade routes from Silesia to Kraków and by the presence of mineral resources such as lignite, iron ore, limestone and fireclay. However, the fastest industrial growth took place in the second half of the 19th century, following the construction of the Warsaw–Vienna Railway through Zawiercie.

Map of the Western Mining District from 1844, showing Kromołów.

In the 15th and 16th centuries, two forges operated in Zawiercie, producing iron and tools for the artillery of the Polish Crown. However, one of the most important branches of industry was textile manufacturing, which later became highly developed. A report written in 1820 by Antoni Bilnicki, the mayor of Kromołów, records the existence of cloth-making workshops there. The report also states that in 1810 the owner of the Kromołów estates brought in foreigners and established a cloth factory. In 1833, Piotr Gostkowski, owner of the Kromołów estates, opened the first cotton spinning mill in Zagłębie Dąbrowskie in Zawiercie Kromołowskie (Małe). In subsequent years, the factory changed owners and expanded, until the Ginsberg brothers established Towarzystwo Akcyjne Zawiercie in 1878.

Railway

The opening of the Warsaw–Vienna Railway, which passed through Zawiercie, undoubtedly contributed to the city's rapid development. The first train passed through Zawiercie on 13 December 1847. Under a notarial deed dated 25 September 1871, Edmund Zachert, owner of the Kromołów estates, sold a plot of land measuring 7 morgs and 108 square rods to the Warsaw–Vienna Railway Directorate. Construction then began on a railway station building at the Zawiercie station on Pocztowa Street. Initially, it was a small wooden building. In 1890, a second-class station and station building were opened, while the present station building dates from 1914. It was designed by engineer Czesław Domaniewski, an architect employed by the Warsaw–Vienna Railway. A major renovation of the station was carried out in 2011–2012.

Panorama of Zawiercie seen from Blanowice, a district of the city. Photograph: Grzegorz Onyszko.
Panorama of Zawiercie seen from Blanowice, a district of the city. Photograph: Grzegorz Onyszko.

20th century

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Name

The name Zawiercie was first mentioned in documents in 1431, when Prince Bolko and his wife Elżbieta, heiress of Pilica, granted Nykel Czenar a site for building an inn in Bilanowice (Blanowice), between the Zawiercie and Blanowice forges. According to one explanation, the name of Zawiercie, the seat of the county, originated when, in ancient times, inhabitants of neighbouring Kromołów turned back (zawrócili, or zawiercili) at this point while marking the boundaries of their property. A more probable explanation is that the name Zawiercie derives from the words za Wartą ("beyond the Warta"), referring to the river flowing through the area, and was given by the inhabitants of Włodowice. From the 14th to the 16th century, the village was called "Zawierczyce", while in the local dialect it was known as "Sawarczyce" or "Sawercze".

Districts and residential neighbourhoods

General view of the Ernest Erbe Malleable Castings and Forged Products Factory.

Historic monuments, trails and tourist attractions

Former Shareholders' House, known as "Złoty Róg" ("Golden Corner").

Tourist trails

Other attractions

Recurring events

  • "Jarmark Kromołowski" (Kromołów Fair) – July
  • "Dni Zawiercia" (Zawiercie Days) – September
  • "Międzynarodowy Turniej Tańca Towarzyskiego" (International Ballroom Dancing Tournament) – November
  • "Zawitały anioły" (The Angels Have Arrived) – pre-Christmas fair at the palace by the Warta River – December

Memorial sites

Zawiercie biographies

Culture

Museums and galleries

Libraries

  • Józef Lompa Provincial Pedagogical Library in Katowice – Zawiercie Branch

42-400 Zawiercie, 35 Polska Street

  • Municipal and County Public Library in Zawiercie

Central Lending Library, 2 Szymańskiego Street

  • Branch No. 2 for Children and Young People, 6 Powstańców Śląskich Street
  • Branch No. 4, 6 Powstańców Śląskich Street
  • Branch No. 6 in Kromołów, 1 Filaretów Street
  • Branch No. 7 in Blanowice, 12 Oleandry Street
  • Branch No. 8 in Bzów, 46 Harcerska Street
  • Branch No. 9, 10 Marszałkowska Street
  • Branch No. 10, 32 Obrońców Poczty Gdańskiej Street

Folktales and legends of Zawiercie

  • "Legend of the stronghold on the Ramparts" – In Blanowice, one of the oldest districts of the city, a legend has survived according to which a medieval fortified settlement once stood near the present-day Sanctuary of Divine Mercy, at a place known as "Wały" ("the Ramparts"). Only the place name remains of the settlement. The oldest residents recall fascinating stories told by their ancestors not only about the stronghold but also about knights who fell in love with a beautiful noblewoman.

Education

Higher education institutions

  • Off-campus Teaching Centre in Zawiercie of the Społeczna Wyższa Szkoła Przedsiębiorczości i Zarządzania in Łódź

Secondary schools

  • Stefan Żeromski General Education School Complex in Zawiercie, 55 Wojska Polskiego Street
  • Helena Malczewska Secondary School No. 2 in Zawiercie, 2 Daszyńskiego Street
  • Xawery Dunikowski School Complex in Zawiercie, 7 Rataja Street
  • Hugo Kołłątaj School Complex in Zawiercie, 1 Miodowa Street
  • Stanisław Staszic School Complex in Zawiercie, 29 Rataja Street
  • Oskar Lange School Complex in Zawiercie, 30 Rataja Street
  • General Józef Bem School Complex in Zawiercie, 7 Parkowa Street
  • Maria Grzegorzewska Special Schools and Educational Facilities Complex in Zawiercie, 29a Rataja Street

Lower secondary schools

  • Lower Secondary School No. 1 in Zawiercie, 22 11 Listopada Street
  • Lower Secondary School No. 2 in Zawiercie, 21 Niedziałkowskiego Street
  • Lower Secondary School No. 3 in Zawiercie, 16 M. C. Skłodowskiej Street
  • Lower Secondary School No. 6 in the School Complex in Zawiercie, 9 Filaretów Street

Primary schools

  • Municipal Primary School No. 4, 18 Powstańców Śląskich Street
  • Municipal Primary School No. 5, 49 Paderewskiego Street
  • Municipal Primary School No. 6, 4 Wierzbowa Street
  • Municipal Primary School No. 7, 55 Oświatowa Street
  • Municipal Primary School No. 8, 55 Wojska Polskiego Street
  • Municipal Primary School No. 9, 117 Piłsudskiego Street
  • Municipal Primary School No. 11, 2 Zarzecze Street
  • Municipal Primary School No. 14, 46 Harcerska Street

Catholic Church

Neo-Gothic Minor Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.

Other denominations

  • Pentecostal Church
  • Jehovah's Witnesses

Sport

Sports clubs

Sports facilities

Sports and Recreation Centre in Zawiercie:

  • Millennium Stadium on Leśna Street
  • Large and small sports halls at 10 Moniuszki Street
  • Sports hall at 40 Blanowska Street
  • Roller-skating rink on Wierzbowa Street
  • The so-called "Wymiennikownia" hall at 73a Piłsudskiego Street
  • Sports field in Blanowice
  • Sports field in Kromołów

Sporting events

Recreation

  • Adam Mickiewicz Park
  • Seasonal swimming pool in Blanowice

Press and social networking sites

Press

  • "Głos" – regional weekly newspaper
  • "Kurier Zawierciański" – county weekly newspaper

Social networking sites

  • www.zawiercianin.pl – community activity portal
  • www.zawiercie.info – information website
  • www.otozawiercie.blogspot.com – photographs of everyday life in the city

Mayors of Zawiercie

Twin towns

  • Ebensee, Austria
  • Ponte Lambro, Italy
  • San Giovanni la Punta, Italy
  • Kamianets-Podilskyi, Ukraine
  • Donetsk, Ukraine
  • Dolný Kubín, Slovakia
  • Bornheim, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany[1].

Film materials

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Gallery

Trivia

In the Marciszów district of Zawiercie, near a landfill site, scientists and students from the Faculty of Earth Sciences of the University of Silesia in Sosnowiec discovered dinosaur remains, including a tooth and vertebrae of a mammal-like reptile.

Bibliography

  • Przewodnik po Zagłębiu Dąbrowskim, Sosnowiec: Komitet Przewodnika po Zagłębiu Dąbrowskim, 1939, s. 92.
  • Collective work edited by Zdzisław Jagodziński: Monografia Zawiercia. Zawiercie, 2003, 627 pages. ISBN 83-905651-5-3.
  • Collective work, Powiat zawierciański w Powstaniu Styczniowym 1863–1864. Zawiercie, 2013, 192 pages. ISBN 978-83-61652-36-6.
  • Stanisław Klisiak, Blanowice – dzieje i ludzie. Wybrane karty z historii. Zawiercie, 2013, 256 pages. ISBN 978-83-61652-56-4.

See also

External links

References

  1. ↑ Miasta partnerskie [online], zawiercie.eu [dostęp 2013-08-25].

Contributors

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