Rybnik (Polish pronunciation:[ˈrɨbɲik]ⓘ;Silesian:Rybńik) is a city in southernPoland, in theSilesian Voivodeship, around 38 km (24 mi) southwest ofKatowice, the region's capital, and around 19 km (11 mi) from theCzech border. It is one of the major cities of theKatowice-Ostrava metropolitan area with a population of 5.3 million and the main city of the so-calledSubregion Zachodni, previously also known as theRybnik Coal Area. With a population of 135,994 as of January 1, 2022, it is the 25th most-populous city in Poland.[3]
Rybnik is the center of commerce, business, transportation and culture for the southwestern part of the Silesian Voivodeship, a consolidatedcity-county and the seat of a separate suburbanRybnik county. Rybnik is particularly recognized for its contributions to music, with theSzafrankowie School of Music musicians such asHenryk Górecki orLidia Grychtołówna, among others. It is also a seat of the Rybnik Philharmonic Orchestra.
The name Rybnik derives from an old Slavic wordrybnik, meaning a pond (Czech language still uses it, while inPolish the modern word isstaw), which was located in the place of the current market square. In the middle ages, three settlements merged into one town, with aMagdeburg rights location dating back to 1308. Fishing, trade and artistry were the main industries. Rybnik's development accelerated in late 19th century upon discovery of rich coal fields, and continued until the 1980s. Since the 1990s, the city attempts to diversify its economy with commerce, health care and business industries.
The city's name derives from the Proto-Slavic word for "fish" (ryba) and meant "fishpond" in the OldPolish language. The name highlights the importance offish farming for the city's economy in theMiddle Ages, which is reflected in itscoat of arms until this day.
The city's origins can be traced back into the 9th and 10th century, when threeSlavic settlements existed on Rybnik's present-day territory which eventually merged to form one town. It became part of the emerging Polish state under its first historic rulerMieszko I in the 10th century. In the course of themedieval eastward migration of German settlers (Ostsiedlung), Rybnik, as many other Polish settlements, was incorporated (granted city status and right) according to the so-calledMagdeburg Law at some point before 1308 (the exact date remains unknown). This, however, is not to be confused with a change in national affiliation; Rybnik continued to be part of theKingdom of Poland, until most ofSilesia became afiefdom of theBohemian Crown in 1327, however Rybnik was still ruled by local Polish dukes of thePiast dynasty until 1336.
The city continued to grow and developed into a regional trade centre. In the 15th century, theHussites devastated the city, before being eventually defeated in a decisive battle on a hill nearby in 1433, withPoles andCzechs fighting on both sides. Around 1469 the city passed underHungarian suzerainty, and in 1490 it fell back to Bohemia. From 1521 Rybnik was again ruled by Polish Piast dukes, as it was integrated with theDuchy of Opole and Racibórz, before in 1532 it eventually was incorporated into Bohemia, which itself came under the authority of theHabsburg crown. Then the city became the capital of astate country held by various noble families, including the Polish Węgierski family ofRola coat of arms from 1682 until the state country's dissolution in 1788.
Early 19th-century view of Rybnik
At the beginning of theWar of the Austrian Succession betweenFrederick II of Prussia (the Great) and theHabsburgempressMaria Theresa of Austria, most of Silesia, including Rybnik, was annexed byPrussia in 1740, whichAustria eventually recognized in 1763. In the 18th century, Rybnik belonged to the tax inspection region ofPrudnik.[4] Coal mining gained importance for Rybnik's economy as early as the 18th century. In 1871, Prussia, including Rybnik, merged into theGerman Empire, the first modern German nation state. At this point, Poland had already ceased to exist as an independent state, having been divided between Prussia, Austria andRussia in theThird Partition of Poland of 1795.
With the intensification ofGermanization andanti-Polish policies in theGerman Empire in the late 19th and early 20th century, the ethnically mixed region ofUpper Silesia became affected by growing tensions between German nationalists and indigenous Poles. After the end ofWorld War I in 1918, thePolish state was finally restored. Amidst an atmosphere of ethnic unrest, the PolishSilesian Uprisings broke out, the first of which (in 1919) was centered on Rybnik, and theUpper Silesia plebiscite was held in 1921 to determine the future state affiliation. The lowest share of pro-German votes was registered in the districts ofRybnik (34.7%) andPszczyna (25.9%).[5][6] However, in the city of Rybnik, 70.8% of the votes were in favour ofGermany.[5] The city and the larger part of the Rybnik district were attached to Poland. Rybnik thus became Polish-ruled for the first time since 1788.
After the eventual German defeat which ended World War II in the European theatre of war in 1945, Rybnik was once more integrated into Poland, the territory of which was shifted westward onJoseph Stalin's initiative. Rybnik thus ceased to be a German-Polish border city. A large portion of ethnic Germans from Rybnik eventually settled in theWest German city ofDorsten, which eventually became one of Rybnik'stwin towns in 1994.
In the post-war period, coal mining continued to gain importance. Under Poland'scommunist rule in 1945–1989 the city was projected to grow as a main mining centre of southern Poland. The 1970s saw the construction of an importantcoal-fired power plant. A reservoir on the riverRuda was constructed to provide it with cooling water. In 2002, the University of Economics (Akademia Ekomomiczna), theUniversity of Silesia (Uniwersytet Śląski), both based inKatowice, and the Silesian Polytechnic University (Politechnika Śląska) based inGliwice established a joint campus in Rybnik to improve academic training opportunities in the area.
Historically, Rybnik was a small town, with population exceeding 1,000 people only in the late 1700s. It was similar in size to neighboringŻory andWodzisław Śląski, around half the size ofGliwice and 1/3 the size ofRacibórz. The population development accelerated afterUpper Silesia was annexed byPrussia in 1740. In 1818, Rybnik became a county seat and in 1856 Rybnik was connected with Racibórz by rail. Two years later, in 1858, Rybnik gained a rail connection with Katowice, further accelerating growth. While the discovery of largecoal deposits around Rybnik in late 1800s and early 1900s caused capital inflow and population growth of neighboring villages and settlements, Rybnik continued to be primarily a market town rather than transform into a large industrial city like other towns in the region, particularly in theUpper Silesian Industrial Region. This changed afterWorld War II, when thePolishcommunist government doubled-down on its heavy industrialization platform, increasingcoal production in existing coal mines around Rybnik and buildinga new city for miners nearby. Due to its central location and existing infrastructure, Rybnik became the center of theRybnik Coal Area, growing to 44,400 people in 1972.
In the 1970s, under administrative reform, Rybnik annexed a number of neighboring mining towns and villages, growing to 118,200 by the end of the decade. Labor shortages on the local market, created in part by emigration to Germany through the family reunification schemes since the 1950s,[15][16] motivated large state enterprises to recruit workers in other parts of the country. As a result, by 1970s and 80s approximately 30% of people in Rybnik were recent internal migrants.[17] That migration was a source of ethnic conflict since the 1950s, given that in the eyes ofPoles from other parts of the country, indigenousSilesians wereGermans, and the anti-German sentiment was still strong in Poland at the time.[18] Rybnik's population continued to grow until the peak in 1997 at 144,943.
On January 1, 2021, Rybnik had 137,128 inhabitants,[3] with apopulation density of 955.3 per km².
In 2020, age breakdown was as follows: 25,166 (18.4%) under 18, 50,183 (36.6%) aged 18–44, 31,248 (22.8%) aged 45–64, 30,531 (22.3%) 65 and older. Total fertility rate in Rybnik is 1.39 as of 2020, below the replacement level of 2.1 but above the country average of 1.38.
As of the 2011 national census, education breakdown among 15-year-olds and older was as follows: 17,919 (15.8%) had a college degree, 35,709 (31.6%) had a high school diploma, 36,249 (32%) had a vocational school diploma, and 21,265 (20.6%) did not have a high school or vocational school diploma.
According to the 2011 census, 85.2% of Rybnik citizens declaredPolish nationality, while 28.6% declared nationality other than Polish (since 2011, in the Polish census, one can declare up to two nationalities).Silesians were the largest national minority, at 28.6% (40,311 people), followed byGermans at 0.5% (707).Polish was the most-common language spoken at home, with 94.5% inhabitants declaring it. 24,372 people (17.3%) declared they speakSilesian at home.[19] Since the 2011 census, Poland has experienced a significant influx of immigrants,particularly from Ukraine. In Rybnik, the city hall estimates the Ukrainian immigrant population at around 10,000 as of 2021.[20]
Catholicism was the largest religious denomination in Rybnik according to the 2011 census, with 127,809 adherents (90.69% of all inhabitants). The only other denomination with more than 300 adherents wereJehovah's Witnesses, at 434 adherents (0.31%). 2,270 (1.61%) people declared they had no religion, while 6,785 (4.81%) refused to answer the question and for 2,790 (1.98%) people the question could not be answered.[19] Other religions with places of worship in Rybnik include:Buddhists,Seventh Day Adventists,Lutherans (with a parish since 1742, and a church from 1853), andPentecostals.
Since the 1999 administrative reform, Rybnik is aconsolidated city-county (miasto na prawach powiatu), with the mayor (prezydent miasta) who is the executive branch of local government, and a city council (rada miasta) of 25 people, which is the legislative branch. The mayor is elected in a citywide election, while the city council is elected in a proportional elections from four voting districts. Additionally, city charter divides Rybnik into 27 districts with a council each. These district councils have auxiliary status, and their main tasks are: organizing public consultations for decisions such as the zoning plan, social control over city investments in their respective areas, lobbying in the city hall for the district. Rybnik is also the seat of the surrounding suburbanRybnik county but is not a part of it.
The current mayor of Rybnik is Piotr Kuczera of theCivic Platform party - due to term limits, he will not be eligible to be elected again in the next election. In the city council, the Civic Platform-Wspólnie dla Rybnika (Together for Rybnik) coalition is in power, with theLaw and Justice party and a local Blok Samorządowy Rybnik (Self-governing Bloc Rybnik) in opposition.
Coalition of Non-Partisan Local Government Leaders
1,022
1.58%
Total
64,852
100%
In the Senate elections, Rybnik is part of the 73rd voting district together with Rybnik and Mikołów counties, represented by Wojciech Piecha (Law and Justice). The most-recent election results in Rybnik city were:[22]
In contrast to the central part of theUpper Silesian Industry Area a short distance to the north, Rybnik enjoys the reputation of a "green" city having a relatively clean environment. While the city is not a centre of tourism, it does have various interesting sights and opportunities for recreation. To the north-east of the built-up area, there is a reservoir (Zalew Rybnicki) on the river Ruda, which serves as a cooling water source for the power station. Surrounded by forests, it offers swimming, fishing, sailing and surfing opportunities, and due to the power station'swaste heat it is warm enough all year to be a habitat forgrass carps. TheBeskidy Mountains, a popular recreational area, also for skiing, are within a 1–2 hour drive.
^Wardzyńska, Maria (2009).Był rok 1939. Operacja niemieckiej policji bezpieczeństwa w Polsce. Intelligenzaktion (in Polish). Warszawa:IPN. p. 58.ISBN978-83-7629-063-8.
^Wardzyńska, Maria (2017).Wysiedlenia ludności polskiej z okupowanych ziem polskich włączonych do III Rzeszy w latach 1939-1945 (in Polish). Warszawa: IPN. p. 448.ISBN978-83-8098-174-4.
The list includes the 107 urban municipalities governed by acity mayor (prezydent miasta) instead of a town mayor (burmistrz) ·Cities with powiat rights are initalics · Voivodeship cities are inbold
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