It is believed that the name Sosnowiec originates from the Polish wordsosna, referring to thepine forests growing in the area prior to 1830. The village was originally known asSosnowice. Other variations of the name includeSosnowietz, Sosnowitz, Sosnovitz (Yiddish),Sosnovyts, Sosnowyts, Sosnovytz, Sosnowytz, andSosnovetz. There are five other smaller settlements in Poland also called Sosnowiec, located in theKielce Voivodship,Łódź Voivodship, andOpole Voivodship.
Sosnowiec serves as one of the administrative centres of the geographical and historical area of southern Poland known as theZagłębie Dąbrowskie (the Dąbrowa Basin). It lies within the historicLesser Poland region near the border withSilesia. It is located about 10 km (6.2 mi) north-east to the centre ofKatowice and 65 km (40 mi) north-west ofKraków, situated in theSilesian Upland on the riversBrynica andPrzemsza, a tributary of theVistula. The full list of rivers includesBiała Przemsza as well as Czarna Przemsza,Brynica, Bobrek, and Potok Zagórski creek. The city is part of the Silesian Voivodeship since its formation in 1999. Previously (since 1945), it was part ofKatowice Voivodeship, and beforeWorld War II, Sosnowiec belonged toKielce Voivodeship.
The history of the city begins in 1902 when it was grantedcity rights after the merger a number of older settlements. However, the history of the village of Sosnowiec dates back to the year 1227, when it was mentioned for the first time. It was a small settlement in the PolishDuchy of Kraków, located in close vicinity of much larger and better-developed villages of Sielce andZagórze (both are now districts of the city). Other districts are even older. Milowice was first mentioned in 1123 asMiley. Documents from 1228 already mention Milowice,Klimontów, andZagórze. Furthermore, Milowice was placed on a 1561 map.[citation needed]
With effect from 10 June 1902, by the order of EmperorNicholas II of Russia, Sosnowiec was legally named a city with the area of 19 square kilometres (7 sq mi) and with 60,000 inhabitants. Obtaining the city rights helped the economic and cultural development of the town. Apart from steelworks and coal-mines and many enterprises of heavy and light industry, new cultural and social establishments were opened as well. The newly established town consisted of the districts of Sosnowiec, Pogoń, Ostra Górka, Sielec, Kuźnica and Radocha, all of which had been separate villages before. The very fact that Russian authorities waited for so long to grant Sosnowiec town rights is seen as a punishment for local support for the PolishJanuary Uprising 1863/64, after which numerous towns had seen their status, and were reduced to a village status. Sosnowiec was the first post-1860s location in Congress Poland to have received town charter, the second beingPuławy in 1906.[citation needed]
Natural resources and a good geographical location had an important influence on the development of Sosnowiec. The opening of a branch line of theWarsaw-Vienna Railway in 1859 was vitally important for the growth of the town. Development of industry with the new factory of rope and wire, rolling mill, steelworks, iron foundry, steam boilers factory, and later spinning mill, dye-house and paper mill sealed the new image of the town as entirely urban. TheSummer Theatre and, in 1887, theWinter Theatrewere founded, the second of which was called City Theatre from 1924 inindependent Poland, and later theTheatre of Zagłębie. In 1915, the village ofŚrodula was incorporated into Sosnowiec.
Poland finally regained independence in 1918, afterWorld War I. In theSecond Polish Republic, Sosnowiec became part of theKielce Voivodeship, and in 1934 theCity County of Sosnowiec was established. Sosnowiec suffered war damages during both major military conflicts in the 20th century:World War I, which caused mainly destruction to industry, andWorld War II, which brought about the terror of executions.[citation needed]
Public execution of Poles in 1939 by the Germans during World War II
After the 1939Invasion of Poland, which startedWorld War II, the city wasoccupied byNazi Germany and renamedSosnowitz. On September 4, 1939, German troops murdered 10 Poles, including 15-year-old boy Henryk Słomka, in Sosnowiec in revenge for Polish defense.[10] Around the same time, the Germans murdered nine Poles in nearbyKlimontów (present-day district of Sosnowiec).[10] TheEinsatzgruppe zbV entered the city on September 12, 1939.[11] The German police carried out mass searches of Polish houses.[12] Initially undermilitary administration set up as part of theGeneral Government, Sosnowiec wasannexed by Germany and incorporated into theProvince of Silesia on 20 November 1939. In March 1940, the Germans established a transit camp (Gefangenensammellager) for arrested Poles in Sosnowiec.[13] Inhabitants of Sosnowiec were also among Poles murdered inCeliny in June 1940.[14] The German occupying administration operated three labour subcamps of theStalag VIII-B/344prisoner-of-war camp in the city, and two more in the present-day district of Klimontów.[15] ThePolish underground resistance movement was active in the city.[citation needed]
Liquidation of theSosnowiec Ghetto in 1943 by the Germans during World War II
In June 1943 thousands of Jews were deported fromSosnowiec Ghetto to theAuschwitz concentration camp. The ghetto was liquidated two months later and almost all remaining Jews (around 15,000) were also deported to Auschwitz. Previously there had been considerable underground activity among them. The Germans established and operated two subcamps of the Auschwitz concentration camp in the city. In the first subcamp they held about 100 Polishforced labourers,[16] and in the second, larger, they held hundreds of forced labourers, initially mostly Jews.[17] In 1944, the Germans sentkidnapped Polish children from Sosnowiec to thePotulice concentration camp.[18]
After World War II, Sosnowiec further developed. On June 1, 1975, the metropolitan area was expanded when the neighbouring locations of Zagórze, Kazimierz Górniczy, Porąbka, Klimontów, and Maczki, became its districts. By 1977 the population of the city reached 200,000. Further growth was accelerated by the construction ofKatowice Steelworks, and in 1981, the population of Sosnowiec was 250,000, reaching its peak in 1987, when it was 259,000. Since then, the population has been declining. In 1992, the city became the seat of theRoman Catholic Diocese of Sosnowiec.
Sosnowiec is characterised by its urban dynamics, economic activity, cultural heritage, and natural environment. In recent years, Sosnowiec was further developed from an industrial centre (with mainly mining and heavy industries) into a hub of trade and services. Nevertheless, it still operates several important coal mines, steel factories and other industrial plants. Its Special Economic Zone, established in Sosnowiec thanks to the efforts of local authorities, plays a major role in attracting new businesses into the area. As a result, several companies with Polish and foreign capital opened their businesses in the city. Sosnowiec City Office was awarded theISO 9001 2001 quality certificate for its management system for providing services for the local community.
For Sosnowiec's 100th birthday, the downtown area was thoroughly rebuilt, to harmonise its architectural layout and give the city a more modern image. In 2004 Sosnowiec authorities and designers were awarded the Grand Prix for the rebuilding of the downtown area in a competition for the best public space in theŚląskie Provinces. This investment had been accompanied by a program designed to improve the esthetic qualities of the city, under which a comprehensive program for unifying the colors of the elevations, and advertisements entitled “rainbow city” were introduced. Among the city districts there are:
There are many relics of the industrial era, especially residences of industrialists. Most of them are located outside the strict city center, on the CzarnaPrzemsza river bank. One of the oldest is a 17th-century castle known as theSielecki Castle. Other main tourist attractions include:[23][24]
Sosnowiec has more than 2,250 ha of green areas occurring as parks, squares, protection zones, lot gardens and forests. In the area of the city preserved many parks established at the residence of industrialists, and also created a lot of new. Many of them present historical and natural value. Main parks and green areas include theSielec Park, which is a historical park at thecastle with many natural monuments; the historicalDietel Park; the Park-Palace Complex of Schöen with two palaces; the Millennium Park, theŚrodula Park with asports complex; the nature park "Szopienice-Borki"; as well as the peat bog "Bory" protected area, part ofNatura 2000.
Among general secondary level schools in Sosnowiec there are high-schools such as the II Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Emilii Plater, III Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Bolesława Prusa, and IV Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Stanisława Staszica.
^"Główny Urząd Statystyczny" [Central Statistical Office] (in Polish). To search: Select "Miejscowości (SIMC)" tab, select "fragment (min. 3 znaki)" (minimum 3 characters), enter town name in the field below, click "WYSZUKAJ" (Search).
^European Spatial Planning Observation Network (ESPON)Study on Urban Functions. ESPON project 1.4.3; April 2007, pp. 93–94. "Upper Silesian polycentric metropolitan area. Inside the Katowice morphological area, the main municipalities are Katowice (338), Sosnowiec (240), Gliwice (208), Bytom (200), Zabrze (196), Ruda Slaska (153), Tychy (130), Dabrowa Gornicza (130), and Chorzow (120). Nine other municipalities have less than 100,000 inhabitants."
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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