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108-547: In October 1980 he became a member of the independent trade union "Solidarity". In 1980-1981 he served as Advisor to the solidarity and independent trade union individual farmers "solidarity" during the peasant strikes in Rzeszów and Lower Ustrzyki (he was a co-author of the Ustrzycko agreements). Organized Network Of Company "Solidarity" Of The Leading Work Of Silesia. He presided over a team of Social Agriculture Legislative Council. After

216-771: A 1990 Treaty fixing the Oder and Neisse rivers as the border between the two countries instead of the Neighborhood Treaty signed in the same year. Following the military conflict between Russia and Georgia in 2008, Kaczyński provided the website of the President of Poland for dissemination of information for blocked by the Russian Federation Georgian internet portals. In a speech during the Russian aggression against Georgia, Kaczyński predicted: "Today Georgia, tomorrow Ukraine,

324-606: A Catholic publishing company, and Instytut Gość Media , a multi-channeled media company that owns Radio eM , a regional Catholic radio, and a few magazines. Gość Niedzielny , owned by Instytut Gość Media and published in Katowice, is currently the most-popular Catholic magazine in the country with approx. 120,000 copies sold weekly. Katowice is also the seat of a Lutheran Diocese which covers Upper Silesia , Lesser Poland and Subcarpathian region and has 12,934 adherents as of 2019. Lutherans have two churches in Katowice, including

432-503: A Polish majority were incorporated). Thus, in 1939 the ethnic breakdown of the city was: 93% Poles, 6% Germans, and 1% Jews. After the German aggression against Poland in 1939, some Poles were displaced from Katowice and Germans were settled in their place. In 1945, practically the entire German minority has either left fleeing the Red Army or was forced to leave after Poland regained control of

540-712: A Polish synagogue and to attend religious services held there. His attendance coincided with the first night of Hanukkah . Kaczyński supported the reintroducing the death penalty in Poland, clashing with the European Union over the issue in 2006. From 2005 to 2007, in accordance with article 133 of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland , Kaczyński pardoned 77 people and declined to pardon 550. In foreign policy , Kaczyński noted that many of Poland's problems were related to

648-631: A cathedral, which is the oldest church built originally in Katowice, completed on 29 September 1858. Historically, Lutheran population in Katowice was mostly German , and with the expulsion of Germans from Poland after the Second World War, number of Lutherans dropped in Katowice. Other denominations with churches or praying houses in Katowice include Seventh Day Adventists , Baptists , Christ Church in Poland, Pentecostals and other evangelical groups. Judaism has historically been present in Katowice since at least 1702. First synagogue , designed by

756-523: A constituency and the Silesian Voivodeship Council as the executive body. In 1924, the surrounding villages and towns were incorporated into Katowice, and the number of inhabitants increased to over 112,000, since then the number of Poles exceeded the number of Germans – throughout the interwar period, the number of Germans decreased (in 1925 they constituted 12% of the inhabitants of Katowice, and in 1939 only 6%, while Poles constituted 93%). At

864-575: A crash occurred of the government Lancia, in which Walerian Pańko, his wife Urszula, and Janusz Zaporski, the Director of the Information Office of the Sejm Chancellery, were travelling, with an oncoming BMW car. Walerian Pańko, who was going from Warsaw to Katowice to deliver a lecture, suffered severe injuries, and as a result of this accident he died shortly after. On October 11 he was buried in

972-450: A distant second behind the conservative-liberal party Civic Platform . His brother was succeeded as prime minister by his former presidential rival Donald Tusk. On 10 April 2010, Lech Kaczyński died, along with his wife , in the crash of a Polish Air Force jet that occurred on a landing attempt at Smolensk North Airport in Russia. He was the first Polish president to die in office since

1080-419: A gimnazjum, 8.4% only completed a primary school while 2.1% did not complete primary school. In 2011, in the 25–34 age group, college graduates share is 44.9%, and an additional 31.8% has a high school degree. According to Eurostat data, Katowice and its surrounding Silesian region had one of the highest share of people who have attained at least an upper secondary level of education (more than 90%), and one of

1188-521: A local architect Ignatz Grünfeld, was consecrated on 4 September 1862, while the Jewish cemetery was established in 1868. Dr. Jacob Cohn was the first rabbi of Katowice, appointed to this function on 6 January 1872 and holding it until 1920s. Zionism was strong in Katowice, and in 1884 the city was the place of the Katowice Conference , the first public Zionist meeting in history. On 12 September 1900,

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1296-523: A major administrative centre. As the city developed so briskly, the 1950s marked a significant increase in its population and an influx of migrants from the Eastern Borderlands , the so-called Kresy . The city area began to quickly expand by incorporating the neighbouring communes and counties. However, the thriving industrial city also had a dark period in its short but meaningful history. Most notably, between 7 March 1953 and 10 December 1956, Katowice

1404-488: A member of the underground Solidarity. When Solidarity was legalized again in the late 1980s, Kaczyński was an active adviser to Lech Wałęsa and his Solidarity Citizens' Committee in 1988. From February to April 1989, he participated in the Polish Round Table Talks along with his brother. After Solidarity 's victory in the 1989 Polish legislative election , Kaczyński became a senator and vice-chairman of

1512-477: A population drop between 1939 and 1945. Katowice is one of the more diverse cities in Poland. In the 2021 census, 93.87% of inhabitants declared a Polish nationality while 19.38% declared a nationality other than Polish (in the Polish census, respondents are allowed to declare up to two nationalities or ethnicities). Indigenous Silesians were the largest minority, at 17.8%, followed by Germans (0.43%), Ukrainians (0.18%),

1620-509: A population of around 5 million people, making it one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the European Union . Katowice was founded as a village in the 16th century, whereas several modern districts of Katowice were founded as villages in the Middle Ages . Throughout the mid-18th century, Katowice grew following the discovery of rich coal reserves in the area. In the first half of

1728-423: A separate town until mid-1960s. Nikiszowiec , a former mine's town, has undergone strong gentrification in recent years, and emerged as a major tourist attraction in the region thanks to its unique architecture and art galleries. Western and Southern neighborhoods (with the exception of Brynów-Załęska Hałda, which is a working-class neighborhood built around a coal mine) are more suburban in nature, concentrating

1836-663: A tangible strategic partnership with Ukraine and greater co-operation with the Baltic states , Azerbaijan and Georgia . He was greatly admired in Israel because he promoted educating Polish youth about the Holocaust . There was widespread grief in Israel over his death. Defense Minister Radosław Sikorski compared the planned Russia to Germany gas pipeline to the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact and Foreign Minister Anna Fotyga stated that

1944-500: A temperate, ocean-moderated humid continental climate ( Köppen climate classification : Dfb/Cfb ). The average temperature is 8.2 °Celsius (−2.0 °C or 28.4 °F in January and up to 17.9 °C or 64.2 °F in July). Yearly rainfall averages at 652.8 millimetres or 25.70 inches. Characteristic weak winds blow at about 2 metres per second (4.5 mph; 7.2 km/h; 3.9 kn) from

2052-412: A w Brzozowie ulicę Szkolną przemianowano na ulicę jego imienia. Ponadto w Turzym Polu patronat jego imienia przyjęły placówki edukacyjne: szkoła podstawowa i następnie zespół szkół, a w 2011 gimnazjum. W Katowicach powstał Ośrodek Kształcenia Samorządu Terytorialnego im. Waleriana Pańki, w budynku którego umieszczono tablicę upamiętniającą profesora. Katowice Katowice is the capital city of

2160-450: Is Jarosław Kaczyński , the former Prime Minister of Poland. On 10 April 2010, a Tupolev Tu-154 M plane was carrying Lech Kaczyński, his wife Maria Kaczyńska, and other members of a Polish delegation (top public and military figures) from Warsaw to commemorate the Katyn massacre . The plane crashed while approaching Smolensk Air Base in Russia. The governor of Smolensk Oblast confirmed to

2268-548: Is a centre of the Katowice-Ostrava metropolitan area , with a population of approx. 5.3 million. This metropolitan area extends into the neighboring Czechia , where the other centre is the city of Ostrava . 41 municipalities that constitute the core of the metropolitan area created the Metropolis GZM association, which has 2.3 million people as of 2019. Katowice's population grew very fast between 1845 and 1960, fueled by

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2376-562: Is centered around the monumental Silesian Parliament building (1923–1929), which architecture is mostly functionalist but still will neoclassical references on the facades. During World War II, the building became headquarters of the Reichsgau Oberschlesien and part of the interior was redesigned by Albert Speer , Hitler's favorite architect, to resemble the interior of the Reich Chancellery . The nearby Cathedral of Christ

2484-465: Is one for English speakers and one for Ukrainian speakers. Unlike most other large Polish cities, Katowice did not originate as a medieval town, therefore it does not have an old town with a street layout and architectural styles characteristic to cities founded on Magdeburg rights . Katowice's urban layout is a result of expansion and annexation of various towns, industrial worker estates, and villages. Katowice city centre has an axis design, along

2592-781: Is ranked fourth on the list of the TOP10 Global Free Zones. Katowice has been classified as a Gamma – global city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network and is a centre of commerce, business, transportation, and culture in southern Poland , with numerous public companies headquartered in the city or in its suburbs including energy group Tauron and metal industry corporation Fasing , important cultural institutions such as Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra , award-winning music festivals such as Off Festival and Tauron New Music , and transportation infrastructure such as Katowice Korfanty Airport . It also hosts

2700-402: Is the main religion in Katowice; as of the 2021 Polish census, 60.52% (172,915 people) of Katowice residents declared to be Roman Catholic, representing a significant drop from the 2011 census when Roman Catholics were 82.43% of the population. No other denomination had at least 1,000 followers as of the 2021 census. In the 2011 census, denominations with at least 1,000 worshippers included

2808-468: The Great Katowice Synagogue , which was burned to the ground on 4 September 1939. This was followed by the alteration of street names and the introduction of strict rules. Additionally, the use of Polish in public conversations was banned. The German administration was also infamous for organising public executions of civilians and by the middle of 1941, most of the Polish and Jewish population

2916-712: The Great Synagogue was opened. Following World War I and subsequent creation of the Polish state , most Katowice Jews, who identified with Germany, left the city and settled primarily in Bytom , a nearby city that was still part of Germany. They were partially replaced by Jews moving from the East, particularly the neighboring Dąbrowa Basin region that had a large Jewish population. In 1931, 60% of 5,716 Jews in Katowice were recent immigrants from other parts of Poland. On 1 September 1939, Poland

3024-616: The Law and Justice party, after splitting from the Solidarity Electoral Action and the Christian National Union , along with his brother. Kaczyński was the party's presidential candidate, during the 2005 Polish presidential election . In the first round of voting, Kaczyński received 33.1% of the valid votes. In the second round of voting, Kaczyński received 54.04% of the vote, defeating Donald Tusk , who received 45.96% of

3132-555: The Lutheran Church in Poland – 0.43% (1,336 people) and Jehovah's Witnesses – 0.42% (1,311 people). Other religions with presence and places of worship in the city include Judaism , Islam , and Buddhism , as well as other Protestant denominations. Katowice is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese , with the suffragan bishoprics of Gliwice and Opole , and around 1,477,900 Catholics. The Cathedral of Christ

3240-538: The Red Army in January 1945. Significant parts of the downtown and inner suburbs were demolished during the occupation. As a result, the authorities were able to preserve the central district in its prewar character. The postwar period of Katowice was characterised by the time of heavy industry development in the Upper Silesian region, which helped the city in regaining its status as the most industrialised Polish city and

3348-454: The Russia 24 news channel that there were no survivors. 96 people were killed in the crash, including many of Poland's highest military and civilian leaders. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev ordered a government commission to investigate the crash. Russia's Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin , was placed in charge of the investigation. Russian politician Valeriya Novodvorskaya later claimed

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3456-674: The Silesian Beskids (part of the Carpathian Mountains ). Kłodnica and Rawa (tributaries of the Oder and the Vistula respectively) are the largest rivers in Katowice, and the border between catchment areas of Oder and Vistula goes through the city. With a minimal elevation of 245 metres (804 ft) and median elevation of 266 metres (873 ft) above sea level, Katowice has the highest elevation among large cities in Poland. Katowice has

3564-573: The Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Katowice urban area . As of 2021, Katowice has an official population of 286,960, and a resident population estimate of around 315,000. Katowice is a central part of the Metropolis GZM , with a population of 2.3 million, and a part of a larger Katowice-Ostrava metropolitan area that extends into the Czech Republic and has

3672-947: The Supreme Audit Office from 1992 to 1995 and later Minister of Justice and Public Prosecutor General in Jerzy Buzek 's cabinet from 2000 until his dismissal in July 2001. Born in Warsaw , he starred in a 1962 Polish film, The Two Who Stole the Moon , with his identical twin brother Jarosław . Kaczyński was a graduate of law and administration of Warsaw University . In 1980, he was awarded his Ph.D. by Gdańsk University . In 1990, he completed his habilitation in labour and employment law . He later assumed professorial positions at Gdańsk University and Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw . During

3780-611: The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP24 ). In 2022, the city hosted the 11th edition of the World Urban Forum , the world's most important conference on sustainable urbanization and development of cities. Katowice encompasses an area of 164.67 square kilometres (63.58 sq mi). The city is situated in the Silesian Highlands , about 50 km (31 mi) north of

3888-710: The United States and other Western countries. Currently, Katowice has one Qahal with approximately 200 members. It owns houses of prayer in Katowice (along with a kosher cafeteria) and nearby Gliwice, and the current rabbi is Yehoshua Ellis. There are two buddhist groups in Katowice: Kwan Um School of Zen , first registered in 1982, and the Diamond Road of Karma Kagyu line association. Jehovah's Witnesses maintain 13 houses of prayer and one Kingdom Hall in Katowice. Aside from Polish-language congregations, there

3996-740: The Upper Silesia plebiscite was organised by the League of Nations . Though Kattowitz proper voted 22,774 to remain in Germany and 3,900 for Poland, it was attached to Poland as the larger district voted 66,119 for Poland and 52,992 for Germany. Following the Silesian Uprisings of 1918–21 Katowice became part of the Second Polish Republic with some autonomy for the Silesian Parliament as

4104-480: The Upper Silesian Railway . It was opened by king Frederick William IV of Prussia . A year later, on 6 August 1847, the first train arrived at the new Katowice station . The railway connection with major European cities (Katowice gained connections to Berlin , Kraków , Vienna and Warsaw , among others, between 1847 and 1848) fostered economic and population growth. The population grew enough to erect

4212-759: The Workers' Defence Committee , as well as the Independent Trade Union movement. In August 1980, he became an adviser to the Inter-Enterprise Strike Committee in the Gdańsk Shipyard and the Solidarity movement. After the communists imposed martial law in December 1981, he was interned as an anti-socialist element . After his release, he returned to trade union activities, becoming a member of

4320-691: The assassination of Gabriel Narutowicz . Kaczyński was born in Warsaw , the son of Rajmund (an engineer who served as a soldier of the Armia Krajowa in World War II and a veteran of the Warsaw Uprising ), and Jadwiga (a philologist at the Polish Academy of Sciences ). As a child, he starred in a 1962 Polish film, The Two Who Stole the Moon (Polish title O dwóch takich, co ukradli księżyc ), with his identical twin brother Jarosław . Kaczyński

4428-507: The communist period, Kaczyński was an activist in the pro-democratic anti-communist movement in Poland, the Workers' Defence Committee , as well as the Independent Trade Union movement. In August 1980, he became an adviser to the Inter-Enterprise Strike Committee in the Gdańsk Shipyard and the Solidarity movement. After the communists imposed martial law in December 1981, he was interned as an "anti-socialist element". After his release, he returned to trade union activities, becoming

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4536-464: The 19th century, intensive industrialization transformed local mills and farms into industrial steelworks , mines, foundries and artisan workshops. The city has since reshaped its economy from a heavy industry-based one to professional services, education and healthcare. The entire metropolitan area is the 16th most economically powerful city by GDP in the European Union with an output amounting to $ 114.5 billion. Katowice Special Economic Zone

4644-409: The 2011 census, the largest difference was an increase in households with 5 and more people (from 4.9%). As of 2022, Katowice placed third in the country among cities with the highest average salaries, at PLN 8,017.49, behind Warsaw and Kraków. Poverty rate places Katowice on average with other big cities in Poland, at 4.09% of inhabitants eligible for welfare benefits as of 2019. Roman Catholicism

4752-527: The Baltic States the day after tomorrow, and then perhaps the time will come for my country, Poland!" During a state visit to Serbia in 2009, Kaczyński said that the Polish government, on the basis of its constitutional competences, decided to recognize Kosovo and emphasized that he, as the President of the state, did not agree with that. Kaczyński married economist Maria Kaczyńska in 1978. They had one daughter, Marta Kaczyńska-Dubieniecka. His brother

4860-793: The Crypt Under the Tower of Silver Bells beneath the Wawel Cathedral . A significant number of foreign dignitaries were unable to attend the funeral as a result of air travel disruption in Europe following the eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland. In June 2016, the Polish government announced it would re-open the investigation into the Smolensk jet crash with plans to exhume and autopsy all 96 of

4968-607: The English (0.12%), Jews (0.07%) and Italians (0.07%). In addition, Katowice is home to a large immigrant population that is largely unaccounted for in the official population data in Poland. According to the Polish Ministry of Development, Labor and Technology, there have been 20,527 foreigners (7% of official population figure) on a special worker permit for citizens of Belarus , Georgia , Moldova , Russia , Serbia and Ukraine in Katowice in 2020, 19,003 of them from Ukraine. By

5076-458: The King (1927–1955, with dome lowered by 34 meters compared to original design) is also neoclassical but with an ascetic interior (including a tabernacle and a golden mosaic funded by future pope, Joseph Ratzinger ). Other buildings, designed in mid-to-late 1920s and 1930s, are mostly modernist or functionalist. A symbol of the city in the interwar period, Drapacz Chmur (literally: The Skyscraper ),

5184-413: The King , constructed between 1927 and 1955 in a classicist style, is the largest cathedral in Poland. There are 36 Catholic churches in Katowice (including two basilicas ), as well as 18 monasteries . Katowice is also a seat of a diocesan Catholic seminary, as well as one of the Order of Friars Minor . Katowice Archdiocese owns several media companies headquartered in Katowice: Księgarnia św. Jacka ,

5292-483: The Metropolitan Association of Upper Silesia (predecessor to the current Metropolis GZM ). Its population was 2 million and its area was 1,104 km . In 2006–2007 the union planned to unite these cities in one city under the name "Silesia", but this proved unsuccessful. The Katowice conurbation comprises settlements which have evolved because of the mining of metal ores, coal and raw rock materials. The establishment of mining and heavy industry which have developed for

5400-411: The National Assembly. In his first public speech as president-elect, Kaczyński said that his presidency would pursue the task of ameliorating the Republic, a process which he said would consist of "purging various pathologies from our life, most prominently crime [...], particularly criminal corruption – that entire, great rush to obtain unjust enrichment, a rush that is poisoning society, [and preventing

5508-437: The People's Republic of Poland, fighting corruption, providing security in economy, and safety for development of family. Kaczyński also stated that he would seek to abolish economic inequalities between various regions of Poland. In his speech he also emphasized combining modernization with tradition and remembering the teachings of Pope John Paul II . On 21 December 2008, Kaczyński became the first Polish head of state to visit

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5616-405: The Russian government had murdered Kaczyński. On 11 April 2010, President Kaczyński's body was returned to Poland, where he and his wife lay in state at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw. The state funeral was held in Kraków on 18 April 2010. After a Roman Catholic Mass at St. Mary's Basilica , the presidential couple were laid to rest in a coffin, which was placed in the antechamber of

5724-418: The Security Minister in the Presidential Chancellery but fired him in 1992 due to a conflict concerning Jan Olszewski 's government. Kaczyński was the President of the Supreme Chamber of Control (Najwyższa Izba Kontroli, NIK) from February 1992 to May 1995 and later Minister of Justice and Attorney General in Jerzy Buzek 's government from June 2000 until his dismissal in July 2001. During this time he

5832-463: The area would also work in hammer mills: the first one, Kuźnica Bogucka , is mentioned in 1397. The area which would become Katowice was initially ruled by the Polish Silesian Piast dynasty until its extinction. From 1327, the region was under administration of the Kingdom of Bohemia under the Holy Roman Empire . As part of the Bohemian Crown , it was passed to the Habsburg monarchy of Austria in 1526. In 1742, along with most of Silesia , it

5940-466: The arrest of Solidarity trade union officials. On the 10th anniversary of the event, a memorial was unveiled by the President of Poland Lech Wałęsa . In 1990, the first democratic local elections that took place marked a new period in the city's history. The economy of Katowice has been transforming from the heavy industry of steel and coal mines into "one of the most attractive investment areas for modern economy branches in Central Europe". Recently,

6048-408: The cemetery in Jasionowie. A funeral mass was celebrated by the ordinary of the Diocese of Przemysl, Ignacy Tokarczuk. The circumstances of his death and further events aroused some doubts which have not been resolved. These doubts are backed in particular by the testimony of the witnesses, especially by his wife, claiming that there was an explosion heard. According to his wife, who was travelling in

6156-402: The citizens and in 1956 the former Polish name was restored. The following decades were more memorable in the history of Katowice. Regardless of its industrial significance, it started to become an important cultural and educational centre in Central and Eastern Europe. In 1968, the University of Silesia in Katowice , the largest and most valued college in the area, was founded. Simultaneously

6264-428: The citizens' Committee "Solidarity" on zares Diet of the Polish people's Republic X term, where he took over the Presidency of the Commission of local government and regional policy. He was a co-founder and Vice President of the Foundation for development of democracy. May 23, 1991, he was elected President of the Supreme Audit Office, or NIK. In his last interview, he said about his work as President of NIK: "The nature of

6372-411: The city was defended by local Poles , and the invading Germans immediately carried out massacres of captured Polish defenders . In the following weeks the German Einsatzkommando 1 was stationed in the city, and its units were responsible for many crimes against Poles committed in the region. Under German occupation many of the city's historical and iconic monuments were destroyed, most notably

6480-405: The city's efficient infrastructure, rapid progress in the overall development and an increase in office space has made Katowice a popular venue for conducting business. The Katowice Expo Centre ( Katowickie Centrum Wystawiennicze ) organises trade fairs or exhibitions and attracts investors from all over the world. In 2018, the city was the host of the 24th Session of the Conference of the Parties to

6588-474: The city's middle and upper middle classes. Katowice lies in the centre of the largest conurbation in Poland, one of the largest in the European Union , numbering about 2.7 million. The Katowice metropolitan area consists of about 40 adjacent cities and towns, the whole Katowice-Ostrava metropolitan area (mostly within the Upper Silesian Coal Basin ) over 50 cities or towns and a population of 5,008,000. In 2006, Katowice and 14 adjacent cities united as

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6696-420: The city, and Polish exiles from Kresy ( Eastern Borderlands ) and Polish people from other regions (including for work purposes) started to come to settle in the city. During the war, the Nazi occupiers committed severe crimes against the local Roma and Jewish communities , either killing them on the spot or transporting them to concentration camps such as Auschwitz for complete extermination. This led to

6804-406: The coal mining and steel industries, which took off during the Industrial Revolution . The city was inhabited mainly by Germans , Poles incl. Silesians , and Jews . In 1884, 36 Jewish Zionist delegates met here, forming the Hovevei Zion movement. Previously part of the Beuthen district, in 1873 it became the capital of the new Kattowitz district . On 1 April 1899, the city was separated from

6912-443: The construction of large housing estates began to evolve. Furthermore, many representative structures were erected at that time, including the Silesian Insurgents' Monument (1967) and Spodek (1971), which have become familiar landmarks and tourist sights. The 1960s and 1970s saw the evolution of modernist architecture and functionalism . Katowice eventually developed into one of the most modernist post-war cities of Poland. One of

7020-436: The construction of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw and was one of the signatories of the agreement to finance the project using the city funds. Kaczyński banned the Warsaw gay pride parade twice in 2004 and again in 2005, locally known as the Parada Równości (the Equality Parade), telling protesters that "I respect your right to demonstrate as citizens, but not as homosexuals." Additionally, he feared

7128-473: The construction of the Warsaw Uprising Museum and in 2004 appointed a historical panel to estimate material losses that were inflicted upon the city by the Germans in the Second World War (an estimated 85% of the city was destroyed in the Warsaw Uprising ) as a direct response to heightened claims coming from German expellees from Poland . The panel estimated the losses to be at least 45.3 billion euros ($ 54 billion) in current value. He also supported

7236-427: The current regional post office headquarters have been opened; in 1871 the first middle school was opened (later expanded to high school); in 1889, Katowice got a district court; in 1895, the city bath opened and regional headquarters of the Prussian state railways has been established in the city; in 1907, the city theater (currently the Silesian Theatre ) opened. Under the Treaty of Versailles after World War I ,

7344-413: The district, becoming an independent city . In 1882, the Upper Silesian Coal and Steelworks Company ( Oberschlesischer Berg- und Hüttenmännischer Verein ) moved its headquarters to Katowice, followed by creation of the Upper Silesian Coal Convention ( Oberschlesische Kohlen-Konvention ) in 1898. Civic development followed industrial development: in 1851, the first post office opens in Katowice, and in 1893

7452-436: The eastern portion of Upper Silesia were reintegrated with reborn Poland, and an autonomous Silesian Voivodeship was established, with Katowice as its capital. This event has marked the beginning of a period of unprecedented architectural development in the city. Since most traditional styles, especially gothic and gothic revival, were perceived as connected to imperial Germany by the new Polish authorities, all new development

7560-414: The economies of many former-USSR countries through programs such as USA's SEED Act. Grzegorz Żemek was released from prison in 2014 on FOZZ charges. The statute of limitations may have passed for all the charges related to other culprits of the FOZZ scandal. In 1978, he received the Golden order of merit . In 2009, outstanding achievement in acting from the scope of State control and the strengthening of

7668-430: The end of 2021, this number has increased to 26,990, with 23,207 of them from Ukraine. Additionally, as of June 2022, 11,568 refugees settled in Katowice since the start of the Russian invasion on Ukraine . According to the 2021 census, 32.3% of the population aged 13 and older had a college degree, 34.3% had a high school diploma or some college, 17.9% completed a vocational secondary school, 2.4% only completed

7776-655: The end of the interwar period, the number of inhabitants exceeded 134,000. From 1926 to 1933, Katowice and the Polish part of Upper Silesia were connected with Gdynia and the Polish part of Pomerania through the Polish Coal Trunk-Line ( Polish : Magistrala Węglowa ). During the early stages of World War II and the Poland Campaign , Katowice was essentially abandoned by the Polish Land Forces , which had to position itself around Kraków . Nevertheless,

7884-520: The expansion of heavy industry and administrative functions. In the 60s, 70s and 80s, the city grew by another 100,000 people, reaching a height of 368,621 in 1988. Since then, the decline of heavy industry, emigration, and suburbanization reversed the population development; Katowice lost approx. 75,000 people (20%) since the fall of communism in Poland. Before World War II, Katowice was mainly inhabited by Poles and Germans. The 1905 Silesian demographic census has shown that Germans made up nearly 70–75% of

7992-768: The finals of Intel Extreme Masters , an Esports video game tournament. Katowice is also home to several institutions of higher learning, notably the University of Silesia , the Silesian University of Technology and the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music . The city is a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network having been recognized as a City of Music . The area around Katowice, in Upper Silesia , has been inhabited by Lechitic Silesian tribes from its earliest documented history. While

8100-557: The first Lutheran church on 29 September 1858 ( Church of the Resurrection ), and the first Catholic church two years later, on 11 November 1860. Katowice (then: Kattowitz ) gained city status on 11 September 1865 in the Prussian Province of Silesia , by the act of the king Wilhelm I Hohenzollern . The city flourished due to large mineral (especially coal) deposits in the area. Extensive city growth and prosperity depended on

8208-492: The first seat, the speed of the car was not high for this type of road and car (around 90 km/h [55.9 mph]). Moreover, his death came four days before he was to present and submit in Sejm a report related to FOZZ scandal ). Two policemen of the highway patrol who appeared as the first law officials on the spot of accident drowned six months later during a fishing trip. The official investigation did not confirm these versions. It

8316-561: The introduction of the martial law in Poland 1981-1983, he was imprisoned from December 13, 1981 to January 16, 1982. Protesting against the actions of the public authorities in February 1982 with the PZPR. He was a participant in the work of the Centre on civil legislative initiatives of solidarity. As a representative of the opposition parties took part in the deliberations of The Round Table. In 1989, for

8424-482: The lack of energy security and this issue would have to be resolved to protect Polish interests. Strengthening ties with the United States while continuing to develop relations within the European Union are two main goals of Polish foreign affairs , as well as improving relations with France and Germany despite several problems in relations with the latter. Aside from those issues, his immediate goals were to develop

8532-621: The liquidation of coal mines and factories. This is one of the reasons which led to the development of the service sector, including office spaces, shopping centres and tourism. The Polish Statistical Office estimates Katowice's population to be 292,774 as of 31 December 2020, with a population density of 1,778 inhabitants per square kilometre (4,600/sq mi). There were 139,274 males and 153,500 females. Age breakdown of people in Katowice is: 12.9% 0–14 years old, 13.7% 15–29 years old, 23.8% 30–44 years old, 19.5% 45–59 years old, 20.1% 60–74 years old, and 9.9% 75 years and older. Katowice

8640-430: The lowest share of school dropouts in Europe (less than 5%). There were 120,869 households in Katowice as of the 2021 census, a drop from 134,199 in the 2011 census. Average household size was 2.33, virtually unchanged from the 2.3 reported in the previous census. 32.4% households were single-person households, 31.2% had two people, 18.5% had three people, 11.5% had four people and 6.4% had five people or more. Compared to

8748-614: The main railway line, developed by an industrialist Friedrich Grundman in mid-19th century. Most of the city centre in Katowice developed in late 19th and early 20th century, when it was part of the Kingdom of Prussia and had a German-speaking majority. As a result, architectural styles of that era are similar to those in other Prussian cities such as Berlin or Wrocław (then Breslau); primarily renaissance revival and baroque revival , with some buildings in gothic revival , romanesque revival , and art nouveau styles. In 1922, Katowice and

8856-561: The most dramatic events in the history of the city occurred on 16 December 1981. It was then that 9 protesters died (7 were shot dead; 2 died from injury complications) and another 21 were wounded in the pacification of Wujek Coal Mine . The Special Platoon of the Motorized Reserves of the Citizens' Militia ( ZOMO ) was responsible for the brutal handling of strikers protesting against Wojciech Jaruzelski 's declaration of martial law and

8964-615: The movement. Then in the 1991 Polish parliamentary election , he was elected into the Sejm as a non-party member. He was also the main adviser and supporter of Lech Wałęsa when the latter was elected President of Poland in December 1990. Wałęsa nominated Kaczyński to be the Security Minister in the Presidential Chancellery but fired him in 1992 due to a conflict concerning Jan Olszewski 's government. In 2001, Kaczyński co-founded

9072-427: The name Katowice ( Katowicze ) is mentioned for the first time in 1598, other villages and settlements that would eventually become parts of modern Katowice have been established earlier, with Dąb being the oldest, mentioned in 1299 for the first time in a document issued by Duke Casimir of Bytom . Bogucice , Ligota, Szopenice and Podlesie were all established in early 14th century. Aside from farming, people living in

9180-557: The parade would promote a "homosexual lifestyle" and complained that police did not use enough force in breaking it up by stating "Why was force not used to break up an illegal demonstration?". Kaczyński referred to the organizers of the gay pride parades as "perverts". In 2005, Kaczyński allowed a counter-demonstration, the "Parade of Normality", organized by the All-Polish Youth , a Catholic nationalist organization opposed to "liberalism, tolerance, and relativism." In 2007, Poland

9288-430: The past centuries has resulted in the unique character of the cityscape; its typical aspects are the red brick housing estates constructed for the poorer working class, factory chimneys, manufacturing plants, power stations and quarries . The inhabitants of a large mining community like Katowice, and local administrations within the conurbation, which have only evolved due to mining, are a subject to overall decline after

9396-577: The pipeline was a threat to Poland's energy security. In November 2006 in Helsinki , at a European Union-Russia meeting, Poland vetoed the launch of EU-Russia partnership talks due to a Russian ban on Polish meat and plant products imports. As a reaction to claims by a German exile group Preussische Treuhand , which represents post-1945 German expellees from Eastern Europe , the Polish Foreign Minister Fotyga mistakenly threatened to reopen

9504-522: The recommendations of consulting firms with respect to asset valuations sometimes resulted in significant losses for enterprises and "serious violations of the interest of the state treasury."' The Polish press gave these consulting firms the derisive title "the Marriott Brigade" because they seemed to spend their time mostly in hotels without really helping the local economy. This was about the same time that Western countries were attempting to privatize

9612-594: The rule of law, for his contribution in the activities for the benefit of the democratic transformations in Poland, Valerian Panko was by the President of the Lech Kaczynski The order of the rebirth of Polish . He was posthumously awarded by 2015 Badge of honour for services to local government . W 2009 pośmiertnie otrzymał tytuł "Honorowego obywatela miasta Brzozowa". W piątą rocznicę śmierci w kościele parafialnym pw. Miłosierdzia Bożego w rodzinnym Turzym Polu odsłonięto tablicę pamiątkową poświęconą Walerianowi Pańce,

9720-484: The second round, however, he had gained the support of Radio Maryja , as well as of two other political parties besides his own: Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland , and the Polish People's Party . Elected President of the Republic of Poland (he defeated the runner-up Donald Tusk by polling 8,257,468 votes, constituting 54.04 percent of the vote), Kaczyński assumed office on 23 December 2005, taking an oath before

9828-780: The southwest, through the Moravian Gate . Katowice has 22 officially recognized neighborhoods. Śródmieście , Osiedle Paderewskiego-Muchowiec , Zawodzie and Koszutka form the dense central urban core where most cultural and educational institutions, businesses and administrative buildings are located. Most Northern and Eastern neighborhoods around the downtown core are more working-class and developed from worker's estates build around large industry such as coal mines, manufactures and steelworks. Each of these neighborhoods has its own dense commercial strip surrounded by mid-rise apartment buildings and some single-family homes. Szopienice , located between downtown Katowice and Mysłowice, used to be

9936-470: The state from ensuring] elementary social security, health security, basic conditions for the development of the family [and] the security of commerce and the basic conditions for economic development. During his inauguration he stated several goals he would pursue during his presidency. Among those concerning internal affairs were: increasing social solidarity in Poland, bringing justice to those who were responsible for, or were affected by communist crimes in

10044-626: The total population (including German Jews) and Poles constituted 25–30% of inhabitants of Katowice. After the plebiscite in Upper Silesia, Silesian uprisings and the incorporation of Katowice into Poland in 1922, and then the incorporation of several nearby villages and towns into the city, the number of inhabitants of Katowice increased significantly, but the number of Germans in Katowice fell to 12% in 1925 and to 6% in 1939 (most Germans left Poland, many ethnic Silesians who used to identify as Germans switched their identification to Poles, and areas with

10152-482: The underground Solidarity. When Solidarity was legalized again in the late 1980s, Kaczyński was an active adviser to Lech Wałęsa and his Komitet Obywatelski Solidarność in 1988. From February to April 1989, he participated in the Round Table talks. Kaczyński was elected senator in the elections of June 1989 and became the vice-chairman of the Solidarity trade union . In the 1991 parliamentary election , he

10260-440: The vote. He was sworn in as president on 23 December 2005. On 10 July 2006, Kaczyński appointed his brother as Prime Minister of Poland upon the resignation of Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz , the brothers then became the first pair of brothers in the world to serve as president and Prime Minister of a country and the only twin brothers to do so, until 2007, when his brother lost the parliamentary election on 21 October 2007 , finishing

10368-557: The work is far removed from my psycho-physical characteristics. I realize that the nomination was a necessity in the new political system the Sejm and the Senate. There is no what to speak. I am and I'm trying to carry out their tasks as well. I hope that one day will be different, and my contribution to organize an added Polish will count.". On the morning of October 7, 1991 in Słostowice on the rapid movement road connecting Warsaw with Katowice

10476-513: Was expelled . The Germans established and operated a Nazi prison in the city, and multiple forced labour camps within present-day city limits, including two camps solely for Poles ( Polenlager ), four camps solely for Jews, two subcamps (E734, E750) of the Stalag VIII-B /344 prisoner-of-war camp , and a subcamp of the Auschwitz concentration camp . Eventually, Katowice was captured by

10584-595: Was found guilty by the European Court of Human Rights of violating the principle of freedom of assembly by banning the 2005 Parada Równości under Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights . On 19 March 2005, he formally declared his intention to run for president in the October 2005 election. In the first round of the elections he polled 33% of the vote, taking second place behind Donald Tusk . By

10692-408: Was a graduate of law and administration of Warsaw University . In 1980 he was awarded his PhD by Gdańsk University . In 1990 he completed his habilitation in labour and employment law . He later assumed professorial positions at Gdańsk University and Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw . In the 1970s Kaczyński was an activist in the pro-democratic anti-communist movement in Poland,

10800-598: Was attacked by Nazi Germany , and Katowice, a border city, surrendered on 3 September. The Great Synagogue was burned by the German army the same day, and in the following months, Katowice Jews were deported to ghettos in Dąbrowa Basin (primarily Sosnowiec and Będzin ) or directly to various concentration and death camps where most of them were murdered in the Holocaust . After the war, around 1,500 Jews were living in Katowice, but most of them left Poland and emigrated to

10908-610: Was called Stalinogród in honour of Joseph Stalin , leader of the Soviet Union . The change was brought upon by an issued decree of the State Council. The date of the alteration of the city name was neither a coincidence or accidental as it happened on the day of Stalin's death. In this way, the Polish United Workers' Party and the socialist authority wanted to pay tribute to the dictator. The new name never got accepted by

11016-499: Was claimed that the cause of the accident was an incorrect execution of the turning left maneuver at excessive speed by the driver of the car. The driver of the government Lancia, an officer of the Government Protection Bureau, was sentenced to prison with a conditional suspension of its execution, and then he was pardoned by a decision of the President of Poland, Aleksander Kwaśniewski . The report that Walerian Panko

11124-411: Was elected to the parliament as a non-party member. He was, however, supported by the electoral committee Center Civic Alliance , closely related but not identical to the political party Centre Agreement ( Porozumienie Centrum ) led by his brother. He was also the main adviser and supporter of Lech Wałęsa when the latter was elected President of Poland in December 1990. Wałęsa nominated Kaczyński to be

11232-537: Was seized by Prussia following the First Silesian War . The two subsequent Silesian Wars left the area severely depopulated and with an economy in ruins. In 1838, Franz von Winckler bought Katowice from Karl Friedrich Lehmann and in 1841, he made it the headquarters of his estate. On 3 October 1846, the works of the final stage of the Breslau - Myslowitz ( Wrocław-Mysłowice ) rail line ended, built and operated by

11340-558: Was the first skyscraper built in Poland after World War I, and the first building in the country to be based on a steel frame. Lech Kaczy%C5%84ski New Conservatives Defunct Lech Aleksander Kaczyński ( Polish: [ˈlɛx alɛkˈsandɛr kaˈt͡ʂɨj̃skʲi] ; 18 June 1949 – 10 April 2010) was a Polish politician who served as the city mayor of Warsaw from 2002 until 2005, and as President of Poland from 2005 until his death in 2010 . Before his tenure as president, he previously served as President of

11448-493: Was to be built in, at first in the neoclassical , and later in functionalist / Bauhaus style. The city, which needed to build administrative buildings for the new authorities and housing for people working in regional administration, began expansion southward creating one of the largest complexes of modern architecture in Poland, comparable to Warsaw and Gdynia (newly built port on the Baltic Sea ) only. The modernist district

11556-533: Was to submit the week of his death is a classified report on the so-called FOZZ scandal, in which Poland bought back its own debt, discounted, through a confidential third party. The FOZZ scandal is documented as broad case of public and private corruption. Accounting and business consulting firms from the United States and Western Europe played a part in the FOZZ scandal. In a Wall Street Journal article by Janine Wedel in January 1992, this report 'concluded that accepting

11664-462: Was very popular because of his strong stance against corruption . In 2001 he founded the political party Law and Justice (Prawo i Sprawiedliwość – PiS), usually labelled 'conservative' by media, with his brother Jarosław . Lech Kaczyński was the president of the party between 2001 and 2003. In 2002, Kaczyński was elected mayor of Warsaw in a landslide victory . He started his term in office by declaring war on corruption. He strongly supported

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