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84-633: It is situated in the Silesian Voivodeship since its formation in 1999, previously in Katowice Voivodeship , and before then, of the Silesian Voivodeship . With a written mention from 1222, Mikołów is one of the oldest towns in Upper Silesia . This was a document sent by duke Casimir I of Opole (the son of Mieszko II the Fat ) to the bishop of Wrocław , Wawrzyniec . In the document was written

168-614: A Military Gendarmerie unit, a component of the 10th Logistics Brigade, elements of the 5th Military Engineers Regiment, and three Mil Mi-17 helicopters. In 2019 a new long-term program designed to modernize the Polish Armed Forces was introduced. Over the period of the next 10 to 14 years a large portion of the equipment currently being used by the Polish Army will be either upgraded or replaced. Some elements of this program are already in place. The Polish Ministry of Defence signed

252-768: A Warsaw Pact attack on Denmark , to open the Baltic straits to the North Sea and beyond. There were 205,000 personnel, of which 168,000 were conscripts. Following the end of the Cold War the Wojska Lądowe was drastically reduced and reorganised. In 1992, the Kraków Military District was recreated. From nine divisions, the total was planned in 2001 to fall to four, plus six independent brigades. Since 1 January 1999, Poland has been divided into two military districts. These are

336-696: A center of Polish printing in Upper Silesia. In 1845, Tomasz Nowacki founded a Polish printing house, and later on Polish activist and writer Karol Miarka published the Polish magazines Katolik and Monika in the town. Poles smuggled large amounts of gunpowder through the town to the Russian Partition of Poland during the January Uprising in 1863. In 1871 the town became part of the German Empire , where it

420-658: A clearance area of more than 250,000 square kilometers (80% of the country). 14.75 million munitions of various types and 59 million bullets, bombs and other ammunition were found and removed. The mining operations cost the lives of 646 sappers. In 1949 the military districts were reduced to four. They were the Pomeranian Military District , HQ in Bydgoszcz, the Silesian Military District , HQ in Wroclaw,

504-569: A contract aiming at modernization of all Leopard 2 main battle tanks used by the Polish Army to the Leopard 2PL standard. The completion of this program is planned to take place prior to 2023. The first Leopard 2PL arrived in March 2018. The Polish Army has 1,009 tanks (2017) including 249 Leopard 2 tanks (117 Leopard 2A4, 105 Leopard 2A5, 25 Leopard 2PL , 2 Leopard 2NJ), 232 PT-91 tanks, that underwent modernization in 2016, and 328 T-72 tanks. 230 of

588-468: A farmer, a court employee, a policeman, a merchant, and a local official. The Germans also carried out manhunts of Polish insurgents who were hiding in the forest between Mikołów and Tychy , and destroyed the book collection of the pre-war Polish library. Nevertheless, local Poles quickly organized an underground resistance movement , and Poles from Mikołów also fought in the Polish Armed Forces in

672-525: A network of Polenlager forced labour camps and multiple subcamps of the Auschwitz concentration camp in the area. After the War during 1945–1950 there existed a Silesian Voivodeship, commonly known as Śląsko-Dąbrowskie Voivodeship, which included a major part of today's Silesian Voivodeship. In 1950 Śląsko-Dąbrowskie Voivodeship was divided into Opole and Katowice Voivodeships. The latter had borders similar to

756-580: A personal computer, new protective uniform, modular body armor, night vision devices, advanced communication system, etc. To modernize its artillery, Poland has purchased several systems including the WR-40 Langusta rocket launchers equipped with state-of-the-art Topaz fire control. In 2019 the Ministry of Military Affairs ordered 20 M142 HIMARS launchers plus support vehicles. 122 new self-propelled NATO-compatible tracked AHS Krab gun-howitzers will replace

840-498: A result of the invasion, the Polish government has expedited the process of modernization of the military equipment. In July 2022, Poland signed a contract to acquire 1000 K2 Black Panther tanks and 460 K9 Thunder howitzers from South Korea for (the cost for the latter was US$ 2.4 billion). The first batch of K2 tanks and K9 howitzers was delivered in December 2022. Further deliveries are scheduled for 2023-2026 period. Looking towards

924-439: A total of around thirty Polish divisions involved. Boris Savinkov was at the head of an army of 20,000 to 30,000 largely Russian POWs, and was accompanied by Dmitry Merezhkovsky and Zinaida Gippius . The Polish forces grew from approximately 100,000 in 1918 to over 500,000 in early 1920. In August 1920, the Polish army had reached a total strength of 737,767 people. Half of that was on the frontline. Given Soviet losses, there

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1008-606: Is also the largest urbanised area in Central and Eastern Europe . In relation to economy, over 13% of Poland's gross domestic product (GDP) is generated here, making the Silesian Voivodeship one of the wealthiest provinces in the country. The first Silesian Voivodeship was created in the Second Polish Republic . It had a much wider range of autonomy than other contemporary Polish voivodeships, and it covered all

1092-665: Is being planned. After the invasion of Ukraine, Poland ordered 1 battery of the Common Anti-Air Modular Missile (CAMM) short-range air defense system from the UK as a short-term stop-gap, with plans to eventually acquire 23 batteries for the NAREW program. The Polish army has 863 new KTO Rosomak multi-role wheeled armored personnel carriers. They will be combined with new BWP Borsuk infantry fighting vehicle. The gradual replacement of older BWP-1 with this particular new design

1176-472: Is divided into 36 counties ( powiats ). These include 19 city counties (far more than any other voivodeship) and 17 land counties. The counties are further divided into 167 gminas . The counties are listed in the following table (ordering within categories is by decreasing population). Protected areas in Silesian Voivodeship include eight areas designated as Landscape Parks : Football , motorcycle speedway , handball , ice hockey and volleyball enjoy

1260-884: Is just a fraction of the historical Silesia which is within the borders of today's Poland (there are also fragments of Silesia in the Czech Republic and Germany). Other parts of today's Polish Silesia are administered as the Opole , the Lower Silesian Voivodeships and the Lubusz Voivodeship . On the other hand, a large part of the current administrative unit of the Silesian Voivodeship is not part of historical Silesia (e.g., Częstochowa , Zawiercie , Myszków , Jaworzno , Sosnowiec , Żywiec , Dąbrowa Górnicza , Będzin and east part of Bielsko-Biała , which were historically parts of Lesser Poland ). Silesian Voivodeship has

1344-524: Is nationally renowned. Bielsko-Biała is home of the Technical-Humanistic Academy. In addition, 17 new private schools have been established in the region. There are over 300,000 people currently studying in the Voivodeship. The biggest universities (for day 30.11.2016 r.) are: The Silesian voivodeship's government is headed by the province's voivode ( governor ) who is appointed by

1428-789: Is the Basilica of St. Mary and St. Bartholomew in Piekary Śląskie . Other notable historic churches include the St. Nicholas' Chapel in Cieszyn , a Romanesque rotunda, depicted on the 20 złotych note , and the St. Mary Magdalene Church in Cieszyn, which contains a number of sarcophagi of Polish dukes from the Piast dynasty . There are three spa towns in the voivodeship: Goczałkowice-Zdrój , Jastrzębie-Zdrój , and Ustroń . With its more than two centuries of industrial history,

1512-718: Is the westernmost broad gauge railway line in Europe that is connected to the broad gauge rail system of the countries of the former Soviet Union. Large part of the Upper Silesia conurbation features the Silesian Interurbans , the longest tram network in Poland, and one of the largest in the world. Bus and tram transport in and around Katowice and surrounding cities is managed by the Metropolitan Transport Authority (ZTM) since 2019. There are eleven public universities in

1596-401: Is to start from 2023 onward (prototypes are currently being tested). New rifles ( FB MSBS Grot ) and pistols ( Vis-100 ) are being brought into service to supplement current FB Beryl rifles as well as to replace FB P-83 Wanad pistols and AKM rifles. A new Individual Warfare System "Tytan" (Titan) is being developed to integrate combat systems designed for individual soldiers and includes

1680-452: The Ostsiedlung , Mikołów significantly grew in population and expanded its infrastructure. Mikołów became the center of local trading, located on crossroads of trading roads. The Black Death killed 33% of the town's inhabitants in 1349–50. In the period 1433–1443, there were several earthquakes in the area. In 1547 Mikołów gained city status. In 1580 the first Protestant pastor came to

1764-575: The 1st Warsaw Mechanised Division was disbanded. General Edward Pietrzyk served as commander of the Polish Land Forces from 2000 to September 2006. He was succeeded by General Waldemar Skrzypczak (2006–2009). In May 2014, Defence Minister Tomasz Siemoniak announced plans for the future acquisition of attack helicopters in response to the Russo-Ukrainian war . On 25 November 2015, chief of National Defence Commission Michał Jach, indicated

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1848-522: The 2S1 Goździk , and new wheeled AHS Kryl howitzers will replace the wz. 1977 Dana. Deliveries of 122 M120 Rak mortars have been ongoing since 2017, plus 60 command vehicles (based on the KTO Rosomak fighting platform) and support vehicles. New reconnaissance vehicles, the Rosomak WRT, began entering into service after 2016. Before the end of 2023 will commence the formation of a sixth army division in

1932-619: The Balkans . A relatively short distance to Vienna facilitates cross-border co-operation and may positively influence the process of European integration. Linia Hutnicza Szerokotorowa (known by its acronym LHS , English: Broad gauge metallurgy line ) in Sławków is the longest broad gauge railway line in Poland. The line runs on a single track for almost 400 km from the Polish- Ukrainian border, crossing it just east of Hrubieszów . It

2016-615: The Internal Security Corps (KBW). The rule was that military units were used primarily against the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), while the Internal Security Corps was used to fight the armed underground independence. Often however army units fought the underground resistance, and vice versa . The culmination of the UPA suppression operation was the so-called 'Wisła Action' ( Operation Vistula ) which took place in 1947. At

2100-526: The January Uprising of 1863–1864 and Silesian Uprisings of 1919–1921, and Świętochłowice hosts the Silesian Uprisings Museum. There are numerous World War II memorials in the voivodeship, including at the sites of Nazi massacres of Poles and Jews, and at the sites of former Nazi German forced labour camps and prisons. The Gliwice Radio Tower and Katowice Parachute Tower are local symbols of German provocation and Polish resistance during

2184-811: The Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission in Korea . Poland contributed troops to the UNIFIL mission in Lebanon between 1982 and 2009. Poland sent a divisional headquarters and a brigade to Iraq after the 2003 Iraq war . Poland sent ten rotations of troops, manning a significant portion of Multinational Division Central-South . At its peak Poland, had 2,500 soldiers in the south of Iraq. Poland deployed about ten attack and transport helicopters as part of its force in Iraq between 2004 and 2008. These helicopters formed

2268-700: The Polish Armed Forces in the East , as well as interior (partisan) forces, primarily represented by the Home Army (AK) had land forces during the Second World War . While the forces fighting under the Allied banner were supported by the Polish Air Force and Navy, the partisan forces were an exclusively land formation. The army operational today has its roots in the surrogate force formed in support of Soviet interests during

2352-481: The Polish Prime Minister . The voivode is then assisted in performing his duties by the voivodeship's marshal, who is the appointed speaker for the voivodeship's executive and is elected by the sejmik (provincial assembly). The current voivode of Silesia is Jarosław Wieczorek, whilst the present marshal is Wojciech Saługa. The Sejmik of Silesia consists of 48 members. Silesian Voivodeship

2436-648: The Polish–Soviet War of 1919–1921, and in the two smaller conflicts ( Polish–Ukrainian War (1918–1919) and the Polish–Lithuanian War (1919–1920)). Initially, right after the First World War , Poland had five military districts (1918–1921): The Polish Land Forces as readied for the Polish–Soviet War was made up of soldiers who had formerly served in the various partitioning empires, supported by some international volunteers. There appear to have been

2520-579: The Pomeranian Military District ( Pomorski Okręg Wojskowy ) with HQ in Bydgoszcz , covering northern Poland, and the Silesian Military District ( Śląski Okręg Wojskowy ) with HQ in Wrocław , covering southern Poland. From that date the former Krakow Military District became the headquarters of the Air-Mechanized Corps, which later became the headquarters of the 2nd Mechanised Corps . On 1 September 2011

2604-717: The Poznań 1956 protests , the Polish 1970 protests , and protests during Martial law in Poland in 1981–1982. Troops of the Silesian Military District also took part in the suppressing of the 1968 democratisation process of Czechoslovakia, commonly known as the Prague Spring . In 1989 the Pomeranian Military District controlled the 8th, 12th, 15th, 16th, and 20th Divisions, the Silesian Military District controlled

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2688-754: The Second Army was tasked with the protection of the western border of the state from Jelenia Gora to Kamien Pomorski, and on the basis of its headquarters, the staff of the Poznan Military District was created at Poznań. The southern border, from Jelenia Gora to the Użok railway station (at the junction of the Polish, the Soviet and the Czechoslovak borders) was occupied by the First Army . Its headquarters staff formed

2772-567: The Soviet Union as forced labour or expelled in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement . The town itself was restored to Poland. In the years after the war, as the surviving pre-war Polish population, was joined by Poles from East and Central Poland. The first Jews appeared in Mikołów in 1674, establishing an inn. The synagogue in Mikołów was established in 1816. There was about 800 Jews in

2856-581: The Warsaw Military District , HQ in Warsaw , and the Kraków Military District with its headquarters in Kraków. In November 1953, the Kraków Military District was dissolved and until 1992, Poland was divided into three districts. Following victory and the movement of Polish borders these troops and other Polish soldiers thought loyal to their Soviet overlords were built up into a force which was to form part of

2940-650: The Warsaw Pact . Polish Army troops would have formed part of the second strategic echelon deployed for an attack on NATO 's Allied Forces Central Europe . A Polish Front headquarters was formed in 1958, along with three armies formed from 1955, the First Polish Army, the Second Army, and the Fourth Army, mobilisation-only headquarters that were to be formed within the three districts. The Polish Front headquarters

3024-498: The Wisla and Narew procurement programs. The Wisla program will procure medium range air defense platforms and is being fulfilled through the acquisition of 2 Patriot air and missile defense batteries integrated with IBCS (delivery scheduled for late 2022), with plans to order six further batteries. The Narew program covers short range air defense (SHORAD) and is in its final stages of design selection and contract assignment. Considerable involvement of Polish defense contractors

3108-540: The land forces of the Polish Armed Forces . They currently contain some 110,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military history stretches back a millennium – since the 10th century (see List of Polish wars and History of the Polish Army ). Poland's modern army was formed after Poland regained independence following World War I in 1918. When Poland regained independence in 1918, it recreated its military which participated in

3192-417: The 2nd, 4th, 5th, 10th, and 11th Divisions, and the Warsaw Military District the 1st, 3rd, and 9th Divisions, plus the 6th Airborne Division earmarked for Front control. The 7th Sea Landing Division was based within the Pomeranian Military District but probably earmarked for front control. The two districts facing Germany each controlled four divisions in 1990, which had been recently reorganised, in line with

3276-422: The Eagle's Nests , including at Bobolice , Mirów , Ogrodzieniec and Olsztyn . The best-preserved palaces include those at Brynek , Kłobuck , Koniecpol , Kończyce Wielkie , Pławniowice , Sosnowiec and Złoty Potok . Often visited is the Black Madonna 's Jasna Góra Sanctuary in Częstochowa – the annual destination of over 4 million pilgrims from all over the world. Another local pilgrimage destination

3360-440: The Independent Air Assault Group ( pl:Samodzielna Grupa Powietrzno-Szturmowa ). The division was disbanded in 2008. A Polish Military Advisory Liaison Team (MALT) stayed in Iraq until at least 2011 (see pl:PKW Irak ). One of the most recent peace keeping missions was MINURCAT in Chad and the Central African Republic , where Poland despatched troops from 2007 to 2010. Among the deployed troops were two Reconnaissance companies,

3444-401: The Jewish cemetery. Among the prisoners were also some Catholics . In 1972 the communist authority ordered the miners from the coalmine Bolesław Śmiały to detonate the Synagogue. The Jewish cemetery in Mikołów was established at the end of the 19th century, but the oldest tomb dates back to 1726. Only 100 of 265 tombs are preserved. In the front of the cemetery is the memorial, dedicated to

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3528-399: The Poznan Military District, HQ in Poznan, the Pomeranian Military District, HQ in Torun (formed from the staff of the short-lived LWP 1st Army Corps) and the Silesian Military District, HQ in Katowice, created in the fall of 1945. In June 1945 the 1st, 3rd and 8th Infantry Divisions were assigned internal security duties. The 4th Infantry Division was reorganised for the purpose of creating

3612-459: The Silesian Voivodeship's name, most of the historic Silesia region lies outside the present Silesian Voivodeship – divided among Lubusz , Lower Silesian , and Opole Voivodeships . The eastern half of Silesian Voivodeship (and, notably, Częstochowa in the north) was historically part of Lesser Poland . It is the most densely populated voivodeship in Poland. Within the area of 12,300 square kilometres, there are almost 5 million inhabitants. It

3696-545: The T-72s are being upgraded by the Bumar-Łabędy arms manufacturing plant. Improvements include: installation of new radio communication systems, digital engine control and start-up system, 3rd generation thermal imaging cameras, external transport baskets, and any necessary overhauls and repairs that can improve their longevity and combat ability on the modern battlefield. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Poland has donated over 200 T-72 tanks to Ukraine's army, along with dozens of other armored vehicles. As

3780-549: The West along the Western Allies . 16 Polish policemen from Mikołów were murdered by the Soviets in Mednoye during the large Katyn massacre in 1940. In 1943, the Germans carried out expulsions of Poles. In January 1945, the Germans murdered 14 members of the Polish resistance movement and 60 prisoners of the Auschwitz concentration camp in Mikołów during a death march , while in the present-day districts of Borowa Wieś and Mokre , they murdered 31 and 13 prisoners respectively. In 1945–1950, many citizens were either deported to

3864-451: The area: Katowice and Częstochowa. The voivodship's economy consists of about 323,000, mostly small and medium-sized, enterprises employing over 3 million people. The biggest Polish steel-works "Huta Katowice" is situated in Dąbrowa Górnicza . The unemployment rate stood at 3.9% in 2017 and was lower than the national average. Katowice International Airport (in Tarnowskie Góry County ) is used for domestic and international flights, with

3948-408: The basis of the Silesian Military District . In mid-1945, after the end of World War II , the Polish Army, as part of the overall armed forces, the People's Army of Poland , was divided into six (later seven) districts. These were the Warsaw Military District, HQ in Warsaw, the Lublin Military District, HQ in Lublin, the Kraków Military District, HQ in Kraków, the Lodz Military District, HQ in Lodz,

4032-412: The borders of modern Silesian Voivodeship. The present Silesian Voivodeship was formed on 1 January 1999 from the following voivodeships of the previous administrative division: The Silesian Voivodeship borders both the Moravian-Silesian Region ( Czech Republic ), Žilina Region ( Slovakia ) to the south. It is also bordered by four other Polish voivodeships: those of Opole (to the west), Łódź (to

4116-404: The city survived a famine bringing epidemics. Following the mid-18th-century Silesian Wars the town was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia . In 1760 the name "Mikołów" was used first time in the originally form. On 20 May 1794 a huge fire disaster burnt whole houses around the market square, including the town hall and all historical documents stored inside. In the 19th century, the town became

4200-408: The erroneous myths generated by this campaign were accounts of Polish cavalry charging German tanks, which did not, in fact, take place. In the east, the Red Army took the other half of the country in accordance with the Nazi-Soviet Pact . Following the country's fall, Polish soldiers began regrouping in what was to become the Polish Army in France . Both the Polish Armed Forces in the West and

4284-416: The establishment of the People's Republic of Poland after the Second World War . Two Polish armies, the First Army (Poland) and the Second Army fought with the Red Army on the Eastern Front , supported by some Polish Air Force elements . The formation of a Third Army had begun but was not completed. The end of the war found the Polish Army in the midst of intense organisational development. Although

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4368-407: The following counties: Kranau, Olkusch, Riebnich and Wadowitz. However, according to Hitler's decree from 12 October 1939 about establishing General Government , Częstochowa belonged to GG. In 1941 the Silesian Province ( Provinz Schlesien ) underwent new administrative division and as a result Upper Silesian Province was created ( Provinz Oberschlesien ): Nazi Germany established and operated

4452-574: The future, the 'Wilk' procurement program envisions the acquisition of up to 500 new tanks. Some of the T-72s and PT-91s will be replaced by M1A2 Abrams SEPv3 main battle tanks (separate from the Wilk program) after Poland signed a contract to purchase 250 Abrams M1A2 SEPv3 tanks (plus ammunition, spare parts, training, and logistical vehicles) on April 6, 2022. For air and missile defense, acquisitions of Poprad Anti-Air missile systems - which covers very short range air defense (VSHORAD) - are in their final stages. Legacy systems will be replaced through

4536-400: The highest population density in the country (379 people per square kilometre, compared to the national average of 124). The region's considerable industrialisation gives it the lowest unemployment rate nationally (6.2%). The Silesian region is the most industrialized and the most urbanized region in Poland: 78% of its population live in towns and cities. Both the northern and southern parts of

4620-442: The historical lands of Upper Silesia which ended up in Interwar period Poland. Among these were Katowice , Rybnik , Pszczyna , Wodzisław Śląski , Żory , Mikołów , Tychy , Chorzów , Tarnowskie Góry , Miasteczko Śląskie , Woźniki , Lubliniec , Cieszyn , Skoczów , and Bielsko . This Voivodeship did not include – as opposed to the present one – lands and cities of old pre-Partition Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth . Among

4704-417: The implementation of the Polish Front concept was abandoned, new tactical units and troop types were created. As a result of mobilisation, troop numbers in May 1945 reached 370,000 soldiers, and in September 1945 there were 440,000. Military districts were organised in liberated areas. The districts exercised direct authority over the units stationed on the territory administered by them. Returning to Poland,

4788-467: The largest following in the voivodeship, with several successful teams. Most accomplished clubs include men's football clubs Górnik Zabrze and Ruch Chorzów , women's football club Czarni Sosnowiec , speedway team KS ROW Rybnik , ice hockey team GKS Katowice , men's volleyball team Jastrzębski Węgiel and women's volleyball team BKS Bielsko-Biała . Since the establishment of the province, several major international sports competitions were co-hosted by

4872-444: The last ones the Southern part was included in Kraków Voivodeship Żywiec , Wilamowice , Biała Krakowska and Jaworzno ), and the North Western part Będzin , Dąbrowa Górnicza , Sosnowiec , Częstochowa , Myszków , Szczekociny , Zawiercie , Sławków ) belonged to Kielce Voivodeship . During the invasion of Poland , German troops committed several massacres of Polish civilians and defenders, including children, and Jews within

4956-423: The late 1990s Soviet defensive doctrine, from a 3:1 mix of motor rifle : tank regiments into a 2:2 mix of motor rifle and tank regiments. The Warsaw Military District in the east controlled only the 1st Mechanised Division . Two other mechanised divisions in that district had been disbanded in 1988. There was also the 6th Airborne Division and the 7th Sea Landing Division , possibly intended to form part of

5040-618: The mining is derived from one of the world's largest bituminous coalfields of the Upper Silesian Industrial District ( Górnośląski Okręg Przemysłowy ) and the Rybnik Coal District ( Rybnicki Okręg Węglowy ) with its major cities Rybnik , Jastrzębie-Zdrój , Żory and Wodzisław Śląski . Lead and zinc can be found near Bytom , Zawiercie and Tarnowskie Góry ; iron ore and raw materials for building – near Częstochowa . The most important regional industries are: mining, iron, lead and zinc metallurgy, power industry, engineering, automobile, chemical, building materials and textile. In

5124-423: The name of Andrew ( Latin : comes Andreas, castellanus de Miculow ), the castellan of Miculow , showing that Mikołów was already an administrative center. The town's name comes from the name Mikołaj (" Nicholas "), and is of Polish origin. As a result of the fragmentation of the medieval Kingdom of Poland , Mikołów was part of the Duchy of Opole and Racibórz , still ruled by the Piast dynasty until 1532. During

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5208-449: The necessity to increase the number of Polish troops from 100,000 to 150,000. However, Jach stressed that the process was complicated and should not be rushed. On June 17, 2022, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the increase of the Polish armed forces to 300,000. the formation of two new mechanized divisions was announced. From the 1950s the Polish Land Forces have contributed troops to peacekeeping operations, initially

5292-433: The north), Świętokrzyskie (to the north-east), and Lesser Poland (to the east). The region includes the Silesian Upland ( Wyżyna Śląska ) in the centre and north-west, and the Krakowsko-Częstochowska Upland ( Jura Krakowsko-Czestochowska ) in the north-east. The southern border is formed by the Beskidy Mountains ( Beskid Śląski and Beskid Żywiecki ). The current administrative unit of Silesian Voivodeship

5376-573: The other nearby airports being John Paul II International Airport Kraków-Balice . The Silesian agglomeration railway network has the largest concentration in the country. The voivodship capital enjoys good railway and road connections with Gdańsk ( motorway A1 ) and Ostrava (motorway A1), Kraków ( motorway A4 ), Wrocław (motorway A4), Łódź (motorway A1) and Warsaw . It is also the crossing point for many international routes like E40 connecting Calais , Brussels , Cologne , Dresden , Wrocław , Kraków and Kyiv and E75 from Scandinavia to

5460-399: The past, the Silesian economy was determined by coal mining. Now, considering the investment volume, car manufacturing is becoming more and more important. The most profitable company in the region is Fiat Auto-Poland S.A. in Bielsko-Biała with a revenue of PLN 6.2 billion in 1997. Recently a new car factory has been opened by GM Opel in Gliwice. There are two Special Economic Zones in

5544-400: The province was 61 billion € in 2018, accounting for 12.3% of the Polish economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 22,200 € or 74% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 83% of the EU average. Silesia Voivodship is the province with the fourth highest GDP per capita in Poland. The Silesian voivodship is predominantly an industrial region. Most of

5628-570: The province, including the EuroBasket 2009 , 2014 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship , 2016 European Men's Handball Championship , 2017 Men's European Volleyball Championship , 2018 FIVB Volleyball Men's Club World Championship , 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup , 2021 Men's European Volleyball Championship , 2023 World Men's Handball Championship . 50°20′00″N 19°00′01″E  /  50.33333°N 19.00028°E  / 50.33333; 19.00028 Polish Army War on Terror The Land Forces ( Polish : Wojska Lądowe ) are

5712-501: The region has a number of technical heritage memorials. These include narrow and standard gauge railways, coal and silver mines, and shafts and their equipment from the 19th and 20th centuries. The historic coal mine complex in Zabrze is listed as a Historic Monument of Poland , and the Historic Silver Mine in Tarnowskie Góry is listed as both a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Historic Monument of Poland. There are numerous memorials to Polish uprisings against foreign rule, including

5796-480: The same time demobilisation took place, moving the armed forces to a peacetime footing. On 10 August 1945 a "decree of the partial demobilisation" of the armed forces was issued. The next demobilisation phases took place in February and December 1946. One of the most important tasks facing the army after the war was mine clearance. Between 1944 and 1956 the demining operation involved 44 engineering units or about 19,000 sappers. They cleared mines and other munitions in

5880-401: The south-western part of the voivodeship are parks and old monasteries ( Rudy Raciborskie , Wodzisław Śląski ). Along the Oder River are interesting natural reserves and places for swimming during the summer. There are numerous castles and palaces in the voivodeship, including the medieval castles of the Piast dynasty in Będzin , Gliwice , Racibórz , and the castles forming the Trail of

5964-473: The subsequent German occupation , the Polish population was subjected to mass arrests, murder, deportations to concentration camps , expulsions and forced conscriptions to the Wehrmacht . Already in early September 1939, the Germans carried out mass arrests and executions of former Polish insurgents of the Silesian Uprisings and local Polish activists. Among the victims of massacres carried out on 5, 7 and 17 September 1939 were Polish workers, miners, craftsmen,

6048-801: The territory of the current Silesian Voivodeship, including the largest at Parzymiechy , Albertów , Częstochowa , Katowice , Będzin , and Sławków . During the subsequent occupation, on 8 October 1939, Hitler published a decree called, " About division and administration of Eastern Territories ". A Silesian Province ( Gau Schlesien ) was created, with a seat in Breslau (Wrocław) . It consisted of four districts: Kattowitz, Oppeln, Breslau and Liegnitz. The following counties were included in Kattowitz District: Kattowitz, Königshütte, Tarnowitz, Beuthen Hindenburg, Gleiwitz, Freistadt, Teschen, Biala, Bielitz, Saybusch, Pleß, Sosnowitz, Bendzin and parts of

6132-525: The town in the second half of the 19th century. Since then the number of Jewish inhabitants little by little has been lowering down to the level of 243 before the Second World War . Just before the liberation by Soviets in January 1945, prisoners from Auschwitz had marched through Mikołów to Germany to work in labour camps. They were totally exhausted and weak, most of them were at the death's door. In Mikołów over 60 people died or were murdered and then buried in

6216-617: The town opted with 55.2% in favor of remaining within Germany, while the overwhelming majority in the present-day districts (then surrounding villages) of Borowa Wieś , Kamionka , Mokre , Śmiłowice , Bujaków and Paniowy opted to reintegrate with Poland, with the result ranging from 72.2% voting for Poland in Bujaków to 94.4% in Kamionka. The town was eventually reintegrated with Poland in 1922, where it officially became Mikołów. Within interwar Poland,

6300-619: The town was electrified, new schools were opened, a new post office, fire brigade and stadium were built, and a Polish library was founded. During the German invasion of Poland , which started World War II , the town was captured by German troops on September 3, 1939. Mikołów was defended against the Germans jointly by the Polish Army and civilians. Due to Polish fortifications, the remainings of some pre-war Polish bunkers can be seen even today. During

6384-483: The town, however, in 1630 the local parish returned to the Catholic Church and its parish priest became Tomasz Aleksander Czarniecki. In 1645 and 1687 few fires burnt tenements near the market place and in connection with that Mikołów achieved the right to expose four fairs a year. In the second half of the 18th century peasants few times opposed the ruler and paying high serfdomes. Additionally in between 1713 and 1715

6468-520: The victims of January 1945. On the memorial there is written: "In this place rest in peace 14 people shot up on 16 January 1945 by Schutzpolizei officers, and 50 prisoners from the concentration camp in Auschwitz, murdered on 19 January 1945 during evacuation of the camp by Germans. Glory to them" In Mikołów there was also located another-older Jewish cemetery (1682) but during the Second World War it

6552-582: The voivodeship are surrounded by a green belt . Bielsko-Biała is enveloped by the Beskidy Mountains which are popular with winter sports fans. It offers over 150 ski lifts and 200 kilometres of ski routes. More and more slopes are illuminated and equipped with artificial snow generators. Szczyrk , Brenna , Wisła and Ustroń are the most popular winter mountain resorts. Rock climbing sites can be found in Jura Krakowsko-Czestochowska . In

6636-914: The voivodship. The biggest university is the University of Silesia in Katowice , with 43,000 students. The region's capital boasts the Medical University , The Karol Adamiecki University of Economics in Katowice , the University of Music in Katowice , the Physical Education Academy and the Academy of Fine Arts. Częstochowa is the seat of the Częstochowa University of Technology and Pedagogic University. The Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice

6720-425: The war, respectively. Due to its industrial and urban nature, the voivodeship has many cities and large towns. Of Poland's 40 most-populous cities, 12 are in Silesian Voivodeship. 19 of the cities in the voivodeship have the legal status of city-county (see powiat ). In all, it has 24 cities and 47 towns, listed below in descending order of population (as of 2019): Towns: The gross domestic product (GDP) of

6804-470: Was completely ruined. Apart from the town proper Mikołów has one distinct district ( Kamionka ) and 5 sołectwos : Mikołów is twinned with: Silesian Voivodeship Silesian Voivodeship ( Polish : województwo śląskie [vɔjɛˈvut͡stfɔ ˈɕlɔ̃skʲɛ] ) is a voivodeship , or province , in southern Poland centered on the historic region known as Upper Silesia ( Górny Śląsk ), with Katowice serving as its capital. Despite

6888-498: Was deactivated in 1990, and the three-army mobilisation scheme was likewise abandoned. Polish land forces during the communist era included troops dedicated to internal security – the Territorial Defence Forces – and control of the country's borders. Until the fall of communism the army's prestige continued to fall, as it was used by the communist government to violently suppress several outbursts of protest, including

6972-526: Was officially known under the Germanized name Nikolai . The town's predominantly Polish population referred to the town as both Mikułów and Mikołów . In 1908, the still-existing Polish choir Harmonia was founded. After World War I , in 1918, Poland regained independence, and shortly after the Polish Silesian Uprisings were fought and a plebiscite was held, in which the slight majority of

7056-670: Was rough numerical parity between the two armies. By the time of the Battle of Warsaw Poles might have even had a slight advantage in numbers and logistics. Among the major formations involved on the Polish side were a number of Fronts , including the Lithuanian-Belarusian Front , and about seven armies, including the First Polish Army . The German invasion of Poland began on 1 September 1939. The Wehrmacht seized half of Poland quickly despite heavy Polish resistance. Among

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