Gliwice

Gliwice
(Flag)(Coat of Arms)
Motto: none
VoivodshipSilesian
Municipal governmentRada Miejska Gliwic
Mayor Zygmunt Frankiewicz
Area134,2 km˛
Population
 - city
 - urban
 - density 		200,361 (December 31 2004)
-
1528/km˛
Founded
City rights		1276
-
Latitude
Longitude		50°17' N
18°40' E
Area code+48 32
Car platesSG
Twin townsBottrop, Dessau, Doncaster, Kežmarok, Nacka, Salgótarján, Valenciennes
Municipal Website

Gliwice (pronounce: [gli'viʦε] in Polish, German: Gleiwitz), is an industrial city in southern Poland with 200,361 inhabitants (2004) over the Kłodnica River, about 20 km to the west from Katowice. While it was situated in the Katowice Voivodship from 1975-1998, Gliwice has been situated in the Silesian Voivodship since 1999.

History

Late Middle Ages

Gliwice was first mentioned as a town in 1276 and was ruled during the Middle Ages by the Silesian Piast dukes. It became a possession of the Bohemia crown in 1335, passing with that crown to the Austrian Habsburgs in 1526.

Early Modern Age

Because of the vast expenses incurred by the Habsburg Monarchy during their 16th century wars against the Ottoman Empire, Gliwice was leased to Friedrich Zettritz for the meager amount of 14,000 thalers. Although the original lease was for a duration of 18 years, it was renewed in 1580 for 10 years and in 1589 for an additional 18 years.

During the Silesian Wars fought from 1740-1763, Gliwice was taken from Austria by the Kingdom of Prussia along with the majority of Silesia. After the end of the Napoleonic Wars, Gliwice was administered in the Prussian Tost-Gleiwitz Landkreis ("district") in 1816. The city was incorporated with Prussia into the German Empire in 1871. In 1897 Gliwice became its own Stadtkreis, or urban district.

Industrialization

Gliwice began to develop into a major city through industrialization during the 19th century. The town's Ironworks fostered the growth of other industrial fields in the area. During the latter 19th century Gliwice had:

Other features of the 19th century industrialized Gliwice were a gasworks, a Furnace factory, a beer Bottling company, and a plant for Asphalt and paste. Economically, Gliwice opened several banks, Savings and loan associations, and Bond centers. Its Tram system was completed in 1892, while its theater was opened in 1899; until World War II, Gliwice's theater featured actors from through Europe. The city's population in 1875 was 14,156.

20th century

According to the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica, Gliwice's population in 1905 was 61,324. By 1911 it had two Protestant and four Roman Catholic churches, a Synagogue, a mining school, a Convent, a Hospital, two orphanages, and a Barracks. Gliwice was the center of the Mining industry of Upper Silesia. It possessed a royal Foundry, with which were connected machine manufactories and boiilerworks. Other industrialized areas of the city had other foundries, meal mills, and manufactories producing wire, gas pipes, cement, and paper.

After the end of World War I in 1918, ethnic clashes between Poles and Germans during the Silesian Uprisings occurred to determine if Gliwice and Upper Silesia would join the reborn Polish state or remain in Germany. Because of three different Polish uprisings, the League of Nations held a plebiscite on March 20 1921 to determine which country the city should be in. Germany received 32,029 votes (78.7% of given votes), Poland received 8,558 (21.0%), and 113 (0.3%) votes were declared invalid. Total voter turnout was fraudently listed as 97.0%. The League of Nations determined that Gliwice would remain in Germany, as opposed to nearby Katowice which joined Poland.

A staged attack on a radio station in Gleiwitz on August 31, 1939 served as a pretext for Nazi Germany to invade Poland, thus starting World War II. In 1945 Gliwice joined Poland and became part of the Silesian-Dabrowa Voivodship in 1946.

Education

Gliwice is a hometown of
  • Silesian Technical University (Politechnika Śląska)
  • Akademia Polonijna in Częstochowa, branch in Gliwice
  • Polish Academy of Sciences Pan:
    • Instytut Informatyki Teoretycznej i Stosowanej,
    • Instytut Inżynierii Chemicznej oraz
    • Zakład Carbochemii.

Sports

Famous people

Politics

Bytom/Gliwice/Zabrze constituency

Members of Parliament (Sejm) elected from Bytom/Gliwice/Zabrze constituency

  • Chojnacki Jan, SLD-UP
  • Dulias Stanisław, Samoobrona
  • Gałażewski Andrzej, PO
  • Janik Ewa, SLD-UP
  • Kubica Józef, SLD-UP
  • Martyniuk Wacław, SLD-UP
  • Okoński Wiesław, SLD-UP
  • Szarama Wojciech, PiS
  • Szumilas Krystyna, PO
  • Widuch Marek, SLD-UP

Municipal politics

to be written yet

Buildings

The Gliwice Radio Tower of Radiostacja Gliwicka ("Radio Station Gliwice") is the only remaining radio tower of wood construction in the world, and with a height of 118 metres, is perhaps the tallest remaining construction made out of wood in the world.

Sister cities

Gliwice is twinned with the following cities:

Literature

  • B. Nietsche, Geschichte der Stadt Gleiwitz (1886)
  • Seidel, Die königliche Eisengiesserei zu Gleiwitz (Berlin, 1896)

Links

FreeDB   Index

This page is based on the Wikipedia article ''Gliwice''. It is licensed under the GNU free documentation license.

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