Editing Chorzów (section)

==History==

===City name===
The city of Chorzów was formed in 1934–1939 by a merger of 4 adjacent cities: Chorzów, Królewska Huta, Nowe Hajduki and Hajduki Wielkie. The name of the oldest settlement ''Chorzów'' was applied to the amalgamated city.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}
[[File:Katowice 1792.jpg|thumb|left|Chorzów as ''Charzow'' on an 18th-century Polish map]]
The etymology of the name is not known. Chorzów is believed to be first mentioned as ''Zversov'' or ''Zuersov'' in a document of 1136 by [[Pope Innocent II]] as a village with peasants, silver miners, and two inns. Another place-name likely indicating Chorzów is Coccham or Coccha, which is mentioned in a document of 1198 by the [[Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem|Patriarch of Jerusalem]], who awarded this place to the [[Order of the Holy Sepulchre|Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem]]. Chorzów is then mentioned as ''Chareu'' or ''Charev'' in 1257 and then ''Charzow'' in 1292. The last name may originate from the [[personal name]] ''Charz'', short for ''Zachary'' and may mean ''Zachary's place''. The ''a'' in the early names may have been later modified to the current pronunciation with ''o'' perhaps due to similarity to the [[Proper adjective|common adjective]] ''chory''=''ill'' and a presence of a hospital (which was moved in 1299 to Rozbark at the gates of [[Bytom]]). Today, the place of the old village is a subdivision called ''Chorzów III'' or ''[[Chorzów Stary]]'' = ''the Old Chorzów''.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

The industrial and residential settlement south-west of Chorzów constructed since 1797 around the ''Royal Coal Mine'' and ''Royal Iron Works'' was named ''Królewska Huta'' by the Poles or ''Königshütte'' by the Germans, both names meaning ''Royal Iron Works''. As it was growing quickly this settlement was granted [[Town privileges|city status]] in 1868. Today this neighbourhood is called ''Chorzów I'' or ''Chorzów-Miasto'' meaning ''Chorzów Centre''.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

The etymology of ''Hajduki'' is ambiguous and is interpreted as either related to the German word for [[moorland]] (German: die Heide), or adopted from the German/Polish/Silesian term for [[hajduk]](s) (Polish (plural): Hajduki; German (singular): Heiduck), which locally meant bandits. The place was first mentioned in 1627 as ''Hejduk'' and shown on 18th century maps as "Ober Heiduk" and "Nieder Heiduk" (i.e., Upper and Lower Heiduk). The later names ''Hajduki Wielkie'' and ''Nowe Hajduki'' mean ''Great Hajduks'' and ''New Hajduks'', respectively. The two settlements were merged in 1903 and named after the [[Otto von Bismarck|Bismarck]] [[Ironworks|Iron Works]] ''Bismarckhütte''. When the international borders shifted, the name of Bismarck was replaced with the name of the [[List of Polish monarchs|Polish king]] [[Báthory|Batory]] (so-chosen to preserve that initial "B", which appeared on an economically important local trademark). Today this city subdivision is called ''Chorzów IV'' or ''Chorzów-Batory''.<ref>Jacek Kurek "Historia Wielkich Hajduk", Związek Górnośląski Koło, Wielkie Hajduki, Chorzów, 2001</ref>

===Village of Chorzów===
[[File:Chorzow Stary Jana.jpg|thumb|left|Chorzow Stary]]
In the 12th century, the [[castellan]]y of [[Bytom]], including the Chorzów area, belonged to the [[Seniorate Province]] (Kraków Duchy) of Poland. In 1179 it was awarded by Duke [[Casimir II the Just|Casimir the Just]] to the Duke of [[Opole]], and since that time the history of Chorzów has been connected to the history of [[Upper Silesia]] ([[Duchy of Opole]]).{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

The oldest part of the city, the village of Chorzów, today called ''[[Chorzów Stary]]'', belonged since 1257 to the [[Order of the Holy Sepulchre|Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem]]. Already at that time silver and lead ores were mined nearby, later also the ores of iron. There is more documentation for 16th century developments.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

From 1327, the Upper Silesian duchies were ruled by the dukes of the [[Piast dynasty]] and were subject to [[Kingdom of Bohemia|Bohemian]] overlordship. The [[Crown of Bohemia]] elected Polish-Lithuanian [[Jagiellon dynasty|Jagiellon]]s kings from 1471 and Austrian [[House of Habsburg|Habsburg]]s kings after 1526. In 1742, the area was conquered by the Prussian [[House of Hohenzollern|Hohenzollern]]s in [[Silesian Wars]], setting the stage for the Prussian industrial might. The Prussian and then German period lasted for about 180 years and overlapped with the time of rapid industrialization.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

===Industrial revolution===
[[File:Adolph Menzel - Eisenwalzwerk - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|right|Steelworks at Königshütte, 1872–1875 ("Das Eisenwalzwerk" by [[Adolph Menzel|Adolf von Menzel]])]]
[[File:Wolka.jpg|thumb|right|190px|''Ulica Wolności'' (Freedom Street), one of the main areas of commerce in the city]]
With the discovery of [[bituminous coal]] deposits at the end of the 18th century by the Polish local priest [[Ludwik Bojarski]], new industrial sectors developed in the Chorzów area. In the years 1791–1797 the Prussian [[Public ownership|state-owned]] Royal Coal Mine was constructed (''Kopalnia Król'', ''Königsgrube'', later renamed several times with the changing political winds). In 1799, first [[pig iron]] was made in the Royal Iron Works (''Królewska Huta'', ''Königshütte''). At the time, it was a pioneering industrial establishment of its kind in [[continental Europe]]. In 1819 the ironworks consisted of 4 [[blast furnace]]s, producing 1,400 tons of pig-iron. In the 1800s the modern Lidognia Zinc Works was added in the area.

Settlements grew near the new coal and ironworks. Since 1797, one group of settlements was called ''Königshütte'' (''Królewska Huta'' in Polish) after the ironworks. In 1846 Królewska Huta received a [[Rail tracks|railway track]] to [[Świętochłowice]] and [[Mysłowice]], in 1857 to [[Bytom]] and until 1872 to all major cities in the Silesian region. Królewska Huta received city status in 1868 as part of [[Bytom]] County, and in 1898 it was made a separate [[Consolidated city-county|city-county]].{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}The population was increasing rapidly: from 19,500 inhabitants in 1870 to 72,600 in 1910. Among them 17,300 workers were employed in the industry (similar number for 1939). In 1871 there was a workers' rebellion in the city.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Zalega |first=Dariusz |title=Chachary. Ludowa historia Górnego Śląska |year=2024 |location=Warszawa |pages=113–114 |language=pl}}</ref>

The Royal Iron Works were taken over in 1871 by the holding called ''Vereingte Königs- und Laurahütte [[Aktiengesellschaft|AG]] für Bergbau und Hüttenbetrieb'', which added a [[steel mill]], rail mill and workshops. In the vicinity of the Royal Coal Mine, ''Countess Laura'' Coal Mine was opened in 1870, and by 1913–1914 coal production increased to 1 million tons a year. In 1898, a [[Thermal power station|thermal power plant]] was commissioned which was, until the 1930s, the biggest electricity producer in Poland with a power of 100 MW (electrical). Today, it operates as [[Chorzów Power Station|"ELCHO"]]. In 1915, nitrogen chemical works (Oberschlesische Stickstoffwerke) were built nearby to produce fertilizers and explosives by newly invented processes: from the air, water and coal (see [[Haber process|Haber-Bosch process]]). Today, it operates as "Zakłady Azotowe SA".{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

Another ironworks, Bismarck Iron Works (''Bismarckhütte''), later called Bathory Iron Works (''Huta Batory''), was opened in 1872 in the village of Hajduki Wielkie, just south of Chorzów and Królewska Huta. A large [[carbochemistry|carbochemical]] plant was started nearby in 1889, the first such [[chemical plant]] in what was to later become the Polish state. Today the company operates as "Zakłady Koksochemiczne Hajduki SA".

Towards the end of the 19th century, Chorzów experienced a revival of Polish national feelings. Ethnic tensions were mixed with the religious and [[Class struggle|class conflict]]s. [[Karol Miarka (father)|Karol Miarka]] was the editor of Polish books and newspapers including ''Katolik'' (The Catholic) published in Królewska Huta since 1868, ''Poradnik Gospodarski'' (''Economic Advisor'') since 1879. He was also the founder of several organizations: Upper Silesian Union, Upper Silesian Peasants Union. [[Juliusz Ligon|Juliusz Ligoń]] was a Polish activist and poet. In 1920 the football club [[Ruch Chorzów]] was founded in the city. Later on, it would become one of the most successful Polish football teams.

===Interwar Poland (1922–1939)===
[[File:Henryk Poddębski - Królewska Huta (131-11128).jpg|thumb|left|Chorzów in the 1930s]]
In the [[Upper Silesia plebiscite]] a majority of 31,864 voters voted to remain in Germany while 10,764 votes were given for Poland<ref>[https://archive.today/20130211084843/http://www.herder-institut.de/startseite/dokumente-und-materialien/moduluebersicht/zweite-polnische-republik/materialien.html?tx_himmat_pi1%5BshowUid%5D=169&cHash=64c5894541f8d9b304ebee841028f938 Herder Institut] {{in lang|de}}</ref> Following three [[Silesian Uprisings]], the eastern part of Silesia, including Chorzów and Królewska Huta, was separated from Germany and awarded to [[Poland]] in 1922. Migrations of people followed. Because of its strategic value, the case of the nitrogen factory [[Oberschlesische Stickstoffwerke]] was argued for years before the [[Permanent Court of International Justice]], finally setting some new legal precedents on what is "just" in international relations.<ref>"The Seventh Year of the Permanent Court of International Justice", Manley O. Hudson, The American Journal of [[International law]], Vol. 23, No. 1 (Jan. 1929), pp. 1–29, {{doi|10.2307/2190232}}, {{JSTOR|2190232}}</ref> In 1934, the industrial communities of Chorzów, Królewska Huta and Nowe Hajduki were merged into one municipality with 81,000 inhabitants. The name of the oldest settlement ''Chorzów'' was given to the whole city. In April 1939, the settlement of Hajduki Wielkie with 30,000 inhabitants was added to Chorzów.

In part due to the German-Polish [[trade war]] in the 1920s, the industry of Chorzów, a border city at that time, stagnated until 1933. In 1927, a division of [[Huta Piłsudski]] was separated into a company making rail cars, trams and bridges; today it operates as [[Alstom]]-Konstal. The State Factory of [[Nitrogen]] Compounds (Państwowa Fabryka Związków Azotowych) was in 1933 merged with a similar company (largely its copy) in [[Tarnów]]-Mościce.

===German occupation during World War II (1939–1945)===
[[File:Chorzów, ul. Bożogrobców 31, Pomnik - grób zbiorowy ofiar obozów w Auschwitz i Ravensbruck, 1947.JPG|thumb|Memorial to local Poles murdered by the Germans in the [[Ravensbrück concentration camp]]]]
On the day of the outbreak of [[World War II]] in September 1939, Chorzów [[Invasion of Poland|was taken]] by [[Nazi Germany]]. Polish irregulars, mainly Silesian uprising veterans and [[Polish Scouting Association|scouts]], put up resistance to the regular German forces for three days, afterwards the city was [[Occupation of Poland (1939–1945)|occupied]] by Germany, and on September 6, 1939, the ''[[Einsatzgruppen|Einsatzgruppe I]]'' entered the city to commit various [[Nazi crimes against the Polish nation|atrocities against Poles]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Wardzyńska|first=Maria|year=2009|title=Był rok 1939. Operacja niemieckiej policji bezpieczeństwa w Polsce. Intelligenzaktion|language=pl|location=Warszawa|publisher=[[Institute of National Remembrance|IPN]]|page=58}}</ref> Most of the Polish defenders were murdered in mass executions. An execution of three Poles was carried out by the German ''[[Freikorps]]'' already on September 3, 1939.<ref>Wardzyńska, p. 277</ref> A unit of the ''Einsatzgruppe I'' was stationed in Chorzów, and it was responsible for many crimes against Poles committed in Chorzów and the nearby cities of [[Czeladź]] and [[Siemianowice Śląskie]].<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Warzecha|first=Bartłomiej|year=2003|title=Niemieckie zbrodnie na powstańcach śląskich w 1939 roku|magazine=Biuletyn Instytutu Pamięci Narodowej|language=pl|publisher=IPN|issue=12–1 (35–36)|page=56|issn=1641-9561}}</ref> Polish property was confiscated, and Chorzów was promptly re-incorporated into German Silesia; the Upper Silesian industry being one of the pillars of the Nazi Germany [[war effort]]. In 1939 and 1940, the Germans carried out mass arrests of Polish [[intelligentsia]], especially teachers, for which a prison was operated in the city (see ''[[Intelligenzaktion]]'').<ref>Wardzyńska, p. 139</ref> Local Polish teachers were among Poles murdered in 1939 in Chorzów and Strzybnica (present-day district of [[Tarnowskie Góry]]), and later in the [[Dachau concentration camp]].<ref>Wardzyńska, p. 135-136, 139</ref>

There were several [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|forced labour]] camps in Chorzów, including one ''[[Polenlager]]'' solely for Poles,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=972|title=Polenlager Königshütte|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=6 November 2020|language=de}}</ref> two camps solely for [[Jews]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=2288|title=Zwangsarbeitslager für Juden Königshütte|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=6 November 2020|language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=462|title=Zwangsarbeitslager für Juden Königshütte-Bismarckhütte|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=6 November 2020|language=de}}</ref> the E246, E594 and E725 subcamps of the [[Stalag VIII-B|Stalag VIII-B/344]] [[German prisoner-of-war camps in World War II|prisoner-of-war camp]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lamsdorf.com/working-parties.html|title=Working Parties|website=Lamsdorf.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029103834/https://www.lamsdorf.com/working-parties.html|accessdate=9 May 2021|archive-date=29 October 2020}}</ref> and, in years 1944–1945, a [[List of subcamps of Auschwitz|subcamp]] of the [[Auschwitz concentration camp]], in which approximately 200 Jews from German-occupied [[France]], [[Belgium]] and [[Czechoslovakia]] were imprisoned.<ref name=mmab>{{cite web|url=http://auschwitz.org/en/history/auschwitz-sub-camps/bismarckhtte/|title=Bismarckhütte|website=Memorial and Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau|accessdate=9 May 2021}}</ref> In January 1945, the prisoners of the subcamp of Auschwitz were evacuated on foot to Gliwice, and then deported to the [[Nordhausen-Dora]] concentration camp.<ref name=mmab/> Chorzów was occupied by the Soviet [[Red Army]] in January 1945 with the subsequent persecution of many ethnic Polish Silesians and Germans.<ref>"The Dynamics of the Policies of [[Ethnic cleansing]] in Silesia in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries" by Tomasz Kamusella, Chapter 8, [[Open Society Institute]], Center for Publishing Development, Budapest, Hungary, 1999, [http://rss.archives.ceu.hu/archive/00001016/01/17.pdf RSS.archives.ceu.hu] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170224234905/http://rss.archives.ceu.hu/archive/00001016/01/17.pdf |date=24 February 2017 }}</ref>

===After 1945===
[[File:Chorzów in 1993, street, cottage, streetcar (SIK 03-036001).jpg|thumb|A Chorzów street in 1993]] 
At the end of World War II, Chorzów was given to Poland. Generally, the Chorzów industry suffered little damage during World War II due to its inaccessibility to [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] [[Strategic bombing during World War II|bombing]], a Soviet Army [[Pincer movement|enveloping manoeuvre]] in January 1945,<ref>Max Hastings, "Armageddon. The Battle for Germany 1944–1945", [[Alfred A. Knopf]], New York, 2004, page 248</ref> and perhaps [[Albert Speer]]'s slowness or refusal to implement the [[scorched earth]] policy. This intact industry now played a critical role in the post-war reconstruction and industrialization of Poland. After the war, businesses were nationalized and operated, with minor changes, until 1989. Some were used as Soviet labour and concentration camps. Some industrial hardware and at least 100,000 Polish Silesians were deported to the Ukrainian Donbass region. At the [[Revolutions of 1989|"fall of communism"]] in 1989, the area was in decline. Since 1989, the region has been transitioning from [[heavy industry]] to a more diverse economy.

In 1954 as many as 103 miners have died in the {{ill|"Barbara-Wyzwolenie" coal mine disaster|pl|Katastrofa górnicza w kopalni Barbara-Wyzwolenie}}.<ref>{{Cite web |date=26 March 2004 |title=50-lecie tragedii w kopalni Barbara-Wyzwolenie w Chorzowie |url=https://katowice.wyborcza.pl/katowice/7,35055,1989076.html |access-date=2024-06-16 |website=katowice.wyborcza.pl}}</ref>

On 28 January 2006, [[Katowice Trade Hall roof collapse|a roof collapsed]] at an [[Exhibition center|exhibition hall]], killing 65 people.<ref>{{cite web |access-date=2020-11-16 |author=Teresa Semik |date=2016-06-17 |language=pl |title=10 lat więzienia: Wyrok ws. katastrofy hali MTK. Sądny dzień dla oskarżonych za śmierć 65 osób |url=https://plus.dziennikzachodni.pl/10-lat-wiezienia-wyrok-ws-katastrofy-hali-mtk-sadny-dzien-dla-oskarzonych-za-smierc-65-osob/ar/10117068 |website=[[Dziennik Zachodni]]}}<!-- auto-translated from Polish by Module:CS1 translator --></ref>

In 2007, Chorzów became a part of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union (predecessor to the [[Metropolis GZM]]), a voluntary union of a continuous chain of cities aimed at increasing the poor visibility of the area, improving its competitiveness, and modernizing the infrastructure.

The region experienced several waves of migrations, including those commencing in 1945 (to Germany and from Poland and Ukraine), in 1971–1976 (to Germany), in 1982 (to [[Western world|Western countries]]), and from 2003 (to other countries of the EU).