Editing Katowice (section)

==History==
{{further|History of Katowice}}

===Before the industrial revolution===
[[File:Katowice - Akta Wizytacji parafii w Bogucicach (1598).jpg|left|thumb|A fragment from the [[Bogucice]] Parish visitation report from 1598 that mentions the name Katowice for the first time]]
The area around Katowice, in [[Upper Silesia]], has been inhabited by [[Lechites|Lechitic]] [[Silesian tribes]] from its earliest documented history.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|last=silnet.pl|title=Historia miasta i dzielnic – Katowice|url=https://mojekatowice.pl/p,s,historia.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202042336/https://mojekatowice.pl/p,s,historia.html|archive-date=2 February 2017|access-date=25 January 2017}}</ref> While 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 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 Piasts|Silesian Piast]] dynasty until its extinction.<ref name="auto1">{{cite web|title=Katowice, Poland – A City Guide – Cracow Life|url=http://www.local-life.com/krakow/articles/katowice|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316025022/http://www.local-life.com/krakow/articles/katowice|archive-date=16 March 2017|access-date=15 March 2017}}</ref> From 1327, the region was under administration of the [[Kingdom of Bohemia]] under the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. As part of the [[Lands of the Bohemian Crown|Bohemian Crown]], it was passed to the [[Habsburg monarchy]] of [[Austria]] in 1526.<ref>{{cite web|title=History – Katowice|url=https://www.inyourpocket.com/katowice/history|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316024836/https://www.inyourpocket.com/katowice/history|archive-date=16 March 2017|access-date=15 March 2017}}</ref> In 1742, along with most of [[Silesia]], it was seized by [[Kingdom of Prussia|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.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Moskal|first=Jerzy|title=Bogucice, Załęże et nova villa Katowice – Rozwój w czasie i przestrzeni|publisher=Wydawnictwo Śląsk|year=1993|isbn=83-85831-35-5|location=Katowice|pages=23–25}}</ref>

===Emergence as an industrial centre===
[[File:Katowice Huta Baildon.jpg|thumb|left|Baildon steelworks, 19th century]]
On 3 October 1846, the works of the final stage of the [[Wrocław|Breslau]]-[[Mysłowice|Myslowitz]] (''Wrocław-Mysłowice'') rail line ended, built and operated by the [[Upper Silesian Railway]]. It was opened by king [[Frederick William IV of Prussia]].<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Nadolski|first1=Przemysław|title=Węzeł Kolejowy Gliwice|last2=Roszak|first2=Tomasz|last3=Soida|first3=Krzysztof|last4=Wieczorek|first4=Edward|publisher=Eurosprinter|year=2010|isbn=978-83-931006-1-3|location=Rybnik}}</ref> A year later, on 6 August 1847, the first train arrived at the new [[Katowice historic railway station|Katowice station]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-08-02 |title="No limits" {{!}} The Architecture of Industrial Agglomerations {{!}} Uniwersytet Śląski w Katowicach |url=https://us.edu.pl/en/no-limits-architektura-aglomeracji-przemyslowych/ |access-date=2024-06-28 |language=en-US}}</ref>

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 the first [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] church on 29 September 1858 ([[Church of the Resurrection, Katowice|Church of the Resurrection]]), and the first [[Catholic Church|Catholic church]] two years later, on 11 November 1860. Katowice (then: ''Kattowitz'') gained [[Town privileges|city status]] on 11 September 1865 in the Prussian [[Province of Silesia]], by the act of the king [[William I, German Emperor|Wilhelm I Hohenzollern]].<ref name="auto" />

The city flourished due to large mineral (especially coal) deposits in the area. Extensive city growth and prosperity depended on the coal mining and steel industries, which took off during the [[Industrial Revolution]]. The city was inhabited mainly by [[Germans]], [[Polish people|Poles]] incl. [[Silesians]], and [[Jews]]. In 1884, 36 Jewish [[Zionism|Zionist]] delegates met here, forming the [[Hovevei Zion]] movement. Previously part of the Beuthen district, in 1873 it became the capital of the new [[East Upper Silesia|Kattowitz district]]. On 1 April 1899, the city was separated from 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 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.

[[File:Katowice - ogolny widok z placem sw. Andrzeja. 1936 (69617540) (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|Katowice in the 1930s]]
Under the [[Treaty of Versailles]] after [[World War I]], 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,<ref name="Urban">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bM2kvVUpCPYC&q=urban+danzig|title=Von Krakau bis Danzig|access-date=21 March 2009|publisher=[[Thomas Urban|Urban, Thomas]]|year=2004|language=de|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024011628/http://books.google.de/books?id=bM2kvVUpCPYC&printsec=frontcover&dq=urban+danzig&lr=&as_brr=3&as_pt=ALLTYPES#PPA143,M1|archive-date=24 October 2012|url-status=live|isbn=9783406510823}}</ref> it was attached to Poland as the larger district voted 66,119 for Poland and 52,992 for Germany.<ref>Documents on British foreign policy, 1919–1939 Great Britain. Foreign Office, Ernest [[Llewellyn Woodward]] page 44</ref> Following the [[Silesian Uprisings]] of 1918–21 Katowice became part of the [[Second Polish Republic]] with some autonomy for the [[Silesian Parliament]] as 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 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]] ({{langx|pl|Magistrala Węglowa}}).

===World War II===
During the early stages of [[World War II]] and the [[Invasion of Poland|Poland Campaign]], Katowice was essentially abandoned by the [[Polish Land Forces]], which had to position itself around [[Kraków]]. Nevertheless, the city was [[Defense of Katowice|defended by local Poles]], and the invading Germans immediately carried out [[Katowice massacre|massacres of captured Polish defenders]].<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=[[Institute of National Remembrance|IPN]]|issue=12–1 (35–36)|page=55|issn=1641-9561}}</ref> In the following weeks the German ''[[Einsatzkommando]] 1'' was stationed in the city, and its units were responsible for many [[Nazi crimes against the Polish nation|crimes against Poles]] committed in the region.<ref>Warzecha, p. 56</ref>

[[File:Katowice - Wieża spadochronowa 01.jpg|thumb|190px|[[Parachute Tower in Katowice|Parachute Tower]], one of the symbols of the Polish [[Defense of Katowice]]]]
Under [[Occupation of Poland (1939–1945)|German occupation]] many of the city's historical and iconic monuments were destroyed, most notably the [[Great Synagogue (Katowice)|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 language|Polish]] in public conversations was banned. The German administration was also infamous for organising public executions of civilians<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/Katowice/Katowice.html|title=Katowice, Poland|access-date=17 March 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170318003331/http://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/Katowice/Katowice.html|archive-date=18 March 2017}}</ref> and by the middle of 1941, most of the Polish and Jewish population was [[Expulsion of Poles by Nazi Germany|expelled]]. The Germans established and operated a Nazi prison in the city,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=2001|title=Schweres NS-Gefängnis Kattowitz|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=5 June 2021|language=de}}</ref> and multiple [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|forced labour]] camps within present-day city limits, including two camps solely for Poles (''[[Polenlager]]''),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=2002|title=Polenlager Kattowitz-Eichenau|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=5 June 2021|language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=2003|title=Polenlager Kattowitz-Idaweiche|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=5 June 2021|language=de}}</ref> four camps solely for Jews,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=2005|title=Zwangsarbeitslager für Juden Kattowitz|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=5 June 2021|language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=2004|title=Zwangsarbeitslager für Juden Kattowitz-"Franzosenstraße"|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=5 June 2021|language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=1877|title=Zwangsarbeitslager für Juden Kattowitz-Idaweiche|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=5 June 2021|language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=100001059|title=Zwangsarbeitslager für Juden Schoppinitz|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=5 June 2021|language=de}}</ref> two subcamps (E734, E750) of the [[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|access-date=5 June 2021|archive-date=29 October 2020}}</ref> and a [[List of subcamps of Auschwitz|subcamp]] of the [[Auschwitz concentration camp]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://auschwitz.org/en/history/auschwitz-sub-camps/sonderkommando-kattowitz/|title=Sonderkommando Kattowitz|website=Memorial and Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau|access-date=5 June 2021}}</ref> Eventually, Katowice was captured by 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.

===Postwar period===
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 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 [[Kresy|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 was called ''Stalinogród'' in honour of [[Joseph Stalin]], leader of the [[Soviet Union]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dziennikzachodni.pl/artykul/3355309,katowice-zniknely-powstal-stalinogrod-to-juz-61-lat,id,t.html|title=Katowice zniknęły. Powstał Stalinogród. To już 61 lat|first=Zygmunt|last=Woźniczka|date=6 March 2014|access-date=15 March 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316025329/http://www.dziennikzachodni.pl/artykul/3355309,katowice-zniknely-powstal-stalinogrod-to-juz-61-lat,id,t.html|archive-date=16 March 2017}}</ref> The change was brought upon by an issued decree of the State Council.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://historia.org.pl/2013/12/10/jak-katowice-stalinogrodem-sie-staly/|title=Jak Katowice Stalinogrodem się stały – HISTORIA.org.pl – historia, kultura, muzea, matura, rekonstrukcje i recenzje historyczne|date=10 December 2013|access-date=15 March 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170402131142/http://historia.org.pl/2013/12/10/jak-katowice-stalinogrodem-sie-staly/|archive-date=2 April 2017}}</ref> 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 [[De-Stalinization|never got accepted]] by the citizens and in 1956 the former Polish name was restored.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://niezalezna.pl/39174-jak-katowice-zamieniono-na-stalinogrod|title=Jak Katowice zamieniono na Stalinogród|access-date=15 March 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316025051/http://niezalezna.pl/39174-jak-katowice-zamieniono-na-stalinogrod|archive-date=16 March 2017}}</ref>

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 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 [[Modern architecture|modernist architecture]] and [[Functionalism (architecture)|functionalism]]. Katowice eventually developed into one of the most modernist post-war cities of Poland.[[File:MOs810 WG 23 2016 (Zaglebiowskie Zakamarki) (Katowice, 3 Maja).jpg|thumb|[[3 Maja Street, Katowice|3 Maja Street]] is one of the main promenades in the city]]

One of 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 [[Pacification of Wujek|wounded in the pacification of Wujek Coal Mine]]. The [[Milicja Obywatelska|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 in Poland|martial law]] and the arrest of [[Solidarity (Polish trade union)|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".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.silesia-online.com/89,Stalinogrod_-_Post-War_History_.htm|title=Katowice Online – Stalinogrod – Post-War History of Katowice|first=Wirtualny Turysta|last=www.wirtualnyturysta.com|access-date=15 March 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316113211/http://www.silesia-online.com/89,Stalinogrod_-_Post-War_History_.htm|archive-date=16 March 2017}}</ref>

===21st century===
In 2008, Katowice was awarded the [[Europe Prize]] by the [[Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe|Parliamentary Assembly]] of the [[Council of Europe]] for having made exceptional efforts to spread the ideal of European unity.<ref>[http://website-pace.net/web/apce/the-europe-prize The Europe Prize]</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.poland.travel/en-gb/cities/katowice-the-capital-city-of-upper-silesia|title=Katowice – the capital city of Upper Silesia|first=Agata|last=Witosławska|access-date=15 March 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828191708/https://www.poland.travel/en-gb/cities/katowice-the-capital-city-of-upper-silesia|archive-date=28 August 2017}}</ref> In 2018, the city was the host of the 24th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the [[United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change]] (UNFCCC [[2018 United Nations Climate Change Conference|COP24]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cop24.gov.pl/|title=COP24|website=cop24.gov.pl|archive-date=28 April 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180428180844/http://www.cop24.gov.pl/|access-date=2 July 2022}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.ifla.org/events/world-urban-forum-2022/ |title=World Urban Forum 2022 |access-date=2 July 2022}}</ref>

[[File:Katowice 05.15 MCK 2.JPG|thumb|Katowice [[International Congress Centre in Katowice|International Conference Centre]], built in 2015]]