Editing Sosnowiec (section)

===City rights===
[[File:Sosnowiec - ul. Malachowskiego. 1930-1935 (71359139).jpg|thumb|left|Sosnowiec in the 1930s]]
With effect from 10 June 1902, by the order of Emperor [[Nicholas II of Russia]], Sosnowiec was legally named a city with the area of {{convert|19|km²|0|abbr=out}} and with 60,000 inhabitants. Obtaining the city rights helped the economic and cultural development of the town. Apart from steelworks and coal-mines and many enterprises of heavy and light industry, new cultural and social establishments were opened as well. The newly established town consisted of the districts of Sosnowiec, Pogoń, Ostra Górka, Sielec, Kuźnica and Radocha, all of which had been separate villages before. The very fact that Russian authorities waited for so long to grant Sosnowiec town rights is seen as a punishment for local support for the Polish [[January Uprising]] 1863/64, after which numerous towns had seen their status, and were reduced to a village status. Sosnowiec was the first post-1860s location in Congress Poland to have received town charter, the second being [[Puławy]] in 1906.{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}}
 
Natural resources and a good geographical location had an important influence on the development of Sosnowiec. The opening of a branch line of the [[Warsaw-Vienna Railway]] in 1859 was vitally important for the growth of the town. Development of industry with the new factory of rope and wire, rolling mill, steelworks, iron foundry, steam boilers factory, and later spinning mill, dye-house and paper mill sealed the new image of the town as entirely urban. The ''Summer Theatre'' and, in 1887, the ''Winter Theatre ''were founded, the second of which was called City Theatre from 1924 in [[Second Polish Republic|independent Poland]], and later the ''Theatre of Zagłębie''. In 1915, the village of [[Środula]] was incorporated into Sosnowiec.

Poland finally regained independence in 1918, after [[World War I]]. In the [[Second Polish Republic]], Sosnowiec became part of the [[Kielce Voivodeship]], and in 1934 the ''City County of Sosnowiec'' was established. Sosnowiec suffered war damages during both major military conflicts in the 20th century: [[World War I]], which caused mainly destruction to industry, and [[World War II]], which brought about the terror of executions.{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}}