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{{other places|Kozy}}
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{{Infobox settlement
|official_name          = Kozy
|other_name             = Seiffersdorf, Zajwyśdiüf 
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| subdivision_name1 = [[Silesian Voivodeship|Silesian]]
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| subdivision_name2 = [[Bielsko County]]
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|subdivision_name4      = [[Gmina Kozy|Kozy]]
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|population_note                = 2015
|population_total               = 13 024<ref>{{cite web|title=Gmina Kozy » mapy, nieruchomości, GUS, szkoły, kody pocztowe, wynagrodzenie, bezrobocie, zarobki, edukacja, tabele|url=http://www.polskawliczbach.pl/gmina_Kozy#podstawowe-informacje|website=www.polskawliczbach.pl|access-date=31 January 2017|language=pl}}</ref>
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|website                = http://kozy.vot.pl/
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'''Kozy''' {{IPAc-pl|'|k|o|z|y}} (German: ''Seiffersdorf, Seibersdorf, Kosy (1941&ndash;45)''; [[Wymysorys language|Wymysorys]]: ''Zajwyśdiüf'')<ref name="TWMOL1">{{Cite book|title=The Making of a Language: The Case of the Idiom of Wilamowice, Southern Poland|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LuPGek6L4gIC|first=Tomasz|last=Wicherkiewicz|author-link=Tomasz Wicherkiewicz |publisher=Walter de Gruyter|location=Kraków|year=2003|pages=6&ndash;10|isbn=9783110170993}}</ref> is a large village with a population of 12,457 (2013) within [[Bielsko County]], located in the historical and geographical south-west region of [[Lesser Poland]], between [[Kęty]] and [[Bielsko-Biała]], and about 65 kilometres south-west of [[Kraków]] and south of [[Katowice]]. It is the largest village in Poland (by comparison - the population of [[Opatowiec]], the smallest town in Poland, is only 338). The village name translates to 'Goats' in English, and has an area of 26,9&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>.

Since 1 January 1999, following [[administrative division of Poland|Polish local government reforms]] adopted in 1998, Kozy has been part of the newly established [[Silesian Voivodeship]] ([[province]]); between 1975 and 1998 it was formerly part of the [[Bielsko-Biała Voivodeship]]. The village is well connected with the nearby city of Bielsko-Biała. It has a railway transport station, and lies on National Road No. 52. Kozy is the centre of the administrative district of [[Gmina Kozy]].

==History==
[[File:Kozy 002.JPG|thumb|right|Neo-Gothic Catholic Church of St. Simon and Jude Tadeusza in Kozy.]]
[[File:Kozy Palac 001.JPG|thumb|right|18th-century Palace manor in Kozy, built 1705. On the right, Poland's second oldest [[Platanus]] tree. During World War II, the manor buildings were commissioned as a hospital by the advancing [[Red Army]].]]

Originally, these areas were part of [[Lesser Poland]]. The village settlement was first mentioned in 1326 under two names ''"Duabuscapris seu Siffridivilla"'' in [[Latin]], translated as ''"two goats or goats village"'', recorded in the parish [[Peter's Pence]] list, [[deanery]] of [[Oświęcim]], [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kraków]].<ref name="MPVAACJP">{{Cite book|title=Monumenta Poloniae Vaticana; Acta Camerae Apostolicae. Vol. I, 1207-1344|volume=I|trans-title=Monuments of Poland and the Vatican; Acts of the Apostolic Chamber. Vol. I, 1207-1344|url=http://www.kpbc.ukw.edu.pl/dlibra/docmetadata?id=23551&from=&dirids=1&ver_id=&lp=4&QI=51AD482DA2B36ED801EE899F17FA474F-1|first=Jan|last=Ptaśnik|author-link=:pl:Jan Ptaśnik|publisher=Sumpt. Academiae Litterarum Cracoviensis|location=Kraków|date=1913|pages=147&ndash;150|language=la}}</ref>
In old Polish the village was known as ''Dwyekozy'' (''Dwiekozie'');<ref name="JDLBCAP">{{Cite book|title=Liber beneficiorum dioecesis Cracoviensis; Joannis Długosz Senioris Canonici Cracoviensis, Opera Omnia.|volume=I (XI)|trans-title=Book of Benefice diocese of Cracow; Joannis Długosz Senior Canon Cracow, Complete Works.|url=http://rcin.org.pl/dlibra/doccontent?id=8275&from=FBC|first1=Jan|last1=Długosz|first2=Aleksander|last2=Przezdziecki|author-link1=Jan Długosz|author-link2=:pl:Aleksander Narcyz Przezdziecki|publisher=Ex Typographia Kirchmajeriana; Aleksander Przezdziecki|location=Kraków|orig-year=1470&ndash;1480|year=1863|pages=84&ndash;85, Index XI|language=la}}</ref> ''two goats'', and consisted of two settlements - ''Upper Kozy'' (''Kozy Górne''), and ''Lower Kozy'' (''Kozy Dolne'').<ref name="JDLBCAP" />

Kozy was historically located on lands held by the [[Silesian Piasts|Silesian Piast]] since the end of 12th century, branch of the Polish royal [[Piast dynasty]]. The village was in the [[Duchy of Oświęcim]]. From 1327 the duchy was part of the [[Lands of the Bohemian Crown|Bohemian Crown lands]] ([[Kingdom of Bohemia]]). In 1457 the duchy was sold to the Polish king [[Casimir IV Jagiellon]] and returned to the [[History of Poland during the Jagiellonian dynasty|Kingdom of Poland]], and 
the village Kozy (and this area) again became part of [[Lesser Poland]]. In the accompanying document issued on 21 February the village was mentioned as ''Dwe Kozy''.<ref>{{cite book |first=Krzysztof Rafał |last=Prokop |title=Księstwa oświęcimskie i zatorskie wobec Korony Polskiej w latach 1438-1513. Dzieje polityczne|publisher= [[Polish Academy of Learning|PAU]]|place=Kraków |year=2002 |pages = 151 |isbn = 83-88857-31-2 | language = pl}}</ref> Kozy was a privately owned village, owned by such wealthy [[nobility|noble]] families as Mikołaj Szłop of [[Dębowiec, Cieszyn County|Dębowiec]] during the 15th century<ref name="JDLBCAP" /> and from the early 16th century became part of the [[Princely Houses of Poland#Princely titles granted by foreign monarchs|House of Saszowski]] estates.<ref name="PSAK1">Parchments Division I of The State Archives in Kraków to year 1600; Register Date: 1536.04.25, Place: Oświęcim, Archive Record Signature: W 024. (in Polish) [http://eazpp.bn.org.pl/eazpp/files/pergaminy/ap_w_krakowie.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201221809/http://eazpp.bn.org.pl/eazpp/files/pergaminy/ap_w_krakowie.pdf |date=2014-02-01 }}</ref><ref name="OPSO">{{Cite book|title=Orbis Polonus splendoribus coeli, triumphis mundi, pulchritudine animantium condecoratus, in quo antiqua Sarmatorum gentiliata pervetusta nobilitatis insignia etc. specificantur et relucent|volume=III|trans-title=Polish Encyclopedia of the ancient Sarmatian families, the history of the coats of arms of the nobles of Poland old and new, their origin as awards for honorable deeds & the arms themselves specifically described and emblazoned|url=http://www.pbi.edu.pl/book_reader.php?p=44335|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190601081350/http://www.pbi.edu.pl/book_reader.php%3Fp%3D44335|url-status=dead|archive-date=2019-06-01|first=Szymon|last=Okolski|author-link=Szymon Okolski|publisher=In Officina Typographica Francisci Cæsarii|location=Kraków|date=1641–45|pages=94&ndash;98|language=la}}</ref>

The village had a parish church, and castle [[fortification]] built during 1327&ndash;1330, which formed part of the Duchy defense system, surrounded by a [[Defensive wall|rampart]] and [[moat]], the castle had two wings and a [[bastion]] with 2&ndash;3 metre thick walls.<ref name="GDSBSWK">{{Cite book|title=Geschichte der deutschen Sprachinsel Bielitz (Schlesien); im Auftrage der Historischen Kommission für Schlesien herausgegeben von Ludwig Petry und Josef Joachim Menzel|trans-title=History of the German language enclave Bielsko (Silesia); issued on behalf of the Historical Committee for Silesia by Ludwig Petry and Joseph Joachim Menzel|url=http://rcin.org.pl/dlibra/doccontent?id=8275&from=FBC|first=Walter|last=Kuhn|author-link=Walter Kuhn|publisher=Holzner Verlag|location=Würzburg|year=1981|language=de}}</ref> The castle ruins remained visible until the mid-1930s, when it was sold and gradually dismantled for building materials, sporadic parts of the castle [[Foundation (engineering)|foundations]] remain.<ref name="GDSBSWK" /> The first [[Wooden churches of Southern Lesser Poland|wooden church]] was built about 1326, and rebuilt during the 16th century after suffering fire damage.<ref name="PCSTSJ">{{cite web|title=About the Parish, History|url=http://www.parafiakozy.pl/|publisher=Kozy Parish Church of St. Simon and Jude Tadeusza of Kozach (in Polish)|access-date=26 January 2014}}</ref> In 1559, the parish [[Catholicism|Catholic]] church was Reformed (to [[Calvinism]]), introduced to the [[parish]] by a member of the House of Saszowski, the nobleman and [[Burgrave]] of Kraków Jakub Saszowski of Gierałtowic.<ref name="OPSO" /><ref name="PSAK2">Parchments Division I of The State Archives in Kraków to year 1600; Register Date: 1569.07.11, Place: Lublin, Archive Record Signature: W 028. (in Polish) [http://eazpp.bn.org.pl/eazpp/files/pergaminy/ap_w_krakowie.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201221809/http://eazpp.bn.org.pl/eazpp/files/pergaminy/ap_w_krakowie.pdf |date=2014-02-01 }}</ref> The church remained so until 1658, when during the [[Deluge (history)|Swedish Deluge]], it was restored the [[Roman Catholic (term)|Roman Catholic]] faith. The majority of village inhabitants, nevertheless, remained faithful to the Reforms. Although Kozy was in the Kingdom of Poland, the village community were mostly [[German language|German-speaking]], embraced the [[Protestant Reformation]], and would thus come under persistent attack from the [[Catholic Church]] during and after the [[Counter-Reformation]].<ref name="TWMOL1" />

In the late 18th-century, the subsequent new village owners Jordanów, an affluent Polish [[Bourgeoisie|burgher]] family from Kraków, started a strong local persecution of [[Protestantism|Protestants]].<ref name="GDSBSWK" /> In response, an exodus resulted, 64 families and 360 individual [[refugee]]s with their belongings, crossed north-west from Kozy over the border at Dzieditz ([[Czechowice-Dziedzice]]) into [[Prussia]] controlled Upper Silesia, on the night of 25 April 1770, and there founded the village Anhalt (Holdynow/[[Hołdunów]]) near Pleß ([[Pszczyna]]).<ref name="TWMOL1" /><ref name="GDSBSWK" /> The escape route was secured by a [[Prussian Army]] [[cuirassier]] cavalry squadron escort under General [[Friedrich Wilhelm von Seydlitz]]; the resettlement was supported by the King of Prussia, [[Frederick the Great]], who asked only whether the refugees from Poland understood German.<ref name="GDSBSWK" /> Thus came a 200-year end in the history of [[evangelicalism]] in Kozy.<ref name="TWMOL1" /> Only a few, undecided inhabitants, remained in Kozy, and were subjected to further reprisals by the Jordanów landowners.<ref name="GDSBSWK" />

A few years later, in the First [[Partitions of Poland]] (1772), the Duchy of Oświęcim and thus the almost [[Abandoned village|deserted village]] of Kozy, was annexed by the [[Habsburg monarchy|Habsburg Austrian Empire]], as part of the [[Austrian Partition]].<ref name="GDSBSWK" /> Until November 1918, the Duchy of Oświęcim remained part of the [[Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria]] crown-lands of Austria.<ref name="GDSBSWK" /> During the 19th-century, Kozy revived once again as one of the most affluent villages of ''[[Oświęcim]] Land'', famous for its skilled [[Stonemasonry|stonemasons]], [[Carpentry|carpenters]] and [[loom]] weaving cloth makers. The 16th-century parish wooden church, was demolished in 1899, paving way for the new [[Gothic Revival architecture|neo-Gothic]] style church. The 16th-century church ceiling [[mural]]s, however, were preserved and transferred into the collections of the [[National Museum, Kraków|National Museum in Kraków]].<ref name="PCSTSJ" />

According to an Austrian census in 1900, the population of Kozy was 3,693, 403 buildings, and an area of 1,358 [[hectare]] (13.58&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>);<ref name="GICC">{{Cite book|title=Gemeindelexikon der im Reichsrate vertretenen Königreiche und Länder; bearbeitet auf Grund der Ergebnisse der Volkszählung vom 31. Dezember 1900, XII. Galizien|volume=12|trans-title=Gazetteer of the in Imperial Council represented Kingdoms and States; processed on the basis of results of the census of 31 December 1900, XII. Galicia|url=http://wiki-commons.genealogy.net/images/5/54/Oesterreich-12.djvu?djvuopts&page=17|last=K.K. Statistischen Zentralkommission|publisher=K.K. Hof- und Staatsdruckerei|location=Vienne|year=1907|pages=8|language=de}}</ref> 3,646 residents were Roman Catholic, 1 [[Byzantine Rite|Greek-Catholic]], 40 [[Israelite]], and 12 residents of other religion. 3,688 declared Polish- and 8 German-speaking, and 6 declared other language.<ref name="GICC" /> In the [[Second Polish Republic]] (1918), the lands of Oświęcim and thus Kozy, were reincorporated into Poland's [[Kraków Voivodeship (1919–39)|Kraków Voivodeship]] at the end of [[World War I]]. Following the 1939 [[Invasion of Poland]], which started [[World War II]], Kozy was [[Occupation of Poland (1939–1945)|occupied]] by [[Nazi Germany]] and annexed to the German [[Province of Upper Silesia]]. It was a local centre for the Polish resistance [[Home Army]]. The [[Red Army]] captured the village on 29 January 1945, ending the Nazi occupation.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-02-16 |title=Krwawa bitwa o Żywiec w 1945 roku |url=https://bbfan.pl/artykul/bitwa-o-zywiec-1945-n1159279 |access-date=2025-07-20 |website=BBFan.pl |language=pl}}</ref> After the war, Kozy belonged to the administrative district ([[gmina]]) of [[Bielsko-Biała|Biała]] Wieś, and in 1954, it emerged as a separate administrative district Gmina Kozy.

===Papal visit===
In June 1979, [[Pope John Paul II]]'s papal visit to Poland encompassed various papal [[motorcade]] trails. One such trail planned with the [[Holy See|Vatican]], was from Kozy to [[:pl:Straconka (Bielsko-Biała)|Straconka (Bielsko-Biała)]], where Pope John Paul II began his journey from the Church of St. Simon and Jude Tadeusza in Kozy.<ref name="PRKZY">{{cite web|title="Szlak papieski" w Kozach ("Papal Route" in Kozy)|url=http://kozy.vot.pl/o-kozach/szlak-papieski-w-kozach/|publisher=Official Website - Municipality of Kozy (in Polish)|access-date=27 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201223200/http://kozy.vot.pl/o-kozach/szlak-papieski-w-kozach/|archive-date=1 February 2014|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

==Places of cultural and touristic interest==
* The forest pilgrimage Chapel of [[Mary (mother of Jesus)|St. Mary]] with [[Holy well|sacred spring]] (The place is called "Kapliczka Pod Panienką w Kozach"), est. 1908.
* The 18th-century palace, built 1705, manor grounds, and fountain. Includes Poland's second oldest [[Platanus]] tree. During World War II, the manor buildings were commissioned as a hospital by the advancing [[Red Army]].
* The neo-Gothic parish church of St. Simon and Juda Tadeusz of Kozy.
* Archaeological post marking the place where once stood the 14th-century castle of the [[Duchy of Oświęcim|Dukes of Oświęcim]].

==Nearby locations==
*[[Bielsko-Biała]]
*[[Kęty]]
*[[Bujaków]]
*[[Międzybrodzie Bialskie]]

==International relations==

===Twin towns and sister cities===
Kozy currently has three [[twin towns and sister cities]]

{|class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
|
*{{flagicon|SVK}} [[Hričovské Podhradie]], [[Slovakia]]
*{{flagicon|SVK}} [[Mošovce]], Slovakia
*{{flagicon|HUN}} [[Jásztelek]], [[Hungary]]
*{{flagicon|HUN}} [[Kenderes]], Hungary
|}

==Bibliography==
*{{Cite book|title=Liber beneficiorum dioecesis Cracoviensis; Joannis Długosz Senioris Canonici Cracoviensis, Opera Omnia.|volume=I (XI)|trans-title=Book of Benefice diocese of Cracow; Joannis Długosz Senior Canon Cracow, Complete Works.|url=http://rcin.org.pl/dlibra/doccontent?id=8275&from=FBC|first1=Jan|last1=Długosz|first2=Aleksander|last2=Przezdziecki|author-link1=Jan Długosz|author-link2=:pl:Aleksander Narcyz Przezdziecki|publisher=Ex Typographia Kirchmajeriana; Aleksander Przezdziecki|location=Kraków|orig-year=1470&ndash;1480|year=1863|pages=84&ndash;85, Index XI|language=la}}
*{{Cite book|title=Geschichte der deutschen Sprachinsel Bielitz (Schlesien); im Auftrage der Historischen Kommission für Schlesien herausgegeben von Ludwig Petry und Josef Joachim Menzel|trans-title=History of the German language enclave Bielsko (Silesia); issued on behalf of the Historical Committee for Silesia by Ludwig Petry and Joseph Joachim Menzel|url=http://rcin.org.pl/dlibra/doccontent?id=8275&from=FBC|first=Walter|last=Kuhn|author-link=Walter Kuhn|publisher=Holzner Verlag|location=Würzburg|year=1981|language=de}}
*{{Cite book|title=The Making of a Language (Trends in Linguistics - Documentation 19): The Case of the Idiom of Wilamowice, Southern Poland|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LuPGek6L4gIC|first=Tomasz|last=Wicherkiewicz|author-link=Tomasz Wicherkiewicz |publisher=Mouton de Gruyter|location=Kraków|year=2003|isbn=9783110170993}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100329061101/http://kozy.vot.pl/ Official Website - Municipality Kozy (Gmina Kozy)]
*[http://www.parafiakozy.pl/ Parish Church of St. Simon and Jude Tadeusza of Kozach - Website]

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Villages in Bielsko County]]