View source for Zawiercie

{{Infobox settlement
| name = Zawiercie
| image_shield = POL Zawiercie COA.svg
| image_skyline = Pałacyk-Szymańskiego.jpg
| image_caption = Szymański Palace
| pushpin_map = Poland#Poland Silesian Voivodeship
| pushpin_label_position = bottom
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{POL}}
| subdivision_type1 = [[Voivodeships of Poland|Voivodeship]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Silesian Voivodeship|Silesian]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[Powiat|County]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Zawiercie County|Zawiercie]]
| subdivision_type3 = [[Gmina]]
| subdivision_name3 = Zawiercie <small>(urban gmina)</small>
| leader_party = [[Civic Platform|PO]]
| leader_title = City mayor
| leader_name = Anna Nemś
| elevation_min_m = 300
| elevation_max_m = 400
| area_total_km2 = 85.24
|population_as_of = 2019-06-30<ref>{{cite web |title=Population. Size and structure and vital statistics in Poland by territorial division in 2019. As of 30th June|url=https://stat.gov.pl/en/topics/population/population/population-size-and-structure-and-vital-statistics-in-poland-by-territorial-division-in-2019-as-of-30th-june,3,26.html|website=stat.gov.pl|publisher=Statistics Poland|date=2019-10-15|access-date=2020-03-21}}</ref>
| population_total = 49334
| population_density_km2 = auto
| timezone = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset = +1
| timezone_DST = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset_DST = +2
| coordinates         = {{coord|50|30|N|19|25|E|region:PL|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type = Postal code
| postal_code = 42-400 to 42-431
| area_code = (+48)32
| blank_name = [[Polish car number plates|Car plates]]
| blank_info = SZA
| website = {{url|www.zawiercie.eu}}
| module = {{Infobox mapframe |wikidata=yes |zoom=10 |height=300 |width= | stroke-width=1 |coord={{WikidataCoord|display=i}}}}
}}
 
'''Zawiercie''' ({{IPAc-pl|AUD|Pl-Zawiercie.ogg|z|a|'|w|J|e|r|ć|e}}) ({{langx|yi|זאוויערטשע|Zavirtshe}}) is a [[town]] in southern [[Poland]] located in the [[Silesian Voivodeship]] with 49,334 inhabitants (2019). It is situated in the [[Kraków-Częstochowa Upland]] near the source of the [[Warta River]]. The town lies near the [[historical region]] of [[Silesia]], but belongs to [[Lesser Poland]].

Zawiercie is an industrial town with a rich history of iron manufacturing dating back to the 15th century, with other industries developed since the 19th century. It contains both historical [[Baroque architecture]] and preserved historical industrial heritage. It is home to notable [[volleyball]] club [[Warta Zawiercie (volleyball)|Warta Zawiercie]].

==Name and location==
Zawiercie, even though currently associated with Silesia, belongs to Lesser Poland. The town lies near the source of the [[Warta]] river, and its name probably comes from the location.<ref>[http://www.zaglebiedabrowskie.org/viewpage.php?page_id=4  zaglebiedabrowskie.org] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240406042724/https://zaglebiedabrowskie.org/viewpage.php?page_id=4 |date=2024-04-06 }}.</ref> The inhabitants of the ancient village of [[Kromołów, Silesian Voivodeship|Kromołów]], to reach another village located on the other side of the river, would go ''behind the Warta'', or in Polish - ''za Wartę''. From the perspective of [[Kromołów, Silesian Voivodeship|Kromołów]], Zawiercie is located behind the Warta. There is also a theory that the name of the city comes from settlers who ''zawiercili'' (or circled) the settlement area.<ref>{{cite book|title=Zawiercie. Zarys rozwoju powiatu i miasta|publisher=Wydawnictwo Śląsk|year=1969|language=pl}}</ref> The town is a gateway to the [[Kraków-Częstochowa Upland|Polish Jura]], where several castles, which used to defend western border of Lesser Poland, are located.

Zawiercie has the area of 85 square kilometers, and until 1945, the town was administratively tied with Lesser Poland's [[Kielce]]. It is located along the [[Warsaw–Vienna railway]].

==History==
===Early history===
[[File:Skarżyce - Kościół p.w. Trójcy Przenajświętszej 01.JPG|thumb|left|[[Baroque in Poland|Baroque]] Holy Trinity church]]
First mention of the village of [[Kromołów, Silesian Voivodeship|Kromołów]] (now a district of Zawiercie) comes from 1193. In the 14th century, the village was located in western Lesser Poland, along a merchant road from [[Kraków]] to [[Poznań]]. In 1431, Duke [[Bolko IV of Opole]] allowed a man named Mikołaj Czenar to open an [[inn]] here, and in his document, the name Zawiercie is mentioned for the first time. In the 15th century, the area became the early center of iron manufacturing, but despite this Zawiercie remained for centuries a small village. It was administratively located in the [[Lelów County]] in the [[Kraków Voivodeship (14th century – 1795)|Kraków Voivodeship]] in the [[Lesser Poland Province, Crown of the Kingdom of Poland|Lesser Poland Province]] of the Kingdom of Poland. Until the 19th century, it was divided into ''Zawiercie Małe'' (''Small Zawiercie'') and ''Zawiercie Duże'' (''Big Zawiercie''), both administratively belonged to the [[gmina]] of Kromołów.

In 1795 Zawiercie was annexed by the [[Kingdom of Prussia]] in the [[Third Partition of Poland]], becoming part of the small province of [[New Silesia]]. In the 1807 [[Treaties of Tilsit]] it became part of the short-lived Polish [[Duchy of Warsaw]], a [[List of French client states|French client state]] in a personal union with the [[Kingdom of Saxony]]. In 1815 it passed to [[Russian Partition|Russian-controlled]] [[Congress Poland]]. Zawiercie owes its development to the construction of the railroads.

===Industrial growth===
On 1 December 1847 the first train came to the village, along the newly built Warsaw–Vienna railway. This gave Zawiercie a boost, and in the second half of the 19th century, several companies and coal mines were opened in the village, including ''Zawiercie Steel Plant'', opened in 1901. In 1878, construction of a settlement for workers was initiated, with schools, parks and churches. In 1894, [[Polish Socialist Party]] organized a mass sit-in at Zawiercie's ''Cotton Plant'', and by 1914, the population of the village grew to 30,000. Zawiercie finally got its town charter on 1 July 1915. After [[World War I]], in 1918, Poland regained independence and the town was reintegrated with Poland.

[[File:Zawiercie fabryka Huldczynskiego huta steelworks.jpg|thumb|left|Huldczyński Ironworks ca. 1918]]
[[World War I]] and the 1920s was a bad time for Zawiercie. Unemployment grew, the steel plant closed and the TAZ factory reduced the number of workers. The situation did not improve until 1927 when Zawiercie County, part of [[Kielce Voivodeship]], was created. According to the 1921 census, the town's population was 81.1% Polish, 18.4% Jewish and 0.3% [[Czechs in Poland|Czech]].<ref>{{cite book|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|title=Skorowidz miejscowości Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej|volume=III|year=1925|language=pl|location=Warszawa|publisher=Główny Urząd Statystyczny|page=3}}</ref>

Local Jews made their living primarily from trade, crafts, the clothing industry and the metal industry. Printing houses owned by Jews played a central role in the cultural life in the city. The city had labor unions which were composed of small traders and artisans, as well as two banks, a charitable fund companies and charities. Between the World Wars in Zawiercie there were various [[Zionist]] parties and Agudat Israel. The city had a traditional “cheder” (religious primary school), a Talmud Torah, and a school and kindergarten which were part of the "Tarbut" Network. In 1926, A. Bornstein who was head of the Jewish community was also appointed mayor of the town.

There were pogroms were Zawiercie in 1919 and in 1921<ref>https://sztetl.org.pl/en/towns/z/454-zawiercie/99-history/138307-history-of-community {{Dead link|date=February 2022}}</ref> which killed some Jews, and most of the city's Jews were affected – whether physically or having suffered material damage.

===World War II===
During the German [[invasion of Poland]], which started [[World War II]], the Germans entered Zawiercie on 4 September 1939. The town was directly annexed to the [[Upper Silesia Province]] (''Regierungsbezirk Oppeln''), and its name was changed to ''Warthenau'' to erase traces of Polish origin. The Polish and Jewish population was subjected to various repressions and crimes. The Germans established and operated a Nazi prison in the town,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=100001369|title=NS-Gefängnis Warthenau|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=26 December 2020|language=de}}</ref> and also began kidnapping Poles and Jews for [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|forced labour]] and acts of abuse. On 27 September 1939, the Germans imposed on the Jewish population a high ransom payment. In autumn of 1939, the [[Polish resistance movement in World War II|Polish secret resistance organization]] ''Płomień'' was established, with its headquarters in the local trade school.<ref name=zaw>{{cite web|url=https://www.zawiercie.eu/aktualnosci/4771|title=Rocznica aresztowań członków organizacji "Płomień"|website=Zawiercie.eu|access-date=26 December 2020|language=pl}}</ref><ref name=s24>{{cite web|url=https://silesia24.pl/wiadomosci/szczegoly/zawiercie-pamieta-o-bohaterach-18262|title=Zawiercie pamięta o bohaterach|website=Silesia24.pl|access-date=26 December 2020|language=pl}}</ref> Among its members were teachers, local officials, students, scouts,<ref name=zaw/> the trade school principal Wacław Chrzanowski and local parish priest Bolesław Wajzler.<ref name=s24/> The organization issued underground Polish press, financially supported poorest families<ref name=zaw/> and tried to save the youth from being deported to forced labour to Germany.<ref name=s24/>

[[File:Skarżyce pomnik DK12.jpg|thumb|Memorial to partisans of the [[Home Army]]]]
At the beginning of 1940 the Germans confiscated all Jewish businesses. On 5 January 1940 they imposed a fine of 10 zloty for every Jewish resident of the city. In April 1940, 600 Jewish refugees from [[Cieszyn]] were brought to Zawiercie. In April–May 1940, over 150 Poles from Zawiercie were murdered by the Russians in the large [[Katyn massacre]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.zawiercie.eu/aktualnosci/5781|title=Dzień Pamięci Ofiar Zbrodni Katyńskiej|website=Zawiercie.eu|access-date=26 December 2020|language=pl}}</ref> On 18 September 1940 the [[Gestapo]] carried out mass arrests of over 100 members of the ''Płomień'' organization,<ref name=zaw/> who were then either sentenced to death and executed or imprisoned in [[Nazi concentration camps]], where many died.<ref name=s24/>

In the winter of 1940/41 the Jews were required to hand over all valuables, furniture and furs. On 22 July 1941, the Germans murdered seven Jews who were accused of [[communism]]. The Jewish population in 1941 was 5,500. In September 1941, a [[Nazi ghettos|ghetto]] and a [[Judenrat]] (Jewish committee) were established. The Judenrat had to supply the Germans forced labor. In the “Aktion” in Zawiercie in May or August 1942, [[Schutzstaffel|SS]], Gestapo and German gendarmes, aided by the [[Blue Police]], deported about 2,000 residents of the ghetto to the [[Auschwitz concentration camp]]. In early 1943, a factory to manufacture uniforms of the German Air Force was created and about 2500 Jews worked there.
At the end of 1942 an underground group was formed in Zawiercie by the "Hashomer HaTzair" (Zionist Youth Movement) led by Berl Schwartz. [[Mordechai Anielewicz]] (commander of [[Warsaw Ghetto Uprising]]) from [[Warsaw]] visited the underground. The Underground assisted some Jewish families to escape across the border into [[Slovakia]]. Some of those smuggled across were captured and murdered.
Zawiercie ghetto was liquidated in August 1943. SS, Gestapo, German gendarmes, and Blue Police deported to Auschwitz 6,000–7,000 Jews as well as locals and refugees who were brought from other places. Judenrat members were killed in the city before deportation. At the uniform factory there remained about 500 workers whose deportation was postponed since they were considered essential employees, and they were deported to Auschwitz on 18 October 1943.

In 1943, the occupiers carried out [[Expulsion of Poles by Nazi Germany|expulsions]] of some 300 Poles, whose workshops were then handed over to [[Germans|German]] colonists.<ref>{{cite book|last=Wardzyńska|first=Maria|year=2017|title=Wysiedlenia ludności polskiej z okupowanych ziem polskich włączonych do III Rzeszy w latach 1939-1945|language=pl|location=Warszawa|publisher=[[Institute of National Remembrance|IPN]]|page=461|isbn=978-83-8098-174-4}}</ref>

[[Occupation of Poland (1939–1945)|German occupation]] ended in January 1945 and the town was restored to Poland.

===Post-war period===
After the war, Zawiercie was transferred from Kielce Voivodeship to [[Katowice Voivodeship]]. In 1977, town limits were expanded by including [[Kromołów, Silesian Voivodeship|Kromołów]] as a new district.<ref>{{Cite Polish law|title=Rozporządzenie Ministra Administracji, Gospodarki Terenowej i Ochrony Środowiska z dnia 25 stycznia 1977 r. w sprawie zmiany granic niektórych miast w województwie katowickim.|year=1977|volume=3|number=15}}</ref>

==Points of interest==
[[File:Bazylika kolegiacka Świętych Apostołów Piotra i Pawła w Zawierciu 04.JPG|thumb|Collegiate Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul]]
* [[Baroque in Poland|Baroque]] Holy Trinity Church at Zawiercie-Skarżyce (16th-17th century),
* St. Nicolaus Church at Zawiercie-Kromołów (16th century),
* manor house at Zawiercie-Bzów (early 19th century)
* the palace of Stanisław Szymański (late 19th century)
* TAZ workers settlement (late 19th century)
* Collegiate Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul

==Zawiercie and Warsaw-Vienna Railway==
[[File:WK14 Zawiercie (3) Travelarz.jpg|thumb|Zawiercie station building]]
In 1847, the [[Warsaw-Vienna Railway]] was completed. The railroad connection facilitated the trade between Russia, Germany and Austria. The fact that Zawiercie was located less than one kilometre from the railroad triggered the rapid development of the region. Twenty-five years later, there were coal and iron ore mines in Zawiercie and an industry was developed around the mines in the town. The first industrial plant, a glass factory, started around 1870. Immediately other industries followed; a large cotton spinnery, large weaving mill, iron mining, cast iron, brick manufacturing, sawmill, chemical laboratories, steam and water flour mills, machining, etc. The flourishing economics accelerated the local population growth.

==Education==
* University of Management and Administration

==Sports==
Zawiercie is home to the volleyball club [[Warta Zawiercie (volleyball)|Warta Zawiercie]]. There is also a football team [[Warta Zawiercie (football)|of the same name]] established in 1921. The team's home ground is the [[1000th Anniversary of the Polish State Stadium]].

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Poland}}
Zawiercie is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Miasta Partnerskie|url=https://www.zawiercie.eu/kategorie/miasta_partnerskie|website=zawiercie.eu|publisher=Zawiercie|language=pl|access-date=2020-03-21}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*{{flagdeco|GER}} [[Bornheim (Rheinland)|Bornheim]], Germany
*{{flagdeco|SVK}} [[Dolný Kubín]], Slovakia
*{{flagdeco|UKR}} [[Donetsk]], Ukraine
*{{flagdeco|AUT}} [[Ebensee]], Austria
*{{flagdeco|UKR}} [[Kamianets-Podilskyi]], Ukraine
*{{flagdeco|ITA}} [[Ponte Lambro]], Italy
*{{flagdeco|ITA}} [[San Giovanni la Punta]], Italy
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Official website|http://www.zawiercie.pl}}
*[http://www.sztetl.org.pl/en/city/zawiercie/ Jewish Community in Zawiercie] on Virtual Shtetl

{{Zawiercie County}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Cities and towns in Silesian Voivodeship]]
[[Category:Populated places on the Warta]]
[[Category:Zawiercie County]]
[[Category:Holocaust locations in Poland]]