AKS Chorzów
Encyclopedia
AKS Chorzów is a sports club in based in Chorzów
, Poland
. It is one of the earliest sports organizations in Upper Silesia
and is still well-known nationally for its football
and handball
teams. The club also made its mark on the international stage: Halina Richter-Górecka
was part of the gold-medal winning women's 100m relay team
at the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games
; tennis
player Danuta Wieczorek appeared at Wimbledon
as a junior.
football club VfR Königshütte on 22 August 1910 in what was at the time the coal mining city of Königshütte in Germany. In the early 20s, the region became part of Poland and the city was re-named, with the football club becoming Amatorski Klub Sportowy Chorzów
In 1927 AKS was the proud owner of one of the most modern stadium facilities in Poland at Chorzów's Wyzwolenia Hill. The stadium was sometimes shared with another well-known local team — Ruch Chorzów
.
The club won the championship of Polish Upper Silesia (Silesian A-Class) in 1924, 1930 and 1936, and in 1937 advanced to the Polish first division where they became an immediate success. They finished as vice-champions and the team's Jerzy Wostal
was the top scorer in the league with 12 goals. Wostal and teammate Leonard Piątek
were among several players who played for the Polish national side
in the 1930s.
After the outbreak of World War II
in 1939, Germany occupied the western half of Poland. AKS became Fussball Verein Germania Königshütte and in 1940 joined Germany's first division Gauliga Schlesien
where they finished atop the table. Piatek Germanized his name to Piontek and was a key player as FV Königshütte became the dominant side in the division, far outperforming state-supported rival 1. FC Kattowitz. The club earned division titles in the Gauliga Oberschlesien in 1942, 1943, and 1944, advancing to play in the regional qualifying rounds of the German national championships, where they were put out in the early going each year. Germania also made first round appearances in play for the Tschammerpokal, predecessor of today's DFB-Pokal
(German Cup), in 1941 and 1942.
After the war and the retoration of the area to Poland, the club re-assumed its Polish name and continued to be a power in the country's football, earning third place results in 1946 and 1947. In 1948 AKS joined the newly re-established Polish first division as Budowlani Chorzów and played there for seven years until being relegated after the 1954 season. The club played second division football until 1958 then faded into obscurity, with some supporters claiming that team's German origins and history of success in the Nazi-sponsored Gauliga put it into disfavour with Communist Poland's sporting authorities, contributing to the team's decline.
In the 60s the Chorzóws once beautiful stadium burned to the ground to be replaced by a supermarket. In the early 1990s the club merged with Chorzowianka Chorzów and plays today as the seventh division side AKS Wyzwolenie Chorzów.
Chorzów
Chorzów is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Chorzów is one of the central districts of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - a metropolis with a population of 2 million...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. It is one of the earliest sports organizations in Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia. Since the 9th century, Upper Silesia has been part of Greater Moravia, the Duchy of Bohemia, the Piast Kingdom of Poland, again of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown and the Holy Roman Empire, as well as of...
and is still well-known nationally for its football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
and handball
Team handball
Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team...
teams. The club also made its mark on the international stage: Halina Richter-Górecka
Halina Górecka
Halina Górecka née Richter is a former Polish and German sprinter and a four-time olympian and an Olympic gold and bronze medal winner and a world record holder in women's 4x100 m relay...
was part of the gold-medal winning women's 100m relay team
Athletics at the 1964 Summer Olympics
At the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, the athletics competition included 36 events, 24 for men and 12 for women. The women's 400 metres and women's pentathlon events were newly introduced at these Games. There were a total number of 1016 participating athletes from 82 countries.-Men's...
at the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games
1964 Summer Olympics
The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. Tokyo had been awarded with the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan's...
; tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
player Danuta Wieczorek appeared at Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
as a junior.
History
The origins of the club go back to the founding of the GermanGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
football club VfR Königshütte on 22 August 1910 in what was at the time the coal mining city of Königshütte in Germany. In the early 20s, the region became part of Poland and the city was re-named, with the football club becoming Amatorski Klub Sportowy Chorzów
In 1927 AKS was the proud owner of one of the most modern stadium facilities in Poland at Chorzów's Wyzwolenia Hill. The stadium was sometimes shared with another well-known local team — Ruch Chorzów
Ruch Chorzów
Ruch Chorzów is a Polish association football club based in Chorzów, Upper Silesia. It is one of the most successful football teams in Poland: 14 time national champion, and 3 time winner of the Polish Cup. Currently the team plays in the top Polish league, the Ekstraklasa. Their stadium capacity...
.
The club won the championship of Polish Upper Silesia (Silesian A-Class) in 1924, 1930 and 1936, and in 1937 advanced to the Polish first division where they became an immediate success. They finished as vice-champions and the team's Jerzy Wostal
Jerzy Wostal
Jerzy Adolf Wostal was a Polish soccer player, one of best forwards of interwar Poland. He was born in 1914 in Königshütte .In the late 1930s Wostal played for AKS Chorzów. The best year in his career was 1937...
was the top scorer in the league with 12 goals. Wostal and teammate Leonard Piątek
Leonard Piatek
Leonard Franciszek Piątek was a Polish football player of Upper Silesian origin who played in the interwar period....
were among several players who played for the Polish national side
Poland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...
in the 1930s.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in 1939, Germany occupied the western half of Poland. AKS became Fussball Verein Germania Königshütte and in 1940 joined Germany's first division Gauliga Schlesien
Gauliga Schlesien
The Gauliga Schlesien was the highest football league in the region of Silesia , which consisted of the Prussian provinces of Lower Silesia and Upper Silesia from 1933 to 1945...
where they finished atop the table. Piatek Germanized his name to Piontek and was a key player as FV Königshütte became the dominant side in the division, far outperforming state-supported rival 1. FC Kattowitz. The club earned division titles in the Gauliga Oberschlesien in 1942, 1943, and 1944, advancing to play in the regional qualifying rounds of the German national championships, where they were put out in the early going each year. Germania also made first round appearances in play for the Tschammerpokal, predecessor of today's DFB-Pokal
DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal or DFB Cup is a German knockout football cup competition held annually. 64 teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga. It is considered the second most important national title in German football after the Bundesliga...
(German Cup), in 1941 and 1942.
After the war and the retoration of the area to Poland, the club re-assumed its Polish name and continued to be a power in the country's football, earning third place results in 1946 and 1947. In 1948 AKS joined the newly re-established Polish first division as Budowlani Chorzów and played there for seven years until being relegated after the 1954 season. The club played second division football until 1958 then faded into obscurity, with some supporters claiming that team's German origins and history of success in the Nazi-sponsored Gauliga put it into disfavour with Communist Poland's sporting authorities, contributing to the team's decline.
In the 60s the Chorzóws once beautiful stadium burned to the ground to be replaced by a supermarket. In the early 1990s the club merged with Chorzowianka Chorzów and plays today as the seventh division side AKS Wyzwolenie Chorzów.
Achievements
- Polish vice-champions: 1937
- 3rd place in Polish Ekstraklasa (Main League): 1946, 1947, 1951
- Autonomous Silesian VoivodeshipAutonomous Silesian VoivodeshipThe Silesian Voivodeship was an autonomous province of the interwar Second Polish Republic. It consisted of territory which came into Polish possession as a result of the 1921 Upper Silesia plebiscite, the Geneva Conventions, three Upper Silesian Uprisings, and the eventual partition of Upper...
(Poland) champions: 1924, 1930, 1936 - SilesiaGauliga SchlesienThe Gauliga Schlesien was the highest football league in the region of Silesia , which consisted of the Prussian provinces of Lower Silesia and Upper Silesia from 1933 to 1945...
champions (Germany): 1941 - Upper Silesia champions (Germany): 1942, 1943, 1944