Mikolów
Encyclopedia
Mikołów m is a town
in Silesia
in southern Poland
, near Katowice
. Borders on the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union
- metropolis with the population of 2 millions. Located in the Silesian Highlands
, on the Jamna stream (tributary of the Kłodnica and indirectly Odra river
).
It is situated in the Silesian Voivodeship
since its formation in 1999, previously in Katowice Voivodeship
, and before then, of the Silesian Voivodeship. Mikołów is one of the towns of the 2,7 million conurbation - Katowice urban area
and within a greater Silesian metropolitan area
populated by about 5,294,000 people. The population of the town is 38,821 (2008).
It was first mentioned in writing in the year 1222.
. This was a document sent by duke of the Racibórz Casmir (the son of Mieszko the Raciborian) to the bishop of Wrocław, Wawrzyniec. In the document was written the name of Andrew (Lat. comes Andreas, castellanus de Miculow), the castellan of Miculow, showing that Mikołów was already an administrative center.
Mikołów became the center of local trading, located on crossroads of trading roads. The Black Death
killed 33% of the town's inhabitants in 1349-50. In the period 1433–1443, there were several earthquake
s in the area. In 1545 Mikołów gained city status. In 1645 and 1687 few fires burnt tenements near the market place and in connection with that Mikołów achieved the right to expose four fairs a year. In the second half of the 18th century peasants few times opposed the ruler and paying high serfdomes. Additionally in between 1713-15 the city survived a famine
bringing epidemics. In 1760 the name "Mikołów" was used first time in the originally form. On 20 May 1794 a huge fire disaster burnt whole houses around the market square, including the town hall and all historical documents stored inside.
in Mikołów was established in 1816. There was about 800 Jews in the town in the second half of the 19th century. Since then the number of Jewish inhabitants little by little has been lowering down to the level of 243 before the Second World War. Just before the `liberation` by Soviets in January 1945, prisoners from Auschwitz had marched through Mikołów to Germany to work in labour camps. They were totally exhausted and weak, most of them were at the death's door. In Mikołów over 60 people died or were murdered and then buried in Jewish cemetery. Among the prisoners were also some Catholics. In 1972 the communist authority ordered the miners from the coalmine Bolesław Śmiały
to detonate the Synagogue.
The Jewish cemetery in Mikołów was established at the end of the 19th century, but the oldest tomb dates back to 1726. Only 100 of 265 tombs are preserved. In the front of the cemetery is the memorial, dedicated to the victims of January 1945. On the memorial there is written: "In this place rest in peace 14 people shot up on 16 January 1945 by Schutzpolizei
officers, and 50 prisoners from the concentration camp in Auschwitz, murdered on 19 January 1945 during evacuation of the camp by Germans. Glory to them"
In Mikołów there was also located another-older Jewish cemetery (1682) but during the Second World War it was completely ruined.
with:
Beuningen
, Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois
, Klimkovice
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
in southern 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...
, near Katowice
Katowice
Katowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids and about southeast of the Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 2...
. Borders on the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union
Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union
The Metropolitan Association of Upper Silesia or Upper Silesia Metroplex, Silesia Metroplex / Silesia Metroplex is a union of 14 adjacent cities in the Polish province of Silesia....
- metropolis with the population of 2 millions. Located in the Silesian Highlands
Silesian Highlands
Silesian Highlands are highlands located in Silesia and Lesser Poland, Poland. It is the part of Lesser Poland Highlands Its highest point is the Mountain of St. Anne .-See also:...
, on the Jamna stream (tributary of the Kłodnica and indirectly Odra river
Oder
The Oder is a river in Central Europe. It rises in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland, later forming of the border between Poland and Germany, part of the Oder-Neisse line...
).
It is situated in the Silesian Voivodeship
Silesian Voivodeship
Silesian Voivodeship, or Silesia Province , is a voivodeship, or province, in southern Poland, centering on the historic region known as Upper Silesia...
since its formation in 1999, previously in Katowice Voivodeship
Katowice Voivodeship
Katowice Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in the years 1975–1998, superseded by the Silesian Voivodeship...
, and before then, of the Silesian Voivodeship. Mikołów is one of the towns of the 2,7 million conurbation - Katowice urban area
Katowice urban area
The Katowice urban area, also known as the Upper Silesian urban area, is an urban area/conurbation in southern Poland. It is located in the Silesian Voivodeship and in a small part of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. The Katowice urban area is the largest urban area in Poland and one of the largest...
and within a greater Silesian metropolitan area
Silesian metropolitan area
The Upper Silesian metropolitan area is the metropolitan area in southern Poland and northeast Czech Republic, centered on the cities of Katowice and Ostrava in Silesia...
populated by about 5,294,000 people. The population of the town is 38,821 (2008).
It was first mentioned in writing in the year 1222.
History
With a written mention from 1222, Mikołów is one of the oldest towns in Upper SilesiaUpper 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...
. This was a document sent by duke of the Racibórz Casmir (the son of Mieszko the Raciborian) to the bishop of Wrocław, Wawrzyniec. In the document was written the name of Andrew (Lat. comes Andreas, castellanus de Miculow), the castellan of Miculow, showing that Mikołów was already an administrative center.
Mikołów became the center of local trading, located on crossroads of trading roads. The Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
killed 33% of the town's inhabitants in 1349-50. In the period 1433–1443, there were several earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
s in the area. In 1545 Mikołów gained city status. In 1645 and 1687 few fires burnt tenements near the market place and in connection with that Mikołów achieved the right to expose four fairs a year. In the second half of the 18th century peasants few times opposed the ruler and paying high serfdomes. Additionally in between 1713-15 the city survived a famine
Famine
A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including crop failure, overpopulation, or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accompanied or followed by regional malnutrition, starvation, epidemic, and increased mortality. Every continent in the world has...
bringing epidemics. In 1760 the name "Mikołów" was used first time in the originally form. On 20 May 1794 a huge fire disaster burnt whole houses around the market square, including the town hall and all historical documents stored inside.
Jewish history
The first Jews appeared in Mikołów in 1674, establishing an inn. The synagogueSynagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
in Mikołów was established in 1816. There was about 800 Jews in the town in the second half of the 19th century. Since then the number of Jewish inhabitants little by little has been lowering down to the level of 243 before the Second World War. Just before the `liberation` by Soviets in January 1945, prisoners from Auschwitz had marched through Mikołów to Germany to work in labour camps. They were totally exhausted and weak, most of them were at the death's door. In Mikołów over 60 people died or were murdered and then buried in Jewish cemetery. Among the prisoners were also some Catholics. In 1972 the communist authority ordered the miners from the coalmine Bolesław Śmiały
Bolesław Śmiały Coal Mine
The Bolesław Śmiały coal mine is a large mine in the south of Poland in Łaziska Górne, Silesian Voivodeship, 172 km south-west of the capital, Warsaw. Bolesław Śmiały represents one of the largest coal reserve in Poland having estimated reserves of 50 million tonnes of coal. The annual coal...
to detonate the Synagogue.
The Jewish cemetery in Mikołów was established at the end of the 19th century, but the oldest tomb dates back to 1726. Only 100 of 265 tombs are preserved. In the front of the cemetery is the memorial, dedicated to the victims of January 1945. On the memorial there is written: "In this place rest in peace 14 people shot up on 16 January 1945 by Schutzpolizei
Schutzpolizei
The Schutzpolizei , or Schupo for short, is a branch of the Landespolizei, the state level police of the German states. Schutzpolizei literally means security or protection police but is best translated as Uniformed Police....
officers, and 50 prisoners from the concentration camp in Auschwitz, murdered on 19 January 1945 during evacuation of the camp by Germans. Glory to them"
In Mikołów there was also located another-older Jewish cemetery (1682) but during the Second World War it was completely ruined.
People
- Eugeniusz Wycisło
- Izabela KlocIzabela KlocIzabela Kloc is a Polish politician. She was elected to Sejm on September 25, 2005 getting 5185 votes in 30 Rybnik district, candidating from Prawo i Sprawiedliwość list.-External links:...
- Ignaz WechselmannIgnaz WechselmannIgnaz Wechselmann was a Hungarian architect and philanthropist.Educated in Berlin, Wechselmann moved to Vienna where he became the friend and assistant of the architect Ludwig Förster. In 1856 he moved to Budapest, where he, as Förster's representative, superintended the building of the Dohány...
- Joseph Abraham SteblickiJoseph Abraham SteblickiJoseph Abraham Steblicki was a teacher and treasurer who became notable for converting to Judaism.Steblicki was born in Nikolai, Upper Silesia which was at the time part of Germany in about 1726. He was the son of a butcher, and was raised a Catholic...
- Rafał Wojaczek
- Roksana Jonek - Miss PoloniaMiss PoloniaMiss Polonia is an annual, national beauty pageant held in Poland. Winner and runners-up represent Poland in Miss Universe, Miss Europe, Miss Earth, Miss International and Miss Baltic Sea. The pageant is not related to Miss Polski.- Winners :...
1997
Twin towns — Sister cities
Mikołów is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with:
Beuningen
Beuningen
Beuningen is a municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands close to the city of Nijmegen. The municipality consists of the towns Beuningen, Ewijk, Winssen and Weurt. 1 Mile to the north lays the river the Waal...
, Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois
Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois
Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois is the name of two communes in France:* Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois, Essonne, in the Essonne département**Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois Cemetery, often referred to as "Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois"...
, Klimkovice
Klimkovice
Klimkovice is a town in Ostrava-City District, Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic.It has a population of 3,870 .According to the Austrian census of 1910 the town had 2,696 inhabitants, 2,677 of whom had permanent residence there. Census asked people for their native language, 2,442 were...