Gliwice poviat - Powiat gliwicki

Gliwice poviat - district in the south Poland, in the western part of the Silesian Voivodeship, in Upper Silesian Industrial District and the Upper Silesian-Zagłębie Metropolis (GZM). The city is the seat of the poviat authorities Gliwicebut not part of the Gliwice poviat.

An administrative division

The Gliwice poviat consists of:

• Cities: Knurów, Pyskowice, Sośnicowice, Toszek
• Municipalities: Knurów, Pyskowice
• Urban-rural communes: Sośnicowice, Toszek
• Rural communes: Gierałtowice, Pilchowice, Rudziniec, Wielowieś

In 2016, all rural, urban-rural and urban communes, as well as the cities of Knurów and Pyskowice in the poviat, were inhabited by 115,261 people, living in the poviat with an area of ​​664.37 km².

History

The past of today's Gliwice poviat is part of the turbulent history of the whole of Silesia - it is the story of successive Polish, Czech and German influences, the changing nationality and great migrations of people. These areas were not spared by the Tartar conflagration, the Hussite wars, the Thirty Years' War, the Swedish invasion and the turmoil of the following centuries, including both world wars. The traces of these intricate history preserved to this day, however, also remind us of brighter pages of history - magnificent castles, mansions and palaces were built here, beautiful churches were founded, industry began to develop relatively early, outstanding people lived in the Gliwice region, whose names can be found on memorial plaques and obelisks ...

In the district of Świbie (Wielowieś commune), traces of settlement from the times of the Lusatian culture (around 2500 BC) were discovered. Items from Egypt, the Alps and Hungary found in the cemetery testify to numerous business contacts. Several dozen centuries later - in the 12th century - it was the location near the trade route, then leading from Kraków to Wrocław, that triggered the beginning of an intensified settlement action in the Gliwice region. It was then that a stronghold was established in Toszek, which gained the rank of a castellan. In the 13th century, Toszek (1234) and Pyskowice (around 1260) were granted town privileges, and a little later they were granted to Sośnicowice.

Until the mid-16th century, the lands of today's Gliwice poviat belonged to various principalities ruled by representatives of the Silesian Piast dynasty. Initially, it was dominated by the Duchy of Opole and Racibórz, in the 14th century - Kozielsko-Bytom, and for a short time - Gliwice, and finally - Opole. After the death of Jan II the Good in 1532, the last prince of the Opole Piast line, the Habsburgs took over his property. At the end of Austrian rule, Upper Silesia was divided into twelve districts (circuli), including Gliwice and Toszek. In 1733, these two districts were merged into one: Toszecko-Gliwice.

In 1742, almost all of Silesia, after the invasion of the troops of the Prussian king Frederick II, fell within the borders of Prussia. The former three circuli: Sławęcicki, Gliwice and Toszecki, as well as part of the bishop's estates, were used to create a Toszec-Gliwice poviat with an area of ​​2000 square kilometers. Until the beginning of the 20th century, the Toszek-Gliwice poviat underwent further corrections of its borders. In 1897, the municipal district of Gliwice was separated.

For many centuries, the lands of today's Gliwice poviat were typically agricultural, hops were grown and beer was brewed, and the cities served as centers of crafts and trade. In the 18th century, industry began to develop - initially spinning and weaving, then metallurgy, and finally - in the 19th century - hard coal mining. The opening of the Kłodnica Canal in 1804 had an impact on the economic activation of the region. At the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the rank of an industrial center gained Knurów - not belonging to the Toszecko-Gliwice poviat at that time - in which, just before World War I, a coal mine and coke production were launched. However, most of the area of ​​today's Gliwice poviat has retained its agricultural character.

Changes in state borders after World War I did not cause any changes in the then poviat borders. The inhabitants of today's poviat lands took part in the Silesian Uprisings (1919-21), and in the plebiscite largely supported belonging to Poland, but only Knurów and Gierałtowice with adjacent areas were joined by the decision of the great powers. After the outbreak of World War II, the Toszec-Gliwice poviat, as part of the German Reich, was incorporated into the Katowice region, which was part of the Upper Silesian Province. After the war, Silesia was divided into Wrocław and Śląskie voivodships. The Silesian poviat was included in the Gliwice poviat, whose borders remained the same as in the interwar period. In 1950, when the Śląskie Province was divided into Opolskie and Katowice, the Gliwice County became part of the Katowice Province.

It developed as an agricultural, employee and housing base for the nearby agglomerations - heavy industry dominated only Łabędy, later attached to Gliwice, and then located outside the borders of the Gliwice poviat, Knurów.

After the introduction of the new constitution in 1952, the communes were replaced by groups. However, the map of the poviat has not changed. There were 21 units in the new organizational structure, including two cities not separated from the poviat: Toszek and Pyskowice, one housing estate - Wilcze Gardło and 18 clusters. The number of clusters decreased in 1964, when Łabędy and Czechowice were transferred to Gliwice. The introduced structure functioned until 1973, when the division of the district into communes was resumed. They were established in the following towns: Pyskowice, Toszek, Wielowieś, Poniszowice, Rudziniec, Sośnicowice, Żernica and Kamieniec. In 1975, the country was divided into 49 voivodships, liquidating counties at the same time. A year after the liquidation of the counties, the Kamieniec commune ceased to exist, which was incorporated into the commune of Zbrosławice (Tarnowskie Góry district). In the following years, the Poniszowice commune, attached to the Rudziniec commune, was liquidated. In 1977, the seat of the commune in Żernica was liquidated and moved to Pilchowice.

On January 1, 1999, the Gliwice poviat returned to the administrative map of Poland. It was reborn in a new shape, with the communes of Knurów and Gierałtowice, and without Kamieniec.

Monuments and attractions

Gierałtowice commune: The parish church from 1934, a classicist manor house, the ruins of the castle in Chudów, „Izba Łod Starki ”in Chudów, a granary in Chudów, the parish church in Przyszowice, the palace in Przyszowice, the Church of Saint Urban in Paniówki

The town of Knurów: Chamber of Mining Tradition in KWK "Knurów", St. Barbara in Krywałd, City Hospital, Monument to the Silesian Insurgents

Pilchowice Commune: the church in Pilchowice, the former Bonifrat monastery in Pilchowice (now a hospital), the court of Count Emanuel Węgierski (now UG), the wooden Church of St. Nicholas in Wilcza, the palace and park complex in Wilcza, the wooden church of St. Michael in Żernica, Church of St. Martin in Stanica, 19th-century manor house in Kuźnia Nieborowska (now DPS)

The town of Pyskowice: Old Town with a market square, City Hall (today the City Museum), Church of St. Stanislaus, Church of St. Mikołaja, the rolling stock museum, the Jewish cemetery, the Evangelical-Augsburg church

Rudziniec Commune: The wooden church of St. Michael the Archangel in Rudziniec, the palace in Rudziniec (now a school), the Church of All Saints in Bojszów, the 15th-century church with a bell tower in Poniszowice, the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Łany, the palace and park complex in Pławniowice, the palace in Bycin, the church in Rudno

Sośnicowice commune: Church from the 17th century in Rachowice, the church of St. Nicholas in Kozłów, a mound in Łany Wielkie, a roadside chapel in Łany Wielkie, a wooden church in Sierakowice, a wooden chapel in Smolnica (1603), a market square in Sośnicowice, a baroque palace in Sośnicowice

Toszek commune: Monument to those murdered by NKVD in Toszek, Market Square in Toszek, Parish of St. Catherine of Alexandria in Toszek, the gothic castle in Toszek, the Chapel of St. Anna in Ligota Toszecka, Manor and park complex in Kotliszowice, ruins of the palace in Pniów

Wielowieś Commune: Church of WNMP in Wielowieś, Jewish cemetery in Wielowieś, former synagogue in Wielowieś, a manor in Wielowieś, Silesian Katyn in the nature reserve "Hubertus" (Dąbrówka), a chapel in Dąbrówka, the Church of St. Nicholas from the sixteenth century - Świbie, a neo-Gothic palace in Świbiach, a chapel in Świbiach, a wooden - brick church in Sieroty, a church. Holy Trinity in Wiśnicz, the wooden church of St. Lawrence in Zacharzowice, Chapel in Gajowice

• Main castles and palaces of the Gliwice poviat
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  Castle in Chudów

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  Palace in Przyszowice

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  Palace complex in Pławniowice

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  Palace in Sośnicowice

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  Gothic castle in Toszek

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  Ruins of the palace in Pniów

Tourism

The landscape of the Gliwice poviat is diverse and should not be equated with the vast Upper Silesian conurbation. Industry is an important component of the local economy, but travelers in the county in most municipalities will see a green landscape dominated by fields and forests. Numerous hiking trails, forest complexes, recreation centers, and water reservoirs encourage visitors

Tourist enthusiasts can use hiking trails, bicycle trails or bicycle paths in the district.

Tourist routes

• The Sośnicowicki Trail
• The Circular Trail around Gliwice
• The Gliwice Land Trail
• Trail of the Heroes of the Parachute Tower
• Trail of the Polish Hussars
• The Trail of the Silesian Insurgents
• Centenary of Tourism Trail
• The GOP Edge Trail

Cycle paths

There are several dozen kilometers of bicycle paths in the district.

Gastronomy

It is worth a try

Accommodation

There is a well-developed network of accommodation places in the poviat. Information about them can be found at: http://noclegi.pl/powiat/gliwicki