Cieszyn County ( Polish : powiat cieszyński ) is a unit of territorial administration and local government ( powiat ) in Silesian Voivodeship , southern Poland , on the Czech and Slovak border. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998.
26-601: The county's administrative seat and largest town is Cieszyn , which lies on the Czech border 62 kilometres (39 mi) south-west of the regional capital Katowice . The county also contains four other towns: Ustroń , 14 km (9 mi) east of Cieszyn, Skoczów , 15 km (9 mi) north-east of Cieszyn, Wisła , 20 km (12 mi) south-east of Cieszyn, and Strumień , 23 km (14 mi) north-east of Cieszyn. The county covers an area of 730.2 square kilometres (281.9 sq mi). As of 2019 its total population
52-487: A spring, and decided to found a new settlement. They called it Cieszyn, from the words cieszym się ("We're happy"). This well can be found at ulica Trzech Braci ("Three Brothers Street"), just west of the town square. The area became part of the emerging Polish state in the 10th century. The town was the capital of the Duchy of Cieszyn , established during the fragmentation of Poland into smaller duchies, since 1290, which
78-499: Is Cieszyn , which lies on the Czech border 62 kilometres (39 mi) south-west of the regional capital Katowice . The county also contains four other towns: Ustroń , 14 km (9 mi) east of Cieszyn, Skoczów , 15 km (9 mi) north-east of Cieszyn, Wisła , 20 km (12 mi) south-east of Cieszyn, and Strumień , 23 km (14 mi) north-east of Cieszyn. The county covers an area of 730.2 square kilometres (281.9 sq mi). As of 2019 its total population
104-651: Is twinned with: [REDACTED] Media related to Cieszyn at Wikimedia Commons Cieszyn County Cieszyn County ( Polish : powiat cieszyński ) is a unit of territorial administration and local government ( powiat ) in Silesian Voivodeship , southern Poland , on the Czech and Slovak border. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. The county's administrative seat and largest town
130-583: Is 178,145, out of which the population of Cieszyn is 34,513, that of Ustroń is 16,073, that of Skoczów is 14,385, that of Wisła is 11,132, that of Strumień is 3,718, and the rural population is 98,324. The county was first created after Revolutions of 1848 in the Austrian Empire in 1850 as Politischer Bezirk Teschen , one of the seven counties in Austrian Silesia . After World War I , fall of Austria-Hungary , Polish–Czechoslovak War and
156-452: Is 178,145, out of which the population of Cieszyn is 34,513, that of Ustroń is 16,073, that of Skoczów is 14,385, that of Wisła is 11,132, that of Strumień is 3,718, and the rural population is 98,324. The county was first created after Revolutions of 1848 in the Austrian Empire in 1850 as Politischer Bezirk Teschen , one of the seven counties in Austrian Silesia . After World War I , fall of Austria-Hungary , Polish–Czechoslovak War and
182-545: Is a border town in southern Poland on the east bank of the Olza River , and the administrative seat of Cieszyn County , Silesian Voivodeship . The town has 33,500 inhabitants (as of December 2021), and lies opposite Český Těšín in the Czech Republic . Both towns belong to the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia , and formerly constituted the capital of the Duchy of Cieszyn as a single town. The town
208-589: Is also the site of the Olza Cieszyn sweets factory (where the famous Prince Polo wafers are made) and the Brackie Browar , where Żywiec Porter is brewed. The main source of income for many citizens is trade with the nearby Czech Republic and retail trade associated with transit across the two bridges over the Olza to Český Těšín. In the past, the city was home to many furniture factories. Cieszyn
234-533: Is situated on the Olza river, a tributary of the Oder River, which forms the border with the Czech Republic . It is located within the western Silesian Foothills north of the Silesian Beskids and Mt. Czantoria Wielka , a popular ski resort . Cieszyn is the heart of the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia , the southeasternmost part of Upper Silesia . Until the end of World War I in 1918 it
260-592: The Munich Agreement , in October 1938 the Trans-Olza region was annexed by Poland and on 27 September Český Těšín was joined with Cieszyn and 53 municipalities were also adjoined to Cieszyn County. It was then annexed by Nazi Germany at the beginning of World War II with the county known as Landkreis Teschen . After the war pre-1938 borders were restored. In 1975 the county-level division of Poland
286-412: The Munich Agreement , in October 1938 the Trans-Olza region was annexed by Poland and on 27 September Český Těšín was joined with Cieszyn and 53 municipalities were also adjoined to Cieszyn County. It was then annexed by Nazi Germany at the beginning of World War II with the county known as Landkreis Teschen . After the war pre-1938 borders were restored. In 1975 the county-level division of Poland
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#1732787690294312-656: The Potsdam Agreement and were replaced with Poles expelled from the Polish areas annexed by the Soviet Union . Signs of the former German presence in the town were removed by a special committee. On 19 July 1970, five firefighters from Cieszyn died when a bridge they were on fell into the Olza River, due to heavy flooding. In 1977, Boguszowice , Gułdowy , Kalembice , Krasna , Mnisztwo , Pastwiska were amalgamated with Cieszyn and Marklowice . Since
338-678: The Trans-Olza area together with Český Těšín. Following the joint German-Soviet invasion of Poland , which started World War II in September 1939, Cieszyn was occupied by Germany until 1945. In 1939–1940, the Germans carried out mass arrests of local Poles during the genocidal Intelligenzaktion campaign, and then imprisoned them in a newly established Nazi prison in the town. Many Polish teachers, school principals, priests and activists were deported to concentration camps and murdered there. The Nazi prison had two forced labour subcamps in
364-687: The 18th century Cieszyn Silesia has been an important centre of Polish Protestantism when the Jesus Church was built as the only one in Upper Silesia . Currently, Cieszyn is also the site of the Cieszyn Summer Film Festival, one of the most influential film festivals in Poland. There is also an earlier established Czech-Polish-Slovak film festival. Cieszyn is an important centre of the electromechanical industry. It
390-601: The Polish and Czech part could move freely across the border. The combined population of Polish and Czech parts of the city is 61,201 inhabitants. Cieszyn is the southern terminus of the Polish National road 1 leading to Gdańsk on the Baltic coast. The town combines both Polish and Old–Austrian peculiarities in the style of its buildings. Because of several major fires and subsequent reconstructions (the last one in
416-627: The division of Cieszyn Silesia in 1920, the territory of the county was divided between Czechoslovakia and Poland . The bigger part of the Austrian county found in Czechoslovakia was superseded by Český Těšín District and smaller part found in Poland, was enlarged by four municipalities of the Austrian Bezirk Freistadt and more than a dozen from Bezirk Bielitz and was admitted to Silesian Voivodeship . Following
442-428: The division of Cieszyn Silesia in 1920, the territory of the county was divided between Czechoslovakia and Poland . The bigger part of the Austrian county found in Czechoslovakia was superseded by Český Těšín District and smaller part found in Poland, was enlarged by four municipalities of the Austrian Bezirk Freistadt and more than a dozen from Bezirk Bielitz and was admitted to Silesian Voivodeship . Following
468-494: The east. It also borders the Czech Republic to the west and Slovakia to the south. The county is subdivided into 12 gminas (three urban, two urban-rural and seven rural). These are listed in the following table, in descending order of population. Cieszyn Cieszyn ( / ˈ tʃ ɛ ʃ ɪ n / CHESH -in , Polish: [ˈt͡ɕɛʂɨn] ; Czech : Těšín [ˈcɛʃiːn] ; German : Teschen ; Latin : Tessin ; Silesian : Ćeszyn )
494-417: The late 18th century), the picturesque old town is sometimes called Little Vienna . The only relic of the ancient castle is a square tower, dating from the 14th century and 11th century romanesque chapel. The area has been populated by West Slavic peoples since at least the 7th century. According to legend, in 810 three sons of a prince – Bolko, Leszko and Cieszko, met here after a long pilgrimage, found
520-469: The town, and two more in nearby Karviná and Konská . The Germans also established a camp for children up to the age of 2-3, where they were beaten, tortured and subjected to medical experiments . Almost the entire Jewish community was murdered by the Nazis. After World War II, the border between Poland and Czechoslovakia was restored to that of 1920. Most Germans fled or were expelled in accordance with
546-599: The town, while many Poles from the Czechoslovakian part of the region moved in. According to the Polish census of 1921, Cieszyn had 15,268 inhabitants, of whom 9,241 (60.5%) were Poles, 4,777 (31.2%) were Germans, 1014 (6.6%) were Jews, and 195 (1.3%) were Czechs. The census from 1931 indicated 14,707 inhabitants, of whom 12,145 (82.7%) were Poles, while the rest consisted mostly of Germans and Jews (in 1937 estimated to be 12 and 8% respectively). Cieszyn and Český Těšín were merged again in October 1938 when Poland annexed
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#1732787690294572-687: Was a seat of the Dukes of Cieszyn . In 1920 Cieszyn Silesia was divided between the two newly created states of Poland and Czechoslovakia , with the smaller western suburbs of Cieszyn becoming part of Czechoslovakia as a new town called Český Těšín . The larger part of the town joined Poland as Cieszyn. Three bridges connect the twin towns . After Poland and the Czech Republic joined the European Union and its passport-free Schengen zone , border controls were abolished and residents of both
598-757: Was also a small Vlach community and a Hungarian community in the town consisting mostly of officers and clerks. The town was divided in July 1920, by the Spa Conference , a body formed by the Versailles Treaty , leaving a Polish minority on the Czechoslovak side. Its smaller western suburbs became what is now the town of Český Těšín in the Czech Republic . During the interwar period two villages were merged into Cieszyn: Błogocice in 1923 and Bobrek in 1932. After 1920 many ethnic Germans left
624-428: Was replaced with 49 voivodeships, with the territory of Cieszyn County being encompassed by Bielsko-Biała Voivodeship . It was recreated on January 1, 1999, within Silesian Voivodeship , pursuant to the Polish local government reforms adopted in 1998. Cieszyn County is bordered by the city of Jastrzębie-Zdrój and Pszczyna County to the north, and the city of Bielsko-Biała , Bielsko County and Żywiec County to
650-428: Was replaced with 49 voivodeships, with the territory of Cieszyn County being encompassed by Bielsko-Biała Voivodeship . It was recreated on January 1, 1999, within Silesian Voivodeship , pursuant to the Polish local government reforms adopted in 1998. Cieszyn County is bordered by the city of Jastrzębie-Zdrój and Pszczyna County to the north, and the city of Bielsko-Biała , Bielsko County and Żywiec County to
676-777: Was ruled by Piast dynasty until 1653 and by the Habsburg Dynasty of Austria until 1918. It was in Teschen that Maria Theresa and Frederick II on in May 1779 signed the Teschen Peace Treaty , which put an end to the War of the Bavarian Succession . In the 19th century Teschen was known for its ethnic, religious and cultural diversity, containing mostly German, Polish, Jewish and Czech communities. There
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