55-658: Bytom ( Polish pronunciation: [ˈbɨtɔm] ; Silesian : Bytōm, Bytōń , German : Beuthen O.S. ) is a city in Upper Silesia , in southern Poland . Located in the Silesian Voivodeship of Poland, the city is 7 km northwest of Katowice , the regional capital. It is one of the oldest cities in the Upper Silesia , and the former seat of the Piast dukes of the Duchy of Bytom . Until 1532, it
110-479: A dialect of Polish" (" Das Schlesische ... kann somit ... ohne Zweifel als Dialekt des Polnischen beschrieben werden "). In Czechia, disagreement exists concerning the Lach dialects which rose to prominence thanks to Óndra Łysohorsky and his translator Ewald Osers . While some have considered it a separate language, most now view Lach as a dialect of Czech. There have been a number of attempts at codifying
165-569: A few days later to be deported to the Buchenwald concentration camp . Also three Polish teachers, who had not yet fled, were arrested, while the assets of the Polish bank were confiscated. The Einsatzgruppe I entered the city on September 6, 1939, to commit atrocities against Poles . Many Poles were conscripted to the Wehrmacht and died on various war fronts, including 92 former students of
220-1023: A language of prayers. The Lord's Prayer in Silesian, Polish, Czech, and English: Fatrze nŏsz, kery jeżeś we niebie, bydź poświyncōne miano Twoje. Przińdź krōlestwo Twoje, bydź wola Twoja, jako we niebie, tak tyż na ziymi. Chlyb nŏsz kŏżdodziynny dej nōm dzisiŏk. A ôdpuś nōm nasze winy, jako a my ôdpuszczōmy naszym winnikōm. A niy wōdź nŏs na pokuszyniy, nale zbŏw nŏs ôde złygo. Amyn. Ojcze nasz, któryś jest w niebie, święć się imię Twoje, przyjdź królestwo Twoje, bądź wola Twoja jako w niebie tak i na ziemi. Chleba naszego powszedniego daj nam dzisiaj. I odpuść nam nasze winy, jako i my odpuszczamy naszym winowajcom. I nie wódź nas na pokuszenie, ale nas zbaw od złego. Amen. Otče náš, jenž jsi na nebesích, posvěť se jméno Tvé Přijď království Tvé. Buď vůle Tvá, jako v nebi, tak i na zemi. Chléb náš vezdejší dej nám dnes A odpusť nám naše viny, jako i my odpouštíme naším viníkům
275-426: A language. Jan Miodek and Dorota Simonides , both of Silesian origin, prefer to see the preservation of the entire range of Silesian dialects rather than standardization . The German linguist Reinhold Olesch was greatly interested in the "Polish vernaculars" of Upper Silesia and other Slavic varieties such as Kashubian and Polabian . The United States Immigration Commission in 1911 classified it as one of
330-474: A neuveď nás v pokušení, ale zbav nás od zlého. Amen. Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. Silesian has many dialects: Opinions are divided among linguists regarding whether Silesian
385-558: A separate regional language, distinct from Polish. According to the official data from the 2021 Polish census , about 500 thousand people consider Silesian as their native language . Internationally, Silesian has been fully recognized as a language since 2007, when it was accorded the ISO 639-3 registration code szl . Several efforts have been made to gain recognition for Silesian as an official regional language in Poland. In April 2024,
440-599: A trade route linking Kraków with Silesia from east to west, and Hungary with Moravia and Greater Poland from north to south. The first Roman Catholic Church of the Virgin Mary was built in 1231. In 1259 Bytom was raided by the Mongols . The Duchy of Opole was split and in 1281 Bytom became a separate duchy , since 1289 under overlordship and administration of the Kingdom of Bohemia . It existed until 1498, when it
495-478: Is twinned with: Silesian language Silesian , occasionally called Upper Silesian , is an ethnolect of the Lechitic group spoken by part of people in Upper Silesia . Its vocabulary was significantly influenced by Central German due to the existence of numerous Silesian German speakers in the area prior to World War II and after. The first mentions of Silesian as a distinct lect date back to
550-592: Is a distinct language, a dialect of Polish, or, in the case of Lach , a variety of Czech. The issue can be contentious, because some Silesians consider themselves to be a distinct nationality within Poland. When Czechs, Poles, and Germans each made claims to substantial parts of Silesia as constituting an integral part of their respective nation-states in the 19th and 20th centuries, the language of Slavic-speaking Silesians became politicized. Some, like Óndra Łysohorsky (a poet and author in Czechoslovakia ), saw
605-635: Is an important place in the cultural, entertainment, and industrial map of the region. The bedrock of the Upland of Miechowice consists primarily of sandstones and slates. The rocks are punctuated with abundant natural resources of coal and iron ore from the Carboniferous period. In the north part of the upland, in the Bytom basin lays the broad range of the triassic rocks, from sandstones to limestones, with rich ore, zinc and lead reserves. The upper layer
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#1732773234498660-470: Is composed of clay, sand and gravel. One half of the coat of arms of Bytom depicts a miner mining coal, while the other half presents a yellow eagle on the blue field – the symbol of Upper Silesia . Bytom is one of the oldest cities of Upper Silesia , originally recorded as Bitom in 1136, when it was part of the Medieval Kingdom of Poland . Archaeological discoveries have shown that there
715-551: Is in question-forming. In standard Polish, questions which do not contain interrogative words are formed either by using intonation or the interrogative particle czy . In Silesian, questions which do not contain interrogative words are formed by using intonation (with a markedly different intonation pattern than in Polish) or inversion (e.g. Je to na karcie? ); there is no interrogative particle. According to Jan Miodek , standard Polish has always been used by Upper Silesians as
770-609: Is in this alphabet as is some of the Silesian Misplaced Pages , although some of it is in Steuer's alphabet. It is used in a few books, including the Silesian alphabet book . One of the first alphabets created specifically for Silesian was Steuer's Silesian alphabet , created in the Interwar period and used by Feliks Steuer for his poems in Silesian. The alphabet consists of 30 graphemes and eight digraphs : Based on
825-563: Is not documented in contemporary sources. The first "Piasts", probably of Polan descent, appeared around 940 in the territory of Greater Poland at the stronghold of Giecz . Shortly afterwards they relocated their residence to Gniezno , where Prince Mieszko I ruled over the Civitas Schinesghe from about 960. The Piasts temporarily also ruled over Pomerania , Bohemia and the Lusatias , as well as part of Ruthenia , and
880-586: Is one of the main pillars of the economy of Bytom. Being a city with long traditions of commercial trade, Bytom is fulfilling its new postindustrial role. In the centre of Bytom, and mainly around Station Street and the Market Square, is the largest concentration of registered merchants in the county. In 2007, Bytom and its neighbours created the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union, the largest urban centre in Poland. The Union
935-402: The 16th century , and the first literature with Silesian characteristics to the 17th century . Linguistic distinctiveness of Silesian has long been a topic of discussion among Poland's linguists , especially after all of Upper Silesia was included within the Polish borders, following World War II. Some regard it as one of the four major dialects of Polish , while others classify it as
990-621: The Ministry of Administration and Digitization registered the Silesian language in Annex 1 to the Regulation on the state register of geographical names; however, in a November 2013 amendment to the regulation, Silesian is not included. On 26 April 2024, the Sejm voted 236-186 with five abstentions to recognise Silesian as a regional language. On 29 May 2024, President Andrzej Duda vetoed
1045-615: The Province of Upper Silesia . In the interwar period, Bytom was one of two cities (alongside Kwidzyn ) in Germany , in which a Polish gymnasium was allowed to operate. In 1923 a branch of the Union of Poles in Germany was established in Bytom. There was also a Polish preschool , two scout troops and a Polish bank. In a secret Sicherheitsdienst report from 1934, Bytom was named one of
1100-603: The Silesian Misplaced Pages was founded. On 30 June 2008 in the edifice of the Silesian Parliament in Katowice , a conference took place on the status of the Silesian language. This conference was a forum for politicians, linguists, representatives of interested organizations and persons who deal with the Silesian language. The conference was titled "Silesian – Still a Dialect or Already a Language?" ( Śląsko godka – jeszcze gwara czy jednak już język? ). In 2012,
1155-458: The Silesians as being their own distinct people, which culminated in his effort to create a literary standard which he called the "Lachian language". Silesian inhabitants supporting the cause of each of these ethnic groups had their own robust network of supporters across Silesia's political borders which shifted over the course of the 20th century prior to the large-scale ethnic cleansing in
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#17327732344981210-685: The Germans carried out mass arrests of local Poles. On September 1, 1939, the day of the outbreak of the war, Adam Bożek, the chairman of the Upper Silesian district of the Union of Poles in Germany, was arrested in Bytom and then deported to the Dachau concentration camp . The Germans carried out revisions in the Polish gymnasium and the local Polish community centre, 20 Polish activists were arrested on September 4, 1939, then released and arrested again
1265-650: The Hungarian Spiš region in present-day Slovakia . The ruler bore the title of a duke or a king , depending on their position of power. The Polish monarchy had to deal with the expansionist policies of the Holy Roman Empire in the west, resulting in a chequered co-existence, with Piast rulers like Mieszko I, Casimir I the Restorer or Władysław I Herman trying to protect the Polish state by treaties, oath of allegiances and marriage alliances with
1320-776: The Imperial Ottonian and Salian dynasties. The Bohemian Přemyslid dynasty , the Hungarian Arpads and their Anjou successors, the Kievan Rus' , later also the State of the Teutonic Order and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania were mighty neighbours. The Piast position was decisively enfeebled by an era of fragmentation following the 1138 Testament of Bolesław III Wrymouth . For nearly 150 years,
1375-693: The Piast dynasty continued to rule in the Duchy of Masovia (until 1526) and in the Duchies of Silesia until the last male Silesian Piast died in 1675. The Piasts intermarried with several noble lines of Europe, and possessed numerous titles, some within the Holy Roman Empire . The Jagiellonian kings ruling after the death of Casimir IV of Poland were also descended in the female line from Casimir III's daughter. The early dukes and kings of Poland are said to have regarded themselves as descendants of
1430-599: The Piasts became extinct with the death of Duke Janusz III in 1526. The last ruling duke of the Silesian Piasts was George William of Legnica who died in 1675. His uncle Count August of Legnica , the last male Piast, died in 1679. The last legitimate heir, Duchess Karolina of Legnica-Brieg died in 1707 and is buried in Trzebnica Abbey . Nevertheless, numerous families, like the illegitimate descendants of
1485-466: The Polish Sejm took a significant step by passing a bill recognizing it as such, however, the bill was vetoed by President Andrzej Duda on 29 May 2024. Silesian speakers currently live in the region of Upper Silesia , which is split between southwestern Poland and the northeastern Czech Republic . At present Silesian is commonly spoken in the area between the historical border of Silesia on
1540-499: The Polish gymnasium. The Beuthen Jewish community was liquidated via the first ever Holocaust transport to be exterminated at Auschwitz-Birkenau . The Germans operated a Nazi prison in the city with a forced labour subcamp in the present-day Karb district. There were also multiple forced labour camps within the present-day city limits, including six subcamps of the Stalag VIII-B/344 prisoner of war camp . In 1945,
1595-636: The Polish state shattered into several duchies, with the Piast duke against the formally valid principle of agnatic seniority fighting for the throne at Kraków , the capital of the Lesser Polish Seniorate Province . Numerous dukes like Mieszko III the Old , Władysław III Spindleshanks or Leszek I the White were crowned, only to be overthrown shortly afterwards, and others restored and ousted, at times repeatedly. The senior branch of
1650-490: The Silesian Recovered Territories after its end. Before World War II , most Slavic-language speakers also knew German and, at least in eastern Upper Silesia, many German speakers were acquainted with Slavic Silesian. According to the last official census in Poland in 2021 , about 460,000 people declared Silesian as their native language , whereas in the country's census of 2011 , the figure
1705-570: The Silesian Piasts, descendants of Bolesław III Wrymouth 's eldest son Duke Władysław II the Exile , went separate ways and since the 14th century were vassals of the Bohemian Crown . After the Polish royal line and Piast junior branch had died out in 1370, the Polish crown fell to the Anjou king Louis I of Hungary , son of late King Casimir's sister Elizabeth Piast . The Masovian branch of
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1760-501: The Silesian duke Adam Wenceslaus of Cieszyn (1574–1617), link their genealogy to the dynasty. About 1295, Przemysł II used a coat of arms with a white eagle – a symbol later referred to as the Piast coat of arms or as the Piast Eagle . The Silesian Piasts in the 14th century used an eagle modified by a crescent, which became the coat of arms of the Duchy of Silesia . Piast kings and rulers of Poland appear in list form in
1815-893: The Slavic Silesian language was given the ISO 639-3 code szl . On 6 September 2007, 23 politicians of the Polish parliament made a statement about a new law to give Silesian the official status of a regional language . The first official National Dictation Contest of the Silesian language ( Ogólnopolskie Dyktando Języka Śląskiego ) took place in August 2007. In dictation as many as 10 forms of writing systems and orthography have been accepted. On 30 January 2008 and in June 2008, two organizations promoting Silesian language were established: Pro Loquela Silesiana and Tôwarzistwo Piastowaniô Ślónskij Môwy "Danga" . On 26 May 2008,
1870-532: The Steuer alphabet, in 2006 the Silesian Phonetic Alphabet [ szl ] was proposed: Silesian's phonetic alphabet replaces the digraphs with single letters ( Sz with Š , etc.) and does not include the letter Ł , whose sound can be represented phonetically with U . It is therefore the alphabet that contains the fewest letters. Although it is the most phonetically logical, it did not become popular with Silesian organizations, with
1925-547: The aftermath of World War II . Some linguists from Poland, such as Jolanta Tambor, Juan Lajo, Tomasz Wicherkiewicz , philosopher Jerzy Dadaczyński, sociologist Elżbieta Anna Sekuła, and sociolinguist Tomasz Kamusella , support its status as a language. According to Stanisław Rospond, it is impossible to classify Silesian as a dialect of the contemporary Polish language because he considers it to be descended from Old Polish . Other Polish linguists, such as Jan Miodek and Edward Polański , do not support its status as
1980-622: The argument that it contains too many caron diacritics and hence resembles the Czech alphabet . Large parts of the Silesian Misplaced Pages, however, are written in Silesian's phonetic alphabet. Sometimes other alphabets are also used, such as the "Tadzikowy muster" (for the National Dictation Contest of the Silesian language ) or the Polish alphabet, but writing in this alphabet is problematic as it does not allow for
2035-529: The bill. On 26 June 2024, Silesian was added to the languages offered in the Google Translate service. Piast dynasty The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland . The first documented Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I ( c. 960 –992). The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of King Casimir III the Great . Branches of
2090-678: The city was transferred to Poland as a result of the Potsdam Conference . Its German population was largely expelled by the Soviet Army and the remaining indigenous Polish inhabitants were joined mostly by Poles repatriated from the eastern provinces annexed by the Soviets . In 2017, the Tarnowskie Góry Lead-Silver-Zinc Mine and its Underground Water Management System , located mostly in
2145-488: The dialects of Polish. In their respective surveys of Slavic languages, most linguists writing in English, such as Alexander M. Schenker, Robert A. Rothstein, and Roland Sussex and Paul Cubberley list Silesian as a dialect of Polish, as does Encyclopædia Britannica . On the question of whether Silesian is a separate Slavic language, Gerd Hentschel wrote that "Silesian ... can thus ... without doubt be described as
2200-704: The differentiation and representation of all Silesian sounds. Silesian has recently seen an increased use in culture, for example: In 2003, the National Publishing Company of Silesia ( Narodowa Oficyna Śląska ) commenced operations. This publisher was founded by the Alliance of the People of the Silesian Nation ( Związek Ludności Narodowości Śląskiej ) and it prints books about Silesia and books in Silesian language. In July 2007,
2255-522: The east and a line from Syców to Prudnik on the west as well as in the Rawicz area. Until 1945, Silesian was also spoken in enclaves in Lower Silesia , where the majority spoke Lower Silesian , a variety of Central German . The German-speaking population was either evacuated en masse by German forces towards the end of the war or deported by the new administration upon the Polish annexation of
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2310-466: The interbellum and during World War II, local Poles and Jews faced persecution by Germany. After the war, decades of the Polish People's Republic were characterized by a constant emphasis on the development of heavy industry , which deeply polluted and degraded Bytom. After 1989, the city experienced a socio-economic decline. The population has also been rapidly declining since 1999. However, it
2365-743: The king's way to the Battle of Vienna . The city became part of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1742 during the Silesian Wars and part of the German Empire in 1871. In the 19th and the first part of the 20th centuries, the city rapidly grew and industrialized. Bytom was one of the main centers of Polish resistance against Germanization in Upper Silesia in the 19th century, up until the mid-20th century. Polish social, political and cultural organizations were formed and operated here. From 1848,
2420-767: The language spoken by Slavophones in Silesia. Probably the most well-known was undertaken by Óndra Łysohorsky when codifying the Lachian dialects in creating the Lachian literary language in the early 20th century. Ślabikŏrzowy szrajbōnek is the relatively new alphabet created by the Pro Loquela Silesiana organization to reflect the sounds of all Silesian dialects. It was approved by Silesian organizations affiliated in Rada Górnośląska . Ubuntu translation
2475-530: The main centers of the Polish movement in western Upper Silesia. Polish activists were persecuted since 1937. The Bytom Synagogue was burned down by Nazi German SS and SA troopers during the Kristallnacht on 9–10 November 1938. Before 1939, the town, along with Gleiwitz (now Gliwice ), was at the southeastern tip of German Silesia. During the German invasion of Poland , which started World War II ,
2530-468: The neighboring city of Tarnowskie Góry , but also partly in Bytom, was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List . The city of Bytom is divided into 12 districts ( Polish : Dzielnice ), year of inclusion within the city limits in brackets: Radzionków with Rojca (currently a district of Radzionków) were located within the city limits of Bytom from 1975 until 1997. Somehow there is (probably) autonomic district named "Vitor" in South Stroszek. Trade
2585-401: The newspaper Dziennik Górnośląski was published here. Poles smuggled large amounts of gunpowder through the city to the Russian Partition of Poland during the January Uprising in 1863. According to the Prussian census of 1905, the city of Beuthen had a population of 60,273, of which 59% spoke German , 38% spoke Polish and 3% were bilingual. In 1895, the "Sokół" Polish Gymnastic Society
2640-428: The semi-legendary Piast the Wheelwright ( Piast Kołodziej ), first mentioned in the Cronicae et gesta ducum sive principum Polonorum (Chronicles and deeds of the dukes or princes of the Poles), written c. 1113 by Gallus Anonymus . However, the term "Piast Dynasty" was not applied until the 17th century. In a historical work, the expression Piast dynasty was introduced by the Polish historian Adam Naruszewicz ; it
2695-678: The title in 1980 , and is one of the oldest clubs in the region. Other areas of the city host football clubs such as Górniki which is home to lower league club Rodło Górniki, founded in 1946. Bytom's cultural venues include: Among Bytom's art galleries are: Galeria Sztuki Użytkowej Stalowe Anioły, Galeria "Rotunda" MBP, Galeria "Suplement", Galeria "Pod Czaplą", Galeria "Platforma", Galeria "Pod Szrtychem", Galeria Sztuki "Od Nowa 2", Galeria SPAP "Plastyka" – Galeria "Kolor", Galeria "Stowarzyszenia.Rewolucja.Art.Pl", and Galeria-herbaciarnia "Fanaberia". Festivals Members of 2001–2005 Parliament ( Sejm ) elected from Bytom/Gliwice/Zabrze constituency Bytom
2750-564: Was a fortified settlement (a gród ) here, probably founded by the Polish King Bolesław I the Brave in the early 11th century. After the fragmentation of Poland in 1138, Bytom became part of the Seniorate Province , as it was still considered part of historic Lesser Poland . In 1177 it became part of the Silesian province of Poland, and remained within historic Silesia since. Bytom received city rights from Prince Władysław in 1254 with its first centrally located market square. The city of Bytom benefited economically from its location on
2805-567: Was about 510,000. In the censuses in Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia, nearly 900,000 people declared Silesian nationality ; Upper Silesia has almost five million inhabitants, with the vast majority speaking Polish in the Polish part and declaring themselves to be Poles and the vast majority speaking Czech in the Czech part and declaring themselves to be Czechs. Although the morphological differences between Silesian and Polish have been researched extensively, other grammatical differences have not been studied in depth. A notable difference
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#17327732344982860-428: Was established, and, during the Silesian uprisings , in 1919–1920, Polish football clubs Poniatowski Szombierki and Polonia Bytom were founded, which later on, in post- World War II Poland both won the national championship. After World War I , in the Upper Silesian plebiscite of 1921, 74.7% of the votes in Beuthen city were for Germany , and 25.3% were for Poland , due to which it remained in Germany, as part of
2915-529: Was in the hands of the Piast dynasty , then it belonged to the Hohenzollern dynasty . After 1623 it was a state country in the hands of the Donnersmarck family . From 1742 to 1945 the town was within the borders of Prussia and Germany , and played an important role as an economic and administrative centre of the local industrial region . Until the outbreak of World War II , it was the main centre of national, social, cultural and publishing organisations fighting to preserve Polish identity in Upper Silesia . In
2970-403: Was re-integrated with the Piast -ruled Duchy of Opole . Due to German settlers coming to the area, the city was being Germanized . It came under the control of the Habsburg monarchy of Austria in 1526, which increased the influence of the German language. In 1683, Polish King John III Sobieski and his wife Queen Marie Casimire , visited the city, greeted by the townspeople and clergy, on
3025-434: Was superseded by Metropolis GZM in 2018. The tram routes are operated by Silesian Interurbans Tramwaje Śląskie S.A Bytom is home to Polonia Bytom which has both a football and an ice hockey team ( TMH Polonia Bytom ). Its football team played in the Ekstraklasa from 2007 to 2011, winning it twice in 1954 and in 1962 . The Szombierki district is home to another former Polish champion Szombierki Bytom which won
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