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102-634: World Agudath Israel was established by Jewish religious leaders at a conference held at Kattowitz (Katowice) in 1912. They were concerned that the Tenth Zionist Congress had defeated a motion by the Torah Nationalists Mizrachi movement for funding religious schools. Among the chief founders of the organization were Jacob Rosenheim (one of the leaders of German Jewry), and Rabbi Avrohom Mordechai Alter (the fourth Gerrer Rebbe ). The aim of World Agudath Israel

204-655: A British Army base (see Hohne Station ) until 2015. On 15 April 1945 the British Army liberated the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp , which was handed over by the SS guards without a fight. Diseases and the terrible unhygienic state of the concentration camp buildings caused the British Army to relocate the former inmates and eventually to burn the prisoner huts. The survivors of the concentration camp became

306-611: A Catholic publishing company, and Instytut Gość Media , a multi-channeled media company that owns Radio eM , a regional Catholic radio, and a few magazines. Gość Niedzielny , owned by Instytut Gość Media and published in Katowice, is currently the most-popular Catholic magazine in the country with approx. 120,000 copies sold weekly. Katowice is also the seat of a Lutheran Diocese which covers Upper Silesia , Lesser Poland and Subcarpathian region and has 12,934 adherents as of 2019. Lutherans have two churches in Katowice, including

408-512: A Polish majority were incorporated). Thus, in 1939 the ethnic breakdown of the city was: 93% Poles, 6% Germans, and 1% Jews. After the German aggression against Poland in 1939, some Poles were displaced from Katowice and Germans were settled in their place. In 1945, practically the entire German minority has either left fleeing the Red Army or was forced to leave after Poland regained control of

510-692: A cathedral, which is the oldest church built originally in Katowice, completed on 29 September 1858. Historically, Lutheran population in Katowice was mostly German , and with the expulsion of Germans from Poland after the Second World War, number of Lutherans dropped in Katowice. Other denominations with churches or praying houses in Katowice include Seventh Day Adventists , Baptists , Christ Church in Poland, Pentecostals and other evangelical groups. Judaism has historically been present in Katowice since at least 1702. First synagogue , designed by

612-535: A constituency and the Silesian Voivodeship Council as the executive body. In 1924, the surrounding villages and towns were incorporated into Katowice, and the number of inhabitants increased to over 112,000, since then the number of Poles exceeded the number of Germans – throughout the interwar period, the number of Germans decreased (in 1925 they constituted 12% of the inhabitants of Katowice, and in 1939 only 6%, while Poles constituted 93%). At

714-419: A gimnazjum, 8.4% only completed a primary school while 2.1% did not complete primary school. In 2011, in the 25–34 age group, college graduates share is 44.9%, and an additional 31.8% has a high school degree. According to Eurostat data, Katowice and its surrounding Silesian region had one of the highest share of people who have attained at least an upper secondary level of education (more than 90%), and one of

816-969: A key part in maintaining the Agudath Israel organization through World War II. In the post-war period, Agudath Israel was active in Europe to provide aid for Holocaust survivors. There was a branch in the World Agudath Israel World Organization in England located at 37/38 Mitre Street in London . Another branch was located in Switzerland, located at 59 Lavaterstrasseled which was led by Dr. Shlomo Ehrman . There were also branches in Allied-occupied Germany . The Central-Committee of Agudath Israel of

918-534: A local architect Ignatz Grünfeld, was consecrated on 4 September 1862, while the Jewish cemetery was established in 1868. Dr. Jacob Cohn was the first rabbi of Katowice, appointed to this function on 6 January 1872 and holding it until 1920s. Zionism was strong in Katowice, and in 1884 the city was the place of the Katowice Conference , the first public Zionist meeting in history. On 12 September 1900,

1020-532: A major administrative centre. As the city developed so briskly, the 1950s marked a significant increase in its population and an influx of migrants from the Eastern Borderlands , the so-called Kresy . The city area began to quickly expand by incorporating the neighbouring communes and counties. However, the thriving industrial city also had a dark period in its short but meaningful history. Most notably, between 7 March 1953 and 10 December 1956, Katowice

1122-481: A population drop between 1939 and 1945. Katowice is one of the more diverse cities in Poland. In the 2021 census, 93.87% of inhabitants declared a Polish nationality while 19.38% declared a nationality other than Polish (in the Polish census, respondents are allowed to declare up to two nationalities or ethnicities). Indigenous Silesians were the largest minority, at 17.8%, followed by Germans (0.43%), Ukrainians (0.18%),

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1224-517: A restricted military area. Conditions in the camp were initially quite poor, as the dire situation of the British economy prevented the Army from providing more than the bare necessities at first. There was not enough food, clothing and living space. In October 1945, there was a hunger strike and demonstration against conditions in the camp. Things started to improve only by the summer of 1946, when

1326-423: A separate town until mid-1960s. Nikiszowiec , a former mine's town, has undergone strong gentrification in recent years, and emerged as a major tourist attraction in the region thanks to its unique architecture and art galleries. Western and Southern neighborhoods (with the exception of Brynów-Załęska Hałda, which is a working-class neighborhood built around a coal mine) are more suburban in nature, concentrating

1428-586: A sports club ("Polonia") were established. On 2 November 1945 the Polish DPs had a service in which a wooden cross on the former concentration camp site was dedicated as a memorial. The Polish camp was disbanded in September 1946. The remaining 4,500 Polish DPs were transferred to other camps in the British zone, as many still hesitated to return to (now communist) Poland or to Soviet-occupied eastern Poland. Eventually, around two thirds of Polish DPs in

1530-509: A temperate, ocean-moderated humid continental climate ( Köppen climate classification : Dfb/Cfb ). The average temperature is 8.2 °Celsius (−2.0 °C or 28.4 °F in January and up to 17.9 °C or 64.2 °F in July). Yearly rainfall averages at 652.8 millimetres or 25.70 inches. Characteristic weak winds blow at about 2 metres per second (4.5 mph; 7.2 km/h; 3.9 kn) from

1632-624: Is a central part of the Metropolis GZM , with a population of 2.3 million, and a part of a larger Katowice-Ostrava metropolitan area that extends into the Czech Republic and has a population of around 5 million people, making it one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the European Union . Katowice was founded as a village in the 16th century, whereas several modern districts of Katowice were founded as villages in

1734-500: Is a centre of the Katowice-Ostrava metropolitan area , with a population of approx. 5.3 million. This metropolitan area extends into the neighboring Czechia , where the other centre is the city of Ostrava . 41 municipalities that constitute the core of the metropolitan area created the Metropolis GZM association, which has 2.3 million people as of 2019. Katowice's population grew very fast between 1845 and 1960, fueled by

1836-784: Is also home to several institutions of higher learning, notably the University of Silesia , the Silesian University of Technology and the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music . The city is a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network having been recognized as a City of Music . The area around Katowice, in Upper Silesia , has been inhabited by Lechitic Silesian tribes from its earliest documented history. While

1938-580: Is centered around the monumental Silesian Parliament building (1923–1929), which architecture is mostly functionalist but still will neoclassical references on the facades. During World War II, the building became headquarters of the Reichsgau Oberschlesien and part of the interior was redesigned by Albert Speer , Hitler's favorite architect, to resemble the interior of the Reich Chancellery . The nearby Cathedral of Christ

2040-465: Is one for English speakers and one for Ukrainian speakers. Unlike most other large Polish cities, Katowice did not originate as a medieval town, therefore it does not have an old town with a street layout and architectural styles characteristic to cities founded on Magdeburg rights . Katowice's urban layout is a result of expansion and annexation of various towns, industrial worker estates, and villages. Katowice city centre has an axis design, along

2142-674: Is the 16th most economically powerful city by GDP in the European Union with an output amounting to $ 114.5 billion. Katowice Special Economic Zone is ranked fourth on the list of the TOP10 Global Free Zones. Katowice has been classified as a Gamma – global city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network and is a centre of commerce, business, transportation, and culture in southern Poland , with numerous public companies headquartered in

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2244-402: Is the main religion in Katowice; as of the 2021 Polish census, 60.52% (172,915 people) of Katowice residents declared to be Roman Catholic, representing a significant drop from the 2011 census when Roman Catholics were 82.43% of the population. No other denomination had at least 1,000 followers as of the 2021 census. In the 2011 census, denominations with at least 1,000 worshippers included

2346-578: The British Zone was led by Rabbi Yisroel Moshe Olewski , Rabbi Shlomo Zev Zweigenhaft and Efraim Londoner and was located in Bergen-Belsen . Yehuda Leib Girsht represented Agudath Israel on the camp committee of Bergen Belsen. The Central Committee of Agudath Israel of the American Zone was led by H. Parasol and N. Braunfeld and was located at Trogerstrasse 58/4 in Munich . When Israel

2448-478: The Great Katowice Synagogue , which was burned to the ground on 4 September 1939. This was followed by the alteration of street names and the introduction of strict rules. Additionally, the use of Polish in public conversations was banned. The German administration was also infamous for organising public executions of civilians and by the middle of 1941, most of the Polish and Jewish population

2550-731: The Great Synagogue was opened. Following World War I and subsequent creation of the Polish state , most Katowice Jews, who identified with Germany, left the city and settled primarily in Bytom , a nearby city that was still part of Germany. They were partially replaced by Jews moving from the East, particularly the neighboring Dąbrowa Basin region that had a large Jewish population. In 1931, 60% of 5,716 Jews in Katowice were recent immigrants from other parts of Poland. On 1 September 1939, Poland

2652-522: The Holocaust survivors who were residents ( Sh'erit ha-Pletah ) in the camp refused to accept the name change and persisted in calling the DP camp 'Bergen-Belsen'. The name change only stuck after the DP camp was dissolved and the area was returned to military use. Today, the location of the former DP camp remains off-limits to the public. Even though many of the buildings are not in use any more, they are in

2754-544: The Knesset either as the Agudat Israel or in coalition with other Orthodox groups running under the name United Torah Judaism . The World Agudath Israel federation held international conferences and Torah congressional meetings known as HaKnessia HaGedolah ( Hebrew : הכנסייה הגדולה , lit.   ' The Great Congress '), which included many of its spiritual and political leaders, from Israel and around

2856-573: The Lutheran Church in Poland – 0.43% (1,336 people) and Jehovah's Witnesses – 0.42% (1,311 people). Other religions with presence and places of worship in the city include Judaism , Islam , and Buddhism , as well as other Protestant denominations. Katowice is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese , with the suffragan bishoprics of Gliwice and Opole , and around 1,477,900 Catholics. The Cathedral of Christ

2958-513: The Middle Ages . Throughout the mid-18th century, Katowice grew following the discovery of rich coal reserves in the area. In the first half of the 19th century, intensive industrialization transformed local mills and farms into industrial steelworks , mines, foundries and artisan workshops. The city has since reshaped its economy from a heavy industry-based one to professional services, education and healthcare. The entire metropolitan area

3060-550: The Red Army in January 1945. Significant parts of the downtown and inner suburbs were demolished during the occupation. As a result, the authorities were able to preserve the central district in its prewar character. The postwar period of Katowice was characterised by the time of heavy industry development in the Upper Silesian region, which helped the city in regaining its status as the most industrialised Polish city and

3162-559: The Reservelazarett to their hospital space. This raised the number of available beds by a further 1,600. Within the first four weeks almost 29,000 survivors from Belsen concentration camp were moved to the emergency hospital. Around 14,000 former inmates died after liberation despite the best efforts of the British Army, the British Red Cross and many others of various nationalities. By June 1945, around 11,000 of

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3264-700: The Silesian Beskids (part of the Carpathian Mountains ). Kłodnica and Rawa (tributaries of the Oder and the Vistula respectively) are the largest rivers in Katowice, and the border between catchment areas of Oder and Vistula goes through the city. With a minimal elevation of 245 metres (804 ft) and median elevation of 266 metres (873 ft) above sea level, Katowice has the highest elevation among large cities in Poland. Katowice has

3366-641: The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP24 ). In 2022, the city hosted the 11th edition of the World Urban Forum , the world's most important conference on sustainable urbanization and development of cities. Katowice encompasses an area of 164.67 square kilometres (63.58 sq mi). The city is situated in the Silesian Highlands , about 50 km (31 mi) north of

3468-733: The United States and other Western countries. Currently, Katowice has one Qahal with approximately 200 members. It owns houses of prayer in Katowice (along with a kosher cafeteria) and nearby Gliwice, and the current rabbi is Yehoshua Ellis. There are two buddhist groups in Katowice: Kwan Um School of Zen , first registered in 1982, and the Diamond Road of Karma Kagyu line association. Jehovah's Witnesses maintain 13 houses of prayer and one Kingdom Hall in Katowice. Aside from Polish-language congregations, there

3570-721: The Upper Silesia plebiscite was organised by the League of Nations . Though Kattowitz proper voted 22,774 to remain in Germany and 3,900 for Poland, it was attached to Poland as the larger district voted 66,119 for Poland and 52,992 for Germany. Following the Silesian Uprisings of 1918–21 Katowice became part of the Second Polish Republic with some autonomy for the Silesian Parliament as

3672-490: The Upper Silesian Railway . It was opened by king Frederick William IV of Prussia . A year later, on 6 August 1847, the first train arrived at the new Katowice station . The railway connection with major European cities (Katowice gained connections to Berlin , Kraków , Vienna and Warsaw , among others, between 1847 and 1848) fostered economic and population growth. The population grew enough to erect

3774-409: The 2011 census, the largest difference was an increase in households with 5 and more people (from 4.9%). As of 2022, Katowice placed third in the country among cities with the highest average salaries, at PLN 8,017.49, behind Warsaw and Kraków. Poverty rate places Katowice on average with other big cities in Poland, at 4.09% of inhabitants eligible for welfare benefits as of 2019. Roman Catholicism

3876-526: The British Army) was established in December 1945. There was a kindergarten, an orphanage, and a yeshiva (a religious school). The Organization for Rehabilitation through Training (ORT) vocational training schools organized occupational education. By mid-1947 ORT had instructed around 1,500 people in training courses that mostly lasted six months. In 1947, a kibbutz had 2,760 members. Also like

3978-717: The British policy and sent protest notes. International contacts were established, e.g. to the Zionist Congress at Basel or the United Jewish Appeal to gain support abroad. In October 1945, David Ben-Gurion , president of the Jewish Agency for Palestine , visited the DP camp. The refugees maintained active opposition to British restrictions on Jewish immigration to the British Mandate of Palestine , and until early 1949 (i.e. well after

4080-449: The British zone returned to Poland, others went to the US and Canada. With the closure of the Polish section, Belsen became the only exclusively Jewish facility in the British sector, something for which the Jewish survivors had struggled with the British. The camp was for a while the largest Jewish DP camp in Germany. Although some had left, in late 1945 thousands of Jews who had survived

4182-411: The DP camp. This population consisted mainly of two groups: ( gentile ) Poles (around 15,000) and Jews (almost 11,000), most of them also from Poland. DPs of other nationalities were largely repatriated by the fall of 1945. From June 1945 Poles and Jews had separate sections in the camp. In the Polish section, a lively social and cultural life developed. The Poles had established a Camp Committee on

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4284-662: The DPs and facilitate their eventual resettlement. For their part, like the Poles, the Jewish refugees organized a vibrant community within the camp. Schools were established within months of the liberation. The DPs founded an elementary school as early as July 1945, and by 1948, 340 pupils attended the school. A high school, which was staffed partly by soldiers from the Jewish Brigade (the Palestinian Jewish unit of

4386-619: The English (0.12%), Jews (0.07%) and Italians (0.07%). In addition, Katowice is home to a large immigrant population that is largely unaccounted for in the official population data in Poland. According to the Polish Ministry of Development, Labor and Technology, there have been 20,527 foreigners (7% of official population figure) on a special worker permit for citizens of Belarus , Georgia , Moldova , Russia , Serbia and Ukraine in Katowice in 2020, 19,003 of them from Ukraine. By

4488-569: The Glyn Hughes Hospital after British Brigadier Hugh Llewellyn Glyn Hughes , the medical officer of the 11th Armoured Division . Later still this became part of the Glyn Hughes Barracks, in what is now Hohne-Camp . The British authorities renamed the camp 'Hohne', after a nearby abandoned settlement on the training area, in order to avoid the association with Nazi genocide at the concentration camp nearby, but

4590-577: The Grand Rabbi of Ger, Rabbi Avraham Mordechai Alter. As a result of this collaboration, they developed the Agudath Israel organization, with the aim of unifying Eastern European and Western European Orthodox Judaism . Agudath Israel gained a significant following, particularly among Hasidic Jews. It had representatives running in the Polish elections after the First World War, and they won seats in that country's parliament ( Sejm ). Among

4692-490: The Holocaust in Poland or Hungary emigrated westward and many of them came to Belsen, although the British initially refused to give them DP status. In August 1946, the DP camp still housed more than 11,000 Jews. From then on, the British Army tried to prevent any more Jews from joining the DP camp. A first Jewish camp committee was formed on 18 April 1945. Democratic elections were held in September 1945. The leader of

4794-1251: The Jewish Committee in Celle and then by the Culture & History Committee of the Central Committee of Liberated Jews in the British Zone (headed by Olewski , Trepman, & Rosenthal). There was considerable rabbinical leadership in the camp. The rabbis of the camp were; Rabbi Dr. Herman Helfgot a.k.a. Tzvi Asaria (previously Rabbi of the Waliki-Beczkark community in Yugoslavia ), Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Meisels (previously, Rabbi of Veitzen), Rabbi Chaim Meisels (previously, Rabbi of Sarvash), Rabbi Yoel Halpern (previously, Rabbi of Jaslow ), Rabbi Yisroel Aryeh Zalmanowitz (previously, Rosh Yeshiva of Bursha ) Rabbi Issachar Berish Rubin, Rabbi Yitzchak Glickman and Rabbi Yisroel Moshe Olewski (previously, Rabbi of Radziov ). The Rosh Hashochtim (head of shechita ) and Rav Hamachshir of

4896-424: The Jewish survivors, Josef Rosensaft became president of the Central Committee of Liberated Jews in the British Zone which represented not just the Belsen DPs but all Jewish DPs in the British zone. In September 1945 and July 1947 the first and second Congress of Liberated Jews in the British Zone took place in the former Wehrmacht officers' mess at Belsen—in the building later known as 'The Roundhouse'. Under

4998-411: The King (1927–1955, with dome lowered by 34 meters compared to original design) is also neoclassical but with an ascetic interior (including a tabernacle and a golden mosaic funded by future pope, Joseph Ratzinger ). Other buildings, designed in mid-to-late 1920s and 1930s, are mostly modernist or functionalist. A symbol of the city in the interwar period, Drapacz Chmur (literally: The Skyscraper ),

5100-413: The King , constructed between 1927 and 1955 in a classicist style, is the largest cathedral in Poland. There are 36 Catholic churches in Katowice (including two basilicas ), as well as 18 monasteries . Katowice is also a seat of a diocesan Catholic seminary, as well as one of the Order of Friars Minor . Katowice Archdiocese owns several media companies headquartered in Katowice: Księgarnia św. Jacka ,

5202-483: The Metropolitan Association of Upper Silesia (predecessor to the current Metropolis GZM ). Its population was 2 million and its area was 1,104 km . In 2006–2007 the union planned to unite these cities in one city under the name "Silesia", but this proved unsuccessful. The Katowice conurbation comprises settlements which have evolved because of the mining of metal ores, coal and raw rock materials. The establishment of mining and heavy industry which have developed for

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5304-457: The Poles, many of the Jewish survivors were young adults and in the first two years after liberation there were almost 1,000 Jewish weddings. By the time the camp was dissolved, over 1,000 children had been born in it. A Yiddish theatre called Kazet had been founded in July 1945 by Sami Feder. It staged plays on the fate of the Jews in ghettos and concentration camps, written by himself, as well as older Yiddish plays from Eastern Europe. Kazet

5406-463: The area would also work in hammer mills: the first one, Kuźnica Bogucka , is mentioned in 1397. The area which would become Katowice was initially ruled by the Polish Silesian Piast dynasty until its extinction. From 1327, the region was under administration of the Kingdom of Bohemia under the Holy Roman Empire . As part of the Bohemian Crown , it was passed to the Habsburg monarchy of Austria in 1526. In 1742, along with most of Silesia , it

5508-466: The arrest of Solidarity trade union officials. On the 10th anniversary of the event, a memorial was unveiled by the President of Poland Lech Wałęsa . In 1990, the first democratic local elections that took place marked a new period in the city's history. The economy of Katowice has been transforming from the heavy industry of steel and coal mines into "one of the most attractive investment areas for modern economy branches in Central Europe". Recently,

5610-437: The camp inhabitants otherwise ran their own affairs. The Jewish Committee established its own court and police force, whose tasks included maintaining public order and to fight black market activities. Former British soldier and officer in HM Colonial Service, Simon Bloomberg served as both UNRRA Director for Bergen-Belsen as well as European Director of the Jewish Committee For Relief Abroad which helped provide rations for

5712-446: The camp was Rabbi Shlomo Zev Zweigenhaft (previously, Rosh Hashochtim of Poland ). There was also a Yeshiva in the camp named “She’eris Yisroel” (the remnants of Israel), the Rosh Yeshiva was Rabbi Gershon Liebman , the administrator was Rabbi Yoel Meir Potashevitz and the mashgiach was Rabbi Chaim Pinchas Lubinsky . Large numbers of DPs began leaving the camp in 1947 as opportunities for emigration improved. Beginning in

5814-402: The citizens and in 1956 the former Polish name was restored. The following decades were more memorable in the history of Katowice. Regardless of its industrial significance, it started to become an important cultural and educational centre in Central and Eastern Europe. In 1968, the University of Silesia in Katowice , the largest and most valued college in the area, was founded. Simultaneously

5916-429: The city or in its suburbs including energy group Tauron and metal industry corporation Fasing , important cultural institutions such as Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra , award-winning music festivals such as Off Festival and Tauron New Music , and transportation infrastructure such as Katowice Korfanty Airport . It also hosts the finals of Intel Extreme Masters , an Esports video game tournament. Katowice

6018-411: The city was defended by local Poles , and the invading Germans immediately carried out massacres of captured Polish defenders . In the following weeks the German Einsatzkommando 1 was stationed in the city, and its units were responsible for many crimes against Poles committed in the region. Under German occupation many of the city's historical and iconic monuments were destroyed, most notably

6120-405: The city's efficient infrastructure, rapid progress in the overall development and an increase in office space has made Katowice a popular venue for conducting business. The Katowice Expo Centre ( Katowickie Centrum Wystawiennicze ) organises trade fairs or exhibitions and attracts investors from all over the world. In 2018, the city was the host of the 24th Session of the Conference of the Parties to

6222-474: The city's middle and upper middle classes. Katowice lies in the centre of the largest conurbation in Poland, one of the largest in the European Union , numbering about 2.7 million. The Katowice metropolitan area consists of about 40 adjacent cities and towns, the whole Katowice-Ostrava metropolitan area (mostly within the Upper Silesian Coal Basin ) over 50 cities or towns and a population of 5,008,000. In 2006, Katowice and 14 adjacent cities united as

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6324-420: The city, and Polish exiles from Kresy ( Eastern Borderlands ) and Polish people from other regions (including for work purposes) started to come to settle in the city. During the war, the Nazi occupiers committed severe crimes against the local Roma and Jewish communities , either killing them on the spot or transporting them to concentration camps such as Auschwitz for complete extermination. This led to

6426-406: The coal mining and steel industries, which took off during the Industrial Revolution . The city was inhabited mainly by Germans , Poles incl. Silesians , and Jews . In 1884, 36 Jewish Zionist delegates met here, forming the Hovevei Zion movement. Previously part of the Beuthen district, in 1873 it became the capital of the new Kattowitz district . On 1 April 1899, the city was separated from

6528-443: The construction of large housing estates began to evolve. Furthermore, many representative structures were erected at that time, including the Silesian Insurgents' Monument (1967) and Spodek (1971), which have become familiar landmarks and tourist sights. The 1960s and 1970s saw the evolution of modernist architecture and functionalism . Katowice eventually developed into one of the most modernist post-war cities of Poland. One of

6630-427: The current regional post office headquarters have been opened; in 1871 the first middle school was opened (later expanded to high school); in 1889, Katowice got a district court; in 1895, the city bath opened and regional headquarters of the Prussian state railways has been established in the city; in 1907, the city theater (currently the Silesian Theatre ) opened. Under the Treaty of Versailles after World War I ,

6732-439: The day after liberation — initially its meetings were also attended by Polish Jews. A school opened in the summer of 1945, attended by up to 600 children, and two kindergartens cared for 100 children. Many Polish DPs were young adults and they started new families in the camp — there were almost 400 weddings and 200 births in the Polish camp. The Committee published newspapers. A choir, a brass band, an "International Cabaret" and

6834-445: The disastrous conditions of the concentration camp. On 21 April the first patients were moved to the new location, disinfected and issued with new clothing. This movement of people was completed by 18 May and at that point the former barracks had around 12,000 hospital beds. The British also moved the wounded German soldiers from the Wehrmacht Reservelazarett (reserve hospital, in a nearby spruce forest) to civilian hospitals and added

6936-413: The district, becoming an independent city . In 1882, the Upper Silesian Coal and Steelworks Company ( Oberschlesischer Berg- und Hüttenmännischer Verein ) moved its headquarters to Katowice, followed by creation of the Upper Silesian Coal Convention ( Oberschlesische Kohlen-Konvention ) in 1898. Civic development followed industrial development: in 1851, the first post office opens in Katowice, and in 1893

7038-436: The eastern portion of Upper Silesia were reintegrated with reborn Poland, and an autonomous Silesian Voivodeship was established, with Katowice as its capital. This event has marked the beginning of a period of unprecedented architectural development in the city. Since most traditional styles, especially gothic and gothic revival, were perceived as connected to imperial Germany by the new Polish authorities, all new development

7140-510: The elected representatives were Alexander Zusia Friedman , Rabbi Meir Shapiro , Rabbi Yosef Nechemya Kornitzer of Kraków , and Rabbi Aharon Lewin of Reysha . Prominent Torah scholars who led Agudath Yisroel included the Gerrer Rebbe , the Radziner Rebbe, Rabbi Mordechai Yosef Elazar Leiner , and the Chafetz Chaim . In Latvia between 1922-1934, members of the Agudath Israel faction, led by Mordechai Dubin , were elected to Saeima (The Parliament). Another prominent member of Agudath Israel

7242-430: The end of 2021, this number has increased to 26,990, with 23,207 of them from Ukraine. Additionally, as of June 2022, 11,568 refugees settled in Katowice since the start of the Russian invasion on Ukraine . According to the 2021 census, 32.3% of the population aged 13 and older had a college degree, 34.3% had a high school diploma or some college, 17.9% completed a vocational secondary school, 2.4% only completed

7344-680: The end of the interwar period, the number of inhabitants exceeded 134,000. From 1926 to 1933, Katowice and the Polish part of Upper Silesia were connected with Gdynia and the Polish part of Pomerania through the Polish Coal Trunk-Line ( Polish : Magistrala Węglowa ). During the early stages of World War II and the Poland Campaign , Katowice was essentially abandoned by the Polish Land Forces , which had to position itself around Kraków . Nevertheless,

7446-594: The establishment of the State of Israel in May 1948), British authorities did not allow free passage in or out of the camp. Nevertheless, the Haganah managed to send in agents who held secret military training programmes on the camp grounds in December 1947. In mid-June 1945, Major Leonard Berney was made commandant of Camp 4. Both sections of the camp, Polish and Jewish, were largely self-administrating. External security

7548-520: The expansion of heavy industry and administrative functions. In the 60s, 70s and 80s, the city grew by another 100,000 people, reaching a height of 368,621 in 1988. Since then, the decline of heavy industry, emigration, and suburbanization reversed the population development; Katowice lost approx. 75,000 people (20%) since the fall of communism in Poland. Before World War II, Katowice was mainly inhabited by Poles and Germans. The 1905 Silesian demographic census has shown that Germans made up nearly 70–75% of

7650-571: The first Lutheran church on 29 September 1858 ( Church of the Resurrection ), and the first Catholic church two years later, on 11 November 1860. Katowice (then: Kattowitz ) gained city status on 11 September 1865 in the Prussian Province of Silesia , by the act of the king Wilhelm I Hohenzollern . The city flourished due to large mineral (especially coal) deposits in the area. Extensive city growth and prosperity depended on

7752-407: The first residents of the future DP camp, which was located around 2 kilometres from the main concentration camp area in former German Army barracks. These later became a British Army camp, known under the name Hohne Station . Initially, British medical staff used buildings in the former Panzertruppenschule (school for Panzer troops) as an emergency hospital to treat the former inmates away from

7854-611: The former inmates still required emergency treatment. The DP camp was established in July 1945 by turning the hospital wards into living quarters. After summer 1945, only the former Wehrmacht hospital, around a kilometre from the barracks, was still used as a hospital. In January 1948, the British turned this into the central Jewish hospital for their occupation zone. It was run by the Central Committee of Liberated Jews, supported by aid organisations. The survivors named it

7956-621: The liquidation of coal mines and factories. This is one of the reasons which led to the development of the service sector, including office spaces, shopping centres and tourism. The Polish Statistical Office estimates Katowice's population to be 292,774 as of 31 December 2020, with a population density of 1,778 inhabitants per square kilometre (4,600/sq mi). There were 139,274 males and 153,500 females. Age breakdown of people in Katowice is: 12.9% 0–14 years old, 13.7% 15–29 years old, 23.8% 30–44 years old, 19.5% 45–59 years old, 20.1% 60–74 years old, and 9.9% 75 years and older. Katowice

8058-430: The lowest share of school dropouts in Europe (less than 5%). There were 120,869 households in Katowice as of the 2021 census, a drop from 134,199 in the 2011 census. Average household size was 2.33, virtually unchanged from the 2.3 reported in the previous census. 32.4% households were single-person households, 31.2% had two people, 18.5% had three people, 11.5% had four people and 6.4% had five people or more. Compared to

8160-619: The main railway line, developed by an industrialist Friedrich Grundman in mid-19th century. Most of the city centre in Katowice developed in late 19th and early 20th century, when it was part of the Kingdom of Prussia and had a German-speaking majority. As a result, architectural styles of that era are similar to those in other Prussian cities such as Berlin or Wrocław (then Breslau); primarily renaissance revival and baroque revival , with some buildings in gothic revival , romanesque revival , and art nouveau styles. In 1922, Katowice and

8262-574: The most dramatic events in the history of the city occurred on 16 December 1981. It was then that 9 protesters died (7 were shot dead; 2 died from injury complications) and another 21 were wounded in the pacification of Wujek Coal Mine . The Special Platoon of the Motorized Reserves of the Citizens' Militia ( ZOMO ) was responsible for the brutal handling of strikers protesting against Wojciech Jaruzelski 's declaration of martial law and

8364-427: The name Katowice ( Katowicze ) is mentioned for the first time in 1598, other villages and settlements that would eventually become parts of modern Katowice have been established earlier, with Dąb being the oldest, mentioned in 1299 for the first time in a document issued by Duke Casimir of Bytom . Bogucice , Ligota, Szopenice and Podlesie were all established in early 14th century. Aside from farming, people living in

8466-430: The past centuries has resulted in the unique character of the cityscape; its typical aspects are the red brick housing estates constructed for the poorer working class, factory chimneys, manufacturing plants, power stations and quarries . The inhabitants of a large mining community like Katowice, and local administrations within the conurbation, which have only evolved due to mining, are a subject to overall decline after

8568-466: The population had decreased. Many of those DPs who were not in need of medical attention were speedily repatriated. In general, this was done voluntarily only, with the notable exception of Soviet citizens — as the Soviet Union had obtained consent from its Allies that its citizens would be sent back even against their own will. In early September 1945 there were still more than 25,000 people in

8670-787: The southwest, through the Moravian Gate . Katowice has 22 officially recognized neighborhoods. Śródmieście , Osiedle Paderewskiego-Muchowiec , Zawodzie and Koszutka form the dense central urban core where most cultural and educational institutions, businesses and administrative buildings are located. Most Northern and Eastern neighborhoods around the downtown core are more working-class and developed from worker's estates build around large industry such as coal mines, manufactures and steelworks. Each of these neighborhoods has its own dense commercial strip surrounded by mid-rise apartment buildings and some single-family homes. Szopienice , located between downtown Katowice and Mysłowice, used to be

8772-453: The spring of 1947, the British government allocated 300 certificates a month to Jews in the British occupation zone—these allowed legal emigration to Palestine. Between April 1947 and the founding of the State of Israel in May 1948 around 4,200 Jews from the British zone, most of them from Belsen, emigrated there legally. By March 1949, the population was down to 4,500. The DP camp at Belsen

8874-583: The stewardship of Rosensaft and Norbert Wollheim and Rafael Olewski , the Central Committee grew into an organization that lobbied the British on behalf of the DPs' political, social, and cultural aims, including the right to emigrate to British-controlled Palestine. Many survivors supported a self-determined Jewish presence in Palestine, even though they had not been Zionists before the war. Having lost their families, houses and possessions, they saw no future for themselves in Europe. DPs demonstrated against

8976-503: The summer of 1945 until September 1950. For a time, Belsen DP camp was the largest Jewish DP camp in Germany and the only one in the British occupation zone with an exclusively Jewish population. The camp was under British authority and overseen by the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) with camp directors that included Simon Bloomberg . Today, the camp is a Bundeswehr barracks, having been

9078-633: The total population (including German Jews) and Poles constituted 25–30% of inhabitants of Katowice. After the plebiscite in Upper Silesia, Silesian uprisings and the incorporation of Katowice into Poland in 1922, and then the incorporation of several nearby villages and towns into the city, the number of inhabitants of Katowice increased significantly, but the number of Germans in Katowice fell to 12% in 1925 and to 6% in 1939 (most Germans left Poland, many ethnic Silesians who used to identify as Germans switched their identification to Poles, and areas with

9180-543: The world. To date, six congresses have been held, the last of which was in 1980. They were in 1923, 1929, 1937, 1954, 1964, and 1980. Kattowitz Katowice is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Katowice urban area . As of 2021, Katowice has an official population of 286,960, and a resident population estimate of around 315,000. Katowice

9282-831: Was Michoel Ber Weissmandl . In Lithuania , Agudath Israel was active inside of Achdus , which merged into the Jewish Economical and Religious Party, and in Czechoslovakia, Agudath Israel first founded the Jewish Conservative Party , which than merged into the Jewish Economic Party and lastly into the Jewish Republican Party  [ sk ] . In the United Kingdom, the Agudath Israel movement

9384-525: Was expelled . The Germans established and operated a Nazi prison in the city, and multiple forced labour camps within present-day city limits, including two camps solely for Poles ( Polenlager ), four camps solely for Jews, two subcamps (E734, E750) of the Stalag VIII-B /344 prisoner-of-war camp , and a subcamp of the Auschwitz concentration camp . Eventually, Katowice was captured by

9486-546: Was attacked by Nazi Germany , and Katowice, a border city, surrendered on 3 September. The Great Synagogue was burned by the German army the same day, and in the following months, Katowice Jews were deported to ghettos in Dąbrowa Basin (primarily Sosnowiec and Będzin ) or directly to various concentration and death camps where most of them were murdered in the Holocaust . After the war, around 1,500 Jews were living in Katowice, but most of them left Poland and emigrated to

9588-632: Was called Stalinogród in honour of Joseph Stalin , leader of the Soviet Union . The change was brought upon by an issued decree of the State Council. The date of the alteration of the city name was neither a coincidence or accidental as it happened on the day of Stalin's death. In this way, the Polish United Workers' Party and the socialist authority wanted to pay tribute to the dictator. The new name never got accepted by

9690-539: Was founded, Agudath Israel reached a modus vivendi with the State of Israel, which was predominantly led by secularists . It helped secure an agreement between Ashkenazi rabbinical leaders and David Ben-Gurion which ensured Ashkenazi rabbinical co-ordination with the state, as well as the implementation of such guarantees as public observance consistent with the laws of the Sabbath and Kashrut . It has established itself as an Israeli political party winning seats in

9792-501: Was in operation until the summer of 1947. In 1946, Abraham Sandman founded the Socialist-Zionist Jiddische Arbeiterbühne . A Zionist newspaper known as Unzer Sztyme (Yiddish for "Our Voice") was published by the DPs of Belsen and became the main Jewish newspaper in the British sector. It was edited by Paul Trepman, David Rosenthal, and Rafael Olewski and had been published initially by

9894-636: Was provided by the British Army. In March 1946, the British transferred administration of the camp to the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Agency ( UNRRA ) but remained responsible for security. The British (and later the UNRRA), supported by other organizations like the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) or Jewish Relief Unit (JRU), supplied food, clothing and medicines. But

9996-623: Was represented by the Adath Israel Synagogue, formed in 1909, and the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations , formed in 1926. By 1943 Agudath Israel represented approximately 5000 families and was led by Rabbi Dr Solomon Schonfeld . The British secretary of the Agudath Israel World Organization, the political wing of the movement, was Harry Goodman, publisher and editor of Jewish Weekly . He played

10098-550: Was seized by Prussia following the First Silesian War . The two subsequent Silesian Wars left the area severely depopulated and with an economy in ruins. In 1838, Franz von Winckler bought Katowice from Karl Friedrich Lehmann and in 1841, he made it the headquarters of his estate. On 3 October 1846, the works of the final stage of the Breslau - Myslowitz ( Wrocław-Mysłowice ) rail line ended, built and operated by

10200-467: Was the first skyscraper built in Poland after World War I, and the first building in the country to be based on a steel frame. Bergen-Belsen displaced persons camp Bergen-Belsen displaced persons camp was a displaced persons (DP) camp for refugees after World War II , in Lower Saxony in northwestern Germany , southwest of the town of Bergen near Celle . It was in operation from

10302-499: Was to be built in, at first in the neoclassical , and later in functionalist / Bauhaus style. The city, which needed to build administrative buildings for the new authorities and housing for people working in regional administration, began expansion southward creating one of the largest complexes of modern architecture in Poland, comparable to Warsaw and Gdynia (newly built port on the Baltic Sea ) only. The modernist district

10404-543: Was to strengthen Orthodox institutions independent of the Zionist movement and Mizrachi organization. The advent of the First World War delayed development of the organisation, however. During the First World War , Rabbi Dr. Pinchas Kohn and Rabbi Dr. Emmanuel Carlebach (both from Germany), were appointed as the rabbinical advisors to the German occupying forces in Poland. In this position, they worked closely with

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