Orzesze

Place in Silesian Voivodeship, Poland

Coat of arms

50°9′N 18°45′E / 50.150°N 18.750°E / 50.150; 18.750Country

PolandVoivodeship

SilesianCountyMikołówGminaOrzesze (urban gmina)Town rights1962Government

• MayorMirosław BlaskiArea

• City83.79 km² (32.35 sq mi)Population

(2019-06-30^[1])

• City21,043 • Density250/km² (650/sq mi) • Urban

2,746,000 • Metro

5,294,000Time zoneUTC+1 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)Postal code

43-180

Area code+48 32Car platesSMIWebsitehttp://www.orzesze.pl

Orzesze [ɔˈʐɛʂɛ] (German: Orzesche, Silesian: Ôrzeszŏ) is a town in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Borders on the Metropolis GZM – metropolis with the population of 2 million. Located in the Silesian Highlands.

It is situated in the Silesian Voivodeship since its formation in 1999, previously in Katowice Voivodeship, and before then, of the Autonomous Silesian Voivodeship. Orzesze is one of the towns of the 2.7 million conurbation – Katowice urban area and within a greater Upper Silesian-Moravian metropolitan area populated by about 5,294,000 people.^[2] The population of the town is 21,043 (2019).

Districts

Apart from the town proper and its two districts (Jaśkowice and Zawada) Orzesze has seven sołectwos:^[3]

History

Orzesze dates back to the Middle Ages, however, for centuries it remained a village, as it was not granted town rights until 1962.

During the joint German-Soviet invasion of Poland, which started World War II, the town was captured by Germany on September 3, 1939^[4] after Polish defense. The Germans immediately carried out mass arrests of Polish activists, scouts and insurgents of the Silesian Uprisings of 1919–1921.^[4] On September 3, Wehrmacht troops massacred 12 Poles in the present-day districts (sołectwos) of Zawiść and Zgoń, and on September 4, the Freikorps massacred 29 Poles from Orzesze in the nearby Pasternik forest.^[5] The victims of the latter massacre were 28 men (foresters, railwaymen, workers, farmers, retirees, a musician, editor, photographer, teacher, local official, barber, miner, janitor) and one woman.^[5] On September 8, 1939, German troops executed Józef Szindler, the commander of the local insurgent unit.^[6] The Polenlager No. 28, a forced labour camp for Poles, was established in the town in 1942.^[7] German occupation ended in 1945.

Education

In 1820 the first school in a renovated farm was funded. In 1838, due to development of industry number of inhabitants started to grow rapidly. New school was built, at which 389 children were taught in 2 rooms. In 1868 new school arose in the building of the current post office. In that year Lutherans started education in their own school. In 1903, a modern school was built.

Neighbouring communes

Czerwionka-Leszczyny, Łaziska Górne, Mikołów, Ornontowice, Suszec, Wyry, Kobiór, Żory.

References

^ "Population. Size and structure and vital statistics in Poland by territorial division in 2019. As of 30th June". stat.gov.pl. Statistics Poland. 2019-10-15. Retrieved 2020-03-13.
^ European Spatial Planning Observation Network (ESPON) "Project 1.4.3". Archived from the original on July 28, 2009. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
^ "Statuty sołectw". Retrieved 2015-05-06.
^ ^a ^b Wardzyńska, Maria (2009). Był rok 1939. Operacja niemieckiej policji bezpieczeństwa w Polsce. Intelligenzaktion (in Polish). Warszawa: IPN. p. 131.
^ ^a ^b Wardzyńska, p. 131-132
^ Wardzyńska, p. 132
^ "Polenlager Nr. 28 Orzesze". Bundesarchiv.de (in German). Retrieved 28 December 2020.