City history

Bytom’s origins date back to the Middle Ages and the city has rich history. Thanks to its location, it played an important role in history. As a city at the border between two powers, i.e. the Jagiellonians and the Habsburgs, and later a border city between the second Republic of Poland and the Weimar Republic, it witnessed numerous important and breakthrough incidents for the history of Upper Silesia and Poland. Today, you can see the combination of the historic and the modern anywhere you go in the city. On the one hand, you can walk down narrow streets delineated back in the Middle Ages, visit historic sites connected with the history of Bytom and on the other admire the changing picture of the city promoting modern solutions.
The history of Bytom dates back to the 12th century. The city received its urban charter based on the German law in 1254 when the prince of Opole and Racibórz, Ladislaus I, granted the city rights to Bytom.
At the turn of the 14th century, during the reign of Casimir, the prince of Bytom, the city flourished. It was surrounded by fortifications, a castle was erected and the Order of the Holy Sepulchre came to Bytom from Miechów in 1299. It was in mid-15th century that Bytom became a border city between Poland and Czechia. Those days, Bytom was not only visited by outstanding people, including king Casimir IV Jagiellon, the most famous chronicler Jan Długosz or the last Master of the Teutonic Order, Albrecht Hohenzollern. It was also here that important negotiations were carried out impacting the events in the Central and Eastern Europe.
In the 16th and 17th century Bytom was ruled first by the Piast dynasty, then by the Hohenzollerns, and in 1623 the land of Bytom was received by Lazarus I Henckel von Donnersmarck as a fief from the emperor. The fact of acquiring the rule of Bytom and neighbouring land by the Donnersmarcks was of immense importance for the city. Bytom experienced another boom period then. The treasures of Bytom, i.e. the deposits of hard coal, zinc and lead ores were discovered then.
The 18th century brought the changed nationality to Bytom and many other Silesian towns and cities, as the city was incorporated in Prussia. Hard coal, zinc and lead ore mining in Bytom made it one of the richest and most flourishing urban and industrial centres in Upper Silesia in the 19th century. The zinc ore and hard coal mines as well as zinc and iron metallurgy brought a lot of money to the mine owners and contributed to the economic development of Bytom. Also the population increased from 1,700 residents in 1800 to 51 thousand in 1900.
In early 20th century Bytom was one of the most developed Upper Silesian cities in economic terms. The city owed its further development not only to the minerals mined here which contributed to its industrial nature, but also to the person of Georg Brüning who was elected unanimously by the Municipal Council to become the first mayor of the city. Brüning was not only one of the longest-ruling mayors of Silesian cities, but he also changed the nature of Bytom at the turn of the 20th century. It was during his rule that the buildings of e.g. the Silesian Opera, Art Nouveau building of the Realschule (currently the 4th Secondary School of General Education), Royal Institute of Hygiene (at present the seat of the Sanitary and Epidemiological Station), former military barracks (at present the seat of the City Office at Smolenia Street) and the wastewater treatment plant (in Łagiewnicka Street) were erected.
The impressive development of the city was shortly impeded by World War I and the events following it in Upper Silesia and Bytom itself. Three Silesian Uprisings in 1919, 1920 and 1921 brought about changes in the political map of Silesia. Bytom played an important role in them as it was here that the Polish Plebiscite Committee started to operate on 12 February 1920. Its seat was the “Lomnitz” hotel bought by the Polish authorities and Wojciech Korfanty was appointed the Polish Plebiscite Commissioner.
As a result of Upper Silesia division, Bytom was left in Germany. In the interwar period, the city kept developing in terms of economy and culture. It was then that Szombierki Heat Power Station, City Library and Upper Silesian National Museum were started (the latter where the Upper Silesian Museum is situated today). In 1927, Rozbark got incorporated in Bytom.
Another breakthrough date in the city history was 1945 and the changed boundaries resulting from the Big Three's arrangements in Teheran and Jalta. According to them, Upper Silesia, including Bytom, got incorporated in Poland. The residents of Bytom and adjacent Miechowice experienced unheard of terror and looting when the Red Army came. The fights were detrimental not only for the civilian population, but also for the historical architecture in the City Centre. On 25–27 January 1945 the Soviets killed more than 380 residents of Miechowice, which is termed Miechowice Tragedy today.
As early as in 1951 there were significant changes in post-war Bytom. The rural poviat of Bytom was liquidated and Bytom came to incorporate Bobrek, Karb, Łagiewniki, Miechowice and Szombierki. All the same, Bytom received areas with metalworks, mines and power plants as well as other industrial plants. Other changes in the administrative map of Bytom took place in 1975. During another administrative reform, Bytom regained Stolarzowice. In the same year, also Sucha Góra, Górniki and Radzionków were incorporated in Bytom. In the period of administrative changes in the second half of the 20th century, the city reached the highest number of people in its history. In 1970, it had 187 thousand residents while after the administrative reform in 1975 and incorporating Radzionków, the number of residents grew to reach 235 thousand people.
Other important changes in Bytom took place following the political changes in 1989. They were particularly crucial for the economy of Bytom predominated by heavy industry to mid-1990s. The reorganisation of mining and metalworking irrevocably closed another chapter in the history of Bytom. 6 mines and 2 metalworks in Bytom were closed. At present, there is only one coal mine operating in the city, namely KWK “Bobrek-Piekary”.
At the turn of the 21st century the city started to change. There are many cultural centres and sports facilities in it. They include e.g. the Silesian Opera, “Rozbark” Theatre, Upper Silesian Museum and “Kronika” Contemporary Art Centre, as well as a skating rink, tennis courts, golf course, ski slope and swimming pools. The Climbing and Strength Sports Centre is created in the area reclaimed from the former Rozbark mine. New companies are founded on the post-industrial land, with new investors appearing in the Katowice Special Economic Zone. The city hospitality sector is expanding, new retail plants, high-tech companies and shopping malls are created.