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Zabrze
Main Post Office
Flag Coat of arms
Zabrze Show map of Silesian Voivodeship Zabrze Show map of Poland
Coordinates: 50°18′09″N 18°46′41″E / 50.30250°N 18.77806°E / 50.30250; 18.77806
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Silesian
County	city county
Established	thirteenth century
Town rights	1922
Government
• Mayor	Małgorzata Mańka-Szulik
Area
• City	80.40 km2 (31.04 sq mi)
Population (2013)
• City	179,452[1]
• Urban	2,746,000
• Metro	4,620,624
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	41-800 to 41-820
Area code(s)	+48 32
Car plates	SZ
Website	um.zabrze.pl

Zabrze (/ˈzɑːbʒeɪ/; Polish pronunciation: [ˈzabʐɛ] (listen); German: 1915–1945: Hindenburg O.S., full form: Hindenburg in Oberschlesien, 1905–1915: Zabrze, Silesian: Zobrze) is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. The west district of the Silesian Metropolis, a metropolis with a population of around 2 million. It is in the Silesian Highlands, on the Bytomka River, a tributary of the Oder.

Zabrze is in the Silesian Voivodeship, which was reformulated in 1999. Before 1999 it was in Katowice Voivodeship. It is one of the cities composing the 2.7 million inhabitant conurbation referred to as the Katowice urban area, itself a major centre in the greater Silesian metropolitan area which is populated by just over five million people.^[2] The population of Zabrze as of June 2009, is 188,122.^[3]

History

The New Theatre in Zabrze

Early history

Biskupice (Biskupitz), which is now a subdivision of Zabrze, was first mentioned in 1243 as Biscupici dicitur cirka Bitom^{[citation needed]}. Alt-Zabrze was mentioned in 1295-1305 as Sadbre sive Cunczindorf (sive = "or"). In the Late Middle Ages, the local Silesian Piast dukes invited German settlers into the territory, resulting in increasing German settlement^{[citation needed]}. Zabrze became part of the Habsburg Monarchy of Austria in 1526, and was later annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia during the Silesian Wars^{[citation needed]}. In 1774, the Dorotheendorf settlement was founded. When the first mine in Zabrze became operational in 1790, the town became an important mining center.^{[citation needed]}

Early 20th century and interwar years

In 1905, the Zabrze commune was formed by the former communes Alt-Zabrze, Klein-Zabrze and Dorotheendorf. The Zabrze commune was renamed Hindenburg in 1915 in honour of Generalfeldmarschall Paul von Hindenburg. The name change was approved by King Wilhelm II on 21 February 1915.^[4] During the plebiscite held after World War I, 21,333 inhabitants (59%) of the Hindenburg commune voted to remain in Germany, while 14,873 (41%) voted for incorporation to Poland.^[4] In May 1921 the Third Silesian Uprising broke out and Hindenburg was captured by Polish insurgents, who held it until the end of the uprising.^[4] When Upper Silesia was divided between Poland and Germany in 1921, the Hindenburg commune remained in Germany. It received its city charter in 1922. Just five years after founding Hindenburg became the biggest city in German Upper Silesia and the second biggest City in German Silesia after Breslau. In the March 1933 elections, most of the citizens voted for the Nazi Party, followed by Zentrum and the Communist Party. Nazi politician Max Fillusch became the city's mayor and remained in the position until 1945.^[5]

World War Two and aftermath

The town's synagogue, that had stood since 1872, was destroyed in the Kristallnacht pogroms of November 1938.^[6] During some of the time of the Nazi German control of the region, a subcamp of Auschwitz III was located here.

Following World War II, the city was annexed by Poland in 1945 and was renamed back^{[citation needed]} to Zabrze on May 19, 1945. Most of the German inhabitants were expelled.

Administrative divisions

Districts and housing estates

On 17 September 2012, the Zabrze city council decided on a new administrative division of the city. Zabrze was subsequently divided into 15 districts and 3 housing estates.^[7]

Districts

Districts of Zabrze

Infrastructure

The Polish A4, which is part of the European E40, has a motorway junction near Zabrze.
The Drogowa Trasa Srednicowa leads through the town.

Politics

Coal Mining Museum in Zabrze

Members of Parliament (Sejm) elected from Bytom/Gliwice/Zabrze constituency

• Chojnacki Jan, SLD-UP


• Dulias Stanisław, Samoobrona


• Gałażewski Andrzej, PO


• Janik Ewa, SLD-UP


• Kubica Józef, SLD-UP


• Martyniuk Wacław, SLD-UP


• Okoński Wiesław, SLD-UP


• Szarama Wojciech, PiS


• Szumilas Krystyna, PO


• Widuch Marek, SLD-UP

Sport

• 
  Górnik Zabrze - men's football team (Polish Champion 1957, 1959, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1971, 1972, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988; Polish Cup winner 1965, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972; Polish Supercup winner 1988)


• 
  Wojtek Wolski - Pro ice hockey player for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League
  

Economy

Like other towns in this populous region, it is an important manufacturing centre, having coal-mines, iron, wire, glass, chemical and oil works, and local Upper Silesia Brewery, etc.

Notable people

Wolności Street in Zabrze

• 
  Karl Godulla (1781–1848), Prussian industrialist


• 
  James Kleist (1873-1949), German-American Jesuit scholar


• 
  Heinz Fiebig (1897–1964), Wehrmacht general


• 
  Wolfgang Jörchel (1907–1945), Standartenführer in the Waffen SS
  


• 
  Fritz Laband (1925–1982), German footballer


• 
  Friedrich Nowottny (born 1929), German television journalist


• 
  Janosch (born 1931), German author


• 
  Joachim Kroll (1933–1991), German serial killer


• 
  Joachim Kerzel (born 1941), German actor


• 
  Wojtek Wolski, Polish-Canadian hockey player playing for the Washington Capitals of the NHL, was born here in 1986.


• 
  Krystian Zimerman, internationally renowned classical pianist, was born here in 1956.


• 
  Czesław Śpiewa, (born 1979), singer


• 
  Władysław Józef Marian Turowicz, Polish-Pakistani military scientist


• 
  Jan Sawka, Polish-American artist, architect


• 
  Bartłomiej Socha, footballer


• 
  Waldemar Sorychta, heavy metal musician and producer


• 
  The Dumplings, electropop band^[8]
  

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Zabrze is twinned with these cities:

References

Notes

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Zabrze.

• 
  Municipal website (in Polish)
  


• 
  Zabrze Community (in Polish)
  


• 
  Portal Zabrze.com.pl (in Polish)
  


• Encyclopædia Britannica Zabrze


• 
  Jewish Community in Zabrze on Virtual Shtetl


• 
  Old images of the city (in German)
  


• http://www.zabrze.aplus.pl/

Coordinates: 50°18′N 18°47′E / 50.300°N 18.783°E / 50.300; 18.783