Czechowice-Dziedzice (), known until 1958 as Czechowice, is a town in Bielsko County, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. The town has 35,684 inhabitants, as of December 2021. located at the intersection of two major lines – east-west (Trzebinia – Zebrzydowice), and north–south (Katowice – Bielsko-Biala).

History

thumb|left|General view of Dziedzice in the 1920s.

The area inhabited by the Golensizi tribe probably became part of Poland under Mieszko I of Poland, but the first certain historical mentions pertaining to the region appeared much later. The village of Czechowice was first mentioned in a Latin document of the Diocese of Wrocław called Liber fundationis episcopatus Vratislaviensis from around 1305 as two settlements:

Chotowitz theutonico (German Czechowice) was presumably established under German rights (iure theuthonico) on the ground of the older Chotowitz polonico, which was continuously ruling itself under Polish traditional rights (iure polonico). The declared size of a tithe paid by villagers was also suggesting that it was an old and quite developed community. It belonged then to the Duchy of Cieszyn, formed in 1290 within fragmented Piast-ruled Poland. In 1327 the duchy passed under the suzerainty of the Kingdom of Bohemia as a fee, although it remained ruled by the Polish Piast dynasty until 1653, when it passed to the House of Habsburg. In 1430 the village was first mentioned under the current name of Czechowice rather than Chatowice. Dziedzice were first mentioned in 1465. The other medieval village that was later absorbed by Czechowice was Żebracz, first mentioned in 1443.

The village of Czechowice became a seat of a Catholic parish, mentioned in the register of Peter's Pence payment from 1447 among 50 parishes of Teschen deanery as Czechowicz. In the time of Protestant Reformation, the parish of Czechowice stayed Roman Catholic, conversely to the nearby town of Bielsko and the rest of the Duchy of Cieszyn.

19th and early 20th centuries

thumb|left|Members of the [[Polish Sokół movement|"Sokół" Polish Gymnastic Society in Dziedzice after its founding in 1905]]

After Revolutions of 1848 in the Austrian Empire, a modern municipal division was introduced in the re-established Austrian Silesia. The villages as two separate municipalities were subscribed to the political and legal district of Bielsko. In 1855, a local line of the important Emperor Ferdinand Northern Railway was opened to traffic with a station in Dziedzice. This led to a rapid industrialization of Dziedzice and Czechowice, especially in the late 19th century. At that time, Czechowice and Dziedzice became strong centers of the Polish national movement in stark contrast to German-dominated town of Bielsko, whose inhabitants used to call the area of Czechowice and Dziedzice verfluchte polnische Winkel (cursed Polish corner). Polish school, pedagogical, sports and other organizations were established here. Patriotic celebrations take place at the monument.

In 1942, the Germans established two forced labor camps in the town: one for Poles (Polenlager) and one for Jewish men. During the Oil Campaign of World War II, the oil refinery at Czechowice was bombed on August 20, 1944. In 1944, the occupiers established the Tschechowitz I and II subcamps of Auschwitz in Czechowice-Dziedzice, which provided forced labor for the SOCONY-Vacuum oil plant and housed over 600 prisoners. There were cases of prisoners being killed by SS guards while trying to accept food from Poles outside the camps or during escape attempts. However, the name of the new town was Czechowice, which disappointed the citizens of Dziedzice. After complaints in 1958, the town was renamed Czechowice-Dziedzice.

From 1975 to 1998, it was attached to the Katowice Voivodeship, and since 1999 to Silesian Voivodeship.

In 1993, a new Freedom Monument was erected in place of the former, destroyed by the Germans in 1939.

In case of Dziedzice, the population of the municipality grew from 1,011 in 1880 to 2,436 in 1910 with a majority being native Polish-speakers (between 748 or 78% in 1880 and 1,994 or 85.1% in 1910, at most 938 or 92.1% in 1890) accompanied by a German-speaking minority (189 or 19.7% in 1880, then at most 266 or 11.4% in 1910) and Czech-speaking (at most 81 or 3.5% in 1910), in terms of religion in 1910 majority were Roman Catholics (88.6%), followed by Jews (185 or 7.6%) and Protestants (93 or 3.8%).

Sports

The local football team is . It competes in the lower leagues.

Twin towns – sister cities

See twin towns of Gmina Czechowice-Dziedzice.

Notable people

  • Piotr Beczała (born 1966), operatic tenor
  • Ludwik Maciej (1915–2007), Polish World War II military pilot
  • Łukasz Piszczek (born 1985), footballer

<gallery>

File:POL Czechowice-Dziedzice Kościół NMP Wspomożenia Wiernych.JPG|Saint Mary of Help church

File:POL Czechowice-Dziedzice Urząd Miejski 1.JPG|Town hall

File:Czechowice-Dziedzice, Church of St. Catherine - panoramio.jpg|The oldest church of St. Catherine

File:PG Silesia - panorama.jpg|Silesia coal mine

File:POL Czechowice-Dziedzice Kolonia robotnicza na Węglowej 3.JPG|Workers' houses in Żebracz

File:Fourth elementary school czechowice.JPG|Primary school

</gallery>

References

  • Czechowice - Dziedzice on the web
  • Jewish Community in Czechowice-Dziedzice on Virtual Shtetl