Siemianowice Śląskie (; ; ) also known as Siemianowice is a city in Upper Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice, in the core of the Metropolis GZM - a metropolis with a population of 2 million people and is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Brynica river (tributary of the Vistula).

It is situated in the Silesian Voivodeship since its formation in 1999, previously in Katowice Voivodeship, and before then in the Autonomous Silesian Voivodeship. Siemianowice is one of the cities of the 2.7 million conurbation, the Katowice urban area, at the heart of the greater Katowice-Ostrava metropolitan area populated by about 5,294,000 people. The population of the city is 65,684 (2021). German saboteurs then entered the local mine, taking several dozen Polish miners as hostages. In September 1939, the German Einsatzgruppe I operated in the city and committed various crimes against the Polish population.

At least seven Polish policemen from Siemianowice Śląskie were murdered by the Russians in the Katyn massacre in April 1940.

During the German occupation, two forced labour camps were established and operated in the city: one for Poles (Polenlager) and one for Jews. In April 1944, the Germans also established a subcamp of the Auschwitz concentration camp, in which over 900 people were held and subjected to forced labour. In January 1945, the prisoners of the subcamp were taken to the Mauthausen concentration camp, It competes in the lower leagues.

Notable people

  • Hugo Henckel von Donnersmarck (1811–1890), German industrialist, founder of Laurahütte
  • Ernst Steinitz (1871–1928), German mathematician
  • Wojciech Korfanty (1873–1939), Polish politician
  • Otto Josef Schlein (1895–1944), German physician
  • Michael Jary (1906–1988), German composer
  • Heinz A. Lowenstam (1912–1993) German-born, Jewish-American paleoecologist
  • Antoni Halor (1937–2011), Polish film director, artist, writer
  • Witold Ziaja (born 1940), Polish field hockey player
  • Zygmunt Maszczyk (born 1945), Polish footballer
  • Józef Skrzek (born 1948), musician, leader of SBB band
  • Barbara Blida (1949–2007), Polish politician
  • Bronisław Korfanty (born 1952), Polish senator
  • Apostolis Anthimos (born 1954), musician
  • Henryk Średnicki (1955–2016), Olympic boxer
  • Krzysztof Globisz (born 1957), Polish actor
  • Daniel Podrzycki (1963–2005), Polish politician
  • Jacek Fröhlich (born 1965), Automotive Designer, BMW exterior design chief
  • Kryspin Hermański (born 1984), Polish dancer
  • Karol Gwóźdź (born 1987), Silesian artist, writer and musician
  • Kajetan Duszyński (born 1995), Polish sprinter, Olympic medallist

Twin towns – sister cities

Siemianowice Śląskie is twinned with:

  • Câmpia Turzii, Romania
  • Jablunkov, Czech Republic
  • Köthen, Germany
  • Mohács, Hungary
  • Wattrelos, France

References

  • Jewish Community in Siemianowice Śląskie on Virtual Shtetl
  • Sights
  • Old photos