The Silesia

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TheSilesia
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Silesia

• The beginning of urban settlement in Upper
  Silesia dates back to the 13th century. People
  cannot believe that towns such as Gliwice and
  Bytom are over 750 years old.
• It is said that Tarnowskie Góry are the oldest
  mining centres in Europe. Upper Silesia has the
  richest hard coal deposits in Europe. With its
  concentration of coal mines and various
  industries Upper Silesia is the most important
  place for the Polish economy.

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Silesia

• The Region is a significant centre of science,
  culture and education.
• The Province of Silesia is home to 13
  universities and institutions of higher
  education, over ten science and research
  institutes, 44 museums, 14 theatres, 4
  philharmonic orchestras and dozens of local music
  groups.

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Silesia

• Upper Silesia
• Upper Silesia is the name of the region of
  Poland located in the southern part of the
  country, almost in the very centre of Europe.
• It has borders with the Czech Republic and
  Slovakia. The main road and rail arteries linking
  Poland with Europe run through the city and
  metropolitan area in an East-West direction,
  (connecting Germany with the Ukraine) and along
  the North-South axis connecting Scandinavian
  countries with Vienna.
• Average temperature July 17oC December
  -2.7oC. Average rainfall 514 mm.Locations
  above sea level - 178 - 504 m.

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Silesia

• Katowice is the main city of the Upper Silesia
  Region and the centre of a metropolitan area of
  nearly 3 million inhabitants more than a quarter
  of the population of Poland lives within an
  hour's drive from Katowice. When describing
  Katowice - the capital city of Upper Silesia, one
  cannot avoid the word "great".

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Silesia - Katowice

• The Kosciuszko Park, which has existed since
  1925, belongs to the most famous and frequented
  ones and it is situated at the street of the same
  name. Its beginning dates back to 1888 when a
  municipal park was founded there. The present
  area ot the park is 72 ha. Its arrangement is
  influenced by English gardens-parks, what is
  emphasized by an alley of roses. They turned to
  wild and it used to belong to the most beautiful
  one in Katowice. After dusk the park is lit by
  stylish street lamps but it is not a safe part of
  the town in the evening. In the park there are
  several structures which are worth seeing. Inside
  the park there is a commemorative plaque founded
  for the patron, Tadeusz Kosciuszko, by people of
  Katowice in 1925. The parachute tower also dates
  back to that time, now it is being rebuilt and
  its height is 40 m it was erected as a training
  structure.

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Silesia - Katowice

• The Silesian Insurgents Monument, 1967, designed
  by G. Zemla - a sculpture - W. Zablocki - an
  architect. One of the best designed Polish
  monuments, very well exposed. A harmonious
  combination of the architecture and the
  sculpture, an appropiate symbolism - the wings
  symbolize the three Silesian uprisings
  1919-1920-1921, on the vertical slopes names of
  places - battlefields. Funded by people from
  Warsaw for Upper Silesia. It is considered to be
  a landmark of the town.

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Silesia - Bedzin

• History
• 1241 - wooden watchtower was burned by Tatars
  1358 - construction of the Castle is finished
  1574 - Henryk Walezy stops here on his way to
  coronation in Cracow 1588 - Principle
  Maksymilian after defeat on Byczyna ceases his
  right to Polish Throne (so called Bedzin's
  Treaty) 1616 -The city and castle is burned
  castle is rebuilt1655 - the castle is destroyed
  by Swedes in the time of "Potop", the next
  rebuilding 1683 - John III Sobieski stops there
  on his way to the rescue of Vienna. XVIII -
  castle is ruined 1834 -castle is rebuilt in a
  romantic style (architect F. Lanci) castle is
  rebuilt in a romantic style (architect F. Lanci)
  1849 - once again castle becomes a ruin 1956 -
  final reconstruction

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Silesia - Chorzów

• Chorzów, located in the very heart of the
  Katowice agglomeration, was only a few years
  back a typical Upper Silesian centre of huge
  industry.
• This one and only nature-recreation complex with
  a funfair, zoological garden, ethnographic park,
  cable railway, as well as the modernised, and
  regarded as the national Silesian Stadium, is
  more and more attractive.