Mikołów

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Mikołów

	(Coat of arms)


Basic Information
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Silesian
Powiat (County)	Powiat Ziemski Mikołowski
Population	42,053
Founded	before 1222
City rights	1547
Latitude Longitude	50°10' N 18°54' E
Area	18,07 km²
Agglomeration	na
Density	2 142/km²
Area code	+48 32
Car plates	SMI
Twin towns	Beuningen, Sainte Genevieve des Bois, Klimkovice
Economy and Traffic
Administration
Mayor	Marek Balcer
Municipal Website

Mikołów (German :Nikolai) is a town in south Poland with 42,053 inhabitants (2005). First written mention in 1222.

Situated in the Silesian Voivodship (since 1999), previously in Katowice Voivodship (1975-1998). It is the capital of Mikołów County.

1 History
2 Jewish History
3 People
4 External link

[edit] History

First written mention in 1222, which makes Mikolow one of the oldest towns in the Upper-Silesia. The information was contained in the document sent by duke of the Racibórz Casmir( the son of Mieszko the Raciborian )to the bishop of Wrocław- Wawrzyniec. In the document was written the name of Andrew(lat. comes Andreas, castellanus de Miculow) the castellan of Micolow. It provides that Mikolow in that time had administrative functions. Since then Mikolow the position of Mikolow has been growing up. Mikołów became the center of local trading, located on crossroads of trading roads. The epidemy of pest called `black death` killed 33% of inhabitants (1349-50). 1433-1443 was the period of time in which several earthquakes took place. 1545 was year of gaining city status. In 1645 and 1687 few fires burnt tenements near the market place and in connection with that Mikolow achieved the right to expose four fairs a year. In the second half of XVIII century peasants few times opposed the ruler and paying high serfdomes. Additionally in between 1713-15 the city survived a famine bringing epidemies. In 1760 the name `Mikolow` was used first time in the originally form. On 20th of may 1794 the huge fire disaster burnt whole houses around the market squere including the town hall and all historical documents storing inside.

Marketplace and City Hall in Mikołów

[edit] Jewish History

First Jews appeared in Mikołów in 1674, establishing an inn. The synagogue in Mikolow was established in 1816. There was about 800 Jews in the town in the second half of XIX century. Since then the number of Jewish inhabitants little by little has been lowering down to the level of 243 before the Second World War. Just before the `liberation` by Soviets in January, prisoners from Auschwitz had marched through Mikolow to Germany to work in work camps. They were totally exhausted and weak, most of them were at the death`s door. In Mikolow over 60 people died or were murdered and then buried in Jewish cemetery. There were also some Catholics. In 1972 the communist authority ordered the miners from coalmine `Bolesław Śmiały` to detonate the building of Synagogue.

The Jewish cemetery in Mikołów was established in late 10` of XIX century, but the oldest tomb dates back to 1726. Only 100 of 265 tombs preserved. In the front of the cemetery is the memorial, dedicated to all victims of those days. On the memorial there is written:” In this place rest in peace 14 people shot up on 16th of January 1945 by Schutzpolizei officers, and 50 prisoners from the concentration camp in Auschwitz, murdered on 19th January 1945 during evacuation of the camp by Germans. Glory to them` In Mikołów there was also located another-older Jewish cemetery(1682) but during the Second World War it was completely ruined