JAWORZNO

'Jaworzno' (, ) is a town and communication junction in southern Poland with 96,600 inhabitants (2006). It is located in the Silesian Voivodeship, which it has been since 1999). Previously, it could be found in Katowice Voivodeship (1975-1998), on the Przemsza and Biała Przemsza rivers. Jaworzno belongs to the Upper Silesian Industrial Region.

Contents

History

Location

Districts

Housing-estates

Communications

Sport and culture

Environment

Education

Tourist attractions

Famous people

Twin towns

See also

External links

History

The first mention of Jaworzno dates back to the 13th century. Historically linked with Lesser Poland, the area originally belonged to the bishops of Cracow. After Austria took over Malopolska (at the end of the 17th century) several coal mines were developed there. After the First World War it became Polish again.

During the Second World War ''SS-Lager Dachsgrube'', a branch of the German concentration camp Auschwitz was established there. This was converted into Central Labour Camp Jaworzno after the war. It was also a location of several POW camps for the Western Allies.

Location

The town of Jaworzno lies in the eastern part of the Province of Silesia and is situated on the border between the regions of Upper Silesia and Little Poland.
Number of inhabitants: 96,600. In terms of area Jaworzno is among the largest towns in Poland; its area is 152.2 km².
The town is not compact. Instead, several districts radiate out from the centre and are divided by strips of green. This contributes to Jaworzno's peculiar functional and special character.

Districts

★ Bory

★ Byczyna

★ Cezarówka

★ Ciężkowice

★ Dąbrowa Narodowa

★ Długoszyn

★ Dobra

★ Jeleń

★ Jeziorki

★ Koźmin

★ Niedzieliska

★ Pieczyska

★ Stara Huta

★ Stare Miasto

★ Szczakowa

★ Śródmieście

★ Wesołe Miasteczko

★ Wilkoszyn

Housing-estates

★ Osiedle Awaryjne

★ Osiedle Cegielnia

★ Osiedle Chopina

★ Osiedle Chrząstówka

★ Osiedle Energetyków

★ Osiedle Gagarina

★ Osiedle Gigant

★ Osiedle Górnicze

★ Osiedle Kalinowa

★ Osiedle Kościuszki

★ Osiedle Leopold

★ Osiedle Łubowiec

★ Osiedle Pańska Góra

★ Osiedle Podłęże

★ Osiedle Podwale

★ Osiedle Skałka

★ Osiedle Stałe

★ Osiedle Warpie

Communications

Jaworzno is situated at the junction of several major lines of road, railway and air communication. The town is crossed by two national roads running from Gdańsk to Cieszyn and from Warsaw to Bytom, connecting the western and eastern borders of the country (its Katowice - Kraków section is a paid A4 motorway). The railway junction at 'Jaworzno-Szczakowa' is a major transshipment point. Thanks to its proximity to the A4 motorway, the town is very well connected to the international airport at Kraków - Balice (about 50 km from Jaworzno). In addition, the proximity of national road No. 79 gives the town good access to the international airport at Katowice - Pyrzowice (about 40 km from Jaworzno).
Because of these features, Jaworzno was a possible target for a NATO nuclear strike during the Cold War period.

Sport and culture

The town of Jaworzno has many sporting facilities on European level and offers a rich variety of educational and cultural activities. The town's showpiece is The Show and Sports Hall (''Hala Widowiskowo-Sportowa'') which can seat 2500 spectators - the Hall hosts not only sporting events but also concerts and cultural performances.
The inhabitants of Jaworzno can visit such places of recreation as, first of all, the water sports centre Sosina, hosting the annual Polish water-skiing championships, the Horse-riding Centre, the Divers' Base, and the Skittle-alley - all these facilities are very attractive. People who live in Silesia and the nearby towns of Little Poland are also glad to visit Jaworzno's swimming-pool, which is one of the most modern in the region.

★ Szczakowianka Jaworzno - football team (1st league 2002/2003)

Environment

Greens, forests and undeveloped land constitute 60% of the town's area. Environment-friendly projects are conducive to the coming of many species of plants and animals finding their habitat here. Jaworzno has some environmentally valuable areas characterised by diverse topographic profile and vegetation as well as a rich flora and fauna. These include the nature reserve "Dolina Zabnika", the landscape protection area "Dobra Wilkoszyn", the surface monument of nature "Sasanka", the "Grodzisko" hill, and the "Sosina" bay. Within Jaworzno's boundaries there are 41 plant species under strict protection and 11 under partial protection.

Education

In Jaworzno there are:

★ around 30 kindergartens

★ around 25 primary schools

★ around 20 gimnasia

★ around 20 high schools

★ 3 colleges

Tourist attractions

★ History of Jaworzno Museum

★ Curious triangular Market-Place

★ Sanctuary of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour

★ Kolegiata ss. Adalbert of Prague and Catherine of Alexandria

★ Palace Jaworznicki

★ Jewish cemetery

★ Remains of Central Labour Camp Jaworzno

Famous people

★ Basia Trzetrzelewska

★ Paweł Sarna

★ Wojciech Saługa

★ Andrzej Stalmach

★ Jan Urban

★ Bogdan Wołkowski

Twin towns

CZE Karvina
HUN Szigethalom

See also

★ Central Labour Camp Jaworzno

External links

★ Official web site of Jaworzno