Pyskowice [pɨskɔˈvʲit͡sɛ] (‹See Tfd›German: Peiskretscham) is a town in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Borders on the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - metropolis with the population of 2 million. Located in the Silesian Highlands.
Pyskowice | |
|---|---|
 Town square with historic tenements | |
 Coat of arms | |
  Pyskowice | |
| Coordinates: 50°23′N 18°37′E / 50.383°N 18.617°E | |
| Country |  Poland |
| Voivodeship |  Silesian |
| County | Gliwice |
| Gmina | Pyskowice (urban gmina) |
| First mentioned | 1256 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Adam Wójcik |
| Area | |
| • City | 31.89 km2 (12.31 sq mi) |
| Population (2008) | |
| • City | 19,104 |
| • Density | 600/km2 (1,600/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 2,746,000 |
| • Metro | 5,294,000 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 44-120 |
| Car plates | SGL |
| Climate | Cfb |
| Website | http://www.pyskowice.pl/ |
It is situated in the Silesian Voivodeship since its formation in 1999, previously it was in Katowice Voivodeship. Pyskowice is one of the towns of the 2,7 million conurbation - Katowice urban area and within a greater Silesian metropolitan area populated by about 5,294,000 people.[1] The population of the town is 19,104 (2008).[2]
During the Second World War Pyskowice, then known as Peiskretcham, was one of the many sites where Canadian and British prisoners of war, nominally attached to Stalag VIIIB/344 Lamsdorf (Lambinowice) had to work for their German captors. There were more than 600 such working parties belonging to Stlag VIIIB/344 in this region. In January 1945, as the Soviet armies resumed their offensive and advanced into Germany, the prisoners based in Pyskowice were marched westward in the so-called Long March or Death March. Some died from the bitter cold and exhaustion. Eventually the survivors were liberated by American troops in April or May 1945.
Twin towns
Pyskowice is twinned with:
La Ricamarie, France
Chervonohrad, Ukraine
Flörsheim am Main, Germany
People
- Agata Buzek (born 1976), Polish actress
- Grzegorz Kasprzik (born 1983), Polish footballer
- Abraham Lewysohn (1805–1860), rabbi
- Georg Radziej (1895–1972), Wehrmacht general
- Rafał Szombierski (born 1982), Polish speedway rider
References
- ^ European Spatial Planning Observation Network (ESPON) "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-07-28. Retrieved 2009-03-28.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Powierzchnia i ludność w przekroju terytorialnym w 2008 - Central Statistical Office in Poland ISSN 1505-5507 , 13.08.2008
External links
- Webpage of the town (Polish, English, German)
- Peiskretscham Website (in German)
- Jewish Community in Pyskowice on Virtual Shtetl
50°24′N 18°38′E / 50.400°N 18.633°E
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