Bedzin
Encyclopedia
Będzin AUD is a city
in Zagłębie Dąbrowskie in southern Poland
. Located in the Silesian Highlands
, on the Czarna Przemsza river (tributary of the Vistula), the city borders the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union
- a metro area with a population of about 2 million.
It has been situated in the Silesian Voivodeship
since its formation in 1999. Before 1999, it was located in Katowice Voivodeship
. Będzin is one of the cities of the 2.7 million person conurbation - Katowice urban area
and within a greater Silesian metropolitan area
populated by about 5,294,000 people. The population of the city is 58,639 (2008).
and became a city in 1358.
Until World War II, Będzin had a vibrant Jewish community. According to the Russian census of 1897, out of the total population of 21,200, Jews constituted 10,800 (around 51% percent). According to the 1921 census
the town had a Jewish community consisting of 17,298 people, or 62.1 percent of its total population. In September 1939, the German Army (Wehrmacht
) overran this area, followed by the SS death squads (Einsatzgruppen
), who burned the Będzin synagogue and murdered many of the Jewish inhabitants. A Będzin Ghetto
was created in 1942. Eventually, in the summer of 1943, most of the Jews in Będzin were deported to the nearby German concentration camp at Auschwitz. Since Będzin was one of the last Polish communities to be liquidated, there are a relatively large number of survivors from there, and an extensive collection of their personal photographs were recovered, offering photographic insight into the pre-war life there.
with: Izhevsk
, Russia
Tatabánya
, Hungary
Kaišiadorys
, Lithuania
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
in Zagłębie Dąbrowskie in southern Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. Located in the Silesian Highlands
Silesian Highlands
Silesian Highlands are highlands located in Silesia and Lesser Poland, Poland. It is the part of Lesser Poland Highlands Its highest point is the Mountain of St. Anne .-See also:...
, on the Czarna Przemsza river (tributary of the Vistula), the city borders the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union
Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union
The Metropolitan Association of Upper Silesia or Upper Silesia Metroplex, Silesia Metroplex / Silesia Metroplex is a union of 14 adjacent cities in the Polish province of Silesia....
- a metro area with a population of about 2 million.
It has been situated in the Silesian Voivodeship
Silesian Voivodeship
Silesian Voivodeship, or Silesia Province , is a voivodeship, or province, in southern Poland, centering on the historic region known as Upper Silesia...
since its formation in 1999. Before 1999, it was located in Katowice Voivodeship
Katowice Voivodeship
Katowice Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in the years 1975–1998, superseded by the Silesian Voivodeship...
. Będzin is one of the cities of the 2.7 million person conurbation - Katowice urban area
Katowice urban area
The Katowice urban area, also known as the Upper Silesian urban area, is an urban area/conurbation in southern Poland. It is located in the Silesian Voivodeship and in a small part of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. The Katowice urban area is the largest urban area in Poland and one of the largest...
and within a greater Silesian metropolitan area
Silesian metropolitan area
The Upper Silesian metropolitan area is the metropolitan area in southern Poland and northeast Czech Republic, centered on the cities of Katowice and Ostrava in Silesia...
populated by about 5,294,000 people. The population of the city is 58,639 (2008).
History
According to archeological finds, the settlement has existed since the early Middle Ages. The earliest historical mention of Będzin comes from 1301, when it is listed as a village. It was granted Magdeburg rightsMagdeburg rights
Magdeburg Rights or Magdeburg Law were a set of German town laws regulating the degree of internal autonomy within cities and villages granted by a local ruler. Modelled and named after the laws of the German city of Magdeburg and developed during many centuries of the Holy Roman Empire, it was...
and became a city in 1358.
Until World War II, Będzin had a vibrant Jewish community. According to the Russian census of 1897, out of the total population of 21,200, Jews constituted 10,800 (around 51% percent). According to the 1921 census
Polish census of 1921
The Polish census of 1921 or First General Census in Poland was the first census in the Second Polish Republic, performed on September 30, 1921 by the Main Bureau of Statistics ....
the town had a Jewish community consisting of 17,298 people, or 62.1 percent of its total population. In September 1939, the German Army (Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
) overran this area, followed by the SS death squads (Einsatzgruppen
Einsatzgruppen
Einsatzgruppen were SS paramilitary death squads that were responsible for mass killings, typically by shooting, of Jews in particular, but also significant numbers of other population groups and political categories...
), who burned the Będzin synagogue and murdered many of the Jewish inhabitants. A Będzin Ghetto
Będzin Ghetto
Będzin Ghetto or the Bendzin Ghetto was a ghetto established for Jews by Nazi German authorities in occupied Poland during the Holocaust. A major ghetto in East Upper Silesia, it was created in May 1942...
was created in 1942. Eventually, in the summer of 1943, most of the Jews in Będzin were deported to the nearby German concentration camp at Auschwitz. Since Będzin was one of the last Polish communities to be liquidated, there are a relatively large number of survivors from there, and an extensive collection of their personal photographs were recovered, offering photographic insight into the pre-war life there.
Notable inhabitants
- Rutka LaskierRutka LaskierRutka Laskier was a Jewish teenager from Poland who is best known for her 1943 diary chronicling three months of her life during the Holocaust.-Biography:...
, diarist (1929–1943) - Jean-Marie Lustiger's parents
- Joshua PrawerJoshua PrawerJoshua Prawer was a notable Israeli historian and a scholar of the Crusades and Kingdom of Jerusalem.His work often attempted to portray Crusader society as a forerunner to later European colonialist expansion...
, Israeli historian, founder of the crusader studies (1917–1990) - Andrzej KubicaAndrzej KubicaAndrzej Kubica is a former Polish football player He played in Poland, France, Israel and Japan and retired in 2007.-Club career:Kubica played for OGC Nice in the French Ligue 1...
, former football player (1972- ) - Janusz GajosJanusz GajosJanusz Gajos is a Polish actor.He graduated in 1965 from the National Film School in Łódź as one of its best students despite having been rejected during entrance exams for three times. He debuted while he was still in film school in children's film Panienka z okienka in 1964...
, actor (1939- ) - Grzegorz DolniakGrzegorz DolniakGrzegorz Maciej Dolniak was a Polish politician. He was elected to Sejm on 25 September 2005, getting 12,151 votes in the 32nd Sosnowiec district as a candidate from the Platforma Obywatelska list.He was listed on the flight manifest of the Tupolev Tu-154 of the 36th Special Aviation Regiment...
, politician (1960–2010)
Twin towns — Sister cities
Będzin is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with: Izhevsk
Izhevsk
Izhevsk is the capital city of the Udmurt Republic, Russia, situated on the Izh River in the Western Urals. Population: From 1984 to 1987 Izhevsk carried the name Ustinov |Minister of Defense of the USSR]], Marshal of the Soviet Union, Dmitry Ustinov). The city is an important industrial center,...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
Tatabánya
Tatabánya
Tatabánya is a city of 69,988 inhabitants in north-western Hungary, in the Central Transdanubian region. It is the capital of Komárom-Esztergom County.- Location :...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
Kaišiadorys
Kaišiadorys
Kaišiadorys is a city in central Lithuania. It is situated between Vilnius and Kaunas. Kaišiadorys is one of six Lithuanian diocese centres. It is home to the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of Christ built in 1932. The Lithuanian Veterinary Institute is located there.-Etymology:Its name is...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
External links
- Official web page of the city of Będzin (Polish)
- A Memorial to the Jewish Community of Będzin
- Będzin, Czeladź, Dąbrowa Górnicza, Sławków, Sosnowiec