Gliwice

Sister cities

• Doncaster
• Dessau-Roßlau
• Bottrop
• Rădăuți
• Kežmarok
• Salgótarján
• Valenciennes

History

Gliwice was first mentioned as a town in 1276, however, it was granted town rights earlier by Duke Władysław Opolski of the Piast dynasty. It was located on a trade route connecting Kraków and Wrocław and was part of various Piast-ruled duchies of fragmented Poland: Opole until 1281, Bytom until 1322, from 1322 to 1342 Gliwice was a capital of the , afterwards again part of the Duchy of Bytom until 1354, later it was also ruled by other regional Polish Piast dukes until 1532, In the Middle Ages the city prospered mainly due to trade and crafts, especially brewing. After the dissolution of the Duchy of Opole and Racibórz in 1532, it was incorporated as Gleiwitz into the Habsburg monarchy. Because of the vast expenses incurred by the Habsburg monarchy during their 16th century wars against the Ottoman Empire, Gleiwitz was leased to Friedrich Zettritz for the amount of 14,000 thalers. Although the original lease was for a duration of 18 years, it was renewed in 1580 for 10 years and in 1589 for an additional 18 years. Around 1612, the Reformed Franciscans came from Kraków, and then their and were built. The city was besieged or captured by various armies during the Thirty Years' War. The city was incorporated with Prussia into the German Empire in 1871 during the unification of Germany. In 1897, Gleiwitz became its own Stadtkreis, or urban district. The first coke-fired blast furnace on the European continent was constructed in Gleiwitz in 1796 under the direction of John Baildon. Gleiwitz began to develop into a major city through industrialization during the 19th century. The town's ironworks fostered the growth of other industrial fields in the area. The city's population in 1875 was 14,156. However, during the late 19th century Gleiwitz had: 14 distilleries, 2…

Most-observed species

• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,957
• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,769
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,755
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,549
• Eurasian Collared-Dove

  Streptopelia decaocto (Frivaldszky, 1838) · Aves
  1,420
• Hooded Crow

  Corvus cornix Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,389
• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  1,346
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,274

Most recent

• M 2.6 — 2026-04-09
  1 km WNW of Radlin, Poland
• M 2.9 — 2025-04-29
  4 km WSW of Bytom, Poland
• M 3.2 — 2025-01-27
  1 km NE of Radlin, Poland
• M 2.9 — 2024-07-11
  4 km N of Jejkowice, Poland
• M 3 — 2023-10-04
  2 km W of Murcki, Poland
• M 2.8 — 2023-01-12
  2 km ENE of Karviná, Czechia