Tychy

Sister cities

• Huddinge Municipality
• Marzahn-Hellersdorf
• Cassino

History

Originally established as a small agricultural settlement on the medieval trade route between Oświęcim and Mikołów, Tychy was first documented in 1467. In 1629 the first trace of serious economic activity was recorded in the shape of the Książęcy Brewery, which is now one of the largest breweries in Poland. From 1526 onwards the area on which Tychy is built was part of the Austrian Habsburg monarchy. In 1742 Prussia annexed the land after winning the First Silesian War against the Habsburg monarchy. From 1871 to 1918, the territory became part of the German Empire. For a short period between 1918 and 1921, Tychy was just inside the border of the newly formed Weimar Republic and still a part of the German Province of Silesia. On 16–17 August 1919 the (present-day district of Tychy) was fought as one of the first battles of the Silesian Uprisings (1919–1921). In the 1921 plebiscite, in Tychy 83.5% voted for reintergration with Poland, while in then surrounding settlements (present-day districts) of Cielmice, Jaroszowice, Paprocany, Urbanowice, Wilkowyje, the result ranged from 88.2% voting for Poland in Wilkowyje to 94.4% in Cielmice. After the uprisings Tychy was reintegrated with the re-established Polish state. Shortly after its cession to Poland, Tychy began to develop into a small urban settlement, acquiring a hospital, a fire station, a post office, a school, a swimming pool, a bowling hall and a number of shops and restaurants. In 1922 it was visited by leader of interwar Poland, Józef Piłsudski. while many of its inhabitants who were not expelled or exterminated were forced to change their nationality to German in order to comply with the racist policies of Nazi Germany. Mass arrests and executions of Polish activists and former Polish insurgents of 1919–1921…