Wojkowice

History

The settlement of Wojkowice Komorne was first mentioned in 1271, while the existence of Żychcice (Zyhcych) was first documented in 1277. In that year, a Roman Catholic parish was opened in nearby Kamień, together with church of St. Peter and Paul. The area of Wojkowice was probably destroyed in the devastating Mongol invasion of Poland (1240s). Jan Długosz in his works mentions Wojkowice, but does not write about Żychcice. In the late Middle Ages, the area belonged to the Silesian Dukes of Bytom and Cieszyn, who after Mongol raids initiated a program of settlement, founding several new villages. In the 15th century the area of Wojkowice became property of Bishops of Kraków, as part of Duchy of Siewierz. In the 1470s Jan Długosz wrote in his Liber beneficiorum that Wojkowice Komorne was a village in the parish of Siewierz. The Duchy of Siewierz existed until 1790, when it was merged with the Kraków Voivodeship of the Lesser Poland Province. In the late 1780s, the population of Wojkowice Komorne was 214, with 32 houses. Iron ore was already mined in the area. Both villages (Wojkowice Komorne and Żychcice) remained part of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth until 1795. After the Third Partition of Poland, the territory of former Duchy of Siewierz was seized by the Kingdom of Prussia, as part of the newly established province of New Silesia (October 1795). Prussian authorities invested heavily in industrialization of the region. In 1797 they opened a small coal mine, and employed a number of residents of the province in the enterprises located in the Province of Silesia. During the Napoleonic Wars, New Silesia was annexed into the Duchy of Warsaw, ending 12 years of Prussian rule. In 1807, Wojkowice became part of Kalisz Department, Lelów- Siewierz County. In 1815, the Duchy…