Knurów


Knurów is a town near Katowice in Silesia, southern Poland. Knurów borders on the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union, a metropolis with a population of two million.
Knurów is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Bierawka River, a tributary of the Oder River.

History

Knurów's history as major town is relatively short, as it only became a town in 1951, as result of the merger of the settlements of Krywałd and Szczygłowice. However, Knurów's existence can be traced back as far back as 1295. The original name was Knauersdorf or Cnurowicz, as it emerged as a German settlement during the German resettlement of former Germanic areas during the Middle Ages. As with the rest of Upper Silesia, the town changed hands between the kingdoms of Prussia and Poland over the course of its history. The town rapidly grew at the end of the 18th Century as the Industrial Revolution came and vast coal reserves were found in the area. The coal industry continued growing well in the 20th Century, and doubled its output with a new mine being built in 1961 in Szczygłowice. More recently, in May 2015, riots ensued in the town after a Concordia Knurów fan was shot dead by police during a football match.

Population

Knurów is one of the cities of the 2.7 million conurbation – Katowice urban area and within a greater Silesian metropolitan area populated by about 5,294,000 people. The population of the town is 38,310.

Politics

Administratively Knurów has been part of the Silesian Voivodeship since the latter's formation in 1999; previously it was part of Katowice Voivodeship.

Economy

The town is usually associated with coal mining, as it lies in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin.

Sport

The town is home to Concordia Knurów, a lower league football club which was founded in 1923, and famously where Jerzy Dudek started his career. Another famous athlete Agnieszka Dubiel, was a professional sailor for many years. She managed to stay in National Sailing Team and represent Poland on many European and World Championships. Her best result was 21st on Youth World Championship 2014.

Twin towns – sister cities

Knurów is twinned with: