Szczakowa. Studium Społeczno-Gospodarcze

Lipiec, Stanisław

Szczakowa. Studium Społeczno-Gospodarcze

Abstract

Szczakowa is a district of southern Poland, medium-sized town of Jaworzno. Today this area is rather forgotten, devastated and marginalized. This was not always the case. Once Szczakowa was one of the most resilient villages and towns in Western Galicia and Malopolska. In the Middle Ages and the modern period, it developed quietly, on the sidelines of major events. However, it was here that the interests of the king and the Bishops of Cracow crossed. Here, at the command of King Poniatowski, the first Polish coal mine was located. In the days of the Free City of Krakow and the reign of the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Josef, the town was one of the most important Austrian railway stations on the Northern Railroad. It was a part of the Three Emperors’ Corner separating the three Powers: Austria, Germany and Russia. It was one of the most significant border crossings in Europe. Around the railway station it created a vibrant industry and the town grew, which received municipal rights in 1896. Here the most modern European cement mill, soda and glassworks were located, military units were stationed, railway transport intensively developed. In the Second Polish Republic the city grew rapidly. Szczakowa has become one of the largest and most dynamic cities of the Cracow Basin. During World War II, the area was incorporated into the Third Reich, but the guerrilla was active here. After the war, the city continued to grow rapidly. Unfortunately, the heavy industry and mining of nearby Jaworzno dominated the railway’s town. Therefore, in 1956 Szczakowa disappears from the history cards due to its inclusion in the nearby Jaworzno. Szczakowa is not only a railway and industry. It is also a local society, for hundreds of years living side-by-side Poles, Germans, Jews, and Russians. It is also a new buoyant intelligence, fully ethos workers, whether open-minded newcomers from distant countries. Despite its brief history of power, the town has become the stirring of the development of local elites. Large-scale cultural, sports, military and patriotic initiatives have demonstrated the strong growth of the local community. After many years, the situation has changed, forgotten past. Nevertheless, is not it time to recall the years of glory of Szczakowa?