Knurów

Knurów [ˈknuruf] 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. 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.