Poręba

Poręba [pɔˈrɛmba] is a town in Zawiercie County, Silesian Voivodeship, Poland, with 8,808 inhabitants (2004). The town has the area of 40 km² (15 sq mi), and lies along National Road Nr. 78; it also has a rail station on a line from Miasteczko Slaskie to Zawiercie. Almost half of Poręba's area (49%) is covered by forests. In 1975 - 1982, Poręba was a district of Zawiercie.

Poręba belongs to Lesser Poland, and until 1795 (see Partitions of Poland), it was part of Krakow Voivodeship. First mention of the Poręba settlement comes from 1375, and at that time, it was called Black Poręba, located by a lake called Black Lake. Until the 16th century, the area was sparsely populated, and covered by dense woods. The development of industry resulted in influx of settlers, and in the 16th century Poręba became a center of early steel and iron plants. The village belonged at that time to the Pilecki family. In 1795, after the third partition of Poland, first blast furnace was built (1798, due to efforts of Count Lucas Bninski). In 1815, the village became part of Russian-controlled Congress Poland, and Poręba further developed, becoming a local industrial center.

Poręba (disambiguation)

Poręba is a town in Silesian Voivodeship, south Poland.

Poręba may also refer to:

Poręba, Pszczyna County

Poręba (Polish pronunciation: ['pɔˈrɛmba]; German: Poremba) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Pszczyna, within Pszczyna County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately 6 kilometres (4 mi) west of Pszczyna and 31 km (19 mi) south of the regional capital Katowice.

The village has an approximate population of 900.

History

The village was established in the late 13th or early 14th century.

During the political upheaval caused by Matthias Corvinus the land around Pszczyna was overtaken by Casimir II, Duke of Cieszyn, who sold it in 1517 to the Hungarian magnates of the Thurzó family, forming the Pless state country. In the accompanying sales document issued on 21 February 1517 the village was mentioned as Poruby. The Kingdom of Bohemia in 1526 became part of the Habsburg Monarchy. In the War of the Austrian Succession most of Silesia was conquered by the Kingdom of Prussia, including the village.

Points of interest

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