1. Etymology

2. Administrative division

3. Industry

4. Notable architectural structures

5. International relations
    Twin towns — Sister cities 

6. Famous people

7. References

8. External links

Siemianowice Śląskie also known as Siemianowice ({{IPA-pl|ɕɛmjanɔˈvit͡sɛ ˈɕlɔ̃skʲɛ}}; {{lang-de|Siemianowitz-Laurahütte}}; {{lang-szl|Śymjanowicy}}) is a city in Upper Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice, in its central district in the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - a metropolis with a population of 2 million people and is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Brynica river (tributary of the Vistula).

It is situated in the Silesian Voivodeship since its formation in 1999, previously in Katowice Voivodeship, and before then in the Autonomous Silesian Voivodeship. Siemianowice is one of the cities of the 2.7 million conurbation, the Katowice urban area, at the heart of the greater Silesian metropolitan area populated by about 5,294,000 people.^[1] The population of the city is 71,621 (2008).^[2]

Siemianowice's present form results from the merging of the communes Siemianowice and Huta Laury (German: Laurahütte) in 1924. The new city was named Siemianowice Śląskie and gained town privileges in 1932.

Etymology

There are three hypothetical explanations for the origins of the name Siemianowice: either it comes from seven huts which were called Siedminowice/Siedmionowice in Old Polish; from the old legend about Siemion (Siemian), Michał and Maciej, or Siemion, Michał and Jakub; or it comes from ziemia nawa which means earth taken away from water.

Administrative division

• Centrum - 11,98 km²
• Michałkowice - 5,46 km²
• Bańgów - 2,96 km²
• Przełajka - 2,7 km²
• Bytków - 2,3 km²

Industry

• Johnson Controls ({{flag|USA}}, Car Parts Manufacturing)
• Arcelor Mittal ({{flag|Luxembourg}}, Steel Manufacturing)
• Fastening Elements Factory ({{flag|Poland}}, Fastening Hardware Manufacturing)
• Rosomak S.A. ({{flag|Poland}}, Defence Systems)
• Fabud ({{flag|Poland}}, Building Company)
• Huhtamäki ({{flag|Finland}}, Specialty Packaging Products)

Notable architectural structures

• Bytków TV Tower
• Palace of the Donnersmarcks
• Zameczek Palace
• Archangel Michael's Church
• The Townhall
• The Brewery

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Siemianowice Śląskie is twinned with:

Famous people

• Apostolis Anthimos (born 1954), musician
• Barbara Blida (1949–2007), Polish politician
• Antoni Halor (born 1937), Polish film director, artist, writer
• Hugo Henckel von Donnersmarck (1811–1890), German industrialist, founder of Laurahütte
• Jacek Fröhlich (born 1965), Automotive Designer, BMW exterior design chief
• Michael Jary (1906–1988), German composer
• Bronisław Korfanty (born 1952), Polish senator
• Wojciech Korfanty (1873–1939), Polish politician
• Hermański Kryspin (born 1984), Polish dancer
• Heinz A. Lowenstam (1912–1993) German-born, Jewish-American paleoecologist
• Zygmunt Maszczyk (born 1945), Polish footballer
• Daniel Podrzycki (1963–2005), Polish politician
• Otto Josef Schlein (1895–1944), German doctor
• Józef Skrzek (born 1948), musician, leader of SBB band
• Henryk Średnicki (born 1955), Olympic boxer
• Ernst Steinitz (1871–1928, German mathematician
• Witold Ziaja (born 1940), Polish field hockey player
• Krzysztof Globisz (born 1957, Polish actor

References

• This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in the Polish Wikipedia (December 2008)

External links

• Jewish Community in Siemianowice Śląskie on Virtual Shtetl
• Sights
• Old photos

• STH 243 (WI)
• STH 24 (WI)
• STH 253 (WI)
• STH 25 (WI)
• STH 26 (WI)
• STH 27 (WI)
• STH 28 (WI)
• STH 29 (WI)
• STH 30 (WI)
• STH 310 (WI)
• STH 312 (WI)
• STH 31 (WI)
• STH 32 (WI)
• STH 33 (WI)
• STH 341 (WI)
• STH 34 (WI)
• STH 351 (WI)
• STH 35 (WI)
• STH 36 (WI)
• STH 37 (WI)
• STH 38 (WI)
• STH 39 (WI)
• STH 40 (WI)
• STH 41 (WI)
• STH 42 (WI)