Starostwo Powiatowe w Wodzisławiu Śląskim

The oldest traces of human presence in what is now the administrative district of Wodzisław come from the Paleolithic era when the snow began to subside in this part of Europe together with permafrost from the arctic glaciation. It is easy to assume that conditions were not the best and yet our ancestors, with an energy that deserves praise, tried their best to adapt to their to surroundings. Evidence of such activities have been found by archaeologists in the form of microlithic tools.

From the earlier Neolithic era (2000 – 1800 B.C.E.), there are distinct traces of settlement within the borders of the present town of Syrynia. The Łyżyc Culture, which came into Silesia around 1300 B.C.E., left its mark on the territory of Wodzisław in the form of a burial-ground in Gorzyczki and from later findings in Gorzyce and Lubomia.

During the time when the southern and western parts of Europe saw the undivided rule of the Roman Emperors and were marked by the conquests of the legions; the territory of the present administrative district of Wodzisław, due to the fact that it was near the Moravian Gate, became a territory through which trade routes ran, and these routes, in turn, joined the northern provinces of the Empire with the Baltic. There have been treasure troves found from this period in both Gorzyczki and Wodzisław.

In the early-mediaeval period, the Gołęszyca tribe lived on this land. One of the major finds from this period are traces of a defensive settlement in Lubomia from the seventh century, which was founded on the ruins of an earlier settlement situated on the same site. The lack of written sources regarding the territory of Wodzisław from the beginning of the state of Poland, does not allow for a detailed account of the territory’s history from this period, however, the territory of Wodzisław accepted Christianity, together with the State of Greater Moravia, a hundred years before the Polanians. This event coincides with the legend regarding the presence of the Saints Cyril and Methodius whilst they were on a mission to bring Christianity to Jedłownik. A keepsake from these events is a holy cross which stands on a hill in Jedłownik. During the Tatar invasion of 1241 some very dramatic events took place. These warriors, whose route ran through the territory of Wodzisław, destroyed the old defensive castle which was located to the west of Wodzisław. A specific holdover from the time of the Tatar invasion within the administrative district of Wodzisław is the oft encountered surname Tatarczyk.

The legends state that those with the surname Tatarczyk can be traced back to their Asian ancestors. Traces of this invasion can be found in Rydułtowy as well. One of the old districts, which is the second most populous area within the administrative district, was called Buńczowiec. The word ‘Buńczuk’, as stated in the encyclopedia, means “a war banner used by the Tatars which looked like a horse’s tail with a half-moon”.

During the Piastów reign, the Raciborski Princes controlled the area. Leszek Raciborski, known for his pro-Czech sympathies, paid homage to the feudal ruler of the present-day Czech Republic, John Luksemburg in 1327. This date marks an important moment in the history of the territory of Wodzisław.
The territory of Wodzisław, understood in today’s categories, dates back to the Middle Ages. The existence of the principality of Wodzisław is first mentioned at the end of the fifteenth century by Ducatus Loslensis, but it is certain that the separation of the principality of Wodzisław from the principality of Racibórz happened during the reign of the duchess Constance from the Piastów line, who, according to sources, died in Wodzisław in 1351. By this time, the town of Wodzisław was over a hundred years old and had become a local center for upholding order. The Smaller Free National State of Wodzisław was founded on the clearing of what was probably the former principality of Wodzisław at the beginning of the sixteenth century. The Smaller Free National State of Wodzisław had its center in Wodzisław proper, where the owners of this petty state had their residences.

In the mid-eighteenth century, on the maps of Silesia, there appeared an administrative unit called Kreis Loslau, which was connected with the Prussian reorganization of the old Austrian province, and not with the establishment of a separate administrative district of Wodzisław, seeing as though in essence it overlapped with the borders of the national state. This term can be explained as the district or periphery territory of Wodzisław , which at the same time belonged to the administrative territory of Pszczyna, and later on to the administrative district of Pszczyna. Then, from 1818, it belonged to the administrative district of Rybnik. Its borders were, to some extent, formed from the southern part of the administrative district of Rybnik in 1954. The administrative district of Wodzislaw had its headquarters in The Administrative District People’s Town Council. The area which makes up today’s administrative district of Wodzisław overlaps considerably with the area of the former district, which was established in 1954 and prevailed until the time of Gierek reforms in 1975, when Jastrzębie, together with its neighboring communes from the former district existed as part of the then Stalingrod provincial administration. As for Rydułtowy, it was part of the administrative district of Rybnik. And, so too, we come to the present, where thanks to the administrative reforms within the country, the administrative district of Wodzisław returned to the map of Poland on January 1st 1999.*

* When writing this text the following material was used: selected passages from the histories of Rybnik and Wodzisław Śląski, The Chronicles of Wodzislaw, The Scenery of the Territory of Wodzisław courtesy of Kazimierz Cichy, An Outline of the History of Rydułtowy by Aleksandra Matuszczyk – Kotulskiej, as well as publications by The Starosty of the Administrative District in Wodzisław Śląski.