The first records about the region come from the 12th century, but it was in 1254 when Bytom received city rights. Its urban form, similar to most medieval European cities, was based on Magdeburg law. The city’s market was originally tiny, but it expanded after World War II. At the end of the 13th century, battlements surrounded Bytom, which were later strengthened.

Invading Hussites

This, however, did not stop the Hussites from invading the city in 1430. Silesia has always been a point of disagreement between Poland and Austria or Germany. In the 16th century, the city came under the control of the Habsburg Monarchy, but in 1679 it became a Free State Country. In the 19th century, the city rapidly grew and industrialized. A railway station, coal mines (e.g. Rozbark and Szombierki), the Pokoj steel mill, and the Klara Zink works emerged in that period.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the city took part in Silesian Uprisings. In 1921, during Upper Silesian plebiscite, most of the city’s inhabitants voted for Bytom joining to Germany. Twenty four years later, as a result of the Potsdam Conference, the city became Polish. In the post-war period Bytom was a main destination for repatriated Poles from the eastern provinces annexed by the Soviets. Today, Bytom’s population is still a mixture of different cultures and ethnicity.

In the 19th century, the city became an important economic center. The city, similarly to neighboring Katowice, specialized in heavy industry. Nowadays, it is services and trade that are developing most intensively here. The city organizes cyclical events, such as the Annual International Contemporary Dance Conference and Bytom Days. It’s a good destination for keen sportsmen as well.

Winter Sports

The city’s main attraction for skiers and snowboarders is Dolomity Sportowa Dolina Sport & recreation center, Sucha Gora. The city is also an important cultural center. You may visit the Gornoslaskie Museum (Upper Silesian Museum) and Opera Slaska (Silesian Opera) here. As for worthy visit monuments, we find a lot of them in Bytom. The oldest ones are: Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, St. Adalbert Church, and dolostone underground passages called Piwnice Gorywodow (the Gorywodas’ basements), all built in the 13th century.

A very interesting place is also the Old Town with many listed buildings. Nature lovers may go to the Segiet beech tree reserve in Sucha Gora or the one in Zabie Doly with more than 100 bird species.

Bytom Jugendstil architecture has colorful facades as a characteristic, often lined with ceramics. It represents the geometric trend, benefiting from a composition of lines and geometric figures. What’s also remarkable and considered a local Art Nouveau style is the fact that facades were generally made of bricks. That’s also because the brick facade was more resistant to the city’s smoky industrial environment and it could easily cleaned.