Żory - the past. and present

Transcription

1 Żory - the past and present

2 The Chapel - at the site of the first church (before): (now):

3 The story of the Old Chapel What we know about the old chapel is the fact that it once used to be a huge church - the oldest in Żory. The church burnt down during the big fire in However, due to its historic value it was rebuilt. We do not know if the original shape and size was preserved. The wooden church however, suffered another serious fire in 1807 and this time it was completely destroyed. To mark this significant place- the center of the medieval townthe chapel has been erected. The Synagogue (after the second world war):

4 (now): The story of the Synagogue The oldest synagogue in Żory was a simple, wooden building which was destroyed during the fire on 15 August A new stone building was constructed in 1835 and then rebuilt in 1855 and enlarged in The Jewish community in Żory was really big at that time. During the second world war, as the majority of buildings in the old town, the synagogue was completely destroyed and never rebuilt after the war. Now, at the place of this historic and religious building there is a city cinema and art gallery.

5 (before): Jewish Cemetery (now):

6 The story of the Jewish cemetery The Jewish community in Żory was really significant. However, it was not until 1814 that the first Jewish cemetery came into being. The first funeral took place there on 22 June In 1834 a big and solid building was erected nearby which was used during the ceremonies. Due to the second world war and the Holocaust crime commited by the nazis the Jewish community practically ceased to exist and the cemetery stopped being used. Manor- house "Bies" (Before):

7 (Now): The story of the manor-house "Bies" The building of the restaurant is 100 years old and was before a mill. Later the owner of the mill rebuilt the building into an inn. After the was the property was governed by the state. Nowadays the building with the pool have again its private owner and are used as a hotel and restaurant.

8 Manor-house in Baranowice (Before): (Now):

9 The story of the manor-house in Baranowice The palace in Żory came into being in the 17th century. However, it was baron Emil von Durant who two centuries later gave this place the final shape. The owner enlarged the palace and founded a stunning park around his manor. In 1950s the building was changed into a primary school. Nowadays although the site is devastated there are plans to make a restaurant and a hotel there.

10 Manor-house in Osiny (Before): (Now):

11 The story of the manor-house in Osiny The village Osiny was first owned by the family Osinski. Later in the 19th century the owners became the family von Durant who used to live in their manor-houses. Nowadays the manor-house has been completely renovated and has its new private owner.

12 Manor-house in Rój (Before):

13 (Now): The story of the manor-house in Rój Since 1500 the manor belonged to the family Gogołowski from Gogołów. Later it was owned by the family von Widon and Kaminski. Now it is used as a farming building.

14 Manor-house in Rogoźna (Before): (Now):

15 The story of the manor-house in Rogoźna The building came into being in 1540 and had many distinguished owners. Now is a private possession. The medieval Murarska street

16 (Before): (Now):

17 The story of the Murarska street After the last fire of Żory the main building material was brick. The brick used to reconstruct the destroyed buildings initially came from the old medieval city walls. The city walls considered completely useless at that time were also used as back walls and foundations of the new houses. The buildings which were constructed in this street were built with the use of the bricks from the old medieval city walls. The cemetery at the parish church

18 (Before): (Now):

19 The story of the cemetery In the year 1824 the city moat was liquidated. In consequence at its place, near the church the new cemetery was founded. The previous cemetery was situated at the church yard. Old penitential Cross (Before):

20 (Now): The story of the penitential cross There are two old historic penitential crosses in Żory. The first one is situated at the cemetery near the parish church. It's made of stone in the shape of the latin cross. At the top the cross has a few cavities. As the story tells they were used to place food for the soul of the victim. According to a story the cross was made by a sinner who had to repent for his evil deeds. The second penitential cross is situated in Rogoźna village. Now is is placed in a private property, it's very difficult however, nowadays to decide where it was placed originally.

21 The Parish of St James and St Philip (Before): (Now):

22 The story of the parish church in Żory The old church dates back to 13th and 14th century, it must have been founded shortly after constructing the city walls. It probably wasn't the first church built in Żory. One thing is sure however, it surely existed in 1517 and it was big enough to hold 10 ornamented altars. In 1569 Lutherans, who constituted the majority of the inhabitants, took over the Roman catholic church in Żory. The church suffered immense destruction during Warld War II. After the war Catholics regained the church and started renovating it. The works finished in Lutheran Church (Before):

23 (Now): The story of the Lutheran church The lutheran believes were brought to Żory in 1530 by silesian magnates. In 1569 Lutherans took over the Roman catholic church in Żory. In the second half of the 16th century most of the inhabitants of Zory were Lutherans. In the years Lutheran service was not allowed to be observed in the Silesian region. In 1822 there were only 40 Lutheran families in Żory. During the World War II in the Lutheran church both Catholics and Lutherans had their service celebrated.

24 "Gichta" tower (Before): (Now):

25 The story of "Gichta" In the forset of Żory between Szczejkowice and Woszczyce there is a tower called in colloquial Polish "Gichta". It is a historic building from the first half of the 19th century, situated among ponds. In old documents from 1565 there is a remark about a cereal mill standing there. In 1830 instead of the mill the "Waleska ironworks with a huge timber stove was founded. The ironworks was named "Waleska" after the owner's step daughter (Before):

26 (Now): The story of bunkers The region of Upper Silesia was the arena of numerous fights during the World War II. To strengthen the defence many bunkers were built in the vicinity of Żory and Pszczyna. Even now we can come across many bunkers in the nearby forests which have been quite well preserved.

27 (Before): "POLENLAGER" nr 95 (Now):

28 The story of "POLENLAGER" nr 95 "Polenlager" nr 95 was founded by the nazis on 27th August In the concentration camp there lived whole families with children. The exact number of victims has never been estimated. In 1944 in the camp lived a group of 78 Polish children who were later transported to the concentration camp in Potulice. the name of the commander of the camp is not known. "Polenlager" was liquidated due to the approaching fights. No remains at this place have been preserved. However, today there is a monument there commemorating the victims of holocaust.

29 The Oak of St Mary (Before): (Now):

30 The story of the Oak of St Mary There are many old legends about this place. Here is one of them. Polish king John III Sobieski was marching with his soldiers through Żory on his way to Wiena. One peasant was supposed to lead the king through Żory, however he wasn't able to do it. The king had to spend the night in the forest. In the morning the king asked the peasant to tell him all about this place and to commemorate his stay here he hang his picture of St Mary on a tree. The place is very well preserved till now.