Katowice

Historical name: Kattowitz

Wojciech Korfanty headed the Polish Plebiscite Commissariat at the Lomnitz Hotel in Bytom. Kurt Urbanek led the German commissariat in Katowice. The campaign involved newspapers, meetings and organisational work; competition extended beyond electoral argument.

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On 17 August 1920 violent unrest in Katowice led to clashes with French soldiers. Andrzej Mielęcki, a doctor and Polish plebiscite activist helping the wounded, was killed by German rioters. Attacks on Polish institutions deepened the security crisis.

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In the first days the insurgents seized substantial industrial areas. Allied interventions forced them out of some larger towns, including Bytom and Katowice, which were occupied by Allied garrisons.

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On 20 June 1922 Polish troops under General Stanisław Szeptycki ceremonially entered Katowice. Transfer of the Polish part of the region proceeded in stages during June and July. The Act marking Poland’s assumption of Upper Silesia was signed in Katowice on 16 July 1922.

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Location: 50.2597, 19.02173. GeoNames 3096472. The base map shows present-day roads and borders. Markers identify places connected with events of 1919–1922.

Sources

  1. Ślązak i Polak Wojciech Korfanty (1873–1939)

    Sebastian Rosenbaum; Mirosław Węcki · IPN / Przystanek Historia · 2022-08-16

  2. II Powstanie Śląskie

    Mirosław Węcki · Instytut Pamięci Narodowej · 2025-08-19

  3. Powstania śląskie 1919–1921: exhibition leaflet

    Instytut Pamięci Narodowej · 2021

  4. Plebiscyt i III Powstanie Śląskie 1921 roku

    Mirosław Węcki · IPN / Przystanek Historia · 2021-05-03

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