Rybnik County

Rybnik (Polish pronunciation: [ˈrɨbɲik] ; Silesian: Rybńik) is a city in southern Poland, in the Silesian Voivodeship, around 38 km (24 mi) southwest of Katowice, the region's capital, and around 19 km (11 miles) from the Czech border. It is one of the major cities of the Upper Silesian metropolitan area with a population of 5.3 million and the main city of the so-called Subregion Zachodni, previously also known as the Rybnik Coal Area. With a population of 135,994 as of January 1, 2022, it is the 25th most-populous city in Poland.Rybnik is the center of commerce, business, transportation and culture for the southwestern part of the Silesian Voivodeship, a consolidated city-county and the seat of a separate suburban Rybnik county. Rybnik is particularly recognized for its contributions to music, with the Szafrankowie School of Music musicians such as Henryk Górecki or Lidia Grychtołówna, among others. It is also a seat of the Rybnik Philharmonic Orchestra. The name Rybnik derives from an old Slavic word rybnik, meaning a pond (Czech language still uses it, while in Polish the modern word is staw), which was located in the place of the current market square. In the middle ages, three settlements merged into one town, with a German-law location dating back to 1308. Fishing, trade and artistry were the main industries. Rybnik's development accelerated in late 19th century upon discovery of rich coal fields, and continued until the 1980s. Since the 1990s, the city attempts to diversify its economy with commerce, health care and business industries.

Śródmieście [ɕrudˈmjɛɕt͡ɕɛ] ('city centre') is a district of Rybnik, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. In the late 2013 it had about 7,700 inhabitants.The quarter encompasses the traditional area of Rybnik, old city, with market square, town hall, Basilica of St. Anthony, Our Lady of Sorrows church, Lutheran church, former Piast castle, theatre.

Karol and Antoni Szafranek Secondary and Tertiary State School of Music, pol. Państwowa Szkoła Muzyczna I i II stopnia im. Karola i Antoniego Szafranków is a specialist music school located in Rybnik, Silesian Voivodship, Poland. The school was founded in 1933 by brothers Karol and Antoni Szafranek, eminent musicians, alumni of conservatories in Germany, France and Poland.

Chwałowice (German: Chwallowitz) is a district of Rybnik, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. On December 31, 2013 it had 7,700 inhabitants.

The Chwałowice coal mine is a large mine in the south of Poland in Chwałowice district of Rybnik, Silesian Voivodeship, 294 km south-west of the capital, Warsaw. Chwałowice represents one of the largest coal reserve in Poland having estimated reserves of 243.7 million tonnes of coal. The annual coal production is around 3.7 million tonnes.

Wielopole (German: Königlich Wielopole) is a district of Rybnik, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. In the late 2013 it had about 1,900 inhabitants.The biggest landmark in Wielopole is a wooden Saint Catherine church, built in 1534, rebuilt in 1676 and 1976.

Orzepowice (German: Orzupowitz) is a district of Rybnik, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. In the late 2013 it had about 3,500 inhabitants.

Ligota-Ligocka Kuźnia is a district of Rybnik, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. On December 31, 2013 it had 3,900 inhabitants.The district encompasses three historical settlements: Ligota (German: Ellguth), Ligocka Kuźnia, Raszowiec;Ligota is a common name for villages in Western Poland. The word refers to the medieval custom of village founders being exempt from paying duties to their lords for a period of 5-8 years. In 1740 a small steel mill, called kuźnia (a smithy), was established here. Around it evolved Ligocka Kuźnia. It was modernised in years 1821–1822, but ceased to function in the late 19th century. Raszowiec was first mentioned in 1788. It had, however, always constituted an administrative part of Ligota, even though it belonged to the parish in Boguszowice.After World War I in the Upper Silesia plebiscite 1406 out of 2,195 voters in Ligota voted in favour of joining Poland, against 784 opting for staying in Germany. In 1922 it became a part of Silesian Voivodeship, Second Polish Republic. Ligota (including Ligocka Kuźnia and Raszowiec) was absorbed by Rybnik in 1926.

Gmina Świerklany is a rural gmina (administrative district) in Rybnik County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. Its seat is the village of Jankowice Rybnickie, which lies approximately 6 kilometres (4 mi) south of Rybnik and 41 km (25 mi) south-west of the regional capital Katowice. Until 1999 its seat was Świerklany Górne. The gmina covers an area of 24.17 square kilometres (9.33 sq mi), and as of 2019 its total population is 12,445.

Jankowice Rybnickie [jankɔˈvit͡sɛ rɨbˈnit͡skʲɛ] is a village in Rybnik County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Świerklany. It lies approximately 6 kilometres (4 mi) south of Rybnik and 41 km (25 mi) south-west of the regional capital Katowice.

The Jankowice coal mine is a large mine in the south of Poland in Rybnik, Silesian Voivodeship, 294 km south-west of the capital, Warsaw. Jankowice represents one of the largest coal reserve in Poland having estimated reserves of 211.7 million tonnes of coal. The annual coal production is around 8.56 million tonnes.

Rybnik Power Station is a hard coal-fired power station at Rybnik in Poland. The power station was built in the 1970s. It has installed power generation capacity of 1,775 MW. The average annual production of electricity amounts to 9 TWh. Rybnik Power Station has two 120-metre (390 ft) tall cooling towers and two large flue gas stacks, one with a height of 260 metres (850 ft) and another with a height of 300 metres (980 ft).This hard coal power plant is located on the outskirts of the city of Rybnik in Upper Silesia (Silesian Voivodeship) the most industrialized region of Poland where most of the hard-coal mines and the majority of hard-coal power plants are located. It is the biggest power plant in upper Silesia region.