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Country Poland

Industrialisation within the territory of today’s Poland was extremely disparate as repeated partitioning of this nation occurred during the decisive 150 years in which Europe’s first textile works, coal mines and railways were built. During those years, parts of today’s Poland belonged to the ... more

ON THE INDUSTRIAL HISTORY OF POLAND

Industrialisation within the territory of today’s Poland was extremely disparate as repeated partitioning of this nation occurred during the decisive 150 years in which Europe’s first textile works, coal mines and railways were built. During those years, parts of today’s Poland belonged to the neighbouring powers, and their development varied correspondingly.

The largest of these was "Congress Poland" with Warsaw as its capital, a construct that was created at the Vienna Congress of 1815 and subject to the Czar of Russia. As in many European nations, population growth generated a large reservoir of labour here. However, even after the changes following the liberation of the peasants in 1864, the agricultural sector remained inefficient and failed to produce the yields that in other countries fed their expanding industrial societies. As capital was lacking, investment had to come from abroad: a core problem under which the Polish economy suffered until well into the 20th century.

Only the city of Łodz developed in a similar way to western European industrial centres, and it became known as the "Polish Manchester" on account of the boom in the cotton textile industry there starting in 1820 – with all the adverse side effects: exploitation of workers and dramatic environmental pollution. At about the same time, a major centre of heavy industry emerged in Dabrowa-Becken (Zagłębie Dąbrowskie), which bordered on the former Prussian Province of Upper Silesia, based on mining and processing of local coal and iron ore reserves.

In Warsaw (Warszawa), which was long dominated by its military function as a fortress, the population density increased significantly from the mid-19th century. With the emergence of metal and food industries, wool and linen working, the city developed into a major industrial centre. This was further driven by the railways that linked Warsaw first with Vienna and then with St Petersburg and Moscow. The most important factor, however, was that the industries were not forced to compete with Western Europe: as part of an economically extremely backward empire, Congress Poland primarily served the Russian market, and ultimately became Russia’s most powerful economic region.

Industrialisation took an unusual course in Upper Silesia, in that it was triggered early by state initiatives. The Prussian King Friedrich II, who won this territory rich in natural resources from Austria in the Silesian Wars, appointed experts who brought in state-of-the-art British technology. Coal mining in Silesia commenced as early as the end of the 18th century, and 1788 saw the commissioning of the first steam engine in the revitalised silver and lead mining operations in Tarnowitz (Tarnowskie Góry). The first coke-fired blast furnace went into operation in Gleiwitz (Gliwice) in 1796. Scotsman John Baildon introduced British puddle furnaces in Katowice which produced extremely tough wrought iron, and succeeded in establishing a steam engine works in Gleiwitz. Also, the deposits of zinc ore around Katowice were quite significant. During the 19th century the output of zinc from Upper Silesia exceeded that of all other European regions. Even the amount of sulphuric acid obtained as a byproduct was so high that it became difficult to sell. On the whole though, the chemical industry of the region remained on a relatively modest level.

Once state-sponsored industry had set the process in motion, Silesian landowners became the primary financiers for the expansion of heavy industry. Astonishingly, the industrialisation of the mixed Polish-German population of Upper Silesia did not trigger a wave of nationalism as it did in Bohemia: here, social classes formed the main divisions. This first German industrial region gradually began to decline toward the end of the century, as more and more ore had to be imported.

The primarily agrarian Lower Silesia made headlines in 1844 when the mechanisation of textile production triggered the well-known weavers’ uprisings. Agriculture was also predominant in West Prussia and the region surrounding Posen (Poznan), dubbed "South Prussia", both of which fell to Prussia with the partitioning of Poland at the end of the 18th century. Danzig (Gdansk) at least became home to shipyards and arms makers, while in the rural regions only factories for foodstuffs and farming equipment thrived.

After the First World War, the diverse economic structure of the various regions weighed heavily on the reconstituted Polish nation. Additionally, the established trade ties dissolved after 1918. It was thus not possible to compensate for the structural weaknesses, particularly the dependence on foreign capital, before Black Friday 1929 triggered a new crisis.

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ERIH Anchor Points

Bydgoszcz | Poland

Top secret and highly explosive: the world ...

Leon Wyczolkowski District Museum Exploseum
Muzeum Okręgowe im. Leona Wyczółkowskiego EXPLOSEUM - DAG Fabrik Bromberg
Alfreda Nobla
85-006 Bydgoszcz, Poland

Jaworzyna Śląska | Poland

Locomotives powered by steam, diesel and ...

Railway Museum of Silesia
Muzeum Kolejnictwa na Śląsku
Towarowa 4
58-140 Jaworzyna Śląska, Poland

Lódź | Poland

Open drawers, cables and tools, an ashtray, ...

Central Museum of Textiles in Łódź
Centralne Muzeum Włókiennictwa
ul. Piotrkowska 282
93-034 Lódź, Poland

Lódź | Poland

Softening plant, pump station and boiler house, ...

EC1 Łódź - City of Culture
EC1 Łódź - Miasto Kultury
Ul. Tuwima 46
90-021 Lódź, Poland

Lódź | Poland

Stefan, Mietek, Dolores and Ziuta are names ...

Manufaktura | Museum of the Factory
Muzeum Fabryki
Drewnowska 58
91-002 Lódź, Poland

Tarnowskie Góry | Poland

The shine of the carbide lamps flit about the ...

Historic Silver Mine World Heritage Site
Zabytkowa Kopalnia Srebra
ul. Szczęść Boże 81
42-600 Tarnowskie Góry, Poland

Tychy | Poland

The brew house in the Tyskie brewery in the ...

Tyskie Brewing Museum
Tyskie Browarium
Ul. Mikołowska 5
43-100 Tychy, Poland

Wałbrzych | Poland

What a drudgery: Up to three tons of coal per ...

Old Mine Science and Art Centre
Stara Kopalnia Centrum Nauki i Sztuki
ul. Wysockiego 29
58-305 Wałbrzych, Poland

Wieliczka | Poland

All of the sudden, a world of salt deep ...

Cracow Salt-Works Museum in Wieliczka World Heritage Site
Muzeum Żup Krakowskich Wieliczka
Daniłowicza 10
32-020 Wieliczka, Poland

Zabrze | Poland

You can’t get any lower than this! The shafts ...

"Guido" Coal Mine
Kopalnia "Guido"
3 Maja 93
41-800 Zabrze, Poland

Zabrze | Poland

A journey through the history of mining belongs ...

“Queen Louise” Adit
Sztolnia “Królowa Luiza”
Wolnosci 410
41-800 Zabrze, Poland

Żywiec | Poland

Feel it! Speak! Take a pic! Where have you ever ...

Żywiec Brewery Museum
Muzeum Browaru "Żywiec"
Ul. Browarna 88
34-300 Żywiec, Poland

Member Sites ERIH Association

Chorzów | Poland

In the 19th century todays Chorzów was one of ...

Museum of Metallurgy
Muzeum Hutnictwa w Chorzowie
ul Metalowców 4a
41-500 Chorzów, Poland

Katowice | Poland

Katowice is a city of more than 300,000 ...

Nikiszowiec Settlement
• Muzeum Historii Katowic, ul. Rymarska 4, 40-425 Katowice +48 (0) 32 - 2561810
• Stowarzyszenie Fabryka Inicjatyw Lokalnych, Plac Wyzwolenia 21
40-423 Katowice, Poland

Katowice - Szopienice | Poland

It is one of the landmarks in the history of ...

Zinc Rolling Mill
Walcownia
11 listopada 50
40-387 Katowice, Poland

Radzionków | Poland

The Bread and School Museum is not a typical ...

Museum of Bread, School and Curiosities
Muzeum Chleba, Szkoly i Czekawostek
ul.Z.Nałkowskiej 5
41-922 Radzionków, Poland

Ruda Śląska | Poland

For Ruda Śląska, Huta Pokój, being the original ...

Blast Furnace 'A' of Huta Pokój Ironworks
Wielki Piec Huty 'Pokój'
Niedurnego 79
41-709 Ruda Śląska, Poland

Rybnik | Poland

Ignacy Historic Mine was established in 1792 as ...

Ignacy Historic Mine
Zabytkowa Kopalnia Ignacy
ul. Mościckiego 3
44-273 Rybnik, Poland

Żyrardów | Poland

Friendly, hospitable Żyrardów invites you to ...

Zyrardow factory town
Resursa
1 Maja 45
96300 Zyrardow, Poland

Sites

Augustów | Poland

The Augustowski Canal is the outstanding ...

Augustow Navigation
Muzeum Ziemi Augustowskiej Dział Historii Kanału Augustowskiego
ul. 29 Listopada 5a
16-300 Augustow, Poland

Bielsko-Biala | Poland

The twin towns of Bielsko and Biala on either ...

Old Factory
Stara Fabryka Muzeum Techniki i Wlókiennictwa
Plac Żwirki i Wigury 8
43-300 Bielsko-Biala, Poland

Bochnia | Poland

Bochnia is a town of about 30,000 people east ...

Bochnia Salt Mine World Heritage Site
Kopalnia Soli w Bochnia
Campi 15
32-700 Bochnia, Poland

Brześć Kujawski | Poland

The Redecz Krukowy Museums are three museums ...

Redecz Krukowy Museum
Muzeum Redecz Krukowy
Redecz Krukowy 8a
87880 Brześć Kujawski, Poland

Bydgoszcz | Poland

The canal museum opened in 2006 in a school ...

Bydgoszcz Canal Museum
Muzeum Kanału Bydgoskiego
ul. Staroszkolna 10
85209 Bydgoszcz, Poland

Bytom | Poland

In 1851, the construction of the branched ...

Upper Silesian Narrow-Gauge Railways
Górnośląskie Koleje Wąskotorowe
Reja
41-902 Bytom, Poland

Chabówka | Poland

Chabówka in southern Poland is the junction ...

Rolling Stock Heritage Park
Skansen taboru kolejowego
Nowy Turg
34-720 Chabówka, Poland

Chlewiska | Poland

The Chlewiska Ironworks on the road from ...

Metallurgy and Engineering Museum in Chlewiska
Muzeum Hutnictwa i Przemsłu Maszynowego w Chlewiska
ul. Szkolna 34
26-510 Chlewiska, Poland

Chorkówka | Poland

Ignacy Lukasiewicz established the first oil ...

The Ignacy Lukasiewicz Open Air Museum of the Oil Industry
Muzeum Przemysłu Naftowego im. Ignacego Łukasiewicza
Bóbrka
38-458 Chorkówka, Poland

Chorzów | Poland

A hoist tower was a part of the non-existent ...

Hoist Tower of the President Shaft with the Sztygarka Complex
Szyb Prezydent wraz z kompleksem zabudowań Sztygarka
Piotra Skargi 34 a/d
41-500 Chorzów, Poland

Ciechocinek | Poland

Ciechocinek is a health resort on the River ...

Ciechocinek graduation towers
Tężnie Solankowe Promotion Office
ul Zdrojowa
8720 Ciechocinek, Poland

Cieszyn | Poland

The brewery in Cieszyn was established in the ...

Cieszyn Brewery
Browar Zamkowy Cieszyn
Dojazdowa 2
43-400 Cieszyn, Poland

Cieszyn | Poland

It is a complete, old printing house where the ...

Museum of Printing
Muzeum Drukarstwa
Głęboka 50
43-400 Cieszyn, Poland

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