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Chorzów ['xoʒuf] in Polish) is a city in southern Poland with 117,430 inhabitants (2002) and town area of 33,5 km², situated on the Rawa river (confluence of Brynica river) on the Silesian Highland (Wyżyna Śląska) in the centre of the Upper Silesian Industrial Basin (Górnośląski Okręg Przemysłowy) and Upper Silesian Metropolitan Area, north-west of Katowice, and was also known previously as b in German prior to 1945. The modern city of Chorzów was formed in 1934-1939 by the merger of separate industrial communities of Chorzów, Królewska Huta, Nowe Hajduki and Hajduki Wielkie into one municipality. The name of the oldest settlement i was given to the whole city.

Chorzów is a separate city county since 1898, with the exception of 1975-1998 when the counties were abolished in Poland. Since 1999 Chorzów is part of Silesian Voivodship, previously of Katowice Voivodship.

table : The industrial and residential settlement south-west of Chorzów constructed since 1797 around the i after the company name. As it was growing quickly this settlement was granted city status in 1868: Miasto Królewska Huta. When the settlements were integtared in 1934 only the oldest name of Chorzów was retained for the whole city. Today this neignhborhood is called i: Haiduks were the Hungarian foot soldiers in the 16th century Polish army, but also the servants in the haushold of a nobleman. The settlemens was named after such servant inhabitants, i. The two settlements were integrated into the Chorzów City in 1939 and 1934 respectively. Today the neigbourhood is called i

Chorzów used to be one of the most important cities in the biggest Polish economic area: the Upper Silesian Industrial Basin (Górnośląski Okręg Przemysłowy), with 3 coal mines, 2 iron works, factory of steel constructions, tramway and railway wagons, nitrogen and chemical works and a couple of other industrial sectiors, though many are closed now because of enviromental issues.

Major companies are:

The eastern part of Chorzów, on the boudary with Katowice and Siemianowice Śląskie, features the Voivodship Park of Culture and Recreation (Wojewódzki Park Kultury i Wypoczynku) with the:

Nicolaus Copernicus Planetary and Astronomical Observatory (Planetarium i Obserwatorium Astronomiczne im. Mikołaja Kopernika),

City President (mayor): Marek Kopel City Council Chairman: Henryk Wieczorek

The castellany of Bytom, with Chorzów area, initially belonged to the province of Kraków or Little Poland and was in 1179 awarded by the duke Casimir the Just to the duke of Opole and since that time history of Chorzów is connected to the history of Upper Silesia (Duchy of Opole).

The oldest part of the city: the village of Chorzów, today called i) in Miechów, a small town north of Kraków. Already at this time ores of silver and lead were mined near the settlement, later also the ores of iron. The minig was started probably in the 12th century, there are more documents for the 16th century developments.

Since 1327 the Upper Silesian duchies ruled by the dukes of the Piast dynasty were subject to Bohemian overlodship, Bohemia itself belonging to the Polish Jagiellons since 1490 and to the Austrian Habsburgs since 1526. In 1742 the area was conquered by the Prussian Hohenzollerns.

With the discovery of rich coal deposits in the end of the 18th century new industrial sectors devoloped in Chorzów area. In years 1791-1797 the state-owned Royal Coal Mine was constructed (i) with the staff of 150 workes. In 1819 the iron works consisted of 4 big furnaces, producing 1,400 tons of pig-iron. In the 1800s a new and modern Lidognia Zinc Works were constructed in the area. In 1871 the iron works were taken over by the holding called i, which further extended the corporation with a steel mill, rail mill and workshops. In the vicinity of the Royal Coal Mine, Countess Laura Coal Mine was opened in 1870, and till 1913-1914 the coal production was increased to 1 million tons a year.

Next to the coal and iron works new laborer's settlements developed, called since 1797 after the iron works: i. In 1846 Królewska Huta received a railway track to Świętochłowice and Mysłowice, in 1857 to Bytom and till 1872 to all importat town in the Silesian region. Królewska Huta received city status in 1868 as part of the Bytom County, and in 1898 it was made a separate city-county.

Population of Królewska huta was increasing quickly: from 19,500 inhabitants in 1870 to 72,600 in 1910. Among them 17,300 workers were emplyed in the industry sector (similar number for 1939). The miners and workers were chiefly of Polish origin, the upper classes were German speakers.

In the village of Hajduki Wielkie, south of Chorzów and Królewska Huta, Bismarck Iron Works (i), which products were exported to Brazil, Argentina, Africa and China. A coal tar and benzol destillery was erected in 1889, the first such chemical plant in Polish lands. Today the company is called: Zakłady Koskochemiczne Hajduki SA. Electric plant was started in 1898 and till the 1930s it was the biggest electricity producer in Poland with power of 100MW.

Chorzów was the center of the Polish national revival, ethnic conflicts were mixed with the religious and class conflicts. Karol Miarka was the editor of Polish books and newspapers including i since 1879. He was also the founder of several organizations: Upper Silesian Union, Upper Silesian Peasants Union. Juliusz Ligoń was the Polish activist and poet.

After the World War I (1914-1918), Poland regained her independence in 1918. As a result of significant participation in the Silesian uprisings in 1919-1921, Chorzów and Królewska Huta area were returned to Poland in 1922. In 1934 separate industrial communities of Chorzów, Królewska Huta and Nowe Hajduki were merged into one municipality with 81,000 inhabitants. The name of the oldest settlement i was given to the whole city. In April 1939 the settlement of Hajduki Wielkie with 30,000 inhabitants were included in the Chorzów City.

As a result of the German-Polish trade war in the 1920s, heavy industries of Chorzów, a border town suffered a stagnation period till 1933, because of the lost markets and post-war reconstruction period. In 1927 a division of Huta Piłsudski was separated into a factory od rail cars and steel bridges, what gave birth to the Chorzów Factory of Stell Constructions Konstal (Chorzówska Fabryka Konstrukcji Stalowych Konstal). State Factory of Nitrogen Compounds (Państwowa Fabryka Związków Azotowych) was in 1933 merged with a similar company in Tarnów-Mościce.

With the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, Chorzów was occupied by Nazi Germany. Polish irregulars, mainly Silesian uprising veterans and scouts, put resistance to the regular German forces for 3 days, most of them were murdered in the mass executions. Polish property was confiscated, and the Chorzów industry was put to the Nazi Gemany war effort. There were several enforced labor camps in Chorzów and in years 1944-1945 two branches of the Auschwitz concentration camp. Chorzów was liberated in 1945

Chorzów was a separate city county Katowice Voivodship, with the exception of 1975-1998 when the counties were abolished in Poland. Since 1999 Chorzów is part of Silesian Voivodship.