Piotrowice (, ) is a part of Katowice, located in the southwestern part of the city, in the Piotrowice-Ochojec district.
It is one of the oldest settlements within the modern boundaries of Katowice, with its history dating back to the historic settlement of . The first mention of the village of Piotrowice appears in a document from the mid-15th century. Until the early 20th century, Piotrowice was a typical agricultural settlement, where mills were also operating, including several on the river. Over time, the village transformed into an industrial settlement, and the population grew, along with the development of educational and cultural activities. In 1907, a factory for mining machinery – later known as – was established in Piotrowice. In April 1951, Piotrowice were incorporated into Katowice, and during the times of the Polish People's Republic, new residential estates were built in the district: and .
The main thoroughfares of Piotrowice are: (part of the national road 81), Armii Krajowej Street, and . Additionally, the northern part of the settlement is crossed by a railway line, where the train station is located – the station building itself is the seat of the . Piotrowice is home to various types of enterprises, and it also houses the and the .
Geography
Piotrowice are located in the southwestern part of the city, within the Piotrowice-Ochojec district. They border and to the north, Murcki to the east, Kostuchna to the south, and Zarzecze to the west. Geographically, Piotrowice lie in the mesoregion of the (341.13), and historically, they are situated in the eastern part of Upper Silesia.
The historical gmina of Piotrowice extended beyond the village itself and included areas such as Zadole, Ochojec, and Kostuchna. Within Piotrowice, there were several settlements and neighborhoods, including Skały, Piasek, Kempa, Zadole, Skotnica, Targowisko, Gać, and Kąty, as well as colonies like Kostuchna and Ochojec. The northern border of the former gmina ran along the Ślepotka river, while the eastern boundary extended from the railway line towards Murcki. To the southeast, gmina encompassed the areas of Kostuchna, and its border with Podlesie ran along a stream flowing into the Mleczna river along today's Stabika Street. To the west, there are Kąty, bordering Zarzecze.
Geologically, Piotrowice are situated in the , filled with Carboniferous deposits (mainly conglomerates, sandstones, and clay shales containing black coal seams). The district is located in three morphogenetic units: the northern part lies within the Kłodnica Trough, which is a tectonic depression formed in Carboniferous rocks. The areas of Piotrowice along the Mleczna river valley are part of the Upper Mleczna Depression, while the eastern part of Piotrowice is situated on the Murcki Plateau, composed of Carboniferous formations.
The climate of Piotrowice is generally similar to that of Katowice as a whole, with local modifications (microclimate). It has a transitional temperate climate with oceanic currents prevailing over continental ones. The district lies within the drainage basin of two main river systems in Poland: the Vistula and the Oder, with a drainage divide of the first order running between them. The southern part of the district is part of the Vistula basin, drained by the Mleczna river, while the northern part flows into the Kłodnica river through the .
In terms of natural structure, greenery plays a significant role in Piotrowice, with tree plantations along streets, courtyard greenery, cemeteries, squares, and parks. Ruderal communities have developed in urban habitats, covering the entire district. The southern areas also feature vegetation typical of agricultural land, while the eastern part includes mixed forests and forestry areas. There is a shortage of publicly accessible green spaces in Piotrowice for daily recreation, and there are no district-level parks. The only natural monument in Piotrowice is a common pear tree growing at 10c .
To the east of Piotrowice lies the , established in 1982 to protect mountain plants with a relict range in the Upper Silesia region. It covers over 25 hectares of a vast forest complex in the Ślepotka valley.
History
Until the 19th century
The oldest traces of hamlets in the area of present-day Piotrowice date back to the Neolithic period (about 5,000 years ago). They were discovered between 1925 and 1938 in the northern outskirts, near the border with Ochojec, in the valley of the Ślepotka river. It was a hamlet of the pre-Lusatian culture, characterized by knowledge of fire and pottery; flint tools were also excavated.
The first historical mention in documents about the areas of modern Piotrowice dates back to 1287 and comes from a document issued in Rybnik by the Racibórz duke, Mieszko I. This document mentions, among other things, the forest called Popowe Kąty, located north of Głęboki Dół and east of the road to Zarzecze. This forest was situated in the area of Kąty Piotrowickie.
Piotrowice themselves are one of the oldest settlements within the boundaries of modern Katowice. Together with Podlesie and Zarzecze, they formed one village called . Over time, these villages became independent, initially being referred to together with the designation Uniczowy. However, the old name Uniczowy gradually fell into oblivion, surviving only in the name of one of Katowice's streets – .
The first mention of the estate village of Piotrowice dates back to the mid-15th century when the then Pszczyna duke, Janusz Raciborski, granted the free Schultheiß of Piotrowice (Petrowicz-Uniczowa) named Piotr Ostrzeżony the right to own a tavern, mill, fishponds, and land. The name Piotrowice presumably derives from the name of the Schultheiß, Piotr, who became a free Schultheiß and received the hereditary function of the Schultheiß. After Podlesie and Zarzecze became independent, the owners of Piotrowice were the , followed by successive owners of the Pszczyna land – the dukes and the .
In a document of sale of the Duchy of Pless issued by Casimir II in Czech language in Fryštát on 21 February 1517, the village was mentioned as Petrowicze Vnicziowy (or Petrowicze Unitzowy). In documents from the 16th century concerning Piotrowice, the term Uniczowy was no longer predominantly used. According to the Pszczyna urbarium from 1593, Piotrowice had 10 peasants, the Schultheiß Maciej, and 5 cottagers. There was also a mill belonging to the Schultheiß at that time. In 1629, there was a tavern in Piotrowice, and in the early 18th century, there were four such establishments.
On 28 August 1644, during the Thirty Years' War, a battle between Swedish forces and combined forces gathered under an agreement between the Pszczyna duke and the Kraków bishop Piotr Gembicki took place in the vicinity of Piotrowice. These forces assembled near Tychy. One of the two squads under Żogoła's command moved towards Piotrowice, attacking the Swedish staff camp located in the village. These forces pushed the Swedes towards Mikołów. Still in the same year, a chapel was built on the graves of the fallen soldiers in the area of today's 3 .
In the 17th century, the area of Piotrowice was much larger than it is today. From a preserved document issued on 22 July 1649 in Pszczyna, it can be inferred that Piotrowice bordered directly on Mysłowice, Załęże, and . In the mid-17th century, the village had a farmstead in today's Ochojec and a colony – present-day . From the 17th century, there were three watermills in Piotrowice: two on the Ślepotka and one in the center of the village, on the Mleczna river, then called Dupina.
From the mid-18th century, the development of the village occurred due to the opening of a trade route leading from Mikołów to Mysłowice, which was used, among other things, for the transport of salt from Wieliczka. Piotrowice were a border village of the Pszczyna land, and at the border between Piotrowice and Ochojec, there was a customs checkpoint for road tariffs. In 1795, there was a mill on the Ślepotka in Piotrowice, owned by Jan (Jonek) Gruszka.
From the 19th century to World War II In the 19th century, the village already had close to 800 inhabitants – in 1830, Piotrowice counted 751 residents. The first school was established in 1819 (or 1818), where Karol Miarka – a writer and national activist – taught from 1847 to 1850. Efforts to build a new school began in 1856. On 28 June 1885, a fire broke out, destroying the school and several neighboring houses.
In 1874, during the Prussian administrative reform, administrative districts were established, comprising several gminas and manorial areas – Amtsbezirk. An administrative district called Piotrowice () was established, including the rural gminas of Ligota, Piotrowice and the Piotrowice manorial area. Apart from the village itself, the Piotrowice gmina also included Kostuchna, while the Piotrowice manorial area included, among others, the hamlet.
In 1879, a road connecting Mikołów with Katowice through Piotrowice was built. The Piotrowice section of this road is the present-day .
At the beginning of the 20th century, Piotrowice began to change from an agricultural village to an industrial settlement. In 1910, it already had about 3,500 inhabitants, some of whom found employment in industry and mining. This gave rise to organized union, political, and cultural activities in the gmina. In the same year, a branch of the Polish Trade Union was established in Piotrowice, and a cell of the Polish Socialist Party, founded in 1908, was also active. Branches of the People's Libraries Society were organized. Already from 1912, the Jutrzenka Singing Society (established in 1911), the Peasant Council, and from 1920, the and the Sokół movement operated here. The cultural center then became the park in , with an amphitheater. On the other hand, some German residents, especially teachers and officials, were involved in the German Eastern Marches Society, an organization whose programmatic goal was to promote German culture.
On 19 February 1919, at the initiative of Piotr Gierlotka and Karol Stabik, a branch of the Polish Military Organization of Upper Silesia was established in Piotrowice and Kostuchna. The Piotrowice's Polish Military Organization group was transformed into an insurgent company of the 1st Pszczyna Regiment, 2nd Battalion, under the command of Leopold Kocma. In Piotrowice, on 18 June 1919, a meeting of the Polish Military Organization commanders of the Pszczyna County was held, demanding the start of the uprising in June 1919. A meeting was also organized in Piotrowice on August 12 of the same year. On 17 August 1919, the First Silesian Uprising broke out. In Piotrowice, a group of insurgents gathered to join forces with the Polish Military Organization group from Kostuchna. In the forests near , there was an exchange of fire between insurgents and Grenzschutz Ost units. The Second Silesian Uprising broke out on 19 August 1920. The day after, a group of insurgents from Piotrowice launched an attack in the forest on a 15-person unit of the German Sicherheitspolizei passing along the Mikołów road. In the 1921 Upper Silesia plebiscite, 89% of the inhabitants of the gmina and almost all the inhabitants of the manorial area (58 against 1 vote) voted for Upper Silesia's affiliation with Poland. The Third Silesian Uprising took place on the night of May 2 to 3, 1921. Piotr Gierlotka was the commander of the insurgents from Piotrowice, and Wilhelm Widuch was the commander of the company. This company was part of the 1st Battalion of the Pszczyna Regiment. The insurgents fought, among other places, in and under the St. Anne Mountain. After the uprisings, Piotrowice became part of Second Polish Republic, in the autonomous Silesian Voivodeship.