A familok house in Ruda ŚląskaRed windowframes typical to familoks
Familok is a type of multi-family house, originally designed for workers of industries and their families, mainly coal miners. It was built at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century, in the cities and towns of Silesia.
"Familok" is a Silesian way of pronouncing the original German name, Familien-Block (lit. family apartment house).
In several towns, they are protected by conservationists and renovated due to their historical significance. Protected familoks include those in Nikiszowiec of Katowice, Kolonia Zgorzelec in Bytom, Kolonia Emma in Radlin, Ruda Śląska, cities situated in Silesia, and those situated in the Karviná District of Bohumin, Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic, on the border with Silesia.
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately 40,000 km2 (15,400 sq mi), and the population is estimated at 8,000,000. Silesia is split into two main subregions, Lower Silesia in the west and Upper Silesia in the east. Silesia has a diverse culture, including architecture, costumes, cuisine, traditions, and the Silesian language. The largest city of the region is Wrocław.
Silesian Voivodeship is a voivodeship, or province, in southern Poland centered on the historic region known as Upper Silesia, with Katowice serving as its capital.
Katowice is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Katowice urban area. As of 2021, Katowice has an official population of 286,960, and a resident population estimate of around 315,000. Katowice is a central part of the Metropolis GZM, with a population of 2.3 million, and a part of a larger Katowice-Ostrava metropolitan area that extends into the Czech Republic and has a population of around 5 million people, making it one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the European Union.
Sosnowiec is an industrial city county in the Dąbrowa Basin of southern Poland, in the Silesian Voivodeship, which is also part of the Metropolis GZM municipal association. Located in the eastern part of the Upper Silesian Industrial Region, Sosnowiec is one of the cities of the Katowice urban area, which is a conurbation with the overall population of 2.7 million people; as well as the greater Katowice-Ostrava metropolitan area populated by about 5.3 million people. The population of the city is 189,178 as of December 2022.
Upper Silesia is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, located today mostly in Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic. The area is predominantly known for its heavy industry.
Opava is a city in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 56,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Opava River. Opava is one of the historical centres of Silesia and was a historical capital of Czech Silesia.
Czerwionka-Leszczyny is a town in Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland. It is the only town in Rybnik county and the seat of the larger Czerwionka-Leszczyny municipality which also includes 6 villages. Czerwionka-Leszczyny was created by a merger of two towns and two villages, which to this day maintain their separate identities. As of December 2021, the town has a population of 27,683.
Świętochłowice is a city with powiat rights in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. It is also one of the central cities of the Metropolis GZM, with a population of 2 million, and is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Rawa River.
Piekary Śląskie is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. One of the core cities of the Metropolis GZM – metropolis with the population of 2 million. Located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Brynica river.
Wodzisław Śląski is a city in Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland with 47,992 inhabitants (2019). It is the seat of Wodzisław County.
Mysłowice is a city in Silesia in Poland, bordering Katowice. The population of the city as of 2022 is 72,124.
Jaworzno is a city in southern Poland, near Katowice. It lies in the Silesian Highlands, on the Przemsza river. Jaworzno belongs to Lesser Poland and despite belonging to Silesian Voivodeship since 1999, Jaworzno is not part of Silesia. The city is situated in the Silesian Voivodeship since its formation in 1999, previously (1975–1999) it was in Katowice Voivodeship. Jaworzno is one of the cities of the 2,7 million conurbation – Katowice urban area and within a greater Katowice-Ostrava metropolitan area populated by about 5,294,000 people. The population of the city is 89,350 (2021).
Mikołów is a town in Silesia, in southern Poland, near the city of Katowice. Outer town of the Metropolis GZM, a metropolis with a population of over 2 million, and is within a greater Katowice-Ostrava metropolitan area populated by about 5,294,000 people. The population of the town is 40,898 (2019). Located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Jamna stream, a tributary of the Kłodnica River and indirectly the Oder.
The Silesian Autonomy Movement, abbreviated as RAŚ, is a movement that seeks the restoration of interwar Silesian autonomy - including a separate Silesian Treasury, a Silesian Parliament, as well as a Silesian constitution and an elected president. The party envisions an autonomous Silesia either within Poland, or as part of the Europe of 100 Flags, where the competences and sovereignty of modern states will be transferred to the regions. RAŚ considers Silesians a separate nation and promotes Silesian nationalism. The party supports regionalist and separatist movements in Europe, and has also been described as separatist itself.
Imielin is a town in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Outer town of the Metropolis GZM – metropolis with the population of 2 million. It is located in the Silesian Highlands. The population of the town is 9098 (2021).
Giszowiec is an eastern district of the city of Katowice, created as a coal miners' settlement in 1907. Initially consisting of about 3,300 miners and their families, the district's population have grown over the years to over 18,000. Although Giszowiec's architectural originality suffered major damages in the 1970s and 1980s due to large scale urbanization, its early unique character can be still felt in the surviving miners' housings, the marketplace, numerous individual buildings and structures, as well as the relatively well preserved general design of a "Garden city".
Orlová is a town in Karviná District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 28,000 inhabitants. The town is struggling with structural problems and is infamously known as the worst town to live in in the Czech Republic according to the national Quality of Life Index.
Nikiszowiec is a well-known neighbourhood and settlement which is part of the Janów-Nikiszowiec administrative district of the city of Katowice.
Komorní Lhotka is a municipality and village in Frýdek-Místek District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,500 inhabitants. The municipality has a significant Polish minority. The folk architecture in the village is well preserved and is protected by law as a village monument zone.
Gmina Herby is a rural gmina (municipality) in Lubliniec County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. Its seat is the village of Herby, which lies approximately 17 kilometres (11 mi) north-east of Lubliniec and 57 km (35 mi) north of the regional capital Katowice. Until 1993 it also included the area which now makes up Gmina Boronów.
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