Sławków

See also: Sławków, Łódź Voivodeship

Sławków
Flag Coat of arms
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Silesian
County	Będzin
Gmina	Sławków (urban gmina)
Area
• City	36.6 km2 (14.1 sq mi)
Population  (2008)
• City	6,866
• Density	190/km2 (490/sq mi)
• Urban	2,746,000
• Metro	5,294,000
Postal code	41-260
Website	http://www.slawkow.pl

Sławków [ˈswafkuf] is a small town in Zagłębie Dąbrowskie in southern Poland, near Katowice. It borders on the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - a metropolis with a population of around 2 million. It is located in the Silesian Highlands.

It is situated in the Silesian Voivodeship, previously it was in Katowice Voivodeship. Sosnowiec is one of the cities of the 2,7 million conurbation - Katowice urban area and within a greater Silesian metropolitan area populated by about 5,294,000 people. The population of the town is 6,866 (2008).

From 1999 to 2001, Sławków was part of Lesser Poland Voivodeship. When it was transferred to Silesian Voivodeship in 2002, it was assigned to Będzin County (powiat), despite being separated from the rest of that county by the cities of Dąbrowa Górnicza and Sosnowiec.

It is the western terminus of the Broad Gauge Metallurgy Line.

Demographics

History

Archaeological sites from the Paleolithic and Neolithic ages have been discovered giving evidence to early human settlement in the area. The first written record of the town's name comes from 1220. However, the exact date of its incorporation remains unknown. Indirect written sources indicate that it most probably took place between 1279 and 1286. This assumption is supported by two documents from the 13th century: a charter issued in 1279 by Bolesław V in which the locality is still called a village (villa episcopalis) and an agreement dated 1286 between the Bishop of Cracow Paul of Przemanków and Leszek II the Black, in which Sławków is already called a town (civitas).

• 
  Sławków church (13th century)
• 
  old inn from 1781
• 
  ruins of the Sławków castle (13th century)
• 
  town hall
• 
  market square ca. 1919
• 
  market square southern frontage
• 
  museum
• 
  railway station

Broad gauge railway

Linia Hutnicza Szerokotorowa (known by its acronym LHS, English: Broad gauge metallurgy line) in Sławków is the longest broad gauge railway line in Poland. Except for this one line, and a few very short stretches near border crossings, Poland uses the standard gauge for its railways, unlike Russia and the other former countries of the Soviet Union. The line runs on a single track for almost 400 km from the Polish-Ukrainian border, crossing it just east of Hrubieszów, to Sławków. It is used only for freight transport, mainly iron ore and coal. It is the westernmost broad gauge railway line in Europe that is connected to the broad gauge rail system of the countries which before 1991 constituted the Soviet Union. The line is managed by PKP Linia Hutnicza Szerokotorowa Spólka z o.o. company. Previous name of this line was Linia Hutniczo Siarkowa (English: Metallurgy - Sulfur Line), but after sulfur ceased to be transported on the line its name was changed.