Knurów

Knurów
St. Lawrence's Church (16th century). Originally in Knurów, in 1935 the wooden church was moved to Chorzów
Flag Coat of arms
Knurów
Coordinates: 50°13′N 18°41′E / 50.217°N 18.683°E / 50.217; 18.683
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Silesian
County	Gliwice
Gmina	Knurów (urban gmina)
City rights	1951
Government
• Mayor	Adam Rams
Area
• City	33.95 km2 (13.11 sq mi)
Population (2008)
• City	39,449
• Density	1,200/km2 (3,000/sq mi)
• Urban	2,746,000
• Metro	5,294,000
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	44-190 do 44-196
Car plates	SGL
Climate	Dfb
Website	http://www.knurow.pl/

Knurów ([ˈknuruf]; German: Knurow; Silesian: Knurůw) is a town near Katowice in Silesia, southern Poland. Knurów borders on the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union, a metropolis with a population of two million.

Knurów is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Bierawka River, a tributary of the Oder River.

Knurów's history as major town is relatively short, as it only became a town in 1951, as result of the merger of the settlements of Krywałd and Szczygłowice. However, Knurów's existence can be traced back as far back as 1295. As with the rest of Upper Silesia, the town changed hands between the kingdoms of Prussia and Poland over the course of its history. The town rapidly grew at the end of the 18th Century as the Industrial Revolution came and vast coal reserves were found in the area. The coal industry continued growing well in the 20th Century, and doubled its output with a new mine being built in 1961 in Szczygłowice. More recently, in May 2015, riots ensued in the town after a Concordia Knurów fan was shot dead by police during a football match.

Knurów 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 39,449 (2008).