Rybnik is quite a big city, as it has over one hundred and thirty thousand inhabitants. It is located in the Silesian province, about twenty-five kilometers from the border with the Czech Republic. Rybnik consists of as many as twenty-seven districts, which makes the city the sixteenth in Poland in terms of area and the twenty-fifth in terms of population.
The city's name is a reference to the times when the main way of livelihood of its inhabitants was fishing. Back then, in place of today's market square, there was a sizable breeding pond. Rybnik simply means fish pond in Silesian and in Czech, like a nationwide feeder or feeder.
The first trace of humans in the area of Rybnik dates back to about eight thousand years B.C., back in the days of Roman rule, when there was trade with Celtic tribes!
The city itself appeared on maps in the late sixteenth century as Rijbnick. However, perhaps as early as the late eleventh century, a fishing settlement was established in the valley of the Nacyna River, which was to give rise to today's city. At that time, there were quite a few fish ponds in that area. The settlement was to transform into a city a century later, when it was located under German law. The year 1308 is significant for Rybnik. That is when it appeared in written sources as a town.
In the 1420s it became part of Bohemia, and for the next two centuries Rybnik, as well as the entire area, was ruled by the Czechs. After the Habsburgs seized the Czech throne, it, along with the rest of Silesia, became part of their monarchy. And another hundred years later, Rybnik became a private city, only to fall into the hands of the Polish Hungarian family at the end of the seventeenth century.
Rybnik is a mecca for cyclists. This is because there are about three hundred kilometers of bicycle paths in the city! And it is thanks to this very rich network of roads for fans of two wheels that one can get acquainted with the city's most interesting attractions.
The aforementioned bicycle paths lead not only to historical and cultural attractions, but also lead through vast stretches of green areas. One of the more frequently mentioned attractions is certainly the Rybnik lagoon, which, of course, especially in the summer, is very popular not only with the local community, but also with tourists from the nearby Silesian and Zagłębie agglomerations.
The Rybnik market square, which on warmer days, like the one in Kraków, fills up with people, also deserves attention. All thanks to the appropriate policy of the local authorities. So Rybnik residents can rest under an umbrella on warmer days and enjoy a cold drink, more or less exuberant.
In Rybnik you will also find a castle, a basilica, a graduation tower and a historic mine!
You can reach Rybnik by bus, for example. Buses going from or to Rybnik stop at the local PKS station, located at 6 Budowlanych St. And from there, it's just a stone's throw from the marketplace.
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