From the very beginning, Olkusz was a typical mining town. It owed its establishment and development to lead ore mined there since the end of the 13th century. Trade in it was very profitable, dominated mainly by Kraków people. Lead was taken to Hungary, where it was exchanged for silver from the Central-Slavic mines [1.1]. In the light of the newest archeological research, the beginnings of the exploitation of lead deposits in this area date back to the 8th century BC. It was probably connected with the arrival of Celtic tribes, who specialized in silver processing, into the Lesser Poland lands at that time. The origin of the town’s name has not been explained fully. In the old documents there are: LCUHS, HILCUS, ILCUS, ILKUSZ and then Olkusz. The first information about Olkusz can be found in the Bible commentary by Rabbi Shlomo Ben Izaak (Rashi) from the 11th century. The first historical note about the locality was found in the obligation of King Bolesław V the Chaste – Sandomierz and Kraków prince, who in 1257 promised to pay two grzywnas of gold a year from the Olkusz lead profit for the maintenance of a Poor Clares convent that he had moved from Zawichost to Skała. The documents confirming the granting of Olkusz a town charter did not survive until this time, though probably Bolesław V the Chaste did grant it. The oldest confirmation of the charter dates back to 1299 and this date is officially assumed as the beginning of an Olkusz existence.
At first, Olkusz was about 2,5 km west of the present town, but for some unknown reason the settlement was moved to another area. The new location contributed to an intensive development of the town because of a convenient situation on a trade route from Kraków to Wrocław. However, the exploitation and sale of lead ore were the most important source of income. In the 15th century, in the glory days, there were 300 active mines of this metal in Olkusz. Silver smelters developed around them. It was the reason to open a royal mint striking coins of high quality here in 1579, the only one at this time. In the 17th century, Olkusz was one of the biggest cities of the then Kraków Province. Unfortunately, wasteful exploitation of resources, natural disasters such as fires and floods of the Baba River, as well as epidemics and war activities, of the Deluge and then of the Northern War, led to the collapse of the economic magnificence of the Silver Town at the close of the 17th century. Exploitation of ore in the flooded mines stopped.
In 1794, the Prussian army occupied Olkusz and soon after, it was under Austrian rule. In 1808, the town became a part of the Duchy of Warsaw and finally it was under Russian rule in the area of Congress Poland [1.2]. At this time, Stanisław Staszic made unsuccessful attempts to start the Olkusz mines again. In 1814, a mine of zinc ore was successfully opened. After forming an Olkusz district by the tsarist office, the significance of the town as the center of state administration was slowly growing. The offices of the district authorities (1826) and the municipal council (1833) and a hospital (1849) were built. At the same time, many buildings of unique historic value were demolished; among them were fortifications with the gates, an Augustinian monastery with a church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the town hall. Uprisings and tsarist repressions did not stop the development of industry in the town. Its rapid development fell in the second half of the 19th century, which in large measure involved the building of the Iwanogrodzko-Dąbrowska railway line through Olkusz in the years 1883–1885, and this helped it to become independent of its own mineral resources. In 1907, Peter Westen opened the Factory of Metalware, then of Enamelware. New working- class housing estates, new service, housing and council buildings came into being. Within 100 years, the number of the population had increased from 720 to 6800 people.
fonte:) edisonmariotti #edisonmariotti http://www.sztetl.org.pl/en/article/olkusz/3,local-history/
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