Wyry in Katowice Upland

Wyry is located in the central part of the Silesian Province. Wyry and Gostyń are two villages separated by forests. They constitute Wyry Commune with an area of 34.55 sq.km. Gostyń and Wyry became one commune and an independent administrative unit on April 2, 1991. The total population of both towns is about 8,000 inhabitants. Wyry became the seat of the new authorities. The commune borders on Mikołów, Kobiór, Łaziska Górne and Tychy.

Wyry Commune belongs to Katowice Upland and is one of the 309 Polish mesoregions. The average height of this highland is 250 - 300 m above sea level, in some places it is above 320-340 m above sea level. There are many log plateaus and hills, separated from each other by sinkholes. Saint John's Hill is the nearest natural hill located next to Wyry in Wierzysko forest on the territory of Łaziska Górne. The hill’s height is 350 m above sea level is. At the hill top, at the intersection of the former trade routes Kraków - Wrocław and Pszczyna - Mikołów, there is a chapel with a figure of St. John the Evangelist.

The coat-of-arms of the Wyry Commune shows a black branch with two golden leaves, symbolizing the towns - Wyry and Gostyń, placed in the blue field of the shield. The coat-of-arms was selected through a competition. A total of 35 works were submitted, but the committee unanimously chose Krzysztof Mieczągłowski's project. The coat-of-arms was adopted by the resolution the Wyry Commune Council on November 26, 1997.

The 700th anniversary of Wyry Square and the Fallen Heroes Memorial, Wyry

At the Fallen Heroes memorial, Main Street, Wyry

The celebration of the 700th anniversary of Wyry in 1987 was a great event for the commune. The previously nameless square in the center of the village was named Wyry’s 700th Anniversary Square. There is a stone with a memorial plaque that reads,

The village names originates from an Old Polish word "wyr", meaning "vortex", "spring", “source”. The Mikołów hills, on which one of the village is located, used to be full of springs. Therefore, the settlement formed on the whirlpools also came to be called after them: Wyry ("Springs").
The first written mention of the village of Wyry dates back to 1287. It was discovered in the document issued by Prince Mieszko Opolski, the lord of Racibórz, regarding additional salaries for the church of St. Wojciech in the city of Mikołów.

I was told I had to pay a visit to Marta Waleska Slag Heap. The slag heap is not far from the commune center in Wyry. In fact, we saw it from the motorway, but had no time to climb it. The slag heap of coalmining waste has the height of 315 m above sea level. It is on the territory of the neighboring town of Łaziska Górne. The name of the slag heap comes from Marta Waleska Coalmine that was located there. It is one of the youngest heaps that was had been formed since 1994. There is a nice panorama of Łaziska Dolne and Łaziska Średnie from the top of this slag heap. In good weather, you can see the Silesian Beskids and the Żywiec Beskids from there.

As we arrived to Main Street, I decided to take the fist turning to the right, and we reached what had been recommended as a must-see in Wyry: neglected manors from the 18th / 19th century. On the way back, we walked all along Main Street, and did not see these great old houses at all because they are hidden inside what we would call a housing estate. These houses dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries were the first interesting buildings we saw in Wyry. They are located in a compound called Dwór Street. They are not neglected, but used either as residence houses or as agricultural enterprises because I saw there were many vehicles and equipment inside the courtyards. I was impressed by the old architecture of the residence houses. It reminded me of Three Musketeers movie, where I saw similar architectural styles.

I had planned visiting the monument to St.John Nepomucene in Main Street. This saint is very much revered in Poland and in other countries. I had seen similar monuments in Germany a well. We had seen a similar monument in Lędziny.

I had seen on the map that there were several water reservoirs in Wyry Commune. Lake Wicie, the largest of them, is located in the central part of the commune, has an area of 14 ha and a capacity of 113,400 cu.m. This lake serves as a breeding pond. Lake Stępnik and Stary Staw (“Old Pond”) are other water reservoirs in Wyry Commune. If you are in the vicinity of Stary Staw, you can see a monumental oak with a circumference of 550 cm in the breast height diameter. It is the thickest and probably the oldest, about 350 years old, protected oak specimen in Mikołów County. Forewarned is forearmed. We have not reached the lakes and will plan such a visit during our next hike to Wyry.

The beginnings of coal mining in Wyry date back to 1770, when the "Henry's Happiness" coal mine was opened. The coalmine was named after Duke Henry, who was fortunate to possess a new source of wealth. Coal was mined in Wyry until the 1960s.

Wyry has always been an independent commune, but in 1975 it was incorporated into the city of Tychy and regained its sovereignty in 1991.
Wyry is well-known for the Battle of Wyry that took place in early September, 1939. Fierce battles between the Nazis and the Polish army took place in Wyry and Gostyń then.
There are a few WWII structures belonging to the former Fortified Area of Silesia I this area. “Sowiniec” combat bunker is one of them. It is open to the public and is located in the neighboring village of Gostyń. The inside of the bunker hosts an exhibition dedicated to the Battle of Mikołów of 1939. The annual annual reconstruction of this battle attracts thousands of history enthusiasts and visitors from nearby towns and villages. This reconstruction became a large historical spectacle in southern Poland, devoted to the battles on the fronts of World War II under the name “Battle of Wyry”. It has taken place every year in the town of Gostyn since 2005.

We had no time for visiting the war memorials and were not in the mood for them. We proceeded with our initial exploration of Wyry. Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was our first planned destination. The church was built in 1927.

After praying in the church, we walked along Main Street and visited the Heroes Memorial in the Jubilee Square. We admired the old Silesian-style brown-brick private houses.
There was an old farm building that we saw from the main street. The building must be two hundred years old, I thought. It looked neglected, there was no fence around it, and the whole area facing Main Street was overgrown with tall grass. As they say, curiosity killed the cat. I decided to approach it and to take a couple of pictures there. The old farm building turned out to be a construction site. I vigilant neighbor approached us and asked what we were doing there. She explained that the old neglected farm houses had received a new owner, thank Goodness. I had to introduce myself and to explain the reason for entering the private property. The lady spoke some English, and I explained to her my purpose of taking pictures there. I was sorry I had not ordered any business cards with the address of my TP Polish blog there. Since we are still staying in Poland and will continue its exploration, I feel I have to create them and to order them just in case.

During our hikes and trips in Silesia, we saw numerous small forms of sacral architecture – chapels and roadside crosses. They are a characteristic element of the Polish landscape and at the same time an important element of culture. We saw several of such roadside crosses and chapels in Wyry as well.