Relacja wieś–miasto w górnośląskich miasteczkach poprzemysłowych — na przykładzie Radzionkowa
The rural–urban relationship in Upper Silesian post-industrial towns — the example of Radzionków

Summary/Abstract: In this article, I want to focus on the formation of posindustrial towns in Upper Silesia, which combine the overlapping structures of village and city. These structures become apparent in the signs present in the cultural landscape, the spatial shaping of the township and the practices of the residents, thus invalidating the rural–urban opposition. This raises the questions: how did the former village transform into a post-industrial town? How do these structures reveal themselves in the cultural landscape—what signs does it contain? Where does the rural origin reveal itself? How has the rural–urban relationship affected the town’s residents? To answer these questions, I will use Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of habitus. This article is based on the preliminary results of anthropological, qualitative field research conducted in 2019–2021 in Radzionków. Radzionków represents a unique space to trace the long process of changes that have taken place in the industry and influenced the habitus of its residents. For centuries the town developed spatially and urbanis- tically as a village. Only the development of mining and metallurgy in the 19th and 20th centuries gradually contributed to changing the character of the village, industrializing it and changing the habitus of Radzionków inhabitants. The patterns of village culture are still present in the daily practices of the settled residents, sustained by the hexis. I will also consider the attitudes of settled residents toward new urban development (e.g., a new market, blocks of flats), which reflects their attitudes toward space aspiring to urbanity.

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