Upper Silesia Research Articles

Ernest Wilimowski – Polish and German National Team Player with an Unspecified Nationality

Athlete migration is not only an effect of contemporary globalization. Football migration is nothing new and has a long and complex history. Ernest Wilimowski, who was the only football player to represent both Poland and Germany, is a part of that history. Wilimowski was born in 1916 in Katowice, which was then part of the German Reich. In 1922, Katowice and a part of Upper Silesia were annexed to Poland. Wilimowski won the Polish football league four times. In the Polish national team, he scored 21 goals in 22 matches. In 1936, for infringing the amateur rules, he was dropped from the Olympic team and did not take part in the Berlin games. In 1938, he took part in the World Cup in France. Following Germany’s attack on Poland in 1939, he started playing for German clubs, and in 1941 made his debut in the Third Reich’s national team, in which he played eight times and scored 13 goals. Wilimowski was a modern athlete unconfined by national ties. Despite a complex political situation in Europe, he strived to achieve his sports objectives and his decisions were based on pragmatic motives.

Influence of reclamation techniques and vegetation types on water retention in hard coal spoil heaps

AbstractThis study examines the relationship between the reclamation method (with topsoil and with bare rock), individual species, and land cover (woodland, grassland, and forbsland) on micro‐climate and retention properties, that is, volumetric water content (vwc) and water storage capacity (S). The large overburden dump “Sośnica” in Upper Silesia served as a research site, which makes it possible to investigate the planned experimental variants with relatively homogeneous properties of the deposited rock. The study uses statistical analysis and multilinear regressions to investigate the correlation between reclamation method, species, and land cover with parameters such as atmospheric temperature, relative humidity, vwc, soil temperature (st), and S. The experiments were carried out both in the field and in the laboratory. The results of this study indicate that the parameters related to retention properties were higher in the recultivated areas than in the areas left to natural succession. “S” was significantly higher in grassland and forbsland (15.67–16.52%) than in control plots where 10.23% was found, and in areas where an additional soil layer was applied (14.72%). Maximum vwc (22.17%) was on plots with topsoil than on bare rock (14.89%). Vwc were highest in the areas designated as grassland (28.54%), in comparison with woodlands and forblands (the control without vegetation cover had the worst thermal and retention properties). This study sheds light on the effects of reclamation method, species, and land cover on various parameters and helps to understand the importance of appropriate reclamation techniques for soil and water conservation. Further research on the impacts of reclamation techniques and land cover on micro‐climatic conditions in diverse post‐mining landscapes is crucial for developing globally applicable restoration strategies that promote ecological resilience.

Machine Learning-Based Classification of Rock Bursts in an Active Coal Mine Dominated by Non-Destructive Tremors

Rock bursts are dynamic phenomena in underground openings, causing damage to support and infrastructure, and are one of the main natural hazards in underground coal mines. The prediction of rock bursts is important for improving safety in mine openings. The hazard of rock bursts is correlated with seismic activity, but rock bursts are rare compared to non-destructive tremors. The five machine learning classifiers (multilayer perceptron, adaptive boosting, gradient boosting, K-nearest neighbors, and Gaussian naïve Bayes), along with an ensemble hard-voting classifier composed of these classifiers, were used to recognize rock bursts among the dominant non-destructive tremors. Machine learning models were trained and tested on ten sets of randomly selected data obtained from one of the active hard coal mines in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin, Poland. For each of the 627 cases in the database, 15 features representing geological, geomechanical, mining, and technical conditions in the opening as well as tremor energy and correlated peak particle velocity were determined. Geological and geomechanical parameters of the coal seams and surrounding rocks were aggregated into a single GEO index. The share of rock bursts in the database was only about 8.5%; therefore, the ADASYN balancing method, which addresses imbalanced datasets, was used. The ensemble hard-voting classifier most effectively classified rock bursts, with an average recall of 0.74.

Variability of Concentrations of Potentially Toxic Metals in the Topsoil of Urban Forest Parks (Southern Poland)

Forest ecosystems and urban parks are an integral part of the natural environment and the natural system of a city, where they form a mosaic of habitats resulting from the variation in soil cover due to human activities. The study was conducted in urban forests in five urban parks in Upper Silesia (southern Poland) and investigated the chemical properties and content of potentially toxic metals (PTMs) in the topsoil, which had an average thickness of 15 cm for all samples. The soil reaction ranged from acidic (pH = 4.7–5.1, in KCl) to slightly acidic (pH = 5.6, to neutral—6.6–7.2) at most sites. The organic carbon (OC) content was relatively high at all sites, ranging from 1.19 to 14.3%, with the highest total nitrogen (Nt) content being 0.481%. The average total phosphorus (Pt) content in the parks ranged from 310 mg kg−1 to 684 mg kg−1, while the highest values were 1840 mg kg−1. The total Cr, Cu, Co and Ni content was within acceptable limits, while the Zn, Pb, Cd, As, Sr and Ba exceeded acceptable standards. In terms of content, Zn dominated the PTMs at each site (Zn > Pb > Ba > Sr > Cu > Cr > As > Ni > Cd > Co), while Ba and Pb alternated in taking second place (Zn > Ba > Pb > Sr > Cu > Cr > Ni > As > Co > Cd). Environmental indicators, such as the geoaccumulation index (Igeo), enrichment factor (EF) and potential ecological risk index (RI), showed that the analyzed soils are highly contaminated with PTMs. Among the sources of pollution in the urban forest are low emissions from coal combustion, industrial activities, water runoff from streets and proximity to transportation routes. Identification of PTM levels in urban parks will provide valuable information on the behavior of these metals, which is important in sustainable development and can help evaluate the local spatial development plans of urbanized areas.

Biodiversity Characteristics and Carbon Sequestration Potential of Successional Woody Plants Versus Tree Plantation under Different Reclamation Treatments on Hard-Coal Mine Heaps––A Case Study from Upper Silesia

In the discussion about sustainable forestry, a key role is played by the development of ecosystem services, including ecological, social, and economic ones, in which biodiversity and carbon (C) sequestration are among the most important. Afforestation of disturbed and post-mining sites is one of the ways to minimize the negative impact of civilization on the environment. Optimizing C sequestration strategies at post-mining sites plays a crucial role in promoting ecosystem recovery, supporting climate change mitigation, and enabling C offsetting. In this study, we compared the C storage in the soil and plant biomass of forest ecosystems developed on coal-mine heaps for different scenarios of reclamation and succession. We tested combinations of sites (i.e., non-reclaimed sites on bare carboniferous rock [BR] and sites reclaimed by applying topsoil [TS]) and successional woodland and tree plantation. The estimated potential for total C storage (in the soil + biomass) for TS sites ranged from 68.13 to 121.08 Mg ha−1, of which 52.20–102.89 Mg ha−1 was stored in the soil and 12.09–20.15 Mg ha−1 in the biomass. In the non-reclaimed sites on BR, the total C storage was much higher, amounting to 523.14 Mg ha−1 (507.66 Mg ha−1 being in the soil), which was due to the geogenic coal content in the BR. However, the C storage in the biomass (15.48 Mg ha−1) and litter (5.91 Mg ha−1) was similar to the amounts obtained from the reclaimed sites. The number of species did not differ statistically significantly between the analyzed variants. On average, 14 species were recorded in the plots. The average Shannon–Wiener index (H’) value was higher for sites with BR (1.99) than TS variants on reclaimed plots (1.71). The lowest H’ value was for those plots with Robinia pseudacacia in the stand. One of the main implications of the obtained results for sustainable forestry is the perspective of using succession in the recovery of a disturbed ecosystem. We noted that woodlands from succession on BR are highly biodiverse, have high C sequestration potential, and do not require time-consuming reclamation treatments.

Rudolph Virchow's Upper Silesia report: the starting point for his simultaneous engagement with public health and antisemitism.

In 2023 an important anniversary took place. It regards Virchow's report on the Upper Silesia epidemic typhus, which was associated with the death of numerous Polish peasants. It is also the starting point of Virchow's political career and fight against antisemitism, which has reached fearful levels in academia. Antisemitism is not new, but the recrudescence following the October 7th massacre of Jewish and not-Jewish people is appalling and recalls Virchow's vehemence of the past a few decades before the Nazi extermination of the Shoah during the World War II.

Element Cycling at Thermally Active Coal-Waste Dumps: A Case Study of Calamagrostis epigejos and Solidago canadensis

Coal-waste dumps in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin are usually colonized by tall grass Calamagrostis epigejos and Solidago canadensis, which influence the direction of vegetation formation and the soil chemistry. The aim of this study is to analyze and determine the content of major elements (Fe, Ca, P, Mg, Al, Na, K, S) and trace elements (Mo, Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Co, Mn, Sr, Cd, Cr) in aboveground and underground parts of the plants and the soil at the thermally active coal-waste dump. Analysis of the heavy metal concentrations reveals that they are higher in plant materials than in soil materials within the root zone of the plants. Environmental indicator analysis (geoaccumulation index, enrichment factor, translocation factor) shows that the studied species exhibit varying degrees of pollution, with cadmium and zinc showing the highest accumulation rates. The content of elements in the analyzed species, both in washed and unwashed specimens, does not show significant differences, which is confirmed by the enrichment factor. Statistical analysis shows a positive correlation between the amount of microelements in plants (roots, aerial part) and soil samples in both thermally active and inactive zones. These findings broaden the scientific inquiry and hold practical significance for the reclamation of post-industrial areas.

Seasonal toxicity of urban road dust in runoff process-studies in Poland

Urban road dust (URD) is one of the most important non-point sources of pollution in agglomerations. The aim of this study was to assess the seasonal toxic effects of URD runoff in two regions of Poland. The concentrations of elements in URD and leachate were studied. The impact of pollutants in URD runoff on water organisms was evaluated using Daphtoxkit F and Rotoxkit F (LC50). The acute toxicity tests for crustaceans and rotifers were selected as the response of these taxa reflects the impact on zooplankton, a key component of aquatic ecosystem and the basis of most food webs. The concentrations of elements were found to vary depending on the site, although URD samples collected in Katowice agglomeration (Upper Silesia) had higher values of elements (Mn, Cu, Zn, As) compared to Wrocław (Lower Silesia). The concentrations of Mn, Zn, As, Cr, and Mg in water-soluble fraction of URD were higher in summer and winter in the Upper Silesia region due to rainwater runoff resulting from traffic, industries, post-industrial waste, and the presence of old heating systems. When comparing the content of elements in the water-soluble fraction between seasons, Zn, As, Cr, and Al concentrations were slightly higher in winter. The highest mortality of Daphnia magna and Brachiouns calyciflorus was observed in URD from both agglomerations in winter. However, the mortality is likely due to the concentration of elements or/and the coexistence of an unknown compound or a synergistic effect of the studied elements. This study highlights the alarming seasonal sources of elements in URD runoff, which will directly enter the food chain and affect the entire ecosystem, and human health.

Occurrence and Potential for Coalbed Methane Extraction in the Depocenter Area of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin (Poland) in the Context of Selected Geological Factors

Coalbed methane (CBM) is the only unconventional gas in Poland with estimated recoverable resources. The prospects for developing deep CBM have been explored in recent years by drilling deep exploration wells within the depocenter of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin. The purpose of this study is to analyze the occurrence and potential for CBM extraction in this area of the basin, which can be considered prospective due to the confirmed presence of significant amounts of gas and thick coal seams at depths > 1500 m. The study examined the vertical and horizontal variability of the gas content in the studied area, the coal rank in the seams, thermal conditions, and coal reservoir parameters. The gas content in the seams, reaching more than 18 m3/t coaldaf at a depth of 2840 m, and indicative estimated gas resources of 9 billion m3 were found. The high gas content is accompanied by positive thermal and coal rank anomalies. The permeability and methane saturation of the coal seams are low, and therefore, potential methane production may prove problematic. However, the development of CBM extraction technologies involving directional drilling with artificial fracturing may encourage gas production testing in the study area.

ZWEI ‘ACHTUNDVIERZIGER VON ALTEM SCHROT UND KORNʼ SCHREIBEN ÜBER DEN VÖLKERFRÜHLING: LOUISE ASTON, MAX RING UND IHRE DARSTELLUNG DER MÄRZREVOLUTION

AbstractThe following article compares two novels whose plots are set during the March Revolution of 1848. Berlin und Breslau, 1847–49 is the novel debut of Max Ring, a now largely forgotten writer and doctor of Jewish origin who came from Upper Silesia and became the author of numerous stories, novels and non‐fiction books in the second half of the nineteenth century. He often uses the location of Berlin. In the novel Revolution und Contrerevolution, Louise Aston – poet, author and women's rights activist from Gröningen – deals with revolutionary issues. Both books were published in 1849, at a time when the consequences of these events for the future were not yet entirely foreseeable. Both Aston and Ring were supporters of the revolution. In this paper, the perspectives and views of their characters or narrators as well as the issues of narrative strategies and focalisation are analysed and discussed. Of importance here are not only the gender‐specific differences between Louise Aston and Max Ring, but primarily, in addition to similarities such as generational affiliation, the differences in their literary expression and the articulation of their political views.

Novel method for determining the time coefficient [formula omitted] in Knothe’s function and disappearance time of deformation increase using SAR data

This paper presents a novel approach to determining the disappearance time of deformation increase after the conclusion of mining activity using Knothe’s time function and persistent scatterer interferometric synthetic aperture radar (PSInSAR). As a result, a method was proposed for determining a parameter of the function, the time coefficient c, using SAR data. The area of study was a strongly urbanised (city centre) post-mining region within the Upper Silesian Coal Basin (USCB), located in central-eastern Europe (Poland), which was characterised by intense hard coal mining that was concluded in 2015. The study analysed ground displacements generated directly after the conclusion of extraction as well as the time after which the rock mass assumes a relatively calm state. The obtained results were validated based on the results of classic geodesic measurements. The average time coefficient c determined by the developed method was 0.84, while the average time coefficient based on classic geodesic measurements was 1.01. So the theoretical disappearance time of deformation increase was, respectively, 5 years and 6 months and 4 years and 7 months. The research revealed that the developed method is helpful in determining the parameter in Knothe’s function and enables a more accurate definition of the disappearance time of deformation increase after the conclusion of extraction. This has great significance in the context of safety and the potential limitation of damage generated as a result of the negative influence of underground mining on the ground surface as well as for the spatial planning of post-mining areas.

Physico-mechanical parameters of rock materials used in open pit reclamation – a case study of CTL Maczki-Bór S.A. mine in Poland

The aim of the research was to assess the variability of selected physical and mechanical properties of Carboniferous barren rocks in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin and to analyze the impact of time and increasing vertical pressure on the mechanical parameters of the mixture of these rocks used in the reclamation of the open pit. Both type of tests were conducted in a strength press. For lithologically and stratigraphically differentiated rock samples, strength parameters in various states of humidity (air-dried and capillary saturation state) were determined, including compressive strength, cohesion and the angle of internal friction. It was found that the strength of all types of rock increases with geological age, however saturation of these rocks with water causes their structural weakening, which is especially noticeable in the case of sandstone and claystone. In the case of mudstone, due to their structure, the reduction of strength after saturation with water is not so significantly noticeable. In the second part of the laboratory tests, 5 samples of Carboniferous post-mining waste with different storage times in the open pit were subjected to the assessment of changes in density and compressibility in relation to increasing values of vertical pressure. It was found that the long-term depositing of waste in the excavation is conducive to the intensive development of hypergenic processes. This contributes to the disintegration of sedimentary rocks, which causes changes in their physical and mechanical parameters. This phenomenon is additionally intensified by the increasing vertical pressure with thickness of waste layers.

Church Borderland of Cracow and Wrocław Diocese in Silesia at the Turn of thel9th Century

The issue includes the territory of the decanates of Bytorn and Pszczyna in Upper Silesia and the decanates of Siewierz and Lelów in the region of Częstochowa and New Silesia. All these decanates used to belong to the Cracow diocese although most of them were beyond the borders of Poland. Until 1741 all Silesia was under the Austrian rule. It was only after the Silesian war between Prussia and Austria in 1741 that Silesia was subjected to the Prussian rule. Soon after the first partition, on January 4, 1773, the Prussian authorities demanded that the Cracow bishop Kajetan Sołtyk grant powers for the Bytom and Pszczyna decanates. Finally, territorial affiliation of these two decanates was decided in the years 1816-1821. Talks were held then between Nibuhr, plenipotentiary of the Prussian government and cardinal Consalvi, representative of the Holy See, concerning reorganization of church administration in Prussia. By the powers of the papal bulla De salutare animarum of July 16, 1821 the decanates of Bytom and Pszczyna were incorporated into the Wroclaw diocese.

Polish press publishers in Piekary near Bytom in the years 1847-1939

The town Piekary played an important role in the years 1847-1939 as one of the first and thriving centres of Polish press in Upper Silesia.

Long-term subsidence over the Upper Silesia Coal Basin identified on differential LIDAR (2012–2021) and InSAR (2015–2020) data

Long-term subsidence over the Upper Silesia Coal Basin identified on differential LIDAR (2012–2021) and InSAR (2015–2020) data

Potentially Harmful Elements (As, Sb, Cd, Pb) in Soil Polluted by Historical Smelting Operation in the Upper Silesian Area (Southern Poland)

This study aimed at determining the concentration and possibility of migration of potentially harmful elements (PHEs) in soils and mining and metallurgical waste in the Silesian-Cracow region. Our research was carried out in selected locations of Ruda Śląska, Świętochłowice, Bytom, and in the Olkusz region (Bukowno) in southern Poland. The concentrations of metals (e.g., Ag, Ba, Ca, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Pb, Sr, Zn), metalloids (As, Sb), and sulphur were determined in 33 soil samples (with a depth range of 0.0–0.3 m) and 12 slag samples. These studies show an increased concentration of metals, metalloids, and sulphur, exceeding the level of regional geochemical background. The research results indicate that the degree of the chemical transformation of soils in the analysed regions of Ruda Śląska, Bytom, and Bukowno is advanced. This highlights the high concentrations of most metals, i.e., arsenic, antimony, and sulphur, in the surface layer of soils (topsoil) due to historic Zn-Pb ore mining and Zn and Fe metallurgy. The presence of both primary and secondary metal sulphides, sulphates, carbonates, oxides/hydroxides, silicates, and aluminosilicates was found in the mineral composition of soils and slags.

New data on the occurrence of echinoderms in the Muschelkalk (Middle Triassic) of Upper Silesia

In the Sadowa Góra quarry in Jaworzno, southern Poland, the Muschelkalk deposits are exposed (Lower and Upper Gogolin Beds). The occurrence of echinoderms seems to be particularly interesting. The isolated ossicles of asteroids were found already in the 1st Wellenkalk of the Lower Gogolin Beds (Aegean), which is one of the oldest post-Paleozoic occurrence in the world. Until recently, it was believed that the first echinoids appeared in the Germanic Basin during the Bithynian (above the Conglomeratic Horizon of the Upper Gogolin Beds). Currently, they have been found, similarly to the remains of asteroids, already in the 1st Wellenkalk. Attention was also drawn to the fact that the stratigraphically important crinoid species Holocrinus dubius may have appeared in Upper Silesia earlier than previously thought.

Depositional setting and sequence stratigraphy of Upper Mississippian coal-bearing paralic cyclothems in Upper Silesian foreland

The upper Serpukhovian Poruba Member (c. 325–324 Ma) is a coal-bearing “paralic” succession deposited in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin located along the eastern foreland of the Moravo-Silesian segment of the Variscan fold and thrust belt. The basin formed an >150 km long, tectonically controlled embayment open to the north and northeast, with estuarine circulation, predominance of fluvial discharge and a limited tidal influence. A high-accommodation depocentre (possibly up to 1100 m/Myr) was filled by shallowing-upward successions related to the progradation of river dominated (bay-head) deltas, with subordinate fluvial and marine sediments. These strata form two orders of transgressive-regressive cycles, or genetic sequences, both overlapping with the Milankovitch band. Intervals of maximum transgression, marked by marine or brackish faunal horizons, immediately overlie coal beds, suggesting non-accretionary transgression in a low energy setting. Six medium-term genetic sequences (cyclothems) are recognized, each consisting of 4 to 6 elementary sequences and a number of smaller scale units of possible autocyclic origin. The medium-term sequences are attributed to a combined influence of relative sea-level change and changes in sediment input, both possibly as a far field response to Gondwanan glaciation through glacioeustasy and attendant changes in climatic seasonality.

Botryoidal and spherulitic hematite as experimental evidence of highly acidic conditions in burning coal-waste dumps and potentially on Mars

In the extreme setting of burning coal-waste dumps in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin in Poland, botryoidal and spherulitic hematite occurs in association with sulphates and chlorides. A series of simple experiments aimed at replicating the conditions leading to the formation of hematite spherules on the burning dumps are described. Goethite synthesised in the laboratory, mixed with various combinations of other reactants, was heated in a heating chamber or a tubular furnace. Temperature, duration of heating, water and oxygen access, and pH were experimental variables. The results show that hematite may form spherules from goethite where access to oxygen is limited and where conditions are strongly acidic. The spherulitic shape of hematite produced due to dynamically changing physicochemical conditions in the burning dumps can be an indicator of an extremely acidic environment during the closing stages of coal-waste self-heating. The conditions of hematitic-spherule formation on burning coal-waste dumps may apply in a variety of other unrelated settings, e.g., waning volcanism, sulphuric acid speleologenesis and even the formation of blueberries on Mars.

Human costal cartilage, tooth cavities, and femur nutrient canals—new niches for insects used in forensic entomology

Abstract The study aimed to analyze the entomological material collected during 13 autopsies performed on the unidentified cadavers revealed at different stages of decay in the Upper Silesia Region (Poland) over 2016–2022. During the preparation of human tissues for genetic identification, we revealed larvae, puparia, and adult insects in previously undescribed locations: costal cartilage, femur nutrient canals (foramen nutrients), and tooth cavities. The taxonomical assessment was done using morphological examination or DNA barcoding, where necessary. Based on our observations, we conclude that the apical constriction, foramen, and cavities may serve as migration paths inside teeth, and the femur nutrient canals to the bone marrow. The study also revealed that Necrobia ruficollis (Fabricius, 1775) and Pyralidae Latreille, 1802 (Phycitinae) moths can form pupal chambers inside the costal cartilage, indicating that these insects can complete their life cycle inside this cache. We believe that the newly reported locations of carrion insects in human remains may be relevant to forensic entomology, as they provide new opportunities to collect insect evidence.