Gotartowice
rybnik district in Silesian, Poland
Gotartowice (German: Gotartowitz) is a district of Rybnik, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. In the late 2013 it had about 3,550 inhabitants.
History
The village could have been established in the late 13th century, supposedly by a local knight named Gothard, appearing in documents in the 1290s. The village was first mentioned in a Latin document of Diocese of Wrocław called Liber fundationis episcopatus Vratislaviensis from around 1305 as item in Gothartovitz decima solvitur more polonico.
Politically the village belonged initially to the Duchy of Opole and Racibórz, within feudally fragmentated Poland, ruled by a local branch of the Silesian Piast dynasty. In 1327 the Upper Silesian duchies became a fee of the Kingdom of Bohemia, which after 1526 became part of the Habsburg monarchy. After Silesian Wars it became a part of the Kingdom of Prussia.
After World War I in the Upper Silesia plebiscite 469 out of 534 voters in Gotartowice voted in favour of joining Poland, against 65 opting for staying in Germany. In 1922 it became a part of Silesian Voivodeship, Second Polish Republic. They were then annexed by Nazi Germany at the beginning of World War II. After the war it was restored to Poland.
“Gotartowice” enters the record as rybnik district in Silesian, Poland. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Gotartowice, rybnik and district can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Gotartowice” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Gotartowice, rybnik and district provides the most credible route into that argument.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 11, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q9274838. Authority coordinates are 50.078, 18.618. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2013, 1305, 1327 and 1526.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Gotartowice”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Gotartowice primary sources, Gotartowice archive and Gotartowice research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Gotartowice”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Gotartowice” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.