Poręba

Poręba [pɔˈrɛmba] is a town in Zawiercie County, Silesian Voivodeship, Poland, with 8,808 inhabitants (2004). The town has the area of 40 km² (15 sq mi), and lies along National Road Nr. 78; it also has a rail station on a line from Miasteczko Slaskie to Zawiercie. Almost half of Poręba's area (49%) is covered by forests. In 1975 - 1982, Poręba was a district of Zawiercie.

Map of Por%C4%99ba, Poland

Poręba belongs to Lesser Poland, and until 1795 (see Partitions of Poland), it was part of Krakow Voivodeship. First mention of the Poręba settlement comes from 1375, and at that time, it was called Black Poręba, located by a lake called Black Lake. Until the 16th century, the area was sparsely populated, and covered by dense woods. The development of industry resulted in influx of settlers, and in the 16th century Poręba became a center of early steel and iron plants. The village belonged at that time to the Pilecki family. In 1795, after the third partition of Poland, first blast furnace was built (1798, due to efforts of Count Lucas Bninski). In 1815, the village became part of Russian-controlled Congress Poland, and Poręba further developed, becoming a local industrial center.

In 1918 Poręba returned to the re-created Poland, and in the Second Polish Republic, the settlement belonged to Kielce Voivodeship. Poręba developed further in the 1950s, when local metal plant began manufacturing machine tools. A vocational school was opened in 1946, which in the late 1960s moved into a new complex. Furthermore, in the 1960s, a recreational center for local workers was built.

In 2008, Triassic turtle remains were discovered in the area.