Origins Settlement in the area of the current Janów-Nikiszowiec district began to develop in the 18th century, but one hypothesis suggests that the now-defunct village of , mentioned as early as the 14th century, was located within the present-day . The first mention of Janów as a forest settlement dates back to 1742, but the locality had already appeared on earlier maps, including one from 1736 under the name "Jonow". Until 1617, the lands of Janów belonged to the Salomon family, and later to the . In the early 18th century, a decision was made to build a new settlement on the right bank of the Bolina river. The first building was a wooden hunting lodge, constructed on the same site as the later manor house at 3a Nad Stawem Street. During the same period, Jan Krzysztof Mieroszewski opened a
folwark, named "Janowiec" after its founder, on a hill on the right bank of the Bolina. The newly established
folwark gave rise to the settlement developing nearby, which came to be known as Janów. The
folwark itself was first mentioned in a document dated 30 January 1724. In 1848, the first school was established in Janów, located on In its first year of operation, 84 children attended it.
From industrial development to World War I In the first half of the 19th century, intensive industrial development began in the present-day Janów-Nikiszowiec, initiated by the growth of coal mining and zinc smelting. In the 1830s, four mines were opened in Janów: Agnes Amanda (formed in 1840 from the merger of two mines: Agnes and Amande), Gute Amalie, Morgenroth, and Susanne. Their co-owner was Aleksander Mieroszewski, and after the estate was sold, the Tiel-Winckler family. The was established near the Gute Amalie mine, consisting of single-story and two-story houses. In the 1860s, the was built near the Susanne mine; like the nearby Amandy colony, it consisted of small, overcrowded residential houses. Today, its area is located within
Osiedle Paderewskiego-Muchowiec. In 1841, the Arnold Steelworks began production, and the colony was built alongside it. In the mid-19th century, the process of enfranchising the peasants of Janów took place, and by 1870, the (between , Janów, and
Dziedzice) was opened. The mines were initially established in the forests, while Janów itself retained its agricultural character until the company began investing in the area around the village. At first, the Hoffmann shaft (later renamed the Ligoń shaft) was built near the current intersection of and streets. In 1883, 10 nearby mines were merged into one – . On 9 May 1899, seeking to ensure further development, the company purchased the Reserve mining field along with adjacent lands from Count for 30 million marks. Almost two-thirds of the Mysłowice forest area (1,900 ha) was purchased. On 13 May 1907, the manor district of
Giszowiec was established with its administration in Janów, covering the lands belonging to the Giesche heirs' concern. In 1907, construction began on the Giszowiec mining settlement for miners employed at the Giesche Coal Mine, but as it later appeared, the number of apartments for mine workers proved insufficient. On 16 December 1908, the County Committee in Katowice granted permission to build a new workers' settlement –
Nikiszowiec – in the vicinity of the Nickisch shaft, one of the 14 shafts of the Giesche Coal Mine (renamed the Poniatowski shaft in 1935). An area of 20 hectares was allocated for the construction of the new housing estate, which was ultimately intended to house approximately 5,000 workers and officials. The housing estate was designed by architects Emil and Georg Zillmann of
Charlottenburg. The first apartment building was completed in the fall of 1911. In 1914, construction began on the
Baroque Revival at the central square of Nikiszowiec. The church was also designed by the Zillmanns.
Silesian Uprisings and plebiscite After the end of
World War I, most residents of Janów and Nikiszowiec expected
Upper Silesia to be incorporated into
Poland. Some of them decided to take up arms. In 1919, a cell of the
Polish Military Organization of Upper Silesia was formed, preparing its members for armed combat. Feliks Marszalski became the commander, and Teodor Chrószcz his deputy. On 13 August 1919, miners from the Giesche Coal Mine joined the general strike, when the
First Silesian Uprising broke out. During the
Silesian Uprisings (1919–1921), and especially during the First Uprising, fierce fighting took place in Nikiszowiec over the annexation of Upper Silesia to Poland. On 18 August 1919, fighting took place between the insurgents and the military police in Janów, after which Janów was captured. The insurgents from Janów and Nikiszowiec fought until 24 August 1919, after which they withdrew to
Sosnowiec.
Kazimierz Kutz's film
Salt of the Black Earth recounts the events of that time. During the
Second Silesian Uprising, Janów and Nikiszowiec were taken by the insurgents without a fight after the German police were disarmed, and on 19 August 1919, miners from the Giesche Coal Mine began a strike that lasted until the end of the uprising. On 20 March 1921, in the
Upper Silesian plebiscite, 2,045 residents of Janów (80.9% of the vote) and 1,946 residents of Nikiszowiec (74.3% of the vote) voted in favor of joining Poland. Since the results of the plebiscite across the entire region were not favorable to Poland, the
Third Silesian Uprising broke out on the night of 2–3 May 1921. Janów and Nikiszowiec were captured by the insurgents without a fight on the first day of the uprising. Insurgents from Janów and Nikiszowiec took part in the
Battle of Annaberg.
Second Polish Republic Under the
German–Polish Convention concluded in
Geneva, Gmina Janów and the Giszowiec estate (including Nikiszowiec) were incorporated into the
Second Polish Republic in May 1922. In 1924, the Giszowiec manor area was dissolved, and the Nikiszowiec housing estate, together with Giszowiec, was incorporated into Gmina Janów on 1 July 1924. During the interwar period, Polish culture was promoted within the housing estate, and the activities of many social organizations were developed, including the
Sokół Polish Gymnastic Society (the local branch was named "Nikisz-Giszowiec"), the Stanisław Moniuszko Men's Choir, the Wolność Mixed Choir (renamed "Halka" in 1927), the
People's Libraries Society, and the
Polish Scouting and Guiding Association. Disillusioned by their deteriorating living conditions, the miners rebelled against job cuts and wage reductions. The local revolutionary movement was led by one of the leading communist activists in Upper Silesia, a miner at the Giesche Coal Mine. In March 1937, a strike broke out there, which was the last major protest by Upper Silesian workers before the outbreak of World War II. The strikes taking place at that time were depicted in Kazimierz Kutz's film
Pearl in the Crown. During the occupation, various underground organizations operated in Gmina Janów with the aim of fighting the occupiers. Among other things, they organized sabotage and disruptive activities. Mass conscription into the
Wehrmacht and the prolonged war led to a shortage of workers at the Giesche Coal Mine. As a result, women, young people, and prisoners of war were hired to work there. The prisoners, mainly Russians, were housed in barracks near the Zbyszko shaft (on present-day Transportowców Street). As a result of the
Red Army offensive toward Katowice, around 25 January 1945, the German authorities abandoned Janów and Nikiszowiec, and on 27 January 1945, Janów and Nikiszowiec, along with Katowice, were captured by the Soviets.
Post-war years The day after the Soviet army captured Janów and Nikiszowiec, on 28 January 1945, representatives of the committees formed in Janów, Nikiszowiec, and Giszowiec established a Provisional Gmina Council, headed by Józef Żymła of Giszowiec. The Polish names of streets and localities were restored. In 1947, Emanuel Zielosko became the head of Gmina Janów. On 22 March 1951, Janów and Nikiszowiec were incorporated into the city of Szopienice, In 1978, Nikiszowiec was entered into the register of historic monuments and has been under legal protection ever since. In 1989, Poland began a political and economic transformation that also had a significant impact on Janów-Nikiszowiec, and especially on the Wieczorek Coal Mine. A year later, the mine’s restructuring process began, and as part of this, the mine divested itself of its non-mining operations, including sports facilities, a community center, and residential buildings. In 1995, the Jerzy combined heat and power plant was spun off from the mine. Since 2006, the Nikiszowiec housing estate has been one of the attractions of the
Silesian Industrial Monuments Route. In the spring of 2018, as part of the government's program, construction began on west of the Nikiszowiec housing estate, along the planned connector road linking Gospodarcza Street and Szopienicka Street. In September 2021, the first residents moved into Nowy Nikiszowiec. == Demography ==