Bełk, Silesian Voivodeship

For other places with the same name, see Bełk.

Bełk
Village
Saint Mary Magdalene Church Saint Mary Magdalene Church
Coat of arms of Bełk Coat of arms
Bełk
Coordinates:
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Silesian
County	Rybnik County
Gmina	Czerwionka-Leszczyny
First mentioned	1289
Population	3,358

Bełk [bɛu̯k] (German: Belk) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Czerwionka-Leszczyny, within Rybnik County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately 7 kilometres (4 mi) south of Czerwionka-Leszczyny, 13 km (8 mi) north-east of Rybnik, and 25 km (16 mi) south-west of the regional capital Katowice.

The village has an area of 15.43 km² and a population of 3,358.

History

The village was first mentioned 1289, when it belonged to a knight Andrzej (Andrew) nicknamed Belick. It was later also mentioned in a Latin document of Diocese of Wrocław called Liber fundationis episcopatus Vratislaviensis from around 1305 as Item apud Belconem ernut 30 mansi soluentes fertones expela libertate, de quibus prepositura Opoliensis de agris dudum cultis habet tres reliqui uero ad mensam domini episopi pertinebunt.

The village became a seat of a Catholic parish in Żory deanery in Diocese of Wrocław, first mentioned in 1447 as Belk, in a complete register of Peter's Pence payment, composed by Nicholaum Wolff, an archdeacon of Opole.