The beginning of cotton industry has been dated from the early years of the 19th century. In 1830 the first cotton spinning mill was established in Zawiercie – at present it is “Zawtex” Cotton Industry Works. On August 9, 1869, the brothers Bernard, Adolf and Wilhelm Ginsberg, Jewish bankers from Berlin, bought a cotton factory in Kromołów. Thus the Ginsberg brothers created the foundation for the development of their great enterprise of cotton. Other Ginsberg brothers were heavily involved in the cotton industry and raw textile materials in Lodz.
The Ginsberg brothers are credited with creating the "Zawiercie Incorporated Company". The textile works of the Ginsberg brothers - TAZ ranked among the biggest in the 19th century Kingdom of Poland. In 1878, construction of a settlement for workers was initiated, with schools, parks and churches. Workers had their own housing estates, school, community center and a hospital. The Ginsberg brothers also invested in building a Roman Catholic Church in Zawiercie. The project was the first planned and well organized multifamily housing estate with public buildings. The Ginsberg brothers had a strong influence on the town economic development.
During WWII, the factory produced overalls for the pilots of the Nazi Luftwaffe. After the war, the Polish government nationalized the factory. The sub-chapter “The Textile Industry” in the above-mentioned Joseph Marcus book tells the story of this largest industry in Poland.
