During the time of W.W.II Gliwice was a calm german town  situated near the polish german boarder.The town developed rapidly at the end of the XIX century and its population nearly doubled during several first decades of the XX century.Many housing estates were built.Most citizens worked in coal mines and steel works manufacturing parts for ships, planes and trains.Most production was connected with army needs and as german men were called up to army service still more and more polish and other foreign prisoners of war replaced german workers.They lived in several camps in a town's industrial areas.As we could find till January 1945 people lived poor but quiet life  and town looked its normal with theatres, hotels and numerous cafes and shops.