Rybnik

Rybnik is a city that currently lies in Poland, close to the border of the Czech Republic, in the mining region of Silesia.

The city has been under different sovereignty during its history, including Poland, Bohemia, the Habsburg (Austrian) Empire, and Prussia and had a population of mixed origin. After the collapse of the German Empire at the end of World War I, the city was disputed and placed under the administration of the newly-formed state of Czechoslovakia until a referendum could be held to determine its fate. Its population voted to join Poland in 1922. The city's connection to baseball is that Elmer Valo was born there in 1921, during the brief period Rybnik was under Czech administration.