Rybnik [ˈrɨbɲik] ( ) is a city in southwestern Poland, in the Silesian Voivodeship. The city first developed as a fishing centre (rybnik means fishpond in several Slavic languages) in medieval ages, then was a capital of so-called Rybnik State. Rybnik grew as an important centre of coal mining and the seat of the surrounding county in the 19th century.