The town became seat of a legal district in political district of Teschen, in 1868 it was elevated to become a seat of a separate Freistadt political district. According to the censuses conducted in 1880–1910 the population of the town grew from 2,960 in 1880 to 5,058 in 1910 with a majority being Polish-speakers (at least 53.8% in 1880, at most 76.8% in 1890, then dropping to 59.5% in 1910), accompanied by German-speaking (at least 21.6% in 1890 then growing to 1,704 or 35.3% in 1910) and Czech-speaking minority (at most 546 or 18.8% in 1880, then dropping to 46 or 1.5% in 1890 and growing to 253 or 5.2% in 1910).
In 1868, the town became the administrative hub of a separate district within Teschen's political area. Over the next three decades, the population expanded from 2,960 in 1880 to 5,058 by 1910. The majority of residents were Polish-speaking (around 54% in 1880 and up to 77% in 1890), while smaller groups consisted of German-speaking (around 22% in 1890 and 35% in 1910) and Czech-speaking individuals (up to 19% in 1880, down to 2% in 1890, and rising to 5% by 1910).