to 1869 The city far outgrew its walls, which were demolished along with both city gates. In 1870, Kladno received city status by decree of Emperor Franz Josef II, and in 1898 it was proclaimed a horní město (Bergstadt). As a part of the Bohemian kingdom, the city was part of the Austrian monarchy (Austrian side after the compromise of 1867) for several centuries before 1918, head of the Kladno district, one of the 94 Bezirkshauptmannschaften in Bohemia. A post-office was opened in 1863. After the declaration of independent Czechoslovakia in 1918, the city continued its expansion. Both throughout the 19th century and the interwar era the city was one of the centers of the Czech labor movement, with frequent strikes, protests and labor action. Several prominent socialists and communists, including future president Antonín Zápotocký, were active in the Kladno area during this time. After the breakout of World War Two, the city was occupied by German forces in 1939, who took advantage of the city's powerful industrial base. There were plans to convert Kladno into an model colony for German workers, and several rows of German-style hoses were built around what is today the Lidických žen street, but the project was never finished. In 1941, several surrounding municipalities (Kročehlavy, Rozdělov, Dubí, Dříň and Újezd) were annexed into the city of Kladno. In the post war era, the city's industries were nationalized and the city continued to grow rapidly, attracting workers from around the now-socialist Czechoslovakia. Steel and coal were important commodities for the heavy industry oriented planned Czechoslovak economy and the city received major investments. The focus on industrial production resulted in environmental damages. To accommodate the large population growth, large new housing estates were built between the 1950s and the 1980s, especially in the Kročehlavy area. In the 1980s, plans to completely rebuild the city center in a more modern style resulted in a large number of old structures being demolished, however the full plans were interrupted by the fall of the communist regime in 1989. Nearby village of Vrapice was annexed in 1950 and the town of Švermov in 1980. After the communist regime fell in 1989, the city struggled to adapt to a market economy. The Poldi steelworks, the largest employer, shut down in 1994 under what some regard as suspicious circumstances, and other major companies in the city also closed. Unlike other centers of heavy