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The Republic of Tarnobrzeg was suppressed by units of the freshly created Polish Army at the beginning of 1919. Father Okoń was arrested but soon released, when the locals elected him to the Polish Parliament.
Wilamowice (earlier "Willamowice", , in local Wymysorys: "Wymysoü") is a rural town in southern Poland, situated in the Bielsko County, Silesian Voivodeship (since 1999, previously in Bielsko-Biała Voivodeship, 1975–1998). According to a UNESCO report in 2009, the rural town is also known for the endangered language Wymysorys, a minority ethnolect, one of many Germanic "colonial" dialects spoken in the country since the Medieval period.
According to historians, after the desolation of Polish lands by the Mongol invasion in 1241, the then Silesian Piast rulers of the Duchy of Opole and Racibórz decided to bring settlers from the West to the deserted and destroyed lands around the Silesian Foothills, to revive agriculture, industry and trade. The area was settled in the course of the German eastward colonization of Slavic lands. In this way, around 1250, a group of colonists from the area of former Flanders came to the region, specifically from Friesland, near Bruges and established the settlement Wilamowice.
The settlement was first documented in 1325, in the Peter's Pence register as the parish Novovillamowicz (New-Wilamowice) in medieval Latin, among the Catholic parishes of Oświęcim diaconate, in the Diocese of Kraków. The place name is seen as a demarcation to the older settlement "Antiquo-Willamowicz" (Old-Wilamowice, today named Stara Wieś). In 1529, the two place names were recorded respectively in medieval Latin as "Vilamovice Nova" and "Antiqua Vylamovicze".
In the course of history, the area has been part of several territorial border changes. Politically, both settlements—old and new, belonged to the Duchy of Opole and Racibórz, and the castellany gord of Oświęcim ceded from Lesser Poland around 1177 by duke Casimir II the Just to the duke of Opole—Mieszko I Tanglefoot, which in 1315 was formed in the process of the feudal fragmentation of Poland into the Duchy of Oświęcim, ruled by the local dukes of the Silesian Piast dynasty. In 1327, the Duchy of Oświęcim became a fiefdom of the Kingdom of Bohemia within the Holy Roman Empire.
In the 15th century, Jan Długosz lists the settlement in the diocese of Krakow benefactors register "Liber beneficiorum dioecesis Cracoviensis" in Old Polish language "Wylamowycze", in allodial lordship of the nobleman Andreas of Wilamowic (aka Wilamowski) and the heirs Johannes and Nicolaus Wilamowski. From 1527, owners of the lordship mentioned include: the nobleman Jakob Saszowski of Gieraltowic and Wilamowic, and in 1533: the nobleman and chief judge of Oświęcim Nicolaus Saszowski of Gieraltowic (aka Gierałtowski), in 1633: Christopher Korycinski (castellan of Wojnicz), between 1707–1719 Władysław Morsztyn and his wife Helena née Kalinowska; to the end of the 19th century the owner Psarski sold his land and rights to residents, and from there on Wilamowice became a small rural town.
In 1457, duke Jan IV of Oświęcim agreed to sell the Duchy of Oświęcim to the Polish Crown, and in the accompanying document issued on 21 February the settlement was mentioned in Old Polish language "Wylamowycze". It was not, however, until 1564, at the General sejm, that King Sigismund II Augustus issued privileges of incorporation, recognizing the Duchy of Oświęcim as part of the Polish Crown into the Silesian County of the Kraków Voivodeship.
Since the 15th century, the names used in official chronicles were the German versions "Wilmeshau" and "Wilmesdorf" for both the new and old Wilamowice respectively. The place name was subject to several vernacular changes over the course of history, and since the 18th century the name "Wilmesau" in High German prevailed under the ruling Habsburg Monarchy; when in 1772, upon the First Partition of Poland, it became part of the Habsburg's Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, a semi-autonomous protectorate of the Austrian Empire. After World War I and the dissolution of Austro-Hungarian monarchy, it became part of the newly independent nation of the Second Polish Republic.
In 1939, after the joint Invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and the Free City of Danzig, the area was annexed by Germany (see Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany) in the Occupation of Poland. After the end of the Second World War, Polish territories seized by the Red Army as it advanced westward, were restored to the post-War Polish People's Republic.
Today, the Wymysorys dialect is still spoken by less than 70 native speaking residents—the elderly being the majority. The dialect is the result of the transformation of the Flemish language. According to the late professor , a Polish historian and expert of Germanic languages, including the Flemish language, described this dialect as a patchwork of ancient languages: Old Germanic, Old French, Celtic, Gaulish and Romansh, which later crystallized in Dutch or Flemish.
The status of the Wilamowice ethnolect is controversial, because according to the traditional classification of all dialects it is broadly understood as a High German language, and should be considered a dialect of the German language. Nevertheless, the self-determination of its users as a separate group from the Germans and the existence of a literary Wymysorys language (or, to be more exact, micro-language) allows to assume that this ethnolect is a separate language.
Szczawnica is a resort town in Nowy Targ County in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. As of June 30, 2007, its population was 7,378.
Szczawnica has been a well-known resort town since the mid nineteenth century. Due to the presence of alkali sorrel springs and favorable climatic conditions, many respiratory and digestive tract illnesses are treated there. In 2005 the popular local spa was officially returned by the Polish government to its prewar owners – Count Stadnicki family. The spa has almost two-hundred-year history. Its last private owner was Count Adam Stadnicki, whose grandson – Andrzej Mańkowski – is the founder of the new Spa Town Museum being fitted in the center of Szczawnica, at Dietl Square (2009). The museum of the Szczawnica resort aims to present more than 350 different types of artifacts associated with the local therapeutics, archival documents, drawings, plans of buildings, old photographs, postcards and books.
Szczawnica has many skiing trails and slopes. The longest (2 km) at Palenica, is fitted with a 4-person ski lift with overhead lighting and a capacity of 2,200 people per hour. It is operated by a state agency.
The name of the town comes from “szczawy”, which is what the locals call the acidic waters. The first historical mention of the spa town dates back to the beginning of the 16th century. Until the end of the 18th century, Szczawnica was part of the Czorsztyn district. In 1839, Józef Stefan Szalay took over the administration of Szczawnica and the development of the spa resort truly began.
The middle of the 19th century sees the town develop dynamically thanks to the vision of Józef Dietl, a doctor and promoter of spa resorts who visited Szczawnica in 1857. Seduced by the locality, he helped it to develop its hydrotherapy activities, already respecting the norms set by other European resorts. New thermal facilities are rapidly developed.
New thermal springs are discovered one after the other. Before dying, Józef Szalay ceded the management of his thermal establishment to the Academy of Learning in Kraków, which continued the visionary work of its founder despite financial difficulties. This is how the Dworek Gościnny (Guest Manor), renowned throughout Europe, was built.
In 1909, Szczawnica was acquired by Count Adam Stadnicki of Nawojowa. Despite the war that ravaged Europe a few years later, Adam Stadnicki’s activities were a success and Szczawnica profited from continuous growth. The thermal baths were renovated, the “Górny Park” extended to include the “"polonyna"” (the alpine grasslands above the timberline). The Inhalatorium, which was then equipped with pressurised rooms unique in Poland, was built, as was the Willa pod Modrzewiami (Villa under the Larches).
Unfortunately, the start of World War II halted the development of the spa resort and in 1948, the government of the PRL (Polish People's Republic) nationalised the resort. In 1956, the Państwowe Przedsiębiorstwo Uzdrowisko Szczawnica (National Szczawnica Spa Company) was created and focused its activities on the occupational illnesses of miners and met- alworkers. The sanatoriums built at the time are named after the professions then valued by the state: Hutnik (Metalworker), Górnik (Miner), Nauczyciel (Teacher), Budowlani (Builders), Papiernik (Papermaker) and Dzwonkówka (named after a nearby mountain).
In 1973, the Natural Therapy Spa was opened, featuring all the required health equipment for baths, inhalation, physiotherapy and massages.
In 2005, the Polish government returned the Szczawnica Spa Resort to the descendants of its pre-war owners. Andrzej Mankowski, grandson of Count Adam Stadnicki, and his three children decided to invest the requisite funds and a considerable amount of work to restore Szczawnica to its old splendour and charm.
Very quickly, by 2008, the eastern part of Dietl Square was rebuilt in its historical form, containing a bar for Szczawnica’s mineral waters, an art gallery, the Café Helenka and the Holenderka and Szwajcarka villas. From 2009, the five-star Modrzewie Park hotel was ready to greet its first guests. In 2010, the Spa Resort Museum was inaugurated and more recently, in 2011, the reconstruction of the Dworek Gościnny (Guest Manor) was finished. In 2012, in collaboration with the town of Szczawnica, the last part of this long-term and passionate project – the regeneration of the Dolny
Szczawnica is one of the oldest and most beautiful spa resorts in Poland. It owes its development to Józef Szalay and Józef Dietl, the true initiator of its spa activities. He built the first thermal baths there, new buildings for baths and accommodation and actively promoted the town by inviting the famous people of the time there.
The Szczawnica Spa is located in one of the most beautiful regions of Poland. Situated in the valley of the Grajcarek, the right-bank tributary of the Dunajec and between the ranges of the Pieniny and the Sącz Beskids, it forms perfect microclimate favourable for improvement of one’s health and the state of the upper respiratory tract.
There are springs of twelve acidic mineral waters - “szczawy” - whose curative properties were first mentioned in the 16th century. Until today, their curative properties attract patients from all over the world. This is why one of the main features of the Spa comes as a magnificent Pump-Room where visitors can enjoy benefits of bicarbonate, sodium, iodine, and bromide waters rich in mineral salts and numerous micro-elements.
Patients planning to arrive to the Pieniny health resort are welcome to take advantage of sanatoria and rehabilitation-and-treatment centres. They perform 42 types of treatments such as hydrotherapy, inhalations (exceptionally effective cell inhalations), physiotherapy, kinesitherapy, and drinking treatments.
The spa specializes in treatment of the upper respiratory tract disorders, including chronic nose and throat inflammations, diseases of the vocal apparatus, allergies of the upper respiratory tract, bronchial asthma; musculoskeletal disorders, i.e. degenerative disorders of the spine and joints as well as rheumatoid disorders and rheumatoid arthritis. In treatments afforded to patients, the health centres use the spa’s own balneological resources such as its own mineral waters as well as the environmental conditions, namely the therapeutic microclimate.
Szczawnica’s waters are acidic mineral waters containing bicarbonate, chlorine, sodium, bromine and iodine. They are regenerative waters, with curative properties. Currently, six drinkable mineral water sources are offered in the Mineral Water Bar, rebuilt and reopened in its historical location on Dietl Square.
HELENA - spring discovered in 1844. It treats diseases of the upper and lower respiratory tract, rheumatologic disorders, chronic kidney inflammation, obesity, and osteoporosis. It is helpful in treatment of orthopedic diseases and orthopaedic trauma.
JAN - spring discovered in 1869 - bicarbonate-chloride-sodium acidic water. Used in mineral baths and in production of Szczawniczanka table water.
JÓZEF - spring discovered in 1986. It is used in treatment of the digestive system disorders, diseases of the upper and lower respiratory tracts, rheumatologic diseases, obesity and osteoporosis.
SZYMON – Recommended in gastrointestinal diseases, as well as in neuroses, obesity and gout.
PITONIAKÓWKA - Recommended in diseases of neuroses, obesity, inflammation of the upper respiratory tract and bronchi.
WANDA - Retrieved know since 1867. Recommended in diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, neuroses, obesity and gout.
MAGDALENA - spring discovered in 1939. The bi-carbonate-chloride-sodium-iodide acidic water recommended in diseases of the digestive system, inflammations of the intestine, gall bladder and bile ducts, ulcers of the stomach and duodenum, obesity and mild neuroses.
STEFAN - The spring known since 1822. The bi-carbonate-chloride-sodium-iodide acidic water. Recommended, among others, in urinary tract inflammations, nephrolithiasis, catarrhs of nose, throat, bronchi inflammations, asthma, emphysema.
JÓZEFINA - The oldest spring in Szczawnica, known already before 1810. The bicarbonate-chloride-sodium acidic water recommended in catarrhs of nose and throat, inflammations, asthma, emphysema, gout and obesity.
The ski mountaineer Szymon Zachwieja was born in Szczawnica.
Eugeniusz Kapłaniak, K1 Slalom Canoeist, 1961 Bronze and 1963 Silver Medallist at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships
Stefan Kapłaniak, K1 and K2 Sprint Canoeist, 1958 double Gold Medallist at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships, and 1960 Bronze Medallist in the Summer Olympics
Dominic Ciesielka, member of the prestigious FNN program
Brzesko (; , "Brigel") is a town in southern Poland, in Lesser Poland Voivodeship. It lies approximately west of Tarnów and east of the regional capital Kraków. Since Polish administrative reorganization (in 1999), Brzesko has been the administrative capital of Brzesko County in Lesser Poland Voivodeship. Before reorganization it was part of Tarnów Voivodeship (1975–1998).
, its population was 16,828. Historically, the town was subject of various ownerships since its 1385 founding. Okocim Brewery, founded by Jan Goetz in 1845, is located in nearby Okocim ().
Brzesko lies on the Uszwica river, along the important rail route from Kraków to Przemyśl, and along the European route E40. The town has a 14th-century church of St. Jacob, and the 19th-century palace of the Goetz family (founders of the Okocim Brewery). Other historic buildings were either destroyed in numerous wars, or burned in fires, such as the great fire of 1904. The name Brzesko probably comes from the word "brzeg" (shore), as the town is located on the shore of a river.
The town was founded in 1385 by Spytko II of Melsztyn, the castellan of Biecz, with permission of Queen Jadwiga of Poland. Brzesko still retains the medieval shape of its town center, with a market square and the Gothic church of St. Jacob (1447).
In 1440, the town built a hospital for the poor, funded by Gregory of Sanok. Until 1772 (see Partitions of Poland), Brzesko belonged to Krakow Voivodeship, then it was annexed by Austria and became part of Galicia, to which it belonged until 1918. Before that, in 1856, Brzesko got a rail station, along a line from Kraków to Lwow.
During World War II, the Wehrmacht arrived in Brzesko on 5 September 1939. The town became part of the Kreis (county) Tarnów in the Krakow district of the General Government, a separate administrative region of the Third Reich. 44 people were killed and about 200 were injured as they were waiting for the evacuation trains from Silesia. A closed Jewish ghetto existed between spring 1941 and September 1942. It spread across 3 areas: Berka Joselewicza Street, then all the buildings north of the Market Square up to the Rynek Sienny (known today as Sobieskiego Street and Chopina Street), and finally Głowackiego Street up to Trzcianka and the Kazimierza Wielkiego Square. The Red Army arrived in Brzesko on 19 January 1945.
The town has several cemeteries of historical significance. There are three military cemeteries dating from World War I and a kirkut dating back to at least 1847.
The three military cemeteries were all commissioned by the Austro-Hungarian Ministry of War between 1914-1915 and designed by the architect Robert Motka. Cemetery no. 277, in Brzesko-Okocim, is the smallest of the three, with 9 Austro-Hungarian soldiers buried there. No. 276 is the largest, with graves of 441 Austro-Hungarian, 9 German, and 63 Russian soldiers. It borders the kirkut known as "New Jewish Cemetery" ("Nowy cmentarz żydowski"), which also contains within its historical area military cemetery no. 275, where 21 Jewish Austro-Hungarian soldiers are buried.
Brzesko is home to Okocimski Klub Sportowy Brzesko ("Okocim Brzesko Sports Club"), which from its beginnings in 1933 has been associated with the Okocim Brewery.
In addition to its historical cemeteries points of cultural interest in Brzesko include the Goetz palace, built at the end of the 19th century by the Goetz family, and the adjoining English garden, a statue of Saint Florian, the city's patron originally erected in 1731 and restored after a city fire in 1904, a monument to the unknown soldier of World War I and the historic city hall ("Ratusz") located in the city center.
Zator (, Wymysorys: "Naojśtaod") is an old town on the Skawa river within Oświęcim County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship (since 1999) in southern Poland. From 1975 to 1998 it belonged to the Bielsko-Biała Voivodeship. It is the administrative seat of the Gmina Zator. According to data from December 31, 2008, Zator was inhabited by 4779 people.
The city, located on the Skawa river, is well known for pisciculture, especially carp, and periodic event called Zatorskie Dni Karpia. Zator is the main city of the Carp Valley.
Originally a part of Lesser Poland, the area was acquired by the Silesian Piast Duke Władysław of Opole by a 1274 agreement with the Polish Princeps Bolesław V the Chaste. Zator then belonged to the Upper Silesian Duchy of Opole and after Władysław's death in 1281 fell to the Duchy of Cieszyn. It received town privileges in 1292.
From 1315 on Zator belonged to the Duchy of Oświęcim split off Cieszyn and in 1445 even became the capital of a Piast duchy in its own right, the Duchy of Zator under Duke Wenceslaus I, a Bohemian vassal. It finally fell back to the Kingdom of Poland, when in 1494 Wenceslaus' son Jan V sold his lands to King John I Albert.
From 1564 Zator had been incorporated into the Kraków Voivodeship of Lesser Poland; in the course of the 1772 First Partition of Poland it was annexed by the Habsburg Monarchy under Empress Maria Theresa of Austria and incorporated into the Austrian Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria. After the dissolution of Austria-Hungary by the 1919 Treaty of Saint-Germain Zator again fell to Poland.
During the World War II, Zator was incorporated to Nazi Germany as a part of the Province of Upper Silesia, and was liberated on January 26, 1945.
Krzeszowice () is a town in southern Poland, situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. As of 2004, its population was 9,993. Krzeszowice belongs to "Kraków Metropolitan Area", and lies 25 kilometers west of the center of the city of Kraków. The town has a rail station, on a major route from Kraków to Katowice, and lies along National Road Nr. 79, which goes from Warsaw to Bytom. In 1928–1966 the town had the status of a spa. Krzeszowice has a sports club called "Świt", founded in 1923.
Krzeszowice is located in southern part of the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland, with numerous caves and valleys in the area. In 1981, when the "Complex of Jura Landscape Parks" was created, three parks from the gmina of Krzeszowice were added to it ("Rudnia Landscape Park, Tenczynek Landscape Park" and "Kraków Valleys Landscape Park"). In 2008, it was selected with 19 villages of Europe - Germany, Poland, Italy and Spain - for the Spanish documentary film "Villages of Europe" Pueblos de Europa, produced by Juan Frutos (Colours Communication Group) and Orange Productions S.L.
First mention of Krzeszowice comes from 1286, when Bishop of Kraków, Paweł z Przemankowa, allowed a man named Fryczek Freton to locate the village of "Cressouicy". By 1337, Krzeszowice already had a wooden church of St. Martin. In the mid-15th century, it had a school and a public house. In 1555, Krzeszowice belonged to Stanisław Tęczynski, then it was owned by several noble families - the Sieniawski family, Opaliński family, Czartoryski family, Lubomirski family and, since 1816, the Potocki family.
In the early 17th century, the advantages of local mineral water were discovered by Krzeszowice parish priest, reverend Bernard Bocheński, who mentioned it in the 1625 parish records. In 1778, Prince August Czartoryski opened here first baths, and soon afterwards, patients began visiting Krzeszowice. In 1783–1786, the "Vauxhall Palace" was built, and in 1819, the "Green Bath" was opened. Krzeszowice began to prosper, in 1809–1815 and 1855–1867, the town was the seat of a county. In 1815–1846, Krzeszowice belonged to the Free City of Kraków, and to Austria in 1846-1918 within the Grand Duchy of Cracow, Chrzanow "Bezirkshauptmannschaft".
A hospital was opened here in 1829, a shelter for the poor in 1843, and in 1844, neo-Gothic church was built. In 1847 Krzeszowice received a rail station, along the newly built route from Kraków to Mysłowice. Local residents took part in the Kraków Uprising, and helped Polish rebels from Russian-controlled Congress Poland, during the January Uprising. In 1850–1855, the "Potocki Palace" was built, in the Italian Renaissance style, together with English garden. The palace with all its details was not completed until 1870.
By 1910, the population of Krzeszowice was 2619, out of which Jews made 18%. The town continued to develop, with several new enterprises opened here in the late 19th and early 20th century. On December 3, 1924, Krzeszowice was officially incorporated as a town. New districts and blocks of flats were built, and by 1931, the population grew to 3,391. During World War II Krzeszowice belonged to the General Government. The "Potocki Palace" was restored by polish slave laborer by order of Nazis and renamed by Germans into "Haus Kressendorf", becoming summer residence of Hans Frank. Almost all Jewish citizens were murdered in the Holocaust. The German occupation of Krzeszowice ended on 19 January 1945.
Rzepiska , (, , ) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Bukowina Tatrzańska, within Tatra County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland, close to the border with Slovakia. It lies approximately north-east of Bukowina Tatrzańska, north-east of Zakopane, and south of the regional capital Kraków.
It is one of the 14 villages in the Polish part of the historical region of Spiš (Polish: "Spisz").
Szczucin is a town in Dąbrowa County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Szczucin. It lies approximately north-east of Dąbrowa Tarnowska, north of Tarnów and east of the regional capital Kraków. The town has a population of 4,069.
Before Polish administrative reorganization (1999) Szczucin was part of Tarnów Voivodeship (1975–1998). Located on the Vistula river, Szczucin is the ending station of a secondary-importance, one track rail line Tarnów - Dąbrowa Tarnowska - Szczucin, built by the Austrian government in 1906. There were several plans to extend the line northwards, to Busko Zdroj and Kielce, but so far, they have not been carried out. Current shape of the line is the result of Szczucin's having been located until 1918 on northern border of Austria-Hungary. The Vistula marked the border, beyond which stretched the Russian Empire, and the governments of both countries were not interested in completion of the line, which would otherwise have connected Austrian-controlled Tarnów with Russian-controlled Kielce.
After the Partitions of Poland, Szczucin found itself in the Austrian Partition of Poland, since 1815 located on the Austrian-Russian border, and the town stagnated. In the autumn of 1914, during World War I, Szczucin was captured by the Russians, who remained here until 1915 (see Gorlice–Tarnów Offensive). In 1918, Poland regained independence and control of the town.
During the German invasion of Poland, which started World War II in September 1939, Szczucin was the area of several skirmishes between retreating units of the Kraków Army, and the advancing Wehrmacht. On September 12, 1939, German soldiers carried out a massacre of around 40 Polish prisoners of war and around 30 Polish civilian refugees (see also "Nazi crimes against the Polish nation"). Altogether, 70 Poles were murdered, and this tragedy is commemorated by a monument. During the German occupation, Szczucin was a center of the Polish resistance movement. In 1943, soldiers of the Jędrusie resistance organization executed here an officer of the Blue Police. In late 1944, Germans ordered evacuation of all Szczucin's inhabitants, because they prepared defensive positions along the Vistula.
The town is placed along National Road No. 73 (Warszawa - Kielce - Tarnów - Jasło), and here regional road nr. 982 stems eastwards, to Mielec, making Szczucin a local transportation hub.
One of the main historic heritage sights of Szczucin is the Baroque Saint Mary Magdalene church, located at the Market Square in the town center.
Szczucin is home to Poland's only road museum (Muzeum Drogownictwa), which has the area of two hectares, displaying ancient road building machines, as well as road signs, road posts, documents and other items.
Skawina is a town in southern Poland with 27,328 inhabitants (2008). Situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship (since 1999), previously in Kraków Voivodeship (1975–1998). The town is located on the Skawinka river, in close proximity to the city of Kraków. Its population (as for December 31, 2010) was 23,761, and the area of the town is 20,50 km2. One of the most interesting historic buildings in Skawina is a Renaissance palace, built in the mid-16th century by Paweł Korytko. The name of the town probably comes from the Skawinka river.
In the Second Polish Republic Skawina belonged to the Kraków Voivodeship. On September 6, 1939 the first Wehrmacht troops entered the town, and the German occupation lasted until January 23, 1945. During this time, the Germans murdered nearly all of the town's pre-war population of around 300 Jews. Some where murdered nearby while others were rounded up and sent to the killing camp of Belzec where they were immediately gassed. A few were sent to labor camps near Plaszow where most were later murdered too. Those who hid from the roundup were later shot in the town.
The Communist government of People's Republic of Poland decided that Skawina would become a center of heavy industry. In 1954, the "Skawina Aluminum Works" ("Huta Aluminium Skawina") were opened, and in 1961 the Skawina Power Station ("Elektrownia Skawina") went on line. The aluminium works were closed in 1981 due to the widespread pollution they caused. The growth of industry resulted in an influx of new residents and the construction of several apartment blocks in new districts of the town.
Skawina is home to sports club "Skawinka", founded in 1922.
Starting in 1928, there were recurring attempts to create a "triangle of security", an industrial region in the middle of the country, which would be secure from any aggression by Germany or the Soviet Union. The plan was finally approved in 1936 by the Polish government. By April 1938, the plan, which had already set in motion in some parts of the country, was expanded to the territories beyond those covered by the original plan for the most secure 'triangle'.
The COP was located in the territories of the following former voivodeships: the eastern parts of Kielce Voivodship and Kraków Voivodship, the southern part of Lublin Voivodeship, and the western part of Lwów Voivodeship, or in other terms, 46 powiats, constituting 15.4% of the territory of Poland and inhabited by 17% of Poland's population. The urbanization factor of those territories was 17% (94 cities), compared to the national average of 30%. There were several arguments for the location of the COP:
The COP plan required a massive financial investment, just the development of the infrastructure and the military industry being estimated at 3 billion zlotys. As expectations of war grew, there was too little private investment in Europe in the late 1930s and so the Polish government carried most of the burden for financing the project. From 1937 to 1939, the COP had consumed approximately 60% of all Polish investment funds.
The following industrial projects were part of the plan: a steel mill (Huta Stalowa Wola) and power plant in a brand new city of Stalowa Wola, a rubber factory in Dębica, an automobile factory in Lublin, an aircraft factory in Mielec, an aircraft engine and artillery factory in Rzeszów, hydroelectric power plants in Rożnów and Myczkowce, and the expansion of Zakłady Azotowe in Mościce. The military industry in the Staropolski Okręg Przemysłowy was expanded in the towns of Radom, Skarżysko-Kamienna, Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, Starachowice, and Kielce. Most of those investments were located in regions with high unemployment, and their construction succeeded in reducing social tensions and began to strengthen the Polish economy.
The development of the COP and similar projects, like the construction of the seaport in Gdynia, were the most outstanding achievements of the Second Polish Republic, marking the beginning of the new era of recently regained independence. The COP plan was continued by the communist government of Poland after the Second World War.
However, as the end date for the plan was the end of July 1940, and Poland did not have sufficient capital to carry out the entire plan on its own, few of the intended projects were completely operational before the war broke out, and many other ones were not launched at all. Consequently, their contribution to the equipment of the Polish Army in the run-up to the war was relatively insignificant, and did little to offset the crushing material superiority of the German armed forces.
In any event, the German dismemberment of Czechoslovakia outflanked Poland from the south and put the majority of COP factories in the direct path of German advance from Slovakia. During the German occupation, most of the factories were converted to contribute to the German war effort. After the war, the COP-initiated industrial enterprises were further expanded and for the most part, continue to function until today.
Melchior Wańkowicz, in his 1939 book Sztafeta, emphasized the fact that the quick growth of the COP's towns and cities was not followed by necessary investments in infrastructure, especially schools and housing. As Ilustrowany Kurier Codzienny announced on January 10, 1939, in the first half of 1938, the population of Rzeszów grew by 24%, that of Sandomierz by 29%, Tarnobrzeg by 49%, and Mielec by 58%. Altogether, in the first half of 1938, the total population of all the COP's towns and cities grew by 20%. According to a press release from January 1939, out of 33 towns and cities located at the confluence of the San and the Vistula rivers, as many as 23 needed new schools.
Wojnicz () is an ancient historic town in Tarnów County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship. In the early medieval period of the Polish state, it became one of the most important centres in the province of Lesser Poland, as part of the system of Dunajec river castles. It became the seat of a Castellan and prospered from the 13th century to the first half of the 17th century, being on an international trade route bordering Hungary and the Ottoman Empire. It had town and market rights, its church was raised to collegiate status with links to the Jagiellonian University in Kraków 64 km away.
Wojnicz lies on the boundary of two distinct geographical regions in Poland: the Sandomierz Basin and the Western Carpathians. The Dunajec, a major tributary of the Vistula River, flows 2 km east of the present town centre. The decline of Wojnicz deprived it of a rail link when a railway line was planned in the 1850s. It is however located at the intersection of European route E40, and local route number 975 from Dąbrowa Tarnowska to Nowy Sącz.
In 1217, the town was called "Woynicze". In 1224, another spelling was "Woyniz", and in 1239, "Woynicz". Polish language specialists Kazimierz Rymut and Stanisław Rospond believe that the name Wojnicz comes from the surname "Wojno", which was then changed to "Wojnice", "Wojnic", and finally – Wojnicz.
During Poland's Golden Age, Wojnicz developed and prospered. In 1527, a bridge over the Dunajec river was built. In 1530, the first Craft guild was founded. In 1575 the town was recorded as having a town hall with a bell and clock-tower. Like other places in Lesser Poland, Wojnicz suffered greatly during the Swedish invasion of Poland. On 3 October 1655, it was the scene of "the Battle of Wojnicz". On 19 March 1657 the town was sacked and burned by troops of George II Rakoczi of Hungary. During the Great Northern War, Swedish invaders once again destroyed the town in 1702. After that devastation, Wojnicz never really regained its civic importance.
In 1772, Wojnicz was annexed by the Habsburg Empire (see Partitions of Poland). The 19th century was not kind to the town: the Austrians kept Wojnicz County until 1867. However, in 1831 and 1895 further fires destroyed large parts of Wojnicz, including the historic town hall. In 1856, the Galician Railway of Archduke Charles Louis bypassed the town, laying its route some ten kilometers to the north.
With the outbreak of World War I, the Russian Empire conducted a Blitzkrieg that overwhelmed much of Galicia right up to Kraków, but were repulsed eastwards by the Austrian army up to the Dunajec river and remained stationed outside Wojnicz throughout 1914 and 1915 until the Russians abandoned nearby Tarnów. The devastation in the province was immense in terms of the human toll and heritage looting. The fallen Austro-Hungarians and Italians in local battles are buried and commemorated in two cemeteries, no. 282 and no. 285 in Wojnicz. Fallen Wojnicz conscripts are commemorated on the war monument in the market square.
Wojnicz had remained part of the Austrian Empire until 1918, when it returned to the newly independent Second Polish Republic. In 1928, it was visited by President Ignacy Mościcki, but seven years later Wojnicz was stripped of its town privileges and reduced to the status of a village.
After the war, it became a backwater throughout the duration of the Polish People's Republic. Wojnicz remained in the Kraków Voivodeship until 1975 when it passed to the newly formed Tarnów Voivodeship until 1999. It did not recover its Town rights until January 1, 2007.
Jaworzno is a city in southern Poland, near Katowice. It lies in the Silesian Highlands, on the Przemsza river (a tributary of the Vistula). Jaworzno belongs to the historic province of Lesser Poland. The city is situated in the Silesian Voivodeship since its formation in 1999, previously (1975–1999) it was in Katowice Voivodeship. Jaworzno is one of the cities of the 2,7 million conurbation – Katowice urban area and within a greater Silesian metropolitan area populated by about 5,294,000 people. The population of the city is 91,563 (2018).
The municipality is situated a short distance to the north-east of Junction 41 on the A4 Highway. It lies in the Silesian Highlands, in the historical region of Lesser Poland, and since its foundation until 1975, it was administratively tied with Lesser Poland's capital, Kraków. Until 1795, it belonged to Kraków Voivodeship, then, together with Kraków, was seized by the Habsburg Empire in the Partitions of Poland. In 1815–1846 it belonged to the Free City of Kraków, which was annexed by Austria and merged with Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria. In 1918 Jaworzno returned to Poland. The name of the city comes from the "jawor" trees (sycamore maple), which in the past were abundant in this area.
Jaworzno was placed into the Silesian Voivodeship (province) effective January 1, 1999 under the Local Government Reorganization Act. Previously, it was attached to the Katowice Voivodeship (1975–1998) and before that to the Kraków Voivodeship. Jaworzno lies in the east of the largest metropolis in Poland and is one of the largest in the European Union, numbering about 3,5 million. This urban expansion bloomed in the 19th century thanks to the rapid development of the mining and metallurgical industries. In the year 2006 Jaworzno and 14 neighboring cities formed the multimunicipal structure, the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union. Its population is 2 million and its area is .
The climate of the area is continental humid. The annual average temperature is (January average and July average °C). Yearly rainfall averages at , the most rainy month being July. The area's characteristic weak winds blow at about 2 m/s from the west (Moravian Gate).
Jaworzno is located at the intersection of a number of road routes such as:
A4 motorway (part of European route E40)
S1 expressway (part of European route E75) Gdańsk – Cieszyn,
national road No. 79 Warsaw – Bytom,

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