Wieluń
| Wieluń | |||
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  Wieluń
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country |  Poland |
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| Voivodeship | Łódź | ||
| County | Wieluń County | ||
| Gmina | Gmina Wieluń | ||
| City rights | 1283 | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Mieczysław Piotr Majcher | ||
| Area | |||
| - Total | 16.9 km2 (6.5 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2006) | |||
| - Total | 24,347 | ||
| - Density | 1,440.7/km2 (3,731.3/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 98-300 | ||
| Area code(s) | +48 43 | ||
| Car plates | EWI | ||
| Website | http://www.wielun.eu/ | ||
Wieluń [ˈvjɛluɲ] is a city in central Poland with 24,347 inhabitants (2006). Situated in the Łódź Voivodeship (since 1999), it was previously in Sieradz Voivodeship (1975–1998).
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History
On September 1, 1939, the city was bombed by the German Luftwaffe in the first action of World War II (apart from the Jabłonków Incident on August 25/26). German bombers destroyed most of the town centre, including a clearly marked hospital and the historic Gothic church, and killed nearly 1,300 civilians. Three-quarters of the town was destroyed. The casualty rate was more than twice as high as Guernica.[1] No Polish military units were present in the town at that time.
Transport
Roads
Main roads stemming from Wieluń include connection with Warsaw (to the north-east) and Wrocław (to the west), via the European route E67 (National Road 8). There are also two national roads: number 43 to Częstochowa and 45 to Opole and Łódź. Furthermore, there are two voivodeship (local) roads starting from Wieluń: road number 481 (going north-east) to Łask and road number 486 (going south-east) to Radomsko. The biggest communication problem in Wieluń is huge traffic (including transit) in the center of the town, due to lack of bypasses. Completion of a bypass of the E67 route is planned for 2011, later additional bypasses will be built. The first section of the eastern bypass has already been finished. In the area of Wieluń there will also be the future motorway Expressway S8 (it will be located near southern outskirts of the town). Additionally, in the years 2009–2011 the 70 km-long Kalisz-Wieluń Road will be finished.
Railways
Rail connection links Wieluń to Poznań and Katowice. The line was built in the 1920s, as the junction of Kluczbork remained within borders of Weimar Germany and direct rail communication between Polish part of Upper Silesia and Poznań was impossible. Therefore, it was crucial to construct a brand new line, which runs from Herby Nowe to Kepno. The line was one of the most important connections in the Second Polish Republic, but after World War II, when Kluczbork was annexed by Poland, it lost its importance.
Also, until the end of the 1980s, there was a narrow gauge railroad, which connected Wieluń with nearby Praszka. Currently, the town has two operating railway stations: Wieluń Dąbrowa and Wieluń Miasto. Wieluń is directly connected by rail with such cities as Tarnowskie Góry, Katowice, Poznań, Szczecin and Kępno. Once there was also a direct connection to Częstochowa and Lubliniec. Another means of communication with the surroundings and the entire country are buses. There is a modern (though built in 1976) bus station, which also handles international communication.
Public transport
Wieluń, like most cities, has a municipal communications. In Wieluń runs 9 lines operated by two companies. Public transportation has existed since 1988.
- Line A: Wieluń Dąbrowa Railway Station – Rychłowice
- Line B: Racking room gas – Ruda
- Line C: Wieluń Dąbrowa Railway Station – Olewin
- Line D: Kurów – Wierzchlas
- Line D – BIS: Railway Station – POW
- Line E: Racking room gas – Old Orchards
- Line F: Wieluń Dąbrowa Railway Station – Ruda
- Line G: Racking room gas – Czestochowska
- Line H: Masłowice – Old Orchards
Districts
- Downtown
- Armii Krajowej housing estate
- Bugaj housing estate
- Kopernika housing estate
- Stare Sady housing estate ("Old Orchards" housing estate )
- Wyszyńskiego housing estate
- Wojska Polskiego housing estate
- "Za szpitalem" housing estate
- Niedzielsko
- Chrusty
- Berlinek
- Stodolniana housing estate
- Moniuszki housing estate
- Podszubienice
- Kijak
- Błonie
International relations
Twin towns — Sister cities
Wieluń is twinned with: Wieluń is twinned with:
Adelebsen, Germany- Osterburg, Germany
Letterkenny, Ireland
Historical views
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See also
- Bombing of Wieluń in World War II
References
- ↑ We must not forget the real causes of the war, Norman Davies, The Independent, 29 August 2009
External links
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