| Brzeszcze | |||
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| The "Old Municipality Building" | |||
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Brzeszcze
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Poland | ||
| Voivodeship | Lesser Poland | ||
| County | Oświęcim | ||
| Gmina | Brzeszcze | ||
| Established | 15th century | ||
| Town rights | 1962 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Teresa Jankowska | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 19.17 km2 (7.4 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2006) | |||
| • Total | 11,730 | ||
| • Density | 611.9/km2 (1,584.8/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 32-620 | ||
| Area code(s) | +48 32 | ||
| Car plates | KOS | ||
| Website | http://www.brzeszcze.pl | ||
Brzeszcze [ˈbʐɛʂt͡ʂɛ] is a town in Oświęcim County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship in southern Poland, near Oświęcim.
It was founded in the 15th century and was owned by many rich Polish citizens, such as Dominik Gherri, the physician of King Stanisław August Poniatowski. The inhabitants were mainly fishermen and farmers. Brzeszcze grew because of the anthracite coal mine, which was founded in the beginning of the 19th century. During World War II, the town was a stronghold of the Polish resistance, helping the prisoners of Auschwitz concentration camp. Prisoners of Auschwitz were also housed in a sub-camp, called Jawischowitz, near the mine where they labored. Conditions in this camp were worse than in the main one and due to that many prisoners were killed through work, by the German civilian mine authorities, and the SS men. As of 2006, Brzeszcze has about 12,000 citizens.
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The economy of the town focuses on an anthracite coal mine "Brzeszcze-Silesia" which is the biggest employer in the region, and one of the biggest in the entire Voivodeship.
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