Łęczyca

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other places with the same name, see Łęczyca (disambiguation).
Łęczyca
Łęczyca Castle

Coat of arms
Łęczyca
Coordinates: 52°3′N 19°12′E / 52.050°N 19.200°E / 52.050; 19.200
Country  Poland
Voivodeship Łódź
County Łęczyca County
Gmina Łęczyca (urban gmina)
Government
 • Mayor Andrzej Olszewski
Area
 • Total 9.0 km2 (3.5 sq mi)
Population (2006)
 • Total 15,423
 • Density 1,700/km2 (4,400/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 99-100
Car plates ELE
Website http://www.leczyca.info.pl

Łęczyca [wɛnˈt͡ʂɨt͡sa] (in full The Royal Town of Łęczyca; Polish: Królewskie Miasto Łęczyca; German: Lentschitza; Hebrew: לונטשיץ‎) is a town of 16,594 inhabitants (as of 2004) in central Poland. Situated in the Łódź Voivodeship, it is the county seat of the Łęczyca County.

History

First General sejm in Łęczyca 1182 - painting Jan Matejko

Łęczyca is one of the oldest Polish cities, mentioned in the 12th century. It was the place of the first recorded meeting of Sejm, the Polish parliament in 1182. It was the capital of the Łęczyca Duchy in the 13th century, and next it became the capital of Łęczyca Voivodeship since 14th till 18th century.

In 1331 the Teutonic Knights sacked the city during one of their repeated incursions into Poland. A considerable number of buildings were burned down, including two churches. A few decades later, on the initiative of Kazimierz the Great, the city was walled and a castle built to the southeast of the city.[1]

The city's prominence came to and end with the Swedish invasion of Poland when the castle was overrun and most of the city once again destroyed, and it remained in a state of crisis until the Partitions.[1]

Following the invasion of Poland at the start of the Second World War, Łęczyca was occupied by Nazi Germany and incorporated into the region known as Reichsgau Wartheland as part of the district or county (kreis) of Lentschütz. In January 1942 there was a forced labor camp operating in or near the town.[2] After the war it was reintegrated into the People's Republic of Poland.

Notable locations

Because of its royal history Łęczyca is probably more tourist-worthy than its current size might suggest. Some of the more interesting sights include:

  • The Royal Castle - originally dating from the 14th century, rebuilt from scratch after 1964.
  • The Church of St Andrew the Apostle—the current church dates was consecrated in 1425.
  • The former Dominican monastery in Ul. Pocztowa (served as a prison from 1799 until 2006). Former political internees include Władysław Gomułka and Władysław Frasyniuk.
  • The Cistercian church and monastery in ul. Poznańska, built between 1636-1643.
  • The city walls, some of which are still extant. The original walls enclosed an area of approximately 9 hectares, amounted to 1150 metres in length and 7 metres in height.[1] The town plan is still recognisably that of a medieval town.

A couple of kilometres away are the Collegiate church and the earthworks at the site of the medieval settlement of Tum.

Dukes of Sieradz-Łęczyca

  • 1228-1232 Henry I the Bearded (Henryk I Brodaty)
  • 1232-1233 Konrad of Masovia (Konrad Mazowiecki)
  • 1234-1247 Konrad of Masovia (Konrad Mazowiecki)
  • 1247-1260 Casimir I of Mazovia (Kazimierz I Mazowiecki)
  • 1260-1275 Leszek the Black (Leszek Czarny)
  • 1275-1294 divided into two duchies of Sieradz and Łęczyca (below)
  • 1294-1297 Ladislaus III the Short (Władysław Łokietek)
  • 1297-1305 Wenceslaus II of Bohemia (Wacław II Czeski)

after 1305 parts of the united Kingdom of Poland initially as two vassal duchies, later incorporated as Łęczyca Voivodeship and Sieradz Voivodeship.

Dukes of Łęczyca

  • 1233-1234 Konrad of Masovia (Konrad Mazowiecki)
  • 1275-1294 Casimir II of Łęczyca (Kazimierz II)
  • 1329-1343 Ladislaus of Dobrzyn (Władysław Dobrzyński)

After 1305 part of the united Kingdom of Poland as a vassal duchy, later after 1343 incorporated by the king Casimir III the Great as the Łęczyca Voivodeship.

People

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Łęczyca, Poland (official tourist guide). Łęczyca, Poland: Urząd Miasta Łęczyca (Municipal Office of Łęczyca). 
  2. ↑ Zwangsarbeit im NS-Staat at German Federal Archive (Bundesarchiv) Accessed 9/29/11.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Łęczyca.
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Coordinates: 52°03′N 19°12′E / 52.050°N 19.200°E / 52.050; 19.200


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