Wisła

Wisła

Presidential Castle in Wisła

Coat of arms
Wisła
Coordinates: 49°39′17.69″N 18°51′34.23″E / 49.6549139°N 18.8595083°E / 49.6549139; 18.8595083
Country  Poland
Voivodeship Silesian
County Cieszyn
Gmina Wisła (urban gmina)
First mentioned 1615
City rights 1962
Government
 • Mayor Tomasz Bujok
Area
 • Total 110.26 km2 (42.57 sq mi)
Elevation 513 m (1,683 ft)
Population (2006)
 • Total 11,453
 • Density 100/km2 (270/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 43-460
Car plates SCI
Website http://www.wisla.pl

Wisła [ˈviswa] (German: Weichsel, Czech: Visla) is a town in Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland, with a population of about 11,810 (2006), near the border with Czech Republic. It is situated in the Silesian Beskids mountain range in the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia. Wisła is the Polish name for the Vistula River, which has its source in the mountains near the town.

Wisła is a popular year-round tourist destination, with the nearby mountains favored by ski jumpers 'Malinka'. It is known for being the home town of ski jumper Adam Małysz, and for the fact that it is the only town in Poland with a majority Protestant population.

Wisła is also the home of the Beskid Museum displaying agricultural tools, folk costumes and goatskin bagpipes from the surrounding region.

History

First people settled here in the late 16th or early 17th century, coming from two directions: from Ustroń up the river Vistula and Gorals searching for new pastures in the mountains (see also: Vlachs). It was first mentioned in 1615. Politically the village belonged then to the Duchy of Teschen, a fee of the Kingdom of Bohemia, which after 1526 became part of the Habsburg Monarchy. Since 1653 it belonged to Teschener Kammer.

The majority of its inhabitants were Lutherans. After issuing the Patent of Toleration in 1781 they subsequently organized a local Lutheran parish as one of over ten in the region.[1]

After Revolutions of 1848 in the Austrian Empire a modern municipal division was introduced in the re-established Austrian Silesia. The village as a municipality was subscribed to the political district of Bielsko and the legal district of Skoczów. In the second half of the 19th century it became increasingly popular tourist destination.

According to the censuses conducted in 1880, 1890, 1900 and 1910 the population of the municipality grew from 4261 in 1880 to 4685 in 1910 with a majority being native Polish-speakers (98.5%-99%) and a small minority German-speaking (at most 64 or 1.5% in 1880) and at most 4 people Czech-speaking (in 1910), in terms of religion majority were Protestants (94.9% in 1910), followed by Roman Catholics (232 or 5% in 1910) and 6 Jews.[2] The village was also traditionally inhabited by a specific subgroup of Silesian Gorals, speaking Cieszyn Silesian dialect.

After World War I, fall of Austria-Hungary, Polish–Czechoslovak War and the division of Cieszyn Silesia in 1920, it became a part of Poland. It was then annexed by Nazi Germany at the beginning of World War II. After the war it was restored to Poland.

It gained town rights in 1962.

Tourism in Wisła

In the winter Wisła is known for its skiing: a world class ski jump "Skocznia Malinka" has been built to host international competitions. In the summer, hiking through its many mountain trails is popular. To support its recent growth in tourism, many hotels have been built, the largest of which is Hotel Gołębiewski.

Wisła is also home to Wisła Castle - one of official residences of the President of Poland.

In Wisła a trail starts that leads to the Stożek Wielki, a mountain on the border with the Czech Republic that reaches a height of 978 meters.

Famous people

References

  1. ↑ Michejda, Karol (1992). "Dzieje Kościoła ewangelickiego w Księstwie Cieszyńskim (od Reformacji do roku 1909)". Z historii Kościoła ewangelickiego na Śląsku Cieszyńskim (in Polish). Katowice: Dom Wydawniczy i Księgarski „Didache“. p. 144. ISBN 83-85572-00-7.
  2. ↑ Piątkowski, Kazimierz (1918). Stosunki narodowościowe w Księstwie Cieszyńskiem (in Polish). Cieszyn: Macierz Szkolna Księstwa Cieszyńskiego. p. 261, 279.

Coordinates: 49°39′17.69″N 18°51′34.23″E / 49.6549139°N 18.8595083°E / 49.6549139; 18.8595083

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