Ligota, Silesian Voivodeship
Ligota is a village in Gmina Czechowice-Dziedzice, Bielsko County, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. It has a population of 4,454. The village lies on the edge of the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia.
Ligota is a common name for villages in Western Poland. The word refers to the medieval custom of village founders being exempt from paying duties to their lords for a period of 5-8 years.History
The village was first mentioned in 1452 as Elgot. Politically the village belonged initially to the Duchy of Teschen, a fee of the Kingdom of Bohemia, which after 1526 became part of the Habsburg Monarchy.
According to Walter Kuhn the village was also known as Targersdorff.
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 and legal district of Bielsko. According to the censuses conducted in 1880, 1890, 1900 and 1910 the population of the municipality grew from 1651 in 1880 to 1791 in 1910 with a majority being native Polish-speakers accompanied by a small German-speaking minority. In terms of religion in 1910 majority were Roman Catholics, followed by Protestants, Jews.
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.Landmarks
There are several landmarks in the village including Catholic Church of the Divine Providence from 1801-1806 and old dwór.
