Sandomierz


Sandomierz is a historical town in south-eastern Poland with 23,863 inhabitants, situated in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship since 1999. It is the capital of Sandomierz County. Sandomierz is known for its preserved Old Town, a major cultural and tourist attraction which was declared a National Monument of Poland in 2017. In the past, Sandomierz used to be one of the most important urban centers not only of Lesser Poland, but also of the whole country. It was a royal city of the Polish Crown and a regional administrative centre from the High Middle Ages to the 19th century.

Etymology

The name of the city might have originated from the Old Polish Sędomir, composed of Sędzi- and mir, or more likely from the antiquated given name Sędzimir, once popular in several Slavic languages. Sandomierz is known in Sandomir; Sandomiria; translit=Tzoyzmir; Szandomir; Сандомир or Судомир; Сандомир; and Sandoměř.

History

Early history

Sandomierz is one of the oldest and historically most significant cities in Poland. Archeological finds around the city indicate that humans have inhabited the area since neolithic times. The city came into existence in the early Middle Ages, taking advantage of an excellent location at the junction of Vistula and San rivers, and on the path of important trade routes. The first known historical mention of the city comes from the early 12th-century, when the chronicler Gallus Anonymus ranked it together with Kraków and Wrocław as one of the main cities of Poland. The testament of Bolesław III Wrymouth, in which he divided Poland among his sons, designated Sandomierz as the capital of one of the resulting principalities, the Duchy of Sandomierz.
In the early 13th century, the second oldest Dominican monastery in Poland and one of the oldest in Europe was founded in Sandomierz. In the course of the 13th century the city suffered grievous damage during the raids by Mongols in 1241, 1260 and 1287. The old wooden buildings of the town were completely destroyed. As a result, in 1286 the High Duke of Poland Leszek II the Black, effectively refounded the city under Magdeburg Law and granted staple right. The city archives preserve the founding document.
After the re-unification of the Polish lands in the 14th century, the former principality became the Sandomierz Voivodeship, incorporating large areas of southeastern Poland. Until 1474, it was one of two voivodeships of Lesser Poland, together with Krakow Voivodeship. In 1474, Lublin Voivodeship was created from eastern part of Sandomierz Voivodeship. At this time Sandomierz had about 3,000 inhabitants and was one of the largest Polish cities. In the middle of the 14th century the city was burned again during a raid by the Lithuanians. It was rebuilt during the rule of king Casimir III of Poland, who extended its privileges. The layout of the city has survived practically unchanged since that time until the present day. In 1389 in Sandomierz the newly appointed prince of the Novgorod Republic, Lithuanian prince Lengvenis, paid homage to Polish King Władysław II Jagiełło, thus making Novgorod a fiefdom of the Kingdom of Poland.

Modern era

In 1570 an alliance of non-Catholic Polish Churches, the Lutherans, the Reformed, and the Bohemian Brethren, drew up what is known as the Sandomierz Agreement, effecting a confederation of the work in order to stave off defeat at the hands of the Roman Church. Thanks to the efforts of the local starost Hieronim Gostomski, the Jesuits settled in the city and founded the Collegium Gostomianum, one Poland's oldest high schools, at the beginning of the 17th century.
The early modern period, running until the middle of the 17th century, was quite prosperous for the city. The most important historical buildings were built during this period. This golden age came to an end in 1655 when Swedish forces captured the city in the course of the Deluge. After briefly holding out in the city, the withdrawing Swedes blew up the castle and caused heavy damage to other buildings. In the next 100 years the economy of Poland suffered a decline, which also affected the city. A great fire in 1757 and the First Partition of Poland in 1772, which placed Sandomierz in Austria, further reduced its status. As a result, Sandomierz lost its role as an administrative capital.
In 1809, during the Napoleonic Wars, fighting between the forces of Austria and of the Duchy of Warsaw caused damage to the city. It became part of the short-lived Polish Duchy of Warsaw and after 1815 it found itself in the Russian Empire. At this point it had just 2640 inhabitants.

Sandomierz Cathedral and St Paul's Church blood libel myth

This cathedral contains a series of paintings built into the church's wooden panelling depicting the Martyrologium Romanum. The third painting shows the scene which, it is claimed: "...depicts ritual murders committed in Sandomierz by Jews on Christian children. The inscription above the painting reads filius apothecary ab infidelibus judaeis sandomiriensibus occisus
The St Paul's Church contains a different series of paintings including one in the chancel, depicting the torment of Jerzy Krassowski who was allegedly strangled by the Jews. Discussion on these pictures has taken place with the participation of the Polish Jewish Community. "The Polish Council of Christians and Jews has offered to finance a plaque with explanations of the blood libel and information about the official statements by various Popes rejecting the accusation". This plaque is now displayed in the St Paul's Church next to the picture in question.
Fr. Stefan Zuchowski from Sandomierz wrote two books propagating the myth of blood libel. He also took an active role in two ritual murder trials in Sandomierz which led to the murder of five Jews and were the inspiration for the paintings displayed in Sandomierz Cathedral and St Paul's Church.

The world wars

The city again suffered damage during World War I. In 1918, it again became part of independent Poland. In the 1930s, due to the massive public works project known as the Central Industrial Area, Sandomierz began to grow quickly. It was projected to become capital of the Sandomierz Voivodeship, and local authorities planned fast development of the city. The Greater Sandomierz was to turn in the 1940s into a city of 120,000.
In September 1939, following the German invasion of Poland, the city was occupied by Germany and made part of the General Government. Immediately upon occupation, the Germans began plundering and brutalizing the Jewish community which numbered somewhat less than 3000 of the town's 10,000 population. Their homes and shops were taken from them and given to Poles and Germans. The Jews were conscripted for forced labor and many were sent to labor camps. In May 1942, the Jewish population was confined to a ghetto area and hundreds of Jews from around the region were brought there, increasing the Jewish population to more than 5000. In October 1942, the Jewish population was rounded up with about 3000 Jews sent to Bełżec where they were immediately gassed. After that deportation, hundreds of Jews came out of hiding and others were sent to Sandomierz from elsewhere. Now the Jewish population was more than 6000 confined to another ghetto where as many as twelve people shared each room and some lived in the streets. Sanitary conditions were horrid and many became ill. Those who reported to the hospital were usually shot after a few days. Some Jews during this time were sent to labor camps, but in January 1943, the SS and German police, Polish police, and Ukrainian auxiliaries surrounded the ghetto, set some houses on fire and bombed others. They rounded up 7000 Jews, send a few hundred to a labor camp, and escorted the rest to the railway station, shooting hundreds en route. The trains took the Jews to Treblinka where they were murdered by gas the same day. Only 60 or 70 Sandomierz jews survived the Holocaust, Polish families hid a few, some hid in the forests, a few survived in labor camps, some had fled to the USSR and returned. The city was captured by the Red Army in August 1944. The few dozen Jews who returned quickly left after murders of returning Jews in Kielce and several other nearby communities.
No major industrial development took place in Sandomierz during the communist era, thus preserving its look of a charming, small city full of historical monuments among the unspoiled landscape.

Climate

The city experiences a humid continental climate with notably warm summers, much more consistently pronounced in eastern Poland. Precipitation, especially in the form of rains, is concentrated in the summer, reducing until the end of winter. Sandomierz has four well defined seasons of the year, hot summers, usually bearable and cold winters but with slightly moderate extremes.

Points of interest

Twin towns — Sister cities

Sandomierz is twinned with:

Notable residents

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