Brzeszcze
Encyclopedia
Brzeszcze ' 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.
.
Oswiecim County
Oświęcim County is a unit of territorial administration and local government in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, southern Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its administrative seat and largest town is Oświęcim, which lies ...
, Lesser Poland Voivodeship
Lesser Poland Voivodeship
Małopolska Voivodeship , or Lesser Poland Voivodeship, is a voivodeship, in southern Poland...
in southern Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, near Oświęcim
Oswiecim
Oświęcim is a town in the Lesser Poland province of southern Poland, situated west of Kraków, near the confluence of the rivers Vistula and Soła.- History :...
.
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
Anthracite coal
Anthracite is a hard, compact variety of mineral coal that has a high luster...
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.
Economy
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 VoivodeshipVoivodeship
Voivodship is a term denoting the position of, or more commonly the area administered by, a voivod. Voivodeships have existed since medieval times in Poland, Romania, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Russia and Serbia....
.
Sports
- Górnik Brzeszcze - The club was founded in 1922 by the Polish refugees from Czech RepublicCzech RepublicThe Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
. The "Brzeszcze" mine used to be the main sponsor of the club.
Famous inhabitants
- Arkadiusz SkrzypaszekArkadiusz SkrzypaszekArkadiusz Skrzypaszek is a Polish modern pentathlete. He won two gold Olympic medals, both in Barcelona, 1992. Skrzypaszek won the individual and the team challenge. After the Barcelona games he retired.-References:...
, winner of two OlympicOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
gold medals - Włodzimierz Lubański, Polish footballerFootball (soccer)Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
- Beata Szydło, Polish politician
- Kazimierz Bielenin, famous Polish archeologist