Leczyca
Encyclopedia
Łęczyca ł 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.
, 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 central Europe. 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.
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
.
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. After the war it was integrated into the People's Republic of Poland
.
A couple of kilometres away are the Collegiate church
and the earthworks at the site of the medieval settlement of Tum.
after 1305 parts of the united Kingdom of Poland initially as two vassal duchies, later incorporated as Łęczyca Voivodeship
and Sieradz Voivodeship
.
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
.
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...
. Situated in the Łódź Voivodeship, it is the county seat of the Łęczyca County.
History
Łęczyca is one of the oldest Polish cities, mentioned in the 12th century. It was the place of the first recorded meeting of SejmSejm
The Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the 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
Łęczyca Voivodeship
Łęczyca Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland from the 14th century until the partitions of Poland in 1772-1795...
since 14th till 18th century.
In 1331 the Teutonic Knights
Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...
sacked the city during one of their repeated incursions into central Europe. 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
Łęczyca Castle
The Łęczyca Royal Castle is a medieval castle situated in Łęczyca, Poland. The castle was erected by Casimir III the Great as a fortification during 1357-1370.-History:...
built to the southeast of the city.
The city's prominence came to and end with the Swedish invasion
The Deluge (Polish history)
The term Deluge denotes a series of mid-17th century campaigns in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. In a wider sense it applies to the period between the Khmelnytsky Uprising of 1648 and the Truce of Andrusovo in 1667, thus comprising the Polish–Lithuanian theaters of the Russo-Polish and...
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
Partitions of Poland
The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland for 123 years...
.
Following the invasion of Poland at the start of the Second World War, Łęczyca was occupied by Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
and incorporated into the region known as Reichsgau Wartheland
Reichsgau Wartheland
Reichsgau Wartheland was a Nazi German Reichsgau formed from Polish territory annexed in 1939. It comprised the Greater Poland and adjacent areas, and only in part matched the area of the similarly named pre-Versailles Prussian province of Posen...
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. After the war it was integrated into the People's Republic of Poland
People's Republic of Poland
The People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...
.
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 - dating from the 14th Century.
- The Church of St Andrew the Apostle—the current church dates was consecrated in 1425.
- The former DominicanDominican OrderThe Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
monastery in Ul. Pocztowa (served as a prison from 1799 until 2006)http://www.sw.gov.pl/index.php/forum/more/199. 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. The town plan is still recognisably that of a medieval town.
A couple of kilometres away are the Collegiate church
Collegiate church in Tum
The Collegiate church of St. Mary and St. Alexius in Tum is a Romanesque church of granite built during the years 1140–1161 in Tum in central Poland . The church was built in opus emplectum style and has the form of an aisled basilica with galleries, twin-tower west facade and two apses...
and the earthworks at the site of the medieval settlement of Tum.
Dukes of Sieradz-Łęczyca
- 1228-1232 Henry I the BeardedHenry I the BeardedHenry I the Bearded , of the Silesian line of the Piast dynasty, was Duke of Silesia at Wrocław from 1201 and Duke of Kraków and thus High Duke of all Poland - internally divided - from 1232 until his death.-Heir of Wroclaw:...
(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
Łęczyca Voivodeship
Łęczyca Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland from the 14th century until the partitions of Poland in 1772-1795...
and Sieradz Voivodeship
Sieradz Voivodeship
Sieradz Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in the years 1975–1998, superseded by Łódź Voivodeship.-1975-1998:Capital city: SieradzMajor cities and towns: :* Zduńska Wola ;...
.
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
Casimir III of Poland
Casimir III the Great , last King of Poland from the Piast dynasty , was the son of King Władysław I the Elbow-high and Hedwig of Kalisz.-Biography:...
as the Łęczyca Voivodeship
Łęczyca Voivodeship
Łęczyca Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland from the 14th century until the partitions of Poland in 1772-1795...
.
People
- Przemysław Kazmierczak
- Jerzy I of HaliczGeorge I of HalychYuri I of Galicia was prince of Belz and King of Galicia-Volhynia or King of Rus' ....
- Kazimierz II
- Janisław I
- Władysław I the Elbow-high
- Władysław II Jagiełło
- Władysław III of Poland
- VytenisVytenisVytenis was the Grand Duke of Lithuania from c. 1295 to c. 1316. He became the first of the Gediminid dynasty to rule for a considerable amount of time. In the early 14th century his reputation outshone that of Gediminas, who is regarded by modern historians as one of the greatest Lithuanian rulers...
- Zygmunt II AugustSigismund II AugustusSigismund II Augustus I was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, the only son of Sigismund I the Old, whom Sigismund II succeeded in 1548...
- Agnieszka BaranowskaAgnieszka BaranowskaAgnieszka Lipska Baranowska was a Polish playwright and poet.Born on April 16, 1819 in Gostków near Łęczyca in a Polish szlachta family of Lipscy to Jacob Lipski and Marjania Zaluska, she spent her life in the Prussian partition, including the Grand Duchy of Poznań...
- Kazimierz Franciszek CzarnkowskiKazimierz Franciszek CzarnkowskiKazimierz Franciszek Czarnkowski, of the Nałęcz coat-of-arms was a Polish nobleman .Kazimierz was Colonel of the voivodships of Greater Poland and castellan of Poznań since 1646. He married Princess Konstancja Lubomirska on February 1, 1637 in Kraków and Anna Konstancja Wejher about 1650....
- Zygmunt Grudziński (1870-1929)Zygmunt Grudzinski (1870-1929)Zygmunt Grudziński was a Polish radiologist of merit and founder of the "Polski Przeglad Radiologiczny" . Born in 1870, Łęczyca near Kalisz, died October 24, 1929, Warsaw. One of the foremost Polish radiologists, worked as docent of this discipline at the Warsaw University and was also head of...
- Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim Luntschitz (Lenczyk)Shlomo Ephraim LuntschitzShlomo Ephraim ben Aaron Luntschitz was a rabbi, poet and Torah commentator, best known for his Torah commentary Keli Yakar.-Biography:...
- Rabbi Meïr Löb ben Jehiel Michel WeiserMalbimMeïr Leibush ben Jehiel Michel Weiser , better known by the acronym Malbim , was a rabbi, Hebrew grammar master, and Bible commentator....
Malbi"m - Wacław Przeździecki
- Jakub ŚwinkaJakub SwinkaJakub Świnka was a Polish Catholic priest, the Archbishop of Gniezno and a notable politician and supporter of the idea of unification of all Polish lands under the rule of Władysław I the Elbow-high. His Coat of Arms was Świnka....
- Stanisław Warszycki
- Marek WojteraMarek WojteraMarek Wojtera is a Polish politician. He was elected to Sejm on 25 September 2005 getting 8715 votes in 11 Sieradz district, candidating from Samoobrona Rzeczpospolitej Polskiej list.-External links:...
- Józef SzczepańskiJózef SzczepanskiJózef Szczepański was a Polish poet who was a member of the Armia Krajowa Polish resistance. Commander of the Batalion Parasol during the Warsaw Uprising, known under his codename Ziutek, he was also a notable poet of the occupation period...
See also
- Devil BorutaDevil BorutaDevil Boruta is a fictional character from Polish mythology, folklore and literature, associated with the Polish town of Łęczyca.The character is the transformation of the Slavic demon Boruta in post-Christianization times....
- Dukes of Sieradz-Łęczyca
- Łęcze
- Łęczeszcze
- Łęczno (disambiguation)
- Łęczyca (disambiguation)
- Łęczyce
- Łuczyna
External links
- Królewskie Miasto Łęczyca, official site (mainly in Polish)