Miechów
Encyclopedia
Miechów ' is a town in Poland
, in Lesser Poland Voivodeship
, about 40 km north of Kraków
. It is the capital of Miechów County
. Population is 11,852 (2004).
Miechów acquired the city rights
in 1290. The Municipality and the City of Miechów are located in Miechowska Uplands, at the state route No. 7. The city has a railway network. Nature reserve
s include: “Lipny Dół” in vicinity of Książ Wielki, “Biała Góra” in Tunel, and “Złota Góra” in Jaksice village.
Near the Old Market Square there is a zero-category historic monument – the basilica and monastery of the Holy Sepulchre
Order, founded in 1163 by Jaksa of the Gryfici family. The monastery first introduced the cult of the Holy Sepulchre in Poland and in Europe. St. Vit Modest and Crescence Church in Nasiechowice and a wooden temple of Mother of Church in Przesławice are also notable.
The Jewish synagogue
located at 10 Adama Mickiewicza Street was built in the early 20th Century. However, during the German occupation of Poland
the synagogue was devastated by the Nazis
and after the war
became the municipal property, no longer serving its religious purpose. At present, the completely rebuilt synagogue houses a popular café.
An important local personality was Maciej of Miechów
, Polish Renaissance
scholar, doctor of medicine
, canon, astrologist, historian, who was elected eight times as Rector
of the Academy of Kraków
. He's the author of the "Tractatus de duabus Sarmatiis" (Treatise on the Two Sarmatias), considered the first accurate geographical and ethnographical
description of Eastern Europe
.
Notable people from Miechów include Emanuel Tanay
.
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...
, in Lesser Poland Voivodeship
Lesser Poland Voivodeship
Małopolska Voivodeship , or Lesser Poland Voivodeship, is a voivodeship, in southern Poland...
, about 40 km north of Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
. It is the capital of Miechów County
Miechów County
Miechów 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 only town is Miechów, which lies north...
. Population is 11,852 (2004).
Miechów acquired the city rights
Town privileges
Town privileges or city rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium.Judicially, a town was distinguished from the surrounding land by means of a charter from the ruling monarch that defined its privileges and laws. Common privileges were related to trading...
in 1290. The Municipality and the City of Miechów are located in Miechowska Uplands, at the state route No. 7. The city has a railway network. Nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
s include: “Lipny Dół” in vicinity of Książ Wielki, “Biała Góra” in Tunel, and “Złota Góra” in Jaksice village.
Near the Old Market Square there is a zero-category historic monument – the basilica and monastery of the Holy Sepulchre
Church of the Holy Sepulchre
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also called the Church of the Resurrection by Eastern Christians, is a church within the walled Old City of Jerusalem. It is a few steps away from the Muristan....
Order, founded in 1163 by Jaksa of the Gryfici family. The monastery first introduced the cult of the Holy Sepulchre in Poland and in Europe. St. Vit Modest and Crescence Church in Nasiechowice and a wooden temple of Mother of Church in Przesławice are also notable.
The Jewish synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
located at 10 Adama Mickiewicza Street was built in the early 20th Century. However, during the German occupation of Poland
History of Poland (1939–1945)
The history of Poland from 1939 to 1945 encompasses the German invasion of Poland as well as the Soviet invasion of Poland through to the end of World War II. On 1 September 1939, without a formal declaration of war, Germany invaded Poland...
the synagogue was devastated by the Nazis
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
and after the war
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
became the municipal property, no longer serving its religious purpose. At present, the completely rebuilt synagogue houses a popular café.
An important local personality was Maciej of Miechów
Maciej Miechowita
Maciej Miechowita was a Polish renaissance scholar, professor of Jagiellonian University, historian, chronicler, geographer, medical doctor , alchemist, astrologist and canon in Cracow.He studied at the...
, Polish Renaissance
Renaissance in Poland
The Renaissance in Poland lasted from the late 15th to the late 16th century and is widely considered to have been the Golden Age of Polish culture. Ruled by the Jagiellon dynasty, the Kingdom of Poland actively participated in the broad European Renaissance...
scholar, doctor of medicine
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
, canon, astrologist, historian, who was elected eight times as Rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of the Academy of Kraków
Jagiellonian University
The Jagiellonian University was established in 1364 by Casimir III the Great in Kazimierz . It is the oldest university in Poland, the second oldest university in Central Europe and one of the oldest universities in the world....
. He's the author of the "Tractatus de duabus Sarmatiis" (Treatise on the Two Sarmatias), considered the first accurate geographical and ethnographical
Ethnography
Ethnography is a qualitative method aimed to learn and understand cultural phenomena which reflect the knowledge and system of meanings guiding the life of a cultural group...
description of Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
.
Notable people from Miechów include Emanuel Tanay
Emanuel Tanay
Emanuel Tanay is an American physician, a forensic psychiatrist, and a Jewish Holocaust survivor.-Early life:Tanay was born in Vilna but the family soon moved to Miechow, a small community just south of Kraków...
.