Sieradz
Encyclopedia
Sieradz AUD is a town on the Warta river in central Poland
with 44,326 inhabitants (2004). It is situated in the Łódź Voivodship (since 1999), but was previously the eponymous capital of the Sieradz Voivodship (1975-1998), and historically one of the minor duchies in Greater Poland
.
It is one of the oldest towns in Poland, thrice being a location for the coronation of the Polish monarchs. The town was attacked by the Tartars, Bohemians and Teutonic Knights. Polish Kings chaired six assemblies from here.
In the mid 13th century it was conferred with Municipal rights. It had also welcomed many settlers from Scotland & Netherlands after the 13th century. During the fragmentation of Poland, it was the site of the Duchy of Sieradz
.
In 1445 the election of King Casimir Jagiellonian took place at this town. Until the 16th century the town used to be important trade centre. Merchants from Spain & Portugal were frequently visiting the town for Trade and commerce. In the 17th century due to the Swedish wars, plagues, fires and floods the town lost its trading importance and fell from its prime. In the 18th century the reconstruction of town commenced. The residents during that time were only approximately 1500.
region of the Russian Empire
until the establishment of the Polish Second Republic in 1918.
With the invasion of Poland and the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, Sieradz was attacked on September 9th and occupied by the Wehrmacht
. Annexed by Nazi Germany
, it was renamed Schieratz and administered as part of the county or district (kreis) of the same name within Reichsgau Wartheland
.
The Nazis destroyed traces of Polish culture, destroying historical records, monuments, and buildings. Street names were changed in an effort to wipe out any connection with a Polish identity. Bombed by the Soviets, more than 100 residents were killed. After an assault lasting three days, the Red Army
arrived on January 23rd 1945.
Following the war, it became part of the People's Republic of Poland
. Economic activities included clothing manufacture, cereal-milling, spirit distillery, potato farming and other agricultural activities. In 1957 the knitting plant "Sira" was founded.
after 1305 parts of the united Kingdom of Poland initially as two vassal duchies, later incorporated as Leczyca Voivodship and Sieradz Voivodship.
After 1305 part of the united Kingdom of Poland as a vassal duchy, later after 1339 incorporated by the Polish king Casimir III the Great
as the Sieradz Voivodship.
) elected from Sieradz constituency
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...
with 44,326 inhabitants (2004). It is situated in the Łódź Voivodship (since 1999), but was previously the eponymous capital of the Sieradz Voivodship (1975-1998), and historically one of the minor duchies in Greater Poland
Greater Poland
Greater Poland or Great Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska is a historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief city is Poznań.The boundaries of Greater Poland have varied somewhat throughout history...
.
It is one of the oldest towns in Poland, thrice being a location for the coronation of the Polish monarchs. The town was attacked by the Tartars, Bohemians and Teutonic Knights. Polish Kings chaired six assemblies from here.
History
The oldest settlements can be traced back to almost 6th century. King Casimir the great had built the Castle of Sieradz.In the mid 13th century it was conferred with Municipal rights. It had also welcomed many settlers from Scotland & Netherlands after the 13th century. During the fragmentation of Poland, it was the site of the Duchy of Sieradz
Duchy of Sieradz
The Duchy of Sieradz was one of the territories created during the period of the fragmentation of Poland. It was originally part of the central Seniorate Province, but became separated upon the death of High Duke Władysław III Spindleshanks in 1231, ruled by the rivaling Masovian branch of the...
.
In 1445 the election of King Casimir Jagiellonian took place at this town. Until the 16th century the town used to be important trade centre. Merchants from Spain & Portugal were frequently visiting the town for Trade and commerce. In the 17th century due to the Swedish wars, plagues, fires and floods the town lost its trading importance and fell from its prime. In the 18th century the reconstruction of town commenced. The residents during that time were only approximately 1500.
Nineteenth and twentieth centuries
On 13 November 1806 an uprising against the Prussians took place in Sieradz. It was the capital of a district within the KaliszKalisz
Kalisz is a city in central Poland with 106,857 inhabitants , the capital city of the Kalisz Region. Situated on the Prosna river in the southeastern part of the Greater Poland Voivodeship, the city forms a conurbation with the nearby towns of Ostrów Wielkopolski and Nowe Skalmierzyce...
region of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
until the establishment of the Polish Second Republic in 1918.
With the invasion of Poland and the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, Sieradz was attacked on September 9th and occupied by the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
. Annexed 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...
, it was renamed Schieratz and administered as part of the county or district (kreis) of the same name within 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...
.
The Nazis destroyed traces of Polish culture, destroying historical records, monuments, and buildings. Street names were changed in an effort to wipe out any connection with a Polish identity. Bombed by the Soviets, more than 100 residents were killed. After an assault lasting three days, the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
arrived on January 23rd 1945.
Following the war, it became part of 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...
. Economic activities included clothing manufacture, cereal-milling, spirit distillery, potato farming and other agricultural activities. In 1957 the knitting plant "Sira" was founded.
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 Leczyca (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 Leczyca Voivodship and Sieradz Voivodship.
Dukes of Sieradz
- 1233-1234 Boluslaus I of Mazovia (Bolesław I Mazowiecki)
- 1275-1288 Leszek the Black (Leszek Czarny)
- 1288-1294 Ladislaus III the Short (Władysław Łokietek )
- 1327-1339 Przemysl of Cuiavia (Przemysł Kujawski)
After 1305 part of the united Kingdom of Poland as a vassal duchy, later after 1339 incorporated by the Polish 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 Sieradz Voivodship.
Sieradz constituency
Members of Parliament (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 ....
) elected from Sieradz constituency
- Andrzej Biernat, PO
- Agnieszka Hanajczyk, PO
- Cezary Tomczyk, PO
- Artur Dunin, PO
- Wojciech Szczęsny Zarzycki, PiS
- Tadeusz Woźniak, PiS
- Marek Mauszewski, PiS
- Krystyna Grabicka, PiS
- Piotr Polak, PiS
- Stanisław Olas, PSL
- Mieczysław Łuczak, PSL
- Anita Błochowiak, LiD
- Denise Sieradzki, PiS
Notable people of Sieradz
- Leszek II "the Black" (c.1240-1288) - High Duke of Poland
- Cyprian BazylikCyprian BazylikCyprian Bazylik was a Polish composer, usually designated as C.B. or C.S. . Besides writing music, he was also a writer, poet, and printer....
(c.1535–c.1600) - musician, writer, printer. - Ary SzternfeldAry Abramovich SternfeldAry Sternfeld was co-creator of the modern aerospace science. He was a Jewish engineer of Polish origin, who got his education in France. From 1935 until his death he worked in Moscow....
(1905–1980) - aerospace scientist - Antoni ”Antoine” CierplikowskiAntoine de ParisAntoni "Antek" Cierplikowski became the world's first celebrity hairdresser when he opened the salon Antoine de Paris in Paris and became known as Monsieur Antoine....
(1884–1976) - celebrity hairdresser - Arek HershArek HershArek Hersh MBE is a survivor of the Holocaust.He was born in Sieradz Poland and was taken to his first concentration camp when he was only eleven years old. The camp started out with 2,500 men, eighteen months later only 11 were alive. Arek moved around several camps before being taken to Auschwitz...
- Holocaust survivor and educator - Zalman Ben-Ya'akovZalman Ben-Ya'akovZalman Ben-Ya'akov was an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Agudat Yisrael and the Religious Torah Front between 1953 and 1959.-Biography:...
(1897-1959) - Israeli politician
Sport, tourism and recreation
Sieradz has a fully equipped Sports town centre, with three proper Soccer fields, running track, two sports grounds, hotel, restaurant, tennis courts, sauna, health club, games, swimming pool and well guarded river side swim area. The natural forests on the banks of river Warta makes an ideal place for mushroom pickers. The town square also makes a perfect tourism place with local shops selling various products of good quality and brands. The Churches in Sieradz carry historical significance and well restored. The best part of the town is that people are very friendly.Załęcze landscape park and one of the biggest man made resovoirs “Jeziorsko”, make visit really worth due to its great picturesque quality.See also
- Dukes of Sieradz-LeczycaDukes of Sieradz-LeczycaFrom 1138 to 1228, part of the Duchy of Kraków and Sandomierz, belonging to the high-dukes of Poland.-Dukes of Sieradz-Łęczyca:* 1228–1232 Henry I the Bearded * 1232–1233 Konrad of Masovia...
- Official Sieradz town website http://www.umsieradz.pl/