Tyczyn
Encyclopedia
Tyczyn ' is a town in southern Poland
with a population of 3,353 inhabitants (02.06.2009). It is located in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship
(Województwo Podkarpackie), in the Rzeszów County
(Powiat Rzeszowski).
, founded Tyczyn in 1368 during the reign of king Casimir III of Poland
. Jews
migrated into the area during the 15th and 16th centuries.
Tyczyn is located in the lower Carpathian
foothills, about half way between the two large towns of Kraków
to the west and Lviv
to the east. The center of town is on top of a hill surrounded by numerous farming villages. To the north of town is the River Stryj
.
The town grew and dominated the area until the mid-17th century when it was destroyed first by a Tartar
and later by a Cossack
invasion. During the years 1792 to 1918 Tyczyn and the southern part of Poland known as Galicia became part of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. During those years the area of Tyczyn came under administrative control of Rzeszów
, a larger town and a county seat, some eight miles north of Tyczyn.
Prior to World War II
, Tyczyn had a vibrant Jewish shtetl
community. The Germany Army took over the town on September 10, 1939. The Jewish residents faced Nazi restrictions, deportations to labor and death camps, as well as executions. In particular, there is a large mass grave for the Jewish residents who were executed in the forests in the outskirts of the town. George Stalton, a former resident of Tyczyn, estimates that the Nazis reduced Jewish population from approximately 2,000 people to 10 people by end of the war. Today, sites within the town serve as memorials and learning centers for the Tyczyn's victims of the Holocaust.
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 a population of 3,353 inhabitants (02.06.2009). It is located in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship
Subcarpathian Voivodeship
Podkarpackie Voivodeship , or Subcarpathian Voivodeship, is a voivodeship, or province, in extreme-southeastern Poland. Its administrative capital and largest city is Rzeszów...
(Województwo Podkarpackie), in the Rzeszów County
Rzeszów County
Rzeszów County is a unit of territorial administration and local government in Subcarpathian Voivodeship, south-eastern Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its administrative seat is the city of Rzeszów, although the...
(Powiat Rzeszowski).
History
Bartold Tyczner, a merchant from MoraviaMoravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
, founded Tyczyn in 1368 during the reign of king Casimir III of Poland
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:...
. Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
migrated into the area during the 15th and 16th centuries.
Tyczyn is located in the lower Carpathian
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...
foothills, about half way between the two large towns 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...
to the west and Lviv
Lviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
to the east. The center of town is on top of a hill surrounded by numerous farming villages. To the north of town is the River Stryj
Stryj
Stryj may refer to:*Stryj, Lublin Voivodeship *Stryi, Ukraine - Stryj in Polish...
.
The town grew and dominated the area until the mid-17th century when it was destroyed first by a Tartar
Tatars
Tatars are a Turkic speaking ethnic group , numbering roughly 7 million.The majority of Tatars live in the Russian Federation, with a population of around 5.5 million, about 2 million of which in the republic of Tatarstan.Significant minority populations are found in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,...
and later by a Cossack
Cossack
Cossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in what is today Ukraine and Southern Russia inhabiting sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins and who played an important role in the...
invasion. During the years 1792 to 1918 Tyczyn and the southern part of Poland known as Galicia became part of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. During those years the area of Tyczyn came under administrative control of Rzeszów
Rzeszów
Rzeszów is a city in southeastern Poland with a population of 179,455 in 2010. It is located on both sides of the Wisłok River, in the heartland of the Sandomierska Valley...
, a larger town and a county seat, some eight miles north of Tyczyn.
Prior to World War II
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...
, Tyczyn had a vibrant Jewish shtetl
Shtetl
A shtetl was typically a small town with a large Jewish population in Central and Eastern Europe until The Holocaust. Shtetls were mainly found in the areas which constituted the 19th century Pale of Settlement in the Russian Empire, the Congress Kingdom of Poland, Galicia and Romania...
community. The Germany Army took over the town on September 10, 1939. The Jewish residents faced Nazi restrictions, deportations to labor and death camps, as well as executions. In particular, there is a large mass grave for the Jewish residents who were executed in the forests in the outskirts of the town. George Stalton, a former resident of Tyczyn, estimates that the Nazis reduced Jewish population from approximately 2,000 people to 10 people by end of the war. Today, sites within the town serve as memorials and learning centers for the Tyczyn's victims of the Holocaust.