Zator
Encyclopedia
Zator ' is an old town on the Skawa
river within Oświęcim County
, Lesser Poland Voivodeship
(since 1999) in southern Poland
. From 1975 to 1998 it belonged to the Bielsko-Biała Voivodeship. It is the administrative seat of the Gmina Zator
. According to data from December 31 2008, Zator was inhabited by 4779 people.
river, is well-known for pisciculture, especially carp
, and periodic event called Zatorskie Dni Karpia. Zator is the main city of the Carp Valley.
, the area was acquired by the Silesian Piast
Duke Władysław of Opole by an 1274 agreement with the Polish Princeps Bolesław V the Chaste. Zator then belonged to the Upper Silesian Duchy of Opole
and after Władysław's death in 1281 fell to the Duchy of Cieszyn. It received town privileges
in 1292.
From 1315 on Zator belonged to the Duchy of Oświęcim
split off Cieszyn and in 1445 even became the capital of a Piast duchy in its own right, the Duchy of Zator
under Duke Wenceslaus I
, a Bohemian
vassal. It finally fell back to the Kingdom of Poland
, when in 1494 Wenceslaus' son Jan V
sold his lands to King John I Albert
.
From 1564 Zator had been incorporated into the Kraków Voivodeship of Lesser Poland; in the course of the 1772 First Partition of Poland
it was annexed by the Habsburg Monarchy
under Empress Maria Theresa of Austria
and incorporated into the Austrian Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria
. After the dissolution of Austria–Hungary by the 1919 Treaty of Saint-Germain Zator again fell to Poland.
During the World War II
, Zator was incorporated to Nazi Germany
, and was freed on January 26, 1945.
with: Berekfürdő
, Hungary Bojnice
, Slovakia
External linwaks= Serwis Internetowy Miasta i Gminy Zator Stowarzyszenie Dolina Karpia The illustrated article about the castle in Zator
Skawa
Skawa is a river in southern Poland, a right tributary of the Vistula. It originates in the Western Carpathians , is 96 km long and drains 1,160 km². It passes several towns: Jordanów, Maków Podhalański, Sucha Beskidzka, Wadowice and Zator....
river within Oświęcim County
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...
(since 1999) 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...
. From 1975 to 1998 it belonged to the Bielsko-Biała Voivodeship. It is the administrative seat of the Gmina Zator
Gmina Zator
Gmina Zator is an urban-rural gmina in Oświęcim County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. Its seat is the town of Zator, which lies approximately east of Oświęcim and west of the regional capital Kraków....
. According to data from December 31 2008, Zator was inhabited by 4779 people.
Descriprion
The city, located on the SkawaSkawa
Skawa is a river in southern Poland, a right tributary of the Vistula. It originates in the Western Carpathians , is 96 km long and drains 1,160 km². It passes several towns: Jordanów, Maków Podhalański, Sucha Beskidzka, Wadowice and Zator....
river, is well-known for pisciculture, especially carp
Carp
Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. The cypriniformes are traditionally grouped with the Characiformes, Siluriformes and Gymnotiformes to create the superorder Ostariophysi, since these groups have certain...
, and periodic event called Zatorskie Dni Karpia. Zator is the main city of the Carp Valley.
History
Originally a part of Lesser PolandLesser Poland
Lesser Poland is one of the historical regions of Poland, with its capital in the city of Kraków. It forms the southeastern corner of the country, and should not be confused with the modern Lesser Poland Voivodeship, which covers only a small, southern part of Lesser Poland...
, the area was acquired by the Silesian Piast
Silesian Piasts
The Silesian Piasts were the oldest line of the Piast dynasty beginning with Władysław II the Exile, son of Bolesław III Wrymouth, Duke of Poland...
Duke Władysław of Opole by an 1274 agreement with the Polish Princeps Bolesław V the Chaste. Zator then belonged to the Upper Silesian Duchy of Opole
Duchy of Opole
Duchy of Opole was one of the duchies of Silesia ruled by the Piast dynasty. Its capital was Opole in Upper Silesia.After Bolesław I the Tall and his younger brother Mieszko I Tanglefoot backed by Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa had retained their Silesian heritage in 1163, they divided the...
and after Władysław's death in 1281 fell to the Duchy of Cieszyn. It received town privileges
German town law
German town law or German municipal concerns concerns town privileges used by many cities, towns, and villages throughout Central and Eastern Europe during the Middle Ages.- Town law in Germany :...
in 1292.
From 1315 on Zator belonged to the Duchy of Oświęcim
Duchy of Oswiecim
The Duchy of Oświęcim , or the Duchy of Auschwitz , was one of many Duchies of Silesia, formed in the aftermath of the fragmentation of Poland....
split off Cieszyn and in 1445 even became the capital of a Piast duchy in its own right, the Duchy of Zator
Duchy of Zator
The Duchy of Zator was one of many Duchies of Silesia.It was split off the Duchy of Oświęcim, when after eleven years of joint rule the sons of Duke Casimir I in 1445 finally divided the lands among themselves, whereby his eldest son Wenceslaus received the territory around the town of Zator...
under Duke Wenceslaus I
Wenceslaus I of Zator
Wenceslaus I of Zator , was a Duke of Oświęcim during 1434-1445 and Duke of Zator from 1445 until his death.He was the eldest son of Duke Casimir I of Oświęcim by his first wife Anna, daughter of Duke Henry VIII of Żagań....
, a Bohemian
Kingdom of Bohemia
The Kingdom of Bohemia was a country located in the region of Bohemia in Central Europe, most of whose territory is currently located in the modern-day Czech Republic. The King was Elector of Holy Roman Empire until its dissolution in 1806, whereupon it became part of the Austrian Empire, and...
vassal. It finally fell back to the Kingdom of Poland
Kingdom of Poland (1385–1569)
The Kingdom of Poland of the Jagiellons was the Polish state created by the accession of Jogaila , Grand Duke of Lithuania, to the Polish throne in 1386. The Union of Krewo or Krėva Act, united Poland and Lithuania under the rule of a single monarch...
, when in 1494 Wenceslaus' son Jan V
Jan V of Zator
Jan V of Zator , was a Duke of Zator during 1468-1474 , and ruler over half of Zator from 1474 until his death ....
sold his lands to King John I Albert
John I Albert of Poland
John I Albert was King of Poland and Duke of Głogów .-Life:John was the third son of Casimir IV Jagiellon, King of Poland, and Elisabeth of Austria, daughter of Albert II of Germany. As crown prince, he distinguished himself by his brilliant victory over the Tatars at Kopersztyn...
.
From 1564 Zator had been incorporated into the Kraków Voivodeship of Lesser Poland; in the course of the 1772 First Partition of Poland
First Partition of Poland
The First Partition of Poland or First Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in 1772 as the first of three partitions that ended the existence of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth by 1795. Growth in the Russian Empire's power, threatening the Kingdom of Prussia and the...
it was annexed by the Habsburg Monarchy
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
under Empress Maria Theresa of Austria
Maria Theresa of Austria
Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina was the only female ruler of the Habsburg dominions and the last of the House of Habsburg. She was the sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria and Galicia, the Austrian Netherlands and Parma...
and incorporated into the Austrian Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria
Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria
The Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria was a crownland of the Habsburg Monarchy, the Austrian Empire, and Austria–Hungary from 1772 to 1918 .This historical region in eastern Central Europe is currently divided between Poland and Ukraine...
. After the dissolution of Austria–Hungary by the 1919 Treaty of Saint-Germain Zator again fell to Poland.
During the 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...
, Zator was incorporated to 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 was freed on January 26, 1945.
Monuments
- The Zator castleCastleA castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
, actually a palacePalaceA palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word itself is derived from the Latin name Palātium, for Palatine Hill, one of the seven hills in Rome. In many parts of Europe, the...
, originally of defensive purposes. The castle is from 1445 year. It is classified as The First Class Monument. In 1836, it was completely renovated by The Potocki family according to the project of F. M. Lanci. - The Jewish cemeteryJewish cemeteryA Jewish cemetery is a cemetery where members of the Jewish faith are buried in keeping with Jewish tradition....
, founded in the middle of the 19th century. There are about 50 preserved headstones, most of which with an inscription in Hebrew languageHebrew languageHebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
.
Notable people
- Roman Rybarski (1887–1942), economist and politician
- Master Paweł from Zator - preacherPreacherPreacher is a term for someone who preaches sermons or gives homilies. A preacher is distinct from a theologian by focusing on the communication rather than the development of doctrine. Others see preaching and theology as being intertwined...
and a professor at the Jagiellonian UniversityJagiellonian UniversityThe 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....
.
Twin towns
Zator is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with: Berekfürdő
Berekfürdo
Berekfürdő is a village in Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county, in the Northern Great Plain region of central Hungary.-Geography:It covers an area of and has a population of 919 people ....
, Hungary Bojnice
Bojnice
Bojnice is a small town in central Slovakia at the upper Nitra river, near the city of Prievidza. It has population of 4,983 . Bojnice is best known for its tourist attractions: the oldest zoo in Slovakia, the most visited castle, and one of the oldest spa towns in Slovakia. The town is situated...
, Slovakia
External linwaks= Serwis Internetowy Miasta i Gminy Zator Stowarzyszenie Dolina Karpia The illustrated article about the castle in Zator