Żywiec () is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

on the River Soła in southern

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

with 31,194 inhabitants (2019). It is situated within the

Silesian Voivodeship Silesian Voivodeship ( ) is an administrative province in southern Poland. With over 4.2 million residents and an area of 12,300 square kilometers, it is the second-most populous, and the most-densely populated and most-urbanized region of Poland ...

, near the

Żywiec Lake Żywiec Lake (Polish: ''Jezioro Żywieckie'') is a reservoir on the Soła river in southern Poland, near the town of Żywiec. It was created in 1966, when several villages in the area, such as Zarzecze, Tresna, Zadziel and Old Żywiec were floode ...

and

Żywiec Landscape Park Żywiec Landscape Park (''Żywiecki Park Krajobrazowy'') is a protected area ( Landscape Park) in southern Poland. It was established in 1986 and covers an area of . The Park lies within Silesian Voivodeship and is named after the town of Żywiec ...

, one of the eight

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...

s in the voivodeship. Historically, the town has been part of the

Lesser Poland Lesser Poland, often known by its Polish name ''Małopolska'' (; ), is a historical region situated in southern and south-eastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Kraków. Throughout centuries, Lesser Poland developed a separate cult ...

region and is the capital of the Żywiecczyzna region, which is ethnically part of the Goral Lands. The

551231 Żywiec __NOTOC__ Year 551 ( DLI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 551 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for ...

planetoid According to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), a minor planet is an astronomical object in direct orbit around the Sun that is exclusively classified as neither a planet nor a comet. Before 2006, the IAU officially used the term ''mino ...

is named after the town.

History

Żywiec was first mentioned in a written document in 1308 as a seat of a Catholic parish. It was originally located in the place later known as ''Stary Żywiec'' (lit. "Old Żywiec"). It belonged then to the

Duchy of Cieszyn The Duchy of Teschen (), also Duchy of Cieszyn () or Duchy of Těšín (), was one of the Duchies of Silesia centered on Cieszyn () in Upper Silesia. It was split off the Silesian Duchy of Opole and Racibórz in 1281 during the feudal division ...

, and after 1315 to the

Duchy of Oświęcim The Duchy of Oświęcim (), or the Duchy of Auschwitz (), was one of the Duchies of Silesia in the lands of Lesser Poland (Małopolska), formed in the aftermath of the fragmentation of Poland, centered around Oświęcim. It was established a ...

, which in 1327 became a

fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

of the

Kingdom of Bohemia The Kingdom of Bohemia (), sometimes referenced in English literature as the Czech Kingdom, was a History of the Czech lands in the High Middle Ages, medieval and History of the Czech lands, early modern monarchy in Central Europe. It was the pr ...

. The town was a focal point for the development of hitherto sparsely populated

Żywiec Basin Żywiec Basin (Prof. Jerzy Kondracki. Geografia fizyczna Polski. Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe. Warszawa. 1988. ) is a lowland, located in southern Poland, between the Little Beskids to the north, Silesian Beskids to the west, Żywiec Beskids ...

. The area of Stary Żywiec was prone to flooding so the town was moved to the current spot in 1448. In 1457 the Duchy of Oświęcim was purchased and incorporated directly to the

Polish Crown The Crown of the Kingdom of Poland (; ) was a political and legal concept formed in the 14th century in the Kingdom of Poland, assuming unity, indivisibility and continuity of the state. Under this idea, the state was no longer seen as the pa ...

. Żywiec was a

private town Private towns in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth were privately owned towns within the lands owned by magnates, bishops, knights and princes, among others. Amongst the most well-known former private magnate towns are Białystok, Zamość, R ...

, administratively located in the Kraków Voivodeship in the

Lesser Poland Province of the Polish Crown Lesser Poland Province (, ) was an administrative division of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland from 1569 until 1795. It was the largest province of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, with Kraków as its capital. The province's name derives fro ...

. In 1624 it was sold by the Komorowski family to

Constance of Austria Constance of Austria (; ; ; 24 December 1588 – 10 July 1631) was Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania as the second wife of King-Grand Duke Sigismund III Vasa and the mother of King John II Casimir. Biography Constance was a daughte ...

, queen consort of the Polish king

Sigismund III Vasa Sigismund III Vasa (, ; 20 June 1566 – 30 April 1632 N.S.) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1587 to 1632 and, as Sigismund, King of Sweden from 1592 to 1599. He was the first Polish sovereign from the House of Vasa. Re ...

. During the

Deluge A deluge is a large downpour of rain, often a flood. The Deluge refers to the flood narrative in the biblical book of Genesis. Deluge or Le Déluge may also refer to: History *Deluge (history), the Swedish and Russian invasion of the Polish-L ...

, Żywiec was plundered and destroyed by

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

troops in 1656. From 1672 it was a possession the Polish Chancellor Jan Wielopolski. The Old Castle was built in the mid-14th century. The castle has undergone several restorations and boasts a number of styles of architecture and decoration, including Gothic,

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

and

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

. Żywiec's Old Castle is encompassed by a 260,000 square metre landscape park, which was established initially in the 17th century. The Church of the Holy Cross was built towards the end of the 14th century, and expanded twice, once in 1679 and again in 1690. In the 18th century, a Baroque church was later constructed on the site and still stands today. A second noteworthy church, the Cathedral of the Virgin Mary's Birth, was constructed and expanded during the first half of the 15th century, before being renovated in Baroque fashion after a fire in 1711. Upon the

First Partition of Poland The First Partition of Poland took place in 1772 as the first of three partitions that eventually ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth by 1795. The growth of power in the Russian Empire threatened the Kingdom of Prussia an ...

in 1772, Żywiec became part of the

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ** Austria-Hungary ** Austria ...

Kingdom of Galicia The Kingdom of Galicia was a political entity located in southwestern Europe, which at its territorial zenith occupied the entire northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. In the early 10th century, the Kingdom of Galicia was formed following the div ...

. In 1810 it was purchased by Prince Albert of Saxony, son of King

Augustus III of Poland Augustus III (; – "the Saxon"; ; 17 October 1696 5 October 1763) was List of Polish monarchs, King of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1733 until 1763, as well as List of rulers of Saxony, Elector of Saxony i ...

and again ruled with the neighbouring Silesian

Duchy of Teschen The Duchy of Teschen (), also Duchy of Cieszyn () or Duchy of Těšín (), was one of the Duchies of Silesia centered on Cieszyn () in Upper Silesia. It was split off the Silesian Duchy of Opole and Racibórz in 1281 during the feudal divisio ...

(Cieszyn). When he died in 1822, his estates fell to

Archduke Charles Archduke Charles Louis John Joseph Lawrence of Austria, Duke of Teschen (; 5 September 177130 April 1847) was an Austrian Empire, Austrian field marshal, the third son of Emperor Leopold II and his wife, Maria Luisa of Spain. He was also the youn ...

from the Austrian

House of Habsburg-Lorraine The House of Habsburg-Lorraine () originated from the marriage in 1736 of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor, Francis III, Duke of Lorraine and Bar, and Maria Theresa of Habsburg monarchy, Austria, later successively List of Bohemian monarchs, Queen ...

. The town also houses the

Żywiec Brewery Żywiec Brewery () is one of the largest breweries and beer producers in Poland. Founded in 1856 in the town of Żywiec, the brewery manufactures pale lager with a 5.5% alcohol volume. Grupa Żywiec S.A. consists of five main breweries: Żywiec B ...

, established by Charles' son Archduke Albert in 1852, and purchased by

Heineken International Heineken Naamloze vennootschap, N.V. (), branded as The Heineken Company is a Dutch multinational corporation, multinational brewery, brewing company, founded in 1864 by Gerard Adriaan Heineken in Amsterdam. Heineken owns over 165 breweries in m ...

in the 1990s. A museum was founded at the site in 2006. At the beginning of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, over 1,000 soldiers of the Polish Legions from the region marched out from Żywiec to fight for Polish independence; 167 of them died in the war. At the end of the war, in 1918, Poland regained independence and control of the town. Eight Poles from Żywiec were killed in the

Polish–Soviet War The Polish–Soviet War (14 February 1919 – 18 March 1921) was fought primarily between the Second Polish Republic and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, following World War I and the Russian Revolution. After the collapse ...

of 1919–1920.

Second World War

Following the 1939

Invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...

, which started

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Żywiec was occupied by

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

and annexed to the German

Province of Upper Silesia The Province of Upper Silesia (; Silesian German: ''Provinz Oberschläsing''; ; ) was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Free State of Prussia from 1919 to 1945. It comprised much of the region of Upper Silesia and was eventually divided int ...

(see

East Upper Silesia East Upper Silesia (; ) is the easternmost extremity of Silesia, the eastern part of the Upper Silesian region around the city of Katowice ().Isabel Heinemann, ''"Rasse, Siedlung, deutsches Blut": das Rasse- und Siedlungshauptamt der SS und die ras ...

). The last Habsburg owner

Archduke Karl Albrecht of Austria Archduke Karl Albrecht of Austria-Teschen (''Karl Albrecht Nikolaus Leo Gratianus von Österreich'', later ''Karl Albrecht Habsburg-Lothringen'', since 1919 – ''Karol Olbracht Habsburg-Lotaryński''; 18 December 1888 – 17 March 1951) was a ...

refused to sign the German , whereafter he was ousted and arrested. 26 Poles from Żywiec were murdered by the Russians in the large

Katyn massacre The Katyn massacre was a series of mass killings under Communist regimes, mass executions of nearly 22,000 Polish people, Polish military officer, military and police officers, border guards, and intelligentsia prisoners of war carried out by t ...

in April–May 1940. Between September and December 1940, the Nazi authorities expelled 17,413–20,000 Polish inhabitants from around Żywiec county in the so-called

Action Saybusch Action Saybusch (, ) was the mass expulsion of some 18,000–20,000 ethnic Polish Gorals from the territory of Żywiec Region (part of the region of Lesser Poland) in the area annexed to the German Province of Upper Silesia, conducted by the Wehrm ...

conducted by the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

and

Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...

. A transit camp for expelled Poles was located at the local school. The expelled Poles were taken to the

General Government The General Government (, ; ; ), formally the General Governorate for the Occupied Polish Region (), was a German zone of occupation established after the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany, Slovak Republic (1939–1945), Slovakia and the Soviet ...

, a different region within Poland under German military occupation. The incident formed part of the Nazis' efforts, led by Reich Minister

Alfred Rosenberg Alfred Ernst Rosenberg ( – 16 October 1946) was a Baltic German Nazi theorist and ideologue. Rosenberg was first introduced to Adolf Hitler by Dietrich Eckart and he held several important posts in the Nazi government. He was the head o ...

and his deputy Alfred Meyer, to develop the Occupied Eastern Territories for settlement by German migrants. In 1941, Nazi German of Upper Silesia Fritz Bracht, while visiting the town, declared that there will be no Poles in the county in five years. German occupation ended in 1945.

Economy

The

is located in the town. There is a museum dedicated to the brewery.

Sports

There are several

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

clubs in the town: men teams Koszarawa Żywiec, Czarni-Góral Żywiec, Soła Żywiec, and women team

TS Mitech Żywiec TS Mitech Żywiec is a women's association football, women's football club from Żywiec, Poland. They currently compete in the third group of the III liga (women's football), III liga, the fourth level of competition. The team started in March 2 ...

. All four teams compete in the lower leagues, although Mitech also played in the Ekstraliga (Polish top division) until 2020.

Notable people

Ferdynand Obtułowicz Ferdynand Jakub Obtułowicz (born 1 January 1851 in Żywiec, died 6 August 1912 in Lwów) was a Polish hygienist doctor, a social worker, the president of Towarzystwo Higieniczne (Hygienic's Society) in Lwów, a member of council of Lwów. He was s ...

(1851-1923), doctor and social worker *

Archduke Charles Stephen of Austria Archduke Charles Stephen Eugene Viktor Felix Maria of Austria (, ; 5 September 1860 – 7 April 1933) was a member of the House of Habsburg, a Grand Admiral in the Austro-Hungarian Navy and candidate for the Kingdom of Poland (1916-1918), Polish ...

(1860–1933), aristocrat *

(1888–1951), aristocrat *

Alice Habsburg Alice Habsburg, Princess of Altenburg (; 18 December 1889 – 26 November 1985) was a Swedish-born aristocrat and member of the Polish Home Army during World War II. Early life and first marriage Born in Hölö, Sweden as Alice Elisabeth Ankarcro ...

(1889–1985), aristocrat * Archduke Leo Karl of Austria (1893–1939), aristocrat * Wilhelm Brasse (1917–2012) photographer, Auschwitz prisoner * Tadeusz Wrona (born 1954), aviator *

Tomasz Adamek Tomasz "Tomek" Adamek (; born 1 December 1976) is a Polish former professional boxer who competed from 1999 to 2018. He held world championships in two weight classes, including the WBC light heavyweight title from 2005 to 2007, and the IBF a ...

(born 1976), boxer *

Piotr Haczek Piotr Haczek (born 26 January 1977 in Żywiec, Śląskie) is a Polish former athlete who mainly competed in the 400 metres. An outdoor and indoor world champion in the 4 × 400 metres relay, his success came mainly in relay, his best individual p ...

(born 1977), athlete * Agata Wróbel (born 1981), weightlifter * Tomasz Jodłowiec (born 1985), footballer

Twin towns – sister cities

Żywiec is twinned with: * Adur, England, United Kingdom *

Čadca Čadca (; until 1918 Čatca, Czača, , ) is a district town in northern Slovakia, near the border with Poland and the Czech Republic. Etymology The name is derived from a word ''čad'' (smoke, soot; Proto-Slavic: ''čadъ'', Slovak/ Czech: ''ča ...

, Slovakia * Feldbach, Austria *

Gödöllő Gödöllő, officially the City of Gödöllő, is a city in Pest County, Budapest metropolitan area, Hungary, about northeast from the outskirts of Budapest. Its population is 34,396 according to the 2010 census and is growing rapidly. It can b ...

, Hungary *

Liptovský Mikuláš Liptovský Mikuláš (; until 1952 ''Liptovský Svätý Mikuláš'', ; ) is a town in northern Slovakia, on the Váh River, about from Bratislava. It lies in the Liptov region, in Podtatranská kotlina, Liptov Basin near the Low Tatra and Tat ...

, Slovakia *

Opava Opava (; , ) is a city in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 55,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Opava (river), Opava River. Opava is one of the historical centres of Silesia and was a historical capital of Czech Sile ...

, Czech Republic *

Riom Riom (; Auvergnat ''Riam'') is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. History Until the French Revolution, Riom was the capital of the province of Auvergne, and the ...

, France *

Storuman Storuman (, Ume Sami language, Ume Sami: ''Lusspie'') is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Storuman Municipality in Västerbotten County, provinces of Sweden, province of Lapland, Sweden, Lapland, Sweden with 2,207 inhabitants in 2 ...

, Sweden *

Szczytno Szczytno (;) is a town in northeastern Poland with 27,013 inhabitants (2007). It is the seat of Szczytno County in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodship, within the historic region of Masuria. Olsztyn-Mazury Regional Airport, located nearby, is the m ...

, Poland *

Unterhaching Unterhaching (; Central Bavarian: ''Haching'') is the second largest municipality in the district of Munich in Bavaria, Germany, located to the south of Munich city centre and easily accessible via two federal motorways, Bundesautobahn 8 and Bunde ...

, Germany

Gallery

Ratusz na Rynku w Żywcu.jpg, Town Hall Żywiec - Konkatedra.jpg, St. Mary's Co-cathedral Żywiec - Dzwonnica konkatedry.JPG, Co-cathedral bell tower Nowy Zamek w Żywcu zdjęcie.jpg, New Castle Autumn park in Żywiec in the reflection of a puddle.jpg, Castle park in autumn Żywiec, Muzeum Browaru Żywiec 3.jpg, Żywiec Brewery Museum

References

External links

Jewish Community in Żywiec
on Virtual Shtetl {{DEFAULTSORT:Zywiec Cities and towns in Silesian Voivodeship Żywiec County Province of Upper Silesia