Leszno is a village in Warsaw West County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. It is the seat of the

gmina The gmina (Polish: , plural ''gminy'' , from German ''Gemeinde'' meaning ''commune'') is the principal unit of the administrative division of Poland, similar to a municipality. , there were 2,477 gminas throughout the country, encompassing over 4 ...

(administrative district) called

Gmina Leszno __NOTOC__ Gmina Leszno is a rural gmina (administrative district) in Warsaw West County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. Its seat is the village of Leszno, which lies approximately west of Ożarów Mazowiecki and west of Warsaw. T ...

. It lies approximately west of Ożarów Mazowiecki and west of Warsaw. The village has a population of 3,500. Polish professional footballer Robert Lewandowski grew up in Leszno. In 2016 he became an honorary citizen of Leszno.

History

The history of Leszno dates back to the Middle Ages. It was mentioned in documents in 1423. It was owned by various families, including the Łuszczewski family, which built a

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

palace, which is the main landmark of the village. Several men from Leszno died in various battles against the invading Russians during the Polish–Soviet War of 1919–1920. A memorial to those soldiers is located in the local Catholic Church of Saint John the Baptist. During the invasion of Poland, which started World War II, in early September 1939, the Germans captured Leszno. On September 16, Poles recaptured the village for tactical purposes, while the Germans retreated in panic. On September 17, the Germans occupied Leszno again, and carried out a massacre of around 50 inhabitants in an act of revenge. Many men were transported to

Błonie Błonie is a town in Warsaw West County, Masovian Voivodeship, Poland, with a population of 12,058 as of December 2021. History The settlement dates back to the 8th century. It was first mentioned in the 11th century, and already in the 12th c ...

, from where they were to be deported to forced labor to Germany, but some managed to escape. About 70% of the village was burned down.

Sights

The main landmark of Leszno is the Baroque Łuszczewski Palace with an adjacent park. There are two historic churches, one Catholic and one

Mariavite The Mariavite Church is today one of two independent Christianity, Christian Church body, churches collectively known as Mariavites who first emerged from the religious inspiration of Polish noblewoman and nun, Feliksa Kozłowska (1862-1921) in ...

. In the village there is also a monument commemorating Polish soldiers, partisans and inhabitants killed during World War II.

Sports

The local

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

club is Partyzant Leszno. Robert Lewandowski took his first steps in football in the club. It competes in the lower leagues.

Gallery

020613 Łuszczewski Palace in Leszno - 09.jpg, Architectural decorations on the facade of the Łuszczewski Palace 020613 Park around Łuszczewski Palace in Leszno - 23.jpg, Park Kościół Narodzenia pw. św. Jana Chrzciciela Leszno.jpg, Saint John the Baptist church LESZNO - Urząd Gminy 01a.jpg, Gmina office

References

Villages in Warsaw West County Nazi war crimes in Poland {{WarsawWest-geo-stub