Tuchów is a town in
Tarnów County
__NOTOC__
Tarnów County ( pl, powiat tarnowski) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, southern Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government ...
,
Lesser Poland Voivodeship
Lesser Poland Voivodeship or Lesser Poland Province (in pl, województwo małopolskie ), also known as Małopolska, is a voivodeship (province), in southern Poland. It has an area of , and a population of
3,404,863 (2019).
It was created on 1 ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
, with a population of 6,476 (2004). It lies on the ''Biała'' river, at the height of
above sea level
Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''.
The comb ...
. The distance to
Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
is , and to the border with
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
, approximately . The town is located on an electrified rail line from
Tarnów
Tarnów () is a city in southeastern Poland with 105,922 inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of 269,000 inhabitants. The city is situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship since 1999. From 1975 to 1998, it was the capital of the Tarnów ...
towards
Nowy Sącz
Nowy Sącz (; hu, Újszandec; yi, Tzanz, צאַנז; sk, Nový Sonč; german: Neu-Sandez) is a city in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship of southern Poland. It is the district capital of Nowy Sącz County as a separate administrative unit. It has ...
and the Polish - Slovak border.
History
The first historical note about Tuchów dates back to 1105. A document of
papal legate
300px, A woodcut showing Henry II of England greeting the pope's legate.
A papal legate or apostolic legate (from the ancient Roman title ''legatus'') is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic ...
Gilles de Paris tells us that the village had been given to the
Tyniec
Tyniec is a historic village in Poland on the Vistula river, since 1973 a part of the city of Kraków (currently in the district of Dębniki). Tyniec is notable for its Benedictine abbey founded by King Casimir the Restorer in 1044.
Etymology
...
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
Abbey by
Władysław Herman’s wife. A prosperous salt mine operated here at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries, which caused King
Casimir III the Great
Casimir III the Great ( pl, Kazimierz III Wielki; 30 April 1310 – 5 November 1370) reigned as the King of Poland from 1333 to 1370. He also later became King of Ruthenia in 1340, and fought to retain the title in the Galicia-Volhynia Wars. He w ...
to grant
Magdeburg rights
Magdeburg rights (german: Magdeburger Recht; also called Magdeburg Law) were a set of town privileges first developed by Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor (936–973) and based on the Flemish Law, which regulated the degree of internal autonomy within ...
to Tuchów in 1340. Polish writer
Jan Długosz
Jan Długosz (; 1 December 1415 – 19 May 1480), also known in Latin as Johannes Longinus, was a Polish priest, chronicler, diplomat, soldier, and secretary to Bishop Zbigniew Oleśnicki of Kraków. He is considered Poland's first histor ...
wrote in his ''Chronicles'' about the development of local artisan guilds: flourmills, carpenters, blacksmiths and furriers. By the 17th century, the town became rich by making profits from different crafts, salt exploitation and trade. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Tuchów started to decline because of invasions by Swedish and Transilvanian armies (see
Swedish invasion of Poland
The Deluge ( pl, potop szwedzki, lt, švedų tvanas) was a series of mid-17th-century military campaigns in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. In a wider sense it applies to the period between the Khmelnytsky Uprising of 1648 and the Truce ...
, fires and disease outbreaks. The railway connection between Tarnów and Leluchów was opened in the 19th century, which contributed to the economical revival of the town.
In the 16th century, the cult of Holy Mary the Virgin was founded. News of miracles taking place in front of her picture spread quickly. Since that time hundreds of pilgrims come every year to the Sanctuary to worship her. Yearly celebrations take place in the first week of July. Tuchów was seriously affected by the results of the
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. There are a few cemeteries which remind of heavy battles that were fought in that area. However, during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the town was saved and as a result, it started to develop gradually after 1945. Schools and a hospital were built as well as some small plants and housing estates. The town hall and the market square were renovated, and a “Culture Centre” with a sewage treatment plant were built. The gas pipe system and water lines were also laid. There are 6632 inhabitants in Tuchów at present.
Geography
Administrative unit of Tuchów is situated in Ciężkowice-Rożnów part of the Carpathian Region, by which the river “Biała” flows. Such a location is very advantageous, just from Tarnów and 100 from Kraków. The arterial road of Lesser Poland Voivodeship, which links Tarnów with
Krynica, runs through the town. The picturesque scenery that surrounds Tuchów appeared during the process of creating the
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Urals at and the Scandinavian Mountains at . The range stretches ...
. There are beautiful hills with mild slopes. Brzanka is the highest hill in the area. It is one of the tourist attractions of the region. In 1990 Tuchów celebrated its 650th anniversary of granting with town rights, which was a good occasion to open a tourist route around the town ( long).
There are also farms that offer accommodation for tourists.
Twin towns
The authorities of Tuchów cooperate with 6 other towns from 6 different European countries:
*
Illingen, Germany
*
Pettenbach, Austria
*
Detva
Detva ( hu, Gyetva) is a town in central Slovakia with a population of 14,686. It is situated beneath the mountain Poľana.
Etymology
The name means 'youth' in Slovak language, Slovak and was probably motivated by the majority of young people amo ...
, Slovakia
*
Martfu, Hungary
*
Mikulov
Mikulov (; german: Nikolsburg; yi, ניקאלשבורג, ''Nikolshburg'') is a town in Břeclav District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,400 inhabitants. The historic centre of Mikulov is well preserved and i ...
, Czech Republic
*
Baranivka, Ukraine
Former twin towns:
*
Saint-Jean-de-Braye
Saint-Jean-de-Braye () is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France. It is an eastern suburb of Orléans. The organist and musicologist Norbert Dufourcq (1904–1990) was born in the commune.
On 14 February 2020, the municipal co ...
, France (On 14 February 2020, the French commune decided to suspend the partnership with Tuchów as a result of the controversial
anti-LGBT
Anti-LGBT rhetoric comprises themes, catchphrases, and slogans that have been used against homosexuality or other non-heterosexual sexual orientations in order to demean lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. They range from t ...
resolution passed by the Tuchów authorities.) On 27 October 2021, the city council passed a resolution revoking the controversial declaration.
Notable residents
*
Mordecai Ardon
Mordecai Ardon ( he, מרדכי ארדון, 13 July 1896 – 18 June 1992) was an Israeli painter.
Biography
Max Bronstein (later Mordecai Ardon) was born in Tuchów, Galicia (then Austria-Hungary, now Poland). In 1933 he immigrated to Mandate ...
(1896–1992), painter
*
Stanisław Burza
Stanisław Burza (born 26 September 1977 in Tuchów, Poland''Świat Żużla'', No 1 (73) / 2008, pages 52-53, ), nicknamed "Stan Storm", is a Polish speedway rider who is a 2004 and 2005 Team Polish Champion.
Stanisław Burza and his wife, Mał ...
(born 1977), speedway rider
*
Władysław Czapliński (1905–1981), historian
*
Tadeusz Michejda (1879–1956), politician
*
Tadeusz Rydzyk (born 1945), priest
*
Michał Wojtkiewicz (born 1946), politician
Sports
Tuchów is home to a sports club ''Tuchovia'', founded in 1925.
Notes and references
External links
Jewish Community in Tuchówon Virtual Shtetl
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tuchow
Cities and towns in Lesser Poland Voivodeship
Tarnów County
Lesser Poland
Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria
Kraków Voivodeship (1919–1939)
Shtetls