Złoty Potok is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

in the administrative district of Gmina Janów, within

Częstochowa County __NOTOC__ Częstochowa County ( pl, powiat częstochowski) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local govern ...

Silesian Voivodeship Silesian Voivodeship, or Silesia Province ( pl, województwo śląskie ) is a voivodeship, or province, in southern Poland, centered on the historic region known as Upper Silesia ('), with Katowice serving as its capital. Despite the Silesian ...

, in southern Poland. It lies approximately south of Janów, south-east of

Częstochowa Częstochowa ( , ; german: Tschenstochau, Czenstochau; la, Czanstochova) is a city in southern Poland on the Warta River with 214,342 inhabitants, making it the thirteenth-largest city in Poland. It is situated in the Silesian Voivodeship (admin ...

, and north-east of the regional capital

Katowice Katowice ( , , ; szl, Katowicy; german: Kattowitz, yi, קאַטעוויץ, Kattevitz) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Upper Silesian metropolitan area. It is the 11th most popul ...

. The village is a popular destination for Polish tourists during the summer months, as it hosts major festivals such as the International Folk Festival and Lato Filmowe (Summer of Movies).

History and sights

The settlement dates back to the

Early Middle Ages The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...

. It was the site of an early medieval

stronghold A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

of the

Polish tribes "Polish tribes" is a term used sometimes to describe the tribes of West Slavic Lechites that lived from around the mid-6th century in the territories that became Polish with the creation of the Polish state by the Piast dynasty. The territory on ...

, which is now an archaeological site. It became part of the emerging Polish state in the 10th century. In the 19th century a palace by Raczyński family, and a mansion of

Krasiński family The House of Krasiński (plural: Krasińscy) is the surname of a Poland, Polish szlachta, noble family. Krasińska is the feminine form. The name derives from the village of Krasne, Masovian Voivodeship, Krasne in Masovia. The family dates fro ...

, were built here. In the Krasińscy mansion there is a museum dedicated to the Polish poet

Zygmunt Krasiński Napoleon Stanisław Adam Feliks Zygmunt Krasiński (; 19 February 1812 – 23 February 1859) was a Polish poet traditionally ranked after Adam Mickiewicz and Juliusz Słowacki as one of Poland's Three Bards – the Romantic poets who influenced ...

. The village church dates from the mid 13th century, is among the oldest in Poland. In September 1939, during the German

invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week aft ...

, which started

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 ...

, German troops massacred a group of Polish boy scouts from Złoty Potok in

Tucznawa Tucznawa (until 1960 called ''Tuczna Baba'') is a district of the city of Dąbrowa Górnicza, in Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It was included within city limits in 1977. It is located 11.5 km south-east from the city centre and ...

(see ''

Nazi crimes against the Polish nation Crimes against the Polish nation committed by Nazi Germany and Axis collaborationist forces during the invasion of Poland, along with auxiliary battalions during the subsequent occupation of Poland in World War II, consisted of the murder of ...

''). The village was afterwards occupied by Germany until 1945. On September 11, 1944, Złoty Potok was the site of a battle between the Polish underground resistance and the occupying German forces. On September 17, 1944, during the

Warsaw Uprising The Warsaw Uprising ( pl, powstanie warszawskie; german: Warschauer Aufstand) was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance movement in World War II, Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from German occupation. It occ ...

, the Germans carried out deportations of Varsovians from the Dulag 121 camp in

Pruszków Pruszków ( yi, ‏פּרושקאָוו) is a city in east-central Poland, situated in the Masovian Voivodeship since 1999. It was previously in Warszawa Voivodeship (1975–1998). Pruszków is the capital of Pruszków County, located along t ...

, where they were initially imprisoned, to Złoty Potok. Those Poles were mainly old people, ill people and women with children.

Sports

The Polish Cyclo-cross Championships were held in Złoty Potok in 1999, 2003 and 2008.

Gallery

Dworek-krasinskiego-zloty-potok-tomasz2706-2.JPG, Krasiński Mansion, now a museum Złoty Potok. Pałac Raczyńskich 4.jpg, Raczyński Palace Pałacowy lew w Złotym Potoku.jpg, Statues of lions at the entrance to the Raczyński Palace Kościół Św. Jana Chrzciciela w Złotym Potoku.jpg, Saint John the Baptist church

References

Villages in Częstochowa County Archaeological sites in Poland {{Częstochowa-geo-stub