Kłobuck is a town 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 12,934 inhabitants (2019). Located in 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 ...

, about 15 km northwest of

Częstochowa Częstochowa ( , ) is a city in southern Poland on the Warta with 214,342 inhabitants, making it the thirteenth-largest city in Poland. It is situated in the Silesian Voivodeship. However, Częstochowa is historically part of Lesser Poland, not Si ...

, it is the capital of Kłobuck County. Historically, Kłobuck belongs to

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 ...

, and is located in its extreme northwestern corner, near the border with two other Polish historical provinces –

Greater Poland Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; ), is a Polish Polish historical regions, historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief and largest city is Poznań followed by Kalisz, the oldest city in Poland. The bound ...

, and

Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...

. The town lies among the hills of

Lesser Poland Upland Lesser Poland Upland () is an upland located in southern part of Poland, in the historic region of Lesser Poland. It extends from the valley of the upper Vistula, between Kraków and Sandomierz, to Opoczno and Radomsko in the northwest. Average heig ...

. Most of Kłobuck lies 240 to 260 metres above sea level, and the highest point within town's limits is ''Dębowa Góra'' (284 metres). Kłobuck has the area of 47 km², with forests taking up 20%.

Etymology

In the past, the name of the town was spelled in many different ways – Kłobucko, Kłobuczko, Kłobuczek. Current name has been used since the late 19th century, and it most probably comes from ancient Polish word ''kłobuk'', which is a type of headgear. Another explanation is that kłobuk means “top”, or “summit”, and at the time of its location, the town was on the top of Lesser Poland, as its most extreme northwestern urban centre.

History

Kłobuck was granted town rights in 1339, during the reign of King

Casimir III the Great Casimir III the Great (; 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, retaining the title throughout the Galicia–Volhynia Wars. He was the last Polish king fr ...

. At that time, it was located along the busy merchant road from Lesser Poland to Greater Poland. Further north, near

Wieluń Wieluń () is a town in south-central Poland with 21,624 inhabitants (2021). The town is the seat of the Gmina Wieluń and Wieluń County, and is located within the Łódź Voivodeship. Wieluń is a capital of the historical Wieluń Land. W ...

, the road split into two directions – northwest to

Poznań Poznań ( ) is a city on the Warta, River Warta in west Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business center and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's ...

, and southwest to

Wrocław Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...

. According to

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 histo ...

, who himself was a canon at Kłobuck, the local St Martin and Margaret Church was built in 1144. Kłobuck was a major local trade center well before receiving its official status as a town. It had a number of artisans, and in 1658 it became the seat of a

starosta Starosta or starost (Cyrillic: ''старост/а'', Latin: ''capitaneus'', ) is a community elder in some Slavic lands. The Slavic root of "starost" translates as "senior". Since the Middle Ages, it has designated an official in a leadersh ...

. As a result of The Deluge and accordingly because of the increase of levies paid to Jasna Góra monastery, the city began to deteriorate. For hundreds of centuries, until 1793 (see

Partitions of Poland The Partitions of Poland were three partition (politics), partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that took place between 1772 and 1795, toward the end of the 18th century. They ended the existence of the state, resulting in the eli ...

), the town belonged to Lelów County in the Kraków Voivodeship in the Lesser Poland Province. Annexed by the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

, it briefly was part of New Silesia. In 1807 Kłobuck was incorporated into the short-lived Polish

Duchy of Warsaw The Duchy of Warsaw (; ; ), also known as the Grand Duchy of Warsaw and Napoleonic Poland, was a First French Empire, French client state established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1807, during the Napoleonic Wars. It initially comprised the ethnical ...

, and after its dissolution it fell to the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

in 1815. Between 1870 and 1917 Kłobuck was a village, upon order of Tsarist authorities. In the

Second Polish Republic The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 7 October 1918 and 6 October 1939. The state was established in the final stage of World War I ...

, Kłobuck belonged to Częstochowa County of Kielce Voivodeship. In May 1939, National Defence Battalion “Kłobuck” was formed here. During the German

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 ...

at the start of

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 ...

, on September 1, 1939, the

Battle of Mokra The Battle of Mokra took place on 1 September 1939 near the village of Mokra, Silesian Voivodeship, Mokra, 5 km north of Kłobuck and 23 km north-west of Częstochowa, Poland. It was one of the first battles of the Invasion of Poland ...

took place 5 kilometres north of Kłobuck. During the war, the town was incorporated into the

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

, as part of the County of Blachownia (German: ''Landkreis Blachstädt''), Upper Silesia Province. In 1941, the German police carried out expulsions of 3,710 Poles, who were deported to

forced labour Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, or violence, including death or other forms of ...

in Germany, while their houses, shops and workshops were handed over to

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

colonists. In early 1940, the occupiers established a forced labour camp for Jewish men, which was dissolved in July 1943. Most of Kłobuck's 2,000 Jews were murdered in the

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

. Some Jewish families that survived the Holocaust moved to other countries, notably, Australia, Canada, Sweden, Israel and the USA. A Jewish Survivor, Zeleg Berkowitz, moved to Sweden and documented the Jewish communities life in Pre-Holocaust Klobuck. In the immediate postwar period, Kłobuck returned to Kielce Voivodeship, but in 1950, together with Częstochowa, it was moved to

Katowice Voivodeship Katowice Voivodeship () can refer to one of two political entities in Poland: Katowice Voivodeship (1), initially "Silesian-Dabrowa Voivodeship" (), was a unit of administrative division and local government in the years 1946–1975. It was super ...

. In 1952, Kłobuck County was created, and in 1975–1999, the town belonged to Częstochowa Voivodeship. After the war, Kłobuck quickly developed in the 1950s and 1960s, when several heavy industry enterprises were opened, and iron ore deposits were found.

Geography

Kłobuck is located on the border of two mesoregions: Wieluń Upland and Krzepice Slip, which form a part of Wieluń-Woźniki Upland. Kłobuck is located by the Biała Oksza river and Czarna Oksza river.

Landscape

The city is located on a hilly fragment of Woźniki-Wieluń Upland. The highest point within the town's limits is Dębowa Góra – 284 meters above the sea level.

Land use

Kłobuck has an area of 47,46 km². About 71% of the area is used for agricultural purposes (mostly for arable farming and grazing). About 20% of the town's area is forested, whilst 9% of the land is covered by houses, industrial estates and infrastructure such as roads.

Nature

Dębowa Góra nature reserve is located within the town's limits, 2 km from the town centre. This nature reserve gives special protection to the remains of primeval oak and hornbeam forests. Most of the forests within Kłobuck's limits are a part of the Kłobuck forest district (Nadleśnictwo Kłobuck). There are no big natural bodies of water within the town's limits. The Zakrzew reservoir is located on the border of Rybno village and Kłobuck.

Sights

* Church of Saint Martin and Margaret – church built in its original form in 12th and 13th century. The first stone church was built in 1144 in a Romanesque style. In the beginning of the 15th century, Kłobuck parish was one of the biggest in Poland covering the area of 800 km². Between 1443 and 1458,

, one of the most famous chroniclers in Poland was a parish priest in Kłobuck. Certain church buildings are listed on historical monuments list. They include a church building from the 14th century, vicarage and granary (both built in the 15th century). * Palace in Kłobuck Zagórze – historic palace built in 1795 in the neo gothic style. It is surrounded by a park with an area of 4.3 ha. The palace was built for a Prussian minister Christian Graf von Haugwitz. Subsequent owners included Benedykt Lemański, Guido Henckel von Donnersmarck, and

Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia (; 13 April 1866 – 26 February 1933) was a Russian grand duke and dynast of the House of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov, House of Romanov. He was also a naval officer, author, explorer, as well as the first ...

. After the First World War the palace became a property of the Treasury of State. Between 1918 and 1939 a Forestry School was located in the palace and between 1952 and 1972 the seat of the County Council. Subsequently, a garments factory "Elegance" was located there. Recently, refurbishment works have started in the palace.

Transport

Main road connections from the Kłobuck include connection with

(to the north-west) and

(to the south-east) via the

National Road The National Road (also known as the Cumberland Road) was the first major improved highway in the United States built by the federal government. Built between 1811 and 1837, the road connected the Potomac and Ohio Rivers and was a main tran ...

. Kłobuck also has a rail station, along Polish Coal Trunk-Line, which since 2006 has been used freight trains only.

Twin towns – sister cities

See twin towns of Gmina Kłobuck.

Gallery

File:SM Kłobuck łaźnia miejska 2019 (3).jpg, Historic municipal bath File:ZUS Kłobuck.JPG, National Insurance building

References

External links

Webpage about the city

Information about local authority

Kłobuck County webpage

Jewish Community in Kłobuck
on Virtual Shtetl {{Authority control Cities and towns in Silesian Voivodeship Kłobuck County Holocaust locations in Poland