Lelów ( - ''Lelov'') is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

Częstochowa County Częstochowa County () 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 government reforms passed in 1998. Its adm ...

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 ...

, in southern Poland. It is the seat of the

gmina The gmina (Polish: , plural ''gminy'' ) is the basic unit of the administrative division of Poland, similar to a municipality. , there were 2,479 gminy throughout the country, encompassing over 43,000 villages. 940 gminy include cities and tow ...

(administrative district) called Gmina Lelów. It lies on the Białka river, approximately east 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 ...

and north-east of the regional capital

Katowice Katowice (, ) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Katowice urban area. As of 2021, Katowice has an official population of 286,960, and a resident population estimate of around 315,000. K ...

. In the

Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland (; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a monarchy in Central Europe during the Middle Ages, medieval period from 1025 until 1385. Background The West Slavs, West Slavic tribe of Polans (western), Polans who lived in what i ...

, Lelów was an important urban center of

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 ...

, as a capital of a county which belonged to Kraków Voivodeship.

History

In the early days of the

, a gord was established on the ''Białka'' river bank, in a swampy area, which gave protection from invaders. First documented mention about Lelów appeared in the year 1193, in a document issued by

Pope Celestine III Pope Celestine III (; c. 1105 – 8 January 1198), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 30 March or 10 April 1191 to his death in 1198. He had a tense relationship with several monarchs, including Emperor ...

. In 1246, during the period known as Fragmentation of Poland (see

Feudal fragmentation Feudal fragmentation is a process whereby a feudal state is split into smaller regional state structures, each characterized by significant autonomy, if not outright independence, and ruled by a high-ranking noble such as a prince or a duke.

), Prince

Konrad I of Masovia Konrad I of Masovia (ca. 1187/88 – 31 August 1247), from the Polish Piast dynasty, was the sixth Duke of Masovia and Kuyavia from 1194 until his death as well as High Duke of Poland from 1229 to 1232 and again from 1241 to 1243. Life Konrad w ...

initiated construction of the town, in the location of the ancient gord. In the early 14th century Lelów, which by then was property of Bishops of Kraków, was captured by knights of

Władysław I the Elbow-high Władysław is a Polish given male name, cognate with Vladislav. The feminine form is Władysława, archaic forms are Włodzisław (male) and Włodzisława (female), and Wladislaw is a variation. These names may refer to: People Mononym * Włodzis ...

. The town was occupied by German and Czech troops, loyal to Bishop Jan Muskata (see also Rebellion of wójt Albert). In the 14th century Lelów prospered, due to royal protection and privileges. Its population reached 1,200, and 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 ...

built here a castle, and surrounded the town with a

defensive wall A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications such as curtain walls with t ...

. Lelów was located near the border with

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

-ruled

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, ...

, and as such, played an important role in the system of defence of Poland. In 1341 Lelów received

Magdeburg rights Magdeburg rights (, , ; 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 cities and villages gr ...

from King Casimir, and became a county town in Kraków Voivodeship. In July 1345, during the Polish-Bohemian War, Czech units were defeated by the Poles and their Hungarian allies near Lelów. In the 15th and 16th centuries, Lelów remained one of the most important towns of

. It frequently burned, but managed to recover, and local cloth makers were famous across the country. In 1638 Lelów almost completely burned in a great fire, and further destruction was brought by the Swedish-Polish war, after which the town never recovered. Lelów was once again destroyed in the

Great Northern War In the Great Northern War (1700–1721) a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern Europe, Northern, Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the ant ...

, after which its defensive wall was pulled down. After the

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 ...

, Lelów briefly belonged to

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 ...

’s province of New Silesia (1793-1806). Since 1815, it was part of Russian-controlled

Congress Poland Congress Poland or Congress Kingdom of Poland, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland, was a polity created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna as a semi-autonomous Polish state, a successor to Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw. It was established w ...

, and its decline continued. Lelów County ceased to exist in 1837, and the area of the town was one of centers of

January Uprising The January Uprising was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at putting an end to Russian occupation of part of Poland and regaining independence. It began on 22 January 1863 and continued until the last i ...

. In 1827, Lelów had a population of 785, and in 1825, the ancient Saint Francis

Monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

was destroyed. In 1869 Russian government reduced Lelów to the status of a village.

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 ...

did not cause any significant damage, and 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 ...

, Lelów belonged to Kielce Voivodeship. On September 4, 1939, during the

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 ...

, 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 ...

invaded and burned the 14th-century St. Martin's church, together with most of the village. Further destruction took place in January 1945, when retreating German soldiers fought the advancing

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

. The church was rebuilt after the war, but without several valuable items and ornaments.

Attractions

The village's main attractions include: * Catholic St. Martin's church from the 14th century, remodelled in 1638, with a sculpture of crucified Jesus saved from fire in 1939 and a Chapel of Mother of God * Grave of

Hasidic Hasidism () or Hasidic Judaism is a religious movement within Judaism that arose in the 18th century as a spiritual revival movement in contemporary Western Ukraine before spreading rapidly throughout Eastern Europe. Today, most of those aff ...

Tzadik Tzadik ( ''ṣaddīq'' , "righteous ne; also ''zadik'' or ''sadiq''; pl. ''tzadikim'' ''ṣadīqīm'') is a title in Judaism given to people considered righteous, such as biblical figures and later spiritual masters. The root of the word ...

Dovid Biderman Grand Rabbi Dovid Biderman (1746-1814) of Lelów was the founder of the Lelov Hassidic dynasty. He is commonly referred to as "''Reb Dovid Lelover''". Biography Rabbi Dovid of Lelov was a disciple of the Seer of Lublin, a disciple of Rabbi El ...

, visited each January by Hasidic pilgrims from all over the world,Chasydzi modlą się na grobie cadyka
at '' Rzeczpospolita'', 23 January 2010 * A market square unique in Europe, with two streets joining the square in each corner * A culinary attraction known as ''ciulim'' (a non-translatable Polish word). Ciulim is cooked for special family occasions (birthdays, anniversaries, etc.) and major holidays (Christmas, Easter, etc.). It is related to the traditional Jewish dish, cholent * A Gothic castle, founded by King

. The castle fell into a ruin in the 17th century, and was demolished in 1804–1805. * A 1,000 meter long defensive wall made of stone, built in the 14th century, with several gates. The wall was gradually pulled down in 1848–1870. * The Franciscan Monastery, built in 1357, was demolished in 1825.

Roads

The main roads passing Lelów are: *National 46 ( Kudowa– Jędrzejów) *Road No. 794 (

Koniecpol Koniecpol is a town in Częstochowa County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland, with 5,910 inhabitants (2019). It is situated on the Pilica River, in the historic Sieradz Land. History It was granted town rights by King Władysław II ...

–

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

) *Road No. 789 (Lelów- Żarki)

Sister city

Allentown Allentown may refer to: Places * Allentown, California, now called Toadtown, California * Allentown, Georgia, a city in four counties in Georgia * Allentown, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Tazewell County * Allentown, New Jersey, a boroug ...

, United States

References

External links

Official site of Lelów municipality

Official site of St. Martin's Parish

Jewish Community in Lelów
on Virtual Shtetl {{Authority control Villages in Częstochowa County Sites of Nazi war crimes during the Invasion of Poland