Sandomierz (pronounced: ; , ) is a historic town in south-eastern

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 23,863 inhabitants (), situated on the

Vistula River The Vistula (; ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest in Europe, at in length. Its drainage basin, extending into three other countries apart from Poland, covers , of which is in Poland. The Vistula rises at Barania Góra ...

near its confluence with the San, in the Sandomierz Basin. It has been part of

Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship ( ), also known as Holy Cross Voivodeship, is a voivodeship (province) in southeastern Poland, in the historical region of Lesser Poland. The province's capital and largest city is Kielce. The voivodeship takes its ...

(Holy Cross Province) since its transfer from the

Tarnobrzeg Tarnobrzeg is a city in south-eastern Poland (historic Lesser Poland), on the east bank of the river Vistula, with 49,419 inhabitants, as of 31 December 2009. Situated in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship (Polish: ''Województwo podkarpackie'') since ...

Voivodeship in 1999. It is the capital of Sandomierz County. Sandomierz is known for its preserved Old Town, a major cultural and tourist attraction which the President of Poland declared a National Monument of Poland in 2017. In the past, Sandomierz was one of the most important urban centers not only 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 ...

, but also of the whole country. It was a royal city of the Polish Crown and functioned as a regional administrative centre from the

High Middle Ages The High Middle Ages, or High Medieval Period, was the periodization, period of European history between and ; it was preceded by the Early Middle Ages and followed by the Late Middle Ages, which ended according to historiographical convention ...

to the 19th century.

Etymology

The name of the city might have originated from the Old Polish ', composed of ' (from the verb ' "to judge") and ' ("peace"), or more likely from the antiquated

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...

Sędzimir, once popular in several Slavic languages. Sandomierz is known in

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

as and in

Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

as (). Sandor is short form of Aleksander. “Mierz” means measure in Polish language. In conclusion this land is named Sandor’s measure, or Sandor’s Land.

History

Early history

Sandomierz is one of the oldest and historically most significant cities in Poland. Archeological finds around the city indicate that humans have inhabited the area since

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

times. The city came into existence in the early

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, taking advantage of an excellent location at the junction of

Vistula The Vistula (; ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest in Europe, at in length. Its drainage basin, extending into three other countries apart from Poland, covers , of which is in Poland. The Vistula rises at Barania Góra i ...

and San rivers, and on the path of important trade routes. The first known historical mention of the city comes from the early 12th-century, when the chronicler Gallus Anonymus ranked it together with

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 ...

and

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 ...

as one of the main cities of Poland. The testament (ca 1115–1118) of

Bolesław III Wrymouth Bolesław III Wrymouth (; 20 August 1086 – 28 October 1138), also known as Boleslaus the Wry-mouthed, was the duke of Lesser Poland, Silesia and Sandomierz between 1102 and 1107 and over the whole of Poland between 1107 and 1138. He was the onl ...

, in which he divided Poland among his sons, designated Sandomierz as the capital of one of the resulting principalities, the Duchy of Sandomierz. In the early 13th century, the second oldest Dominican monastery in Poland (after

) and one of the oldest in Europe was founded in Sandomierz. In the course of the 13th century the city suffered grievous damage during the raids by

Mongols Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China ( Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family o ...

in 1241, 1260 and 1287. The old wooden buildings of the town were completely destroyed. As a result, in 1286 the High Duke of Poland Leszek II the Black, effectively refounded the city under Magdeburg Law and granted staple right. The city archives preserve the founding document. (An important note: in 1260, as the Tartars invaded Christian Sandomir, a community of Dominicans was praying Matins while a novice read the martyrology for the next day: " the 49 martyrs of Sandomir". When the friars realized they were being warned of their death, they spent the remainder of the night and all the next day preparing to meet the Lord. At last, after the brethren had finished praying Compline, and as they processed singing the ''Salve Regina'' to Mary, the Tartars broke through the church door. While the Tartars intended to bring death to these Dominicans, they actually brought them great gifts - crowns of martyrdom. Ever since, at the death of every Dominican a song to his Beloved Mother is sung to usher him into her arms - the ''Salve Regina'' (or ''Hail, Holy Queen''). After the re-unification of the Polish lands in the 14th century, the former principality became the Sandomierz Voivodeship, incorporating large areas of southeastern Poland. Until 1474, it was one of two voivodeships (administrative area/province) of Lesser Poland, together with Kraków Voivodeship. In 1474,

Lublin Voivodeship Lublin Voivodeship ( ) is a Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship (province) of Poland, located in the southeastern part of the country, with its capital being the city of Lublin. The region is named after its largest city and regional capital, Lu ...

was created from eastern part of Sandomierz Voivodeship. At this time Sandomierz had about 3,000 inhabitants and was one of the largest Polish cities. In the middle of the 14th century the city was burned again during a raid by the

Lithuanians Lithuanians () are a Balts, Baltic ethnic group. They are native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,378,118 people. Another two million make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the Lithuanian Americans, United Sta ...

. It was rebuilt during the rule of king Casimir III of Poland, who extended its privileges. The layout of the city has survived practically unchanged since that time until the present day. In 1389 in Sandomierz the newly appointed prince of the Novgorod Republic, Lithuanian prince Lengvenis, paid homage to Polish King

Władysław II Jagiełło Jogaila (; 1 June 1434), later Władysław II Jagiełło (),Other names include (; ) (see also Names and titles of Władysław II Jagiełło) was Grand Duke of Lithuania beginning in 1377 and starting in 1386, becoming King of Poland as well. ...

, thus making Novgorod a fiefdom of 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 ...

Modern era

Over centuries, Sandomierz was in competition with the nearby town of Opatòw for the seat of regional administrations. In 1570 an alliance of non-Catholic Polish Churches, the Lutherans, the Reformed, and the Bohemian Brethren, drew up what is known as the '' Sandomierz Agreement'', effecting a confederation of the work in order to stave off defeat at the hands of the Roman Church. Thanks to the efforts of the local starost Hieronim Gostomski, the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

settled in the city and founded the Collegium Gostomianum, one Poland's oldest

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

s, at the beginning of the 17th century. The early modern period, running until the middle of the 17th century, was quite prosperous for the city. The most important historical buildings were built during this period. This golden age came to an end in 1655 when Swedish forces captured the city in the course of the Deluge. After briefly holding out in the city, the withdrawing Swedes blew up the castle and caused heavy damage to other buildings. In the next 100 years the economy of Poland suffered a decline, which also affected the city. A great fire in 1757 and the Third Partition of Poland in 1795, which placed Sandomierz in

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

, further reduced its status. As a result, Sandomierz lost its role as an administrative capital. In 1774, the oldest extant Polish piano was constructed in Sandomierz. The 3rd Polish National Cavalry Brigade was stationed in Sandomierz in 1792. Fighting of the

Austro-Polish War The Austro-Polish War or Polish-Austrian War was a part of the War of the Fifth Coalition in 1809 (a coalition of the Austrian Empire and the United Kingdom against Napoleon's French Empire and allied states). In this war, Polish forces of ...

of 1809 caused damage to the city. Following the Polish victory, it became part of 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 1815 it found itself in 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 ...

(

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 ...

). At this point the city had just 2640 inhabitants.

Sandomierz Cathedral and St Paul's Church blood painting

This cathedral contains a series of paintings built into the church's wooden panelling depicting the '' Martyrologium Romanum''. The third painting shows the scene which, it is claimed: "...depicts ritual murders committed in Sandomierz by Jews on Christian children. The inscription above the painting reads ''filius apothecary ab infidelibus judaeis sandomiriensibus occisus'' (son of an apothecary, by infidel Sandomierz Jews killed) The St Paul's Church contains a different series of paintings including one in the chancel, depicting the torment of Jerzy Krassowski who was allegedly strangled by the Jews. Discussion on these pictures has taken place with the participation of the Polish Jewish Community."The Polish Council of Christians and Jews has offered to finance a plaque with explanations of the painting and information about the official statements by various Popes". This plaque is now displayed in the St Paul's Church next to the picture in question.

The world wars

The city again suffered damage during

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 ...

. In 1918, it again became part of independent Poland. In the 1930s, due to the massive public works project known as the

Central Industrial Area The Central Industrial District (, abbreviated COP), is an industrial region in Poland. It was one of the biggest economic projects of the Second Polish Republic. The 5-year-long project was initiated by a famous Polish economist, deputy Prime Minis ...

, Sandomierz began to grow quickly. It was projected to become capital of the Sandomierz Voivodeship, and local authorities planned fast development of the city. The ''Greater Sandomierz'' was to turn in the 1940s into a city of 120,000. In September 1939, following 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 ...

, the city was occupied by Germany and made part of the

General Government The General Government (, ; ; ), formally the General Governorate for the Occupied Polish Region (), was a German zone of occupation established after the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany, Slovak Republic (1939–1945), Slovakia and the Soviet ...

. The Polish and Jewish population were subjected to various crimes. Poles who were expelled by the Germans from annexed Złoczew in late 1939 were deported to Sandomierz. Others were conscripted for forced labour and many were sent to labor camps. The largest mass arrests of Poles, including teachers, local officials and activists, were carried out in March 1940. Poles were then held in the local prison and deported to

Nazi concentration camps From 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany operated more than a thousand concentration camps (), including subcamp (SS), subcamps on its own territory and in parts of German-occupied Europe. The first camps were established in March 1933 immediately af ...

. In June 1940 in Brzask Forest, Germans murdered 760 Poles as part of the

German AB-Aktion in Poland The ''AB-Aktion'' ( , ) was the second stage of the Nazi Germany, Nazi German campaign of violence in Poland early in World War II, taking place between March and September 1940. As with the previous ''Intelligenzaktion'', during the 1939 invasio ...

directed to exterminate Polish

intelligentsia The intelligentsia is a status class composed of the university-educated people of a society who engage in the complex mental labours by which they critique, shape, and lead in the politics, policies, and culture of their society; as such, the i ...

. Bodies were buried in an unnamed mass grave. That was the largest massacre in the Kielce Region. At the same time, the nearby village of Góry Wysokie was the site a massacre of 117 Poles from the region. Despite this, the Polish underground resistance movement was active in Sandomierz, and in late 1940 it even launched a secret printing house in Sandomierz and issued the Polish underground newspaper ''Odwet'', which was also distributed to nearby villages. In March 1942, the Germans carried out mass arrests of around 150 members of the Polish resistance. Among those arrested was local Polish writer Roman Koseła, one of several Polish writers murdered in the

Auschwitz concentration camp Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 Nazi concentration camps, concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany, occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) d ...

In May 1942, the Jewish and Polish population were confined to a ghetto area and hundreds of Jews and Poles from around the region were brought there, increasing the population to more than 5000. In October 1942, about 3,000 prisoners were sent to

Bełżec Belzec (English: or , Polish: , approximately ) was a Nazi German extermination camp in Occupation of Poland (1939–1945), occupied Poland. It was built by the SS for the purpose of implementing the secretive Operation Reinhard, the plan to ...

where they were immediately gassed. After that deportation, hundreds of Jews came out of hiding and others were sent to Sandomierz from elsewhere. Now the population was more than 6000 confined to another ghetto where as many as twelve people shared each room and some lived in the streets. Sanitary conditions were horrid and many became ill. Those who reported to the hospital were usually shot after a few days. Some prisoners during this time were sent to labor camps, but in January 1943, the SS and German police, surrounded the ghetto, set some houses on fire and bombed others. They rounded up 7,000 people, send a few hundred to a labor camp, and escorted the rest to the railway station, shooting hundreds en route. The trains took the prisoners to Treblinka where they were murdered by gas the same day. Poles who were not sent to camps were persecuted for helping Jews, some were even imprisoned for barely "transporting Jews illegally". The city was captured by the Red Army in August 1944. Unlike many Polish cities, it managed to avoid destruction; the merit of protecting the city is attributed to the military skill of the Soviet Lieutenant Colonel Vasyl Skopenko, who led the operation. His grave with a monument was located near the Opatowska Gate, but in 1990, by the decision of Mayor Tomasz Panfil, it was moved to the Soviet military cemetery on Mickiewicz Street; this was one of the first public acts of decommunization in Poland. No major industrial development took place in Sandomierz during the communist era, thus preserving its look of a charming, small city full of historical monuments among the unspoiled landscape.

Climate

The city experiences a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

with notably warm summers (

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Dfb''), much more consistently pronounced in eastern Poland. Precipitation, especially in the form of rains, is concentrated in the summer, reducing until the end of winter. Sandomierz has four well defined seasons of the year, hot summers (sometimes), usually bearable and cold winters but with slightly moderate extremes.

Points of interest

*Church of the Holy Spirit in Sandomierz * Church of St. Jacob where Lesser Polish Way begins *Sandomierz Church of St. Joseph * Sandomierz Church of St. Michael *Sandomierz Church of St. Paul * Collegium Gostomianum, one of the oldest schools in Poland founded in 1602 * Jan Długosz House *Kamienica Oleśnickich (Oleśnicki Manor) *Pepper Mountains

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

*Diocesan Museum in Sandomierz * Opatowska Gate (Brama Opatowska), Gothic entrance to the city founded by King Casimir ( Kazimierz Wielki) * Sandomierz Castle, medieval structure built on a slope of

River by Casimir III the Great, portrayed in the opera '' Boris Godunov'' by Modest Musorgsky * Sandomierz Cathedral, constructed in 1360 and renovated in the Baroque style in the 18th century *Sandomierz Main Market Square *Sandomierz Palace also known as the Bishop's Palace in Sandomierz * Sandomierz Synagogue, built in 1768 of brick in the Polish Baroque style * Sandomierz Town Hall

Education

* Wyższa Szkoła Humanistyczno-Przyrodnicza ''Studium Generale Sandomiriense'' * Wyższe Seminarium Duchowne w Sandomierzu * 1 Liceum Ogolnoksztalcace '' Collegium Gostomianum'' * 2 Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Tadeusza Kościuszki * Zespół Szkół Gastronomicznych i Hotelarskich * Zespół Szkół Technicznych i Ogólnokształcących

Sports

The local

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

team is . It competes in the lower leagues.

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Sandomierz is twinned with: * Ostroh,

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

Volterra Volterra (; Latin: ''Volaterrae'') is a walled mountaintop town in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its history dates from before the 8th century BC and it has substantial structures from the Etruscan, Roman, and Medieval periods. History ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Newark-on-Trent Newark-on-Trent () or Newark is a market town and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district in Nottinghamshire, England. It is on the River Trent, and was historically a major inland port. The A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road bypasses th ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

* Emmendingen, Germany

Gallery

File:20130702 Sandomierz ratusz 0756.jpg, Town Hall File:Polska Sandomierz 017.jpg, Market Square (''Rynek'') File:20130702 Sandomierz zamek 0778.jpg, Sandomierz Royal Castle File:Church of the Conversion of Saint Paul in Sandomierz - 01.jpg, Church of the Conversion of Saint Paul File:Sandomierz św. Jakub.JPG, St. Jacob's Church, 13th–14th century File:Sandomierz Katedra1.jpg,

Cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

File:Polska Sandomierz 012.jpg, Cathedral, interior File:Sandomierz Dom Długosza.jpg, Jan Długosz house File:PL-SK Sandomierz, rynek 2016-08-18--17-15-28-001.jpg, Historic well at the main square File:Sandomierz church 20051004 1103.jpg, Church of St. Michael File:PL - Sandomierz - Rynek 20-26 - 2012-08-18--12-49-44-01.jpg, Townhouses at the main market square File:Sandomierz-Bischofspalast.jpg, Bishops' Palace File:SM Sandomierz Rynek 10 2019 (3).jpg, Post office File:PL - Sandomierz - Rynek 29-31 - 2012-08-18--14-38-57-01.jpg, House at 31 Rynek

Notable residents

* Karol Bielecki (born 1982), handball player * Wiktor Chabel (born 1985), rower * Mikołaj Gomółka (1591–1609), Polish

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

composer * Wincenty Kadłubek (1150–1223), mediaeval chronicler * Karolina Kołeczek (born 1993), athlete specializing in 100 meter hurdles * (1884–1940) medical doctor, member of Polish Parliament * Wacław Król (1915–1991), Polish military pilot * Wiesław Myśliwski (born 1932), writer, Nike Award laureate * Piotr Nurowski (1945–2010), tennis player, President of the Polish Olympic Committee * Sebastian Petrycy (1554–1626), philosopher and physician * Gracjan Piotrkowski (1734–1785), Catholic polemicist * Andrzej Sarwa (born 1953), writer: a Polish prose writer, poet, journalist * Joseph Schleifstein (born 1941), Holocaust survivor whose life served as inspiration for the script to the movie '' Life Is Beautiful'' * Mikołaj Trąba (1358–1422), Polish Roman Catholic priest, first Primate of Poland * Stanisław Warszycki (c. 1600 – 1680/1681), nobleman and magnate in the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...

Webcams

City hall & façades of houses on the lower market square
* ttp://www.sandomierz.pl/filmy/kamera3.htm Panoramabr>

Virtual walks

Google Street View

References

External links

Sandomierz city council

Sandomierz Forum - City life

Tourist Web Site

Tourist Guide Site
* Collegium Gostomianu

* Secondary School in Sandomierz no

Zespół Szkół Gastronomicznych i Hotelarskich
* https://web.archive.org/web/20140814213806/http://www.archiwumetnograficzne.edu.pl/downloads/sandomierz_angl.pdf
"Some Glimpses at the Life of the Jewish Community of Sandomierz in the Years 1918-1939"

Pozytywny Sandomierz
* {{Authority control Sandomierz, Sandomierz County Populated places on the Vistula Holocaust locations in Poland Capitals of former nations