Świdnik
Świdnik | ||
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SM-1 helicopter near PZL factory | ||
Car plates LSW | | |
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Świdnik (Polish pronunciation: [ˈɕfidɲik]) is a town in southeastern Poland with 40,186 inhabitants (2012), situated in the Lublin Voivodeship, 10 kilometres (6 miles) southeast of the city of Lublin. It is the capital of Świdnik County. Świdnik belongs to the historic province of Lesser Poland, and was first mentioned in historical records in the year 1392. It remained a village until the end of the 19th century when it began to develop as a spa, due to its location and climate.
In the early
Świdnik, due to its location, is often considered to be a
There are other villages named Świdnik in Poland, as well as
History
The first documented mention of Świdnik comes from the year 1392, and at that time the village was called Świdnik Wielki (Maior Swidnik, Magna Swydnyk). In the early 15th century, a Świdnik Mały (Świdnik Minor) appeared in documents and, in 1450, another village, Świdniczek, was mentioned. In 1564, Świdnik Wielki had a
During World War I, heavy fighting between Russian and German and Austro-Hungarian units took place in the area of Świdnik (August 1914, July 1915). On July 30, 1915, the city was captured by the Austro-Hungarian Army, and remained under Austrian occupation until November 1918. A World War I military cemetery is located in the outskirts of Świdnik. In late 1918, the town became part of Lublin Voivodeship in the Second Polish Republic. At that time Świdnik developed as a spa due to its unique microclimate. Świdnik's district of Adampol was a popular leisure destination among residents of Lublin in the 1920s and 1930s.
Prior to
During the war, numerous Polish resistance units operated in the area of Świdnik, including the Home Army. In October 1941, Germans opened the Majdanek concentration camp, located in the village Majdan Tatarski, between Świdnik and Lublin. Furthermore, at the Krępiec Forest near Świdnik, numerous executions took place. As many as 30,000 people were murdered in these executions. The victims were largely both Polish and Jewish prisoners from the Majdanek Camp, the Lublin Castle prison and from other nearby towns and villages. The largest execution took place here on November 3, 1943, when German units shot 18,000 Jews. The massacres are commemorated by a monument-tomb, unveiled in the 1970s. In July 1944, Świdnik was captured by the Red Army. The Soviets immediately made use of the airfield, which had been sabotaged by the Germans prior to their retreat. On August 11, 1944 the first Soviet plane carrying members of the legitimate Polish government (see Government Delegation for Poland) took off from the airfield bound for Moscow. The Soviet Air Forces continued to make use of the Świdnik airfield until spring of 1946.
In 1949 the first trees were felled in the location of the future Transportation Equipment Factory (Wytwórnia Sprzętu Komunikacyjnego, WSK). The factory, which opened in 1951, quickly became one of the main centres of
21st Century
In 2010, AgustaWetland acquired PZL-Swidnik. Following this, the factory began production of a new type of medium-lift military helicopter, the AgustaWestland AW149.
Transport
The S17 and the S12 expressways, still under construction in some areas, concurrently bypass Świdnik before diverging at Piaski; Lublin Airport, located on the town's outskirts, serves the whole voivodeship. Świdnik also has a rail station on a major line from Lublin towards Chełm and the border with Ukraine.
Sport
The city is home to Avia Świdnik, a sports club, which independently runs two departments – men's football and men's volleyball.