Paczków

Coordinates: 50°27′35″N 17°00′10″E / 50.45972°N 17.00278°E / 50.45972; 17.00278
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other places with the same name, see Paczków (disambiguation).
Paczków
Paczków Town Hall
Paczków Town Hall
UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
48-370
Vehicle registrationONY
Websitehttp://www.paczkow.pl
Historic Monument of Poland
Designated2012-10-22
Reference no.Dz. U. z 2012 r. poz. 1240[2]

Paczków

Klodzko Valley and Prague, Paczków is called "Polish Carcassonne", thanks to its well-preserved medieval fortifications.[4][5] However, while the famous French Carcassonne is a 19th-century reconstruction, all historic buildings of Paczków are authentic.[6]

The old town and its medieval fortifications are listed as one of Poland's official national

National Heritage Board of Poland
.

History

Medieval town walls

Paczków was officially founded and granted

town rights on March 8, 1254,[4] when the Polish Bishop of Wrocław, Tomasz I gave permission to two Flemings Henryk and Wilhelm,[7] for the location of a new town Bogunów (mentioned under the Latinized name Bogunov) to be settled by German immigrants.[8] The new town was placed near the ancient village of Paczków and took its name, and henceforth, the name of the village was changed to Stary Paczków ("Old Paczków"). The name Paczków itself comes from the Old Polish male name Pakosław.[7] Paczków, mentioned in medieval documents under the Latinized Old Polish names Paczkaw (Liber fundationis episcopatus Vratislaviensis) and Patzkow (Book of Henryków), quickly grew, becoming not only a market town, but also a stronghold, guarding southwestern borders of the ecclesiastical Duchy of Nysa of fragmented Poland.[9] It was granted the so-called Flemish rights, based on Magdeburg rights. The new town received several privileges
, such as the right to brew beer, and its early inhabitants were mostly craftsmen, such as bakers, butchers and shoemakers.

In the Late Middle Ages and subsequent periods, Paczków shared the stormy fate of other towns of Silesia, with frequent disasters, such as hunger (1325), floods (1333, 1501, 1539, 1560, 1598, 1602), fires (1565, 1634), as well as epidemics - Black Death (1349), and cholera (1603–1607, 1633). The town also suffered during the Hussite Wars, when it was captured by the Hussites on March 17, 1428.[9] The period of religious wars did not end until the late 15th century, and only then did Paczków begin to flourish again. With the financial support of the dukes of Nysa, new fortifications were constructed, with a wall and towers.

In 1526 Paczków, under the Germanized name Patschkau, together with the Duchy of Nysa, passed under the suzerainty of the

Habsburg dynasty. The town blossomed, as a major centre of trade, with several manufacturers of textiles. The end of prosperity came during the Thirty Years' War, when warring armies destroyed Patschkau and adjacent areas.[9] In 1742, after the Silesian Wars, Patschkau was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia, and it subsequently became part of the German Empire in 1871. It was secularized in 1810.[7]

The town was spared from serious destruction during

expelled. After the war, following the Potsdam Agreement, it became again part of Poland, and its Polish name was restored. The town was repopulated by Polish settlers from war-devastated central Poland and expellees from former eastern Poland annexed by the Soviet Union, mostly from areas of Lwów, Tarnopol, and Volhynia (current western Ukraine).[11]

Monuments

Paczków Old Town

Unlike nearby Nysa, World War II spared Paczków, and most of its monuments have been preserved. Called "The Polish Carcassonne" (or, before the town was reintegrated with Poland, "the Silesian Carcassonne"), as early as in the 15th century, it was surrounded by double ring of defensive walls. Initially, the fortifications were made of dirt and wood, but later they were replaced by mightier stone walls.

The first fortifications of Paczków were built in the mid-14th century upon the order of the Bishop of

wall towers, out of which 19 have been preserved. Along the defensive walls, there was a moat
, which has been turned into a recreational park.

Besides its fortifications, Paczków is famous for

tenement houses, which surround the town square. The oldest of these buildings date back to around 1500,[3] with the most visible being the so-called "House of the Executioner". Also, in the centre of Paczków, there is the town hall
, with a 48-metre-high (157 ft) tower.

Another interesting monument of "Polish Carcassonne" is the

Wit Stwosz. Next to the complex there is the so-called Tatar well. According to a legend, a Tatar warrior (see Mongol invasion of Poland
) was thrown into the well, after he had captured the daughter of a wealthy inhabitant of Paczków.

Economy

Paczków city budget's income sources as of 2015

The characteristics of the town of Paczków's economic dependence is similar to that of the

canola.[13]

To the west of Paczków, the

złoty) to the city's budget.[15]

Notable people

Twin towns – sister cities

See twin towns of Gmina Paczków.

Gallery

  • Town centre
    Town centre
  • Kłodzko Gate
    Kłodzko Gate
  • Church of John the Evangelist
    Church of John the Evangelist
  • Historic townhouses
    Historic townhouses
  • Wrocław Gate
    Wrocław Gate
  • Market square
    Market square
  • Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help
    Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help
  • Executioner's house, 18th century
    Executioner's house, 18th century

References

  1. ^ "Population. Size and structure and vital statistics in Poland by territorial division in 2019. As of 30th June". stat.gov.pl. Statistics Poland. 2019-10-15. Retrieved 2020-02-14.
  2. ^ Rozporządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 22 października 2012 r. w sprawie uznania za pomnik historii "Paczków - zespół staromiejski ze średniowiecznym systemem fortyfikacji", Dz. U. z 2012 r. poz. 1240
  3. ^ a b c d Gazeta Wyborcza. Piotr Walczak, Odwiedz polskie Carcassonne (Visit Polish Carcassonne) Archived 2008-09-15 at the Wayback Machine retrieved on April 21, 2009
  4. ^ a b c Panorama of Polish cities. Silesian Carcassonne Archived 2007-10-16 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Poland’s Official Travel Website, Paczkow - Polish Carcassonne
  6. ^ Castles.info, Silesia and Opolskie
  7. ^ a b c d e "Historia miasta". Paczków - oficjalna strona internetowa (in Polish). Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  8. ^ Hans-Georg Mohr, Leo Schiller (Hrsg.): 1254–2004. 750 Jahre Patschkau. Die Geschichte der Stadt Patschkau in Schlesien. Dohlenverlag, Osnabrück 2004, S. 19: German text of the founding document
  9. ^ a b c History of Paczkow at portal paczkow info Archived 2009-02-27 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ "Working Parties". Stalag VIIIB 344 Lamsdorf. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  11. ^ Official webpage of town and commune of Paczkow Archived 2009-04-17 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ Carta Blanca Publishing House, Paczkow
  13. ^ "Infrastruktura". paczkow.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  14. ^ "Start - Pollena Paczków". Pollena Paczków (in Polish). 23 June 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  15. ^ "Paczków". www.polskawliczbach.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 31 January 2017.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Paczków.
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