Szydłowiec

Szydłowiec [ʂɨˈdwɔvjɛt͡s] (listen) (Hebrew: שידלוביץ, Yiddish: שידלָאווצע (German:Schiedlowietz) ) is a town in Szydłowiec County, Mazovian Voivodeship, Poland, with 15,243 inhabitants (December 31, 2005). It is the seat of Szydłowiec Commune (Gmina Szydłowiec). Previously, from 1975 to 1998, it was in the Radom Voivodeship. Szydłowiec historically belongs to Lesser Poland, from its beginnings until 1795, it was part of Lesser Poland's Sandomierz Voivodeship.

Szydłowiec
Church and the iconic Town Hall
Coat of arms
Motto(s):  Dla Boga, Ojczyzny i społeczności For God, Country and community
Szydłowiec
Coordinates: 51°14′N 20°51′E
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Masovian
County	Szydłowiec County
Gmina	Gmina Szydłowiec
Established	12th century
Town rights	1427
Government
• Mayor	Artur Ludew
Area
• Total	21.93 km^2 (8.47 sq mi)
Elevation	260 m (850 ft)
Population  (2006)
• Total	12,030
• Density	550/km^2 (1,400/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	26–500
Area code(s)	+48 48
Car plates	WSZ
Website	http://www.szydlowiec.pl

History

Szydłowiec in the 18th century;
by Zygmunt Vogel.

From the 12th century the environs of Szydłowiec belonged to the powerful knightly family of Odrowąż, who were descended from Moravian-Bohemian Baworowic family.

In the 13th century the site of the present castle was occupied by a stronghold on an artificial island with wood and earth defences and by a village called Szydłowiec. The present town came into being in the early 15th century and together with the neighbouring estate was the property of the Szydłowiecki and Radziwiłł families until the 19th century.

The town flourished in the 16th and the first half of 17th centuries. It was then an important centre of trade and crafts, mainly stone-masonry based on the exploitation of the local sandstone which was easy to work. This stone was used to carve architectural sculptural elements and to make tools for agriculture. It was also a building material for the local Saint Sigsmunt Church, Castle in Szydłowiec and the Town hall in Szydłowiec; moreover, it was sent to Kielce, Cracow and Warsaw.

Among the goods traded in were agricultural products.

The period of wars 1648–1717 and numerous epidemics and fires brought about a decline of Szydłowiec, which persisted for centuries, its state being yet aggravated after the partitions of Poland. The town owes this present character to transformations in urban design and architecture which took place in the second half of the 19th century and in the 20th century.

Szydłowiec also had a strong Jewish community until World War II.

At one point it had a population that was of a Jewish majority. It was home to Grand Rabbi Natan David Rabinowitz (d. 1865), the grandson of Grand Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchak Rabinowicz of Peshischa, and the father of the Biala Hasidic dynasty.

References

External links

• "Here Their Stories Will Be Told..." The Valley of the Communities at Yad Vashem, Szydłowiec, at Yad Vashem website.