Łomża

Łomża
Łomża
	Neoclassical Episcopal Palace in Łomża
; Flag	; Coat of arms
	; Łomża
	Coordinates: 53°10′N 22°5′E / 53.167°N 22.083°E
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Podlaskie
County	city county
Established	9th century
Town rights	1418
	Government
- Mayor	Jerzy Brzeziński
	Area
- Total	32.67 km2 (12.6 sq mi)
Elevation	95 m (312 ft)
	Population (2007)
- Total	63,036
- Density	1,929.5/km2 (4,997.3/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
- Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	18-400 to 18-404
Area code(s)	+48 086
Car plates	BL
Website	http://www.lomza.pl/

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Łomża [ˈwɔmʐa], in English also spelled Lomza, is a town in north-eastern Poland, approximately 90 miles (150 km) from Warsaw and 50 miles (81 km) from Białystok. It is situated alongside the Narew river and has been in the Podlaskie Voivodeship since 1999. Previously, it was the capital of the Łomża Voivodeship (1975-1998). It is the capital of Łomża County and the capital of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Łomża since 1925.

Łomża is one of the principal economic, educational and cultural centres of north-eastern Masovia as well as one of the three main cities of Podlaskie Voivodeship (beside Białystok and Suwałki). It lends its name to the protected area called Łomża Landscape Park.

[edit] History

Lomza prison in the late nineteenth century (demolished in 1944)

During the Polish-Soviet War of 1919-1921 Łomża was directly in the path of the Russian army's catastrophic retreat following its defeat at the Battle of Warsaw. On August 15, 1920, the Soviet General August Kork of the 15th Army mounted an unsuccessful defence of the town against the Polish Fourth Army of General Leonard Skierski, before continuing its retreat eastward under pressure from the triumphant Polish forces.^[1]

During the joint Soviet and German invasion of Poland in September 1939, Łomża was overrun again by the Red Army. It remained in the Soviet hands until Operation Barbarossa. In June 1941, at the onset of the Russian campaign it was taken over by Germany. The Nazi Einsatzkommando under SS-Obersturmführer Hermann Schaper committed mass killings of Jews in its vicinity. At the end of 1944, the USSR recaptured the territory and following Yalta Conference presented it to the restored Poland.

[edit] Demography

Łomża is the third largest aglomeration in Podlaskie Voivodeship with 63,036 inhabitants. At the end of 2006, the population growth was positive and amounted to 1,3 per cent per 1000 inhabitants whereas balance of migration was negative (-520).^[2] The unemployment at the end of May 2008 amounted to 10,2%.^[3] According to data from 2006,^[2] an average income per inhabitant amounted to 2,942.31 zł. Below table is based on data from 2007:^[2]