Skarżysko-Kamienna
| Skarżysko-Kamienna | |||
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 Skarżysko-Kamienna
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| Coordinates: 51°7′N 20°55′E / 51.117°N 20.917°E | |||
| Country |  Poland |
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| Voivodeship | Świętokrzyskie | ||
| County | Skarżysko | ||
| Gmina | Skarżysko-Kamienna (urban gmina) | ||
| Town rights | 1923 as Kamienna | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Roman Wojcieszek | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 64.16 km2 (24.77 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 250 m (820 ft) | ||
| Population (2006) | |||
| • Total | 48,957 | ||
| • Density | 763/km2 (1,980/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 26-110 | ||
| Area code(s) | +48 41 | ||
| Car plates | TSK | ||
| Website | http://www.skarzysko.pl | ||
Skarżysko-Kamienna [skarˈʐɨskɔ kaˈmʲɛnːa] (
listen) is a town in northern Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship in Poland by Kamienna river, to the north of Świętokrzyskie Mountains; one of the voivodship's major towns. Prior to 1928, it bore the name of Kamienna; in less formal contexts usually only the first part of the name (Skarżysko) is used.
Skarżysko-Kamienna is an important railroad junction, with two main lines (Kraków - Warsaw and Sandomierz - Koluszki) crossing there.
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[edit] History
In 1173, the knights' congress gathered in Milica village (now the town's district) led by Casimir II The Just.
[edit] 1900s
In 1923, the commune of Kamienna was granted town privileges. In 1924, National Ammunition Factory was built (now known as MESKO). And in 1928, town's name was changed to Skarżysko-Kamienna.
[edit] The Germans in Skarżysko-Kamienna
In 1940, the Germans carried out mass executions of Poles (360 people executed in February and 760 in June). In 1942, the Germans set up a forced labour camp for the Jews where tens of thousands died in forced labour (See the book: Death Comes in Yellow). In the summer of 1944, the camp was liquidated and the remaining prisoners were either killed or transported to the Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany.
[edit] 1945 and later
On January 18, 1945 the town was liberated. The few Jewish survivors from Skarżysko-Kamienna returned to the town, but then local Polish threatened their lives, asking them to leave. In February 1946 five Jewish residents were murdered by local Polish men. The murderers, among them the head of the town police and another policeman, were put to trial in Lodz, and three of them got the death penalty. The remaining Jews left Poland [1].
In 1969, The White Eagle Museum was established. And in 1999, Skarżysko County was established as a result of the Local Government Reorganization Act (1998).
[edit] Attractions
- The White Eagle Museum (Polish: Muzeum im. Orła Białego) - a regional museum with a large outdoor display of military equipment, most items dating back to the World War II period.
- indoor display - uniforms, ammunition, pistols and smaller guns, soldier equipment, photographs and documents
- outdoor display - one of Poland's few ships displayed onshore (torpedo boat Odważny - The Brave), planes, tanks (including one of world's few preserved Sturmgeschütz IV vehicles), helicopters, cannons, etc.
[edit] Trivia
- Throughout the communist era and beyond, popular gossip had it that blocks of flats in Milica district, built in the 1950s, had been arranged to form the word Stalin or Bierut. Aerial photographs have confirmed the Stalins' version of the gossip. Source: http://www.joemonster.org/article/7044/jest-takie-osiedle-w-skarzysku-kamiennej and http://www.joemonster.org/i/aa/om02s.jpg However this information is political incorrect. That is the reason why the local politics called it a "gossip". It is not a true. It is not a gossip.
- Several scenes of Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List were filmed in MESKO - the town's largest factory which used to house a forced labour camp during World War II.
[edit] International relations
[edit] Twin towns — Sister cities
Skarżysko-Kamienna is twinned with:
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Skarżysko-Kamienna |
- Skarżysko Kamienna on Facebook - Skarżysko Kamienna on Facebook
- Skarzysko.pl - official site of the town's municipality (Polish) (English) (German)
- Skarżysko-Kamienna On-line - town's unofficial site (language - Polish; direct access to the sections below)
- Skarżysko24.pl - unofficial site (language - Polish; several other language versions are available through Google Translate service)
[edit] References
- ^ Source: Pinkas Hakehilot Encyclopaedia of Jewish Communities, Poland, Vol. VII, Districts Lublin, Kielce, Yad Vashem, Martyrs' and Heros' Remembrance Authority, Jerusalem 1999
Coordinates: 51°07′N 20°54′E / 51.117°N 20.9°E
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