Jump to content

Zamość: Difference between revisions

Coordinates: 50°43′14″N 23°15′31″E / 50.72056°N 23.25861°E / 50.72056; 23.25861
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Katepel (talk | contribs)
133 edits
Katepel (talk | contribs)
133 edits
No edit summary
(2 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)
Line 56: Line 56:
| Link = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/564
| Link = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/564
}}
}}
⚫
[[File:Katedra4.jpg|thumb|260px|right|Cathedral in Zamość]]
⚫
[[File:Synagogag.jpg|260px|thumb|right|Synagogue in Zamość]]
[[File:Oldlubelskagate.jpg|thumb|260px|right|[[Zamość Fortress]]]]


{{commons|Zamość}}
{{commons|Zamość}}


'''Zamość''' {{IPAc-pl|'|z|a|m|o|ś|ć}} ({{lang-yi|זאמאשטש}}, ''Zamoshtch'') is a town in southeastern [[Poland]] with 66,633 inhabitants (2004), situated in the [[Lublin Voivodeship]] (since 1999). About 20 kilometres from the town is the [[Roztocze National Park]].
'''Zamość''' {{IPAc-pl|'|z|a|m|o|ś|ć}} ({{lang-yi|זאמאשטש}}, ''Zamoshtch'') is a town in southeastern [[Poland]] with 66,633 inhabitants (2004), situated in the south-western part of [[Lublin Voivodeship]] (since 1999), about 90 km from [[Lublin]], 247 km from [[Warsaw]] and 60 km from the border with [[Ukraine]]. About 20 kilometres from the town is the [[Roztocze National Park]].


The historical city centre was added to the [[List of World Heritage Sites in Europe|UNESCO World Heritage List]] (in 1992). In the view of UNESCO, "Zamość is a unique example of a Renaissance town in Central Europe, consistently designed and built in accordance with the Italian theories of the “ideal town,” on the basis of a plan which was the result of perfect cooperation between the open-minded founder, Jan Zamoyski, and the outstanding architect, Bernardo Morando. Zamość is an outstanding example of an innovative approach to town planning, combining the functions of an urban ensemble, a residence, and a fortress in accordance with a consistently implemented Renaissance concept. The result of this is a stylistically homogeneous urban composition with a high level of architectural and landscape values. A real asset of this great construction was its creative enhancement with local artistic architectural achievements. Zamość is spoken of as a Renaissance town. However, on the one hand, Morando himself must have had Mannerist training, and on the other, in all the countries of Central Europe (Poland, Bohemia, Slovakia, Hungary, certain German regions and, in part, Austria proper), Italian Renaissance architecture had been well assimilated and adapted to local traditions since the 15th century. Consequently, Zamość was planned as a town in which the Mannerist taste mingled with certain Central European urban traditions, such as the arcaded galleries that surround the squares and create a sheltered passage in front of the shops."<ref>http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/564</ref>
The historical city centre was added to the [[List of World Heritage Sites in Europe|UNESCO World Heritage List]] (in 1992).


==History==
==History==
Line 71: Line 68:


Zamość was founded in the year 1580 by the [[Kanclerz|Chancellor]] and [[Hetman]] (head of the army of the [[Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth]]) [[Jan Zamoyski]], on the trade route linking western and northern Europe with the [[Black Sea]].
Zamość was founded in the year 1580 by the [[Kanclerz|Chancellor]] and [[Hetman]] (head of the army of the [[Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth]]) [[Jan Zamoyski]], on the trade route linking western and northern Europe with the [[Black Sea]].
Modelled on Italian trading cities, and built during the [[Baroque]] period by the architect [[Bernardo Morando]], a native of [[Padua]], Zamość remains a perfect example of a [[Renaissance]] town of the late 16th century, which retains its original layout and fortifications ([[Zamość Fortress]]), and a large number of buildings blending Italian and central European architectural traditions. The Old City quarter of Zamość has been placed on the [[UNESCO]] list of [[World Heritage Sites]].
Modelled on Italian trading cities, and built during the [[Baroque]] period by the architect [[Bernardo Morando]], a native of [[Padua]], Zamość remains a perfect example of a [[Renaissance]] town of the late 16th century, which retains its original layout and fortifications ([[Zamość Fortress]]), and a large number of buildings blending Italian and central European architectural traditions.


At the turn of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries Zamość was one of the most impressive fortresses in the [[Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth]]. The city was belted with powerful bastion fortifications, curtains and moats. The defensive qualities of the fortress were determined by the natural conditions, since the city was founded at the Łabuńka river and its tributary Topornica river, surrounded by the extensive marshy valley. As a result of the merger of the fortress and the main city and thanks to the terrain, the fortress had a shape of irregular heptagon, consisting of 7 curtains and 7 bastions placed in the bends. [[Jan Zamoyski]], the founder and owner of the city, paid a lot of attention to the defense functions of the city. In the founding document, he pledged to consolidate the city with ramparts and a moat. The city was founded in the areas that used to be threatened or attacked by the [[Tartars]]. In the case of emergency, the powerful fortress could give shelter to people fleeing from threatened areas.<ref>Przewodnik po Zamościu, PTTK O/Zamość, Ryszard Łapa, Edward Słoniewski, Zamość 2005</ref>
At the turn of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries Zamość was one of the most impressive fortresses in the [[Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth]]. The city was belted with powerful bastion fortifications, curtains and moats. The defensive qualities of the fortress were determined by the natural conditions, since the city was founded at the Łabuńka river and its tributary Topornica river, surrounded by the extensive marshy valley.
<br />
{{wide image|Rynek Zamosc poludnie.jpg|1300px|<center>South frontage of the Great Market}}
As a result of the merger of the fortress and the main city and thanks to the terrain, the fortress had a shape of irregular heptagon, consisting of 7 curtains and 7 bastions placed in the bends. [[Jan Zamoyski]], the founder and owner of the city, paid a lot of attention to the defense functions of the city. In the founding document, he pledged to consolidate the city with ramparts and a moat. The city was founded in the areas that used to be threatened or attacked by the [[Tartars]]. In the case of emergency, the powerful fortress could give shelter to people fleeing from threatened areas.<ref>Przewodnik po Zamościu, PTTK O/Zamość, Ryszard Łapa, Edward Słoniewski, Zamość 2005</ref>


In the 17th century the city was thriving during the most extensive and fastest development period. It attracted not only the Poles but also many other nationalities. The city, however, faced numerous invasions, including the siege by the Cossacks led by [[Bohdan Khmelnytsky]] in 1648, the leader of the uprising against the [[Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth]] (1648–1654) which resulted in the creation of a Cossack state, and during the Swedish [[deluge]] in 1656. The Swedish army, like the Cossacks, failed to capture the city. Only during the [[Great Northern War]] Zamość was occupied by the Swedish and Saxon troops.
In the 17th century the city was thriving during the most extensive and fastest development period. It attracted not only the Poles but also many other nationalities. The city, however, faced numerous invasions, including the siege by the Cossacks led by [[Bohdan Khmelnytsky]] in 1648, the leader of the uprising against the [[Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth]] (1648–1654) which resulted in the creation of a Cossack state, and during the Swedish [[deluge]] in 1656. The Swedish army, like the Cossacks, failed to capture the city. Only during the [[Great Northern War]] Zamość was occupied by the Swedish and Saxon troops.
Line 84: Line 84:


The [[interwar period]] was a period of fast city development when its boundaries were widened as well as many new institutions and centers, especially those relating to cultural and educational life, were created.<br />
The [[interwar period]] was a period of fast city development when its boundaries were widened as well as many new institutions and centers, especially those relating to cultural and educational life, were created.<br />
{{clear}}

===History after World War II===
===History after World War II===


Line 90: Line 90:


In 1942, Zamość County, due to its fertile black soil, was chosen for further German colonisation in the [[General Government]] as part of [[Generalplan Ost]].<ref>Lynn H. Nicholas, ''Cruel World: The Children of Europe in the Nazi Web'' p. 333 ISBN 0-679-77663-X</ref> The city itself was initially to be renamed "Himmlerstadt" ([[Himmler]] City), later changed to "Pflugstadt" (Plough City), and the German occupiers had planned the relocation of at least 60,000 ethnic Germans in the area before the end of 1943. Before that, a "test trial" [[Population transfer|expulsion]] was performed in November 1941, and the whole operation ended in a [[pacification]] operation, combined with expulsions in June/July 1943 which was code named ''Wehrwolf Action I'' and ''II''. Around 110,000 people from 297 villages were expelled.<ref>Nicholas, p. 335.</ref> Around 30,000 victims were children who, if racially "clean" (i.e. had physical characteristics deemed "Germanic") were planned for [[germanisation]] in German families in the [[Third Reich]].<ref name="cruel">Nicholas, p. 334-5</ref> Most of the people expelled were sent as slave labour in Germany or to concentration camps.<ref name="cruel"/>
In 1942, Zamość County, due to its fertile black soil, was chosen for further German colonisation in the [[General Government]] as part of [[Generalplan Ost]].<ref>Lynn H. Nicholas, ''Cruel World: The Children of Europe in the Nazi Web'' p. 333 ISBN 0-679-77663-X</ref> The city itself was initially to be renamed "Himmlerstadt" ([[Himmler]] City), later changed to "Pflugstadt" (Plough City), and the German occupiers had planned the relocation of at least 60,000 ethnic Germans in the area before the end of 1943. Before that, a "test trial" [[Population transfer|expulsion]] was performed in November 1941, and the whole operation ended in a [[pacification]] operation, combined with expulsions in June/July 1943 which was code named ''Wehrwolf Action I'' and ''II''. Around 110,000 people from 297 villages were expelled.<ref>Nicholas, p. 335.</ref> Around 30,000 victims were children who, if racially "clean" (i.e. had physical characteristics deemed "Germanic") were planned for [[germanisation]] in German families in the [[Third Reich]].<ref name="cruel">Nicholas, p. 334-5</ref> Most of the people expelled were sent as slave labour in Germany or to concentration camps.<ref name="cruel"/>
⚫
[[File:Katedra4.jpg|thumb|260px|right|Cathedral in Zamość]]

Local people resisted the action with great determination; they escaped into forests, organised self-defence, helped people who were expelled, and bribed kidnapped children out of German hands.<ref>Nicholas, p. 334</ref> Until the middle of 1943, the Germans managed to settle 8,000 colonists, the number increased by a couple of thousand more in 1944. This settlement was met with fierce armed resistance by [[Polish Underground]] forces (see [[Zamość Uprising]]). The Nazis found it difficult to find many families suitable for Germanization and so settlement, and that those settlers they did find often fled in fear, because those evicted would burn down houses or kill their inhabitants.<ref>Nicholas, p. 336.</ref>
Local people resisted the action with great determination; they escaped into forests, organised self-defence, helped people who were expelled, and bribed kidnapped children out of German hands.<ref>Nicholas, p. 334</ref> Until the middle of 1943, the Germans managed to settle 8,000 colonists, the number increased by a couple of thousand more in 1944. This settlement was met with fierce armed resistance by [[Polish Underground]] forces (see [[Zamość Uprising]]). The Nazis found it difficult to find many families suitable for Germanization and so settlement, and that those settlers they did find often fled in fear, because those evicted would burn down houses or kill their inhabitants.<ref>Nicholas, p. 336.</ref>


Line 100: Line 100:


Noted conservator and artist Professor [[Wiktor Zin]] was responsible for the design and oversight of conservation work on the Arsenal and the [[Armenians|Armenian]] quarter in Zamość.
Noted conservator and artist Professor [[Wiktor Zin]] was responsible for the design and oversight of conservation work on the Arsenal and the [[Armenians|Armenian]] quarter in Zamość.
{{clear}}

===History of Jews in Zamość===
===History of Jews in Zamość===


The city was a large center of [[Chasidic Judaism]]. The [[Qahal]] of Zamość was founded in 1588 when Jan Zamoyski agreed to settle the Jews in the city. The first Jewish settlers were mainly the [[Sephardi Jews]] coming from Italy, Spain, Portugal and Turkey. In the 17th century, the newcomers were recruited among the [[Ashkenazi Jews]] that soon constituted the majority within the Jewish population. The settlement rights given by Jan Zamoyski were re-confirmed in 1684 by [[Marcin Zamoyski]], the fourth [[Ordynat]] of Zamość estate.
The city was a large center of [[Chasidic Judaism]]. The [[Qahal]] of Zamość was founded in 1588 when Jan Zamoyski agreed to settle the Jews in the city. The first Jewish settlers were mainly the [[Sephardi Jews]] coming from Italy, Spain, Portugal and Turkey. In the 17th century, the newcomers were recruited among the [[Ashkenazi Jews]] that soon constituted the majority within the Jewish population. The settlement rights given by Jan Zamoyski were re-confirmed in 1684 by [[Marcin Zamoyski]], the fourth [[Ordynat]] of Zamość estate.
⚫
[[File:Synagogag.jpg|260px|thumb|left|Synagogue in Zamość]]

At the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, the Jewish inhabitants were under the strong influence of the Jewish Enlightenment trend called [[Haskalah]]. The late nineteenth century saw the spread of [[Hasidic Judaism]]. In Zamość there were a Jewish synagogue, two houses of worship and a hospital. Nowadays the best preserved remnant of the Jewish culture is the building of [[Zamość Synagogue]].
At the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, the Jewish inhabitants were under the strong influence of the Jewish Enlightenment trend called [[Haskalah]]. The late nineteenth century saw the spread of [[Hasidic Judaism]]. In Zamość there were a Jewish synagogue, two houses of worship and a hospital. Nowadays the best preserved remnant of the Jewish culture is the building of [[Zamość Synagogue]].


Line 115: Line 115:


Today only 3 Jews live in Zamość.
Today only 3 Jews live in Zamość.
{{clear}}

==Architecture==
==Architecture==
The most historic buildings are located in the Old Town. The main distinguishing features of the Old Town have been well preserved since its establishment. It includes the regular Great Market Square of 100 x 100 meters with the splendid Townhall and so-called Armenian houses, as well as the fragments of the original fortress and fortifications, including those from the period of the Russian occupation in the 19th century.<ref>A. Kędziora: Encyklopedia miasta Zamościa. Chełm: Towarzystwo Opieki nad Zabytkami, 2000</ref>
The most historic buildings are located in the Old Town. The main distinguishing features of the Old Town have been well preserved since its establishment. It includes the regular Great Market Square of 100 x 100 meters with the splendid Townhall and so-called Armenian houses, as well as the fragments of the original fortress and fortifications, including those from the period of the Russian occupation in the 19th century.<ref>A. Kędziora: Encyklopedia miasta Zamościa. Chełm: Towarzystwo Opieki nad Zabytkami, 2000</ref>
Line 121: Line 121:
Jan Zamoyski commissioned the Italian architect Bernardo Morando to design the city that would be based on the anthropomorphic concept. Its "head" was to be the Zamoyski palace, "backbone" Grodzka Street, crossing the Great Market Square from east to west, in the direction of the palace, and with the "arms" embodied by 10 streets intersecting the main streets: Solna street (north of the Great Market Square) and Bernardo Morando street (south of the Great Market Square). In these streets, the other squares were placed: Salt Square (Rynek Solny) and Water Square (Rynek Wodny), functioning as the "internal organs" of the city whereas the bastions are the "hands and legs" for self-defense.<ref>See above</ref>
Jan Zamoyski commissioned the Italian architect Bernardo Morando to design the city that would be based on the anthropomorphic concept. Its "head" was to be the Zamoyski palace, "backbone" Grodzka Street, crossing the Great Market Square from east to west, in the direction of the palace, and with the "arms" embodied by 10 streets intersecting the main streets: Solna street (north of the Great Market Square) and Bernardo Morando street (south of the Great Market Square). In these streets, the other squares were placed: Salt Square (Rynek Solny) and Water Square (Rynek Wodny), functioning as the "internal organs" of the city whereas the bastions are the "hands and legs" for self-defense.<ref>See above</ref>


{{wide image|Zamość Panorama.jpg|1300px|<center>Panorama of the Old Town}}<br />
{{wide image|Zamość Panorama.jpg|1300px|<center>Panorama of the Old Town}}


==Education==
==Education==
[[File:Zamość Academy court.JPG|thumb|260px|right|The Courtyard of the former Academy]]
[[File:Zamość Academy court.JPG|thumb|260px|left|The Courtyard of the former Academy]]
⚫
[[File:Dawna_akademia4.JPG|thumb|260px|right|The Present look of the former Academy]]
⚫
Zamość prides itself in the long history of educational services. The [[Zamojski Academy]] (1594–1784) was an academy founded in 1594 by Polish Crown Chancellor Jan Zamoyski. It was the fourth institution of higher education to be founded in the [[Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth]]. After his death it slowly lost its importance, and in 1784 it was downgraded to a lyceum. The present-day I Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Jana Zamoyskiego is one of several secondary schools in Zamość.


⚫
Zamość prides itself in the long history of educational services. The [[Zamojski Academy]] (1594–1784) was an academy founded in 1594 by Polish Crown Chancellor Jan Zamoyski. It was the fourth institution of higher education to be founded in the [[Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth]]. The Academy was an institution midway between a secondary school and an institution of higher learning. It bestowed doctorates of philosophy and law. It was known for the high quality of education that it provided, which however did not extend beyond the ideals of "nobles' liberty.<ref>"Akademia Zamojska," Encyklopedia powszechna PWN, vol. 1, p. 36.</ref>

After the death of Zamoyski, it slowly lost its importance, and in 1784 it was downgraded to a lyceum. The present-day I Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Jana Zamoyskiego is one of several secondary schools in Zamość.{{clear}}
⚫
[[File:Dawna_akademia4.JPG|thumb|260px|right|The Present look of the former Academy]]
Nowadays there are 9 secondary schools: 7 public (numbered from 1 to 7), one Catholic and one Social school. In addition, there are 10 primary schools: 8 public (numbered from 2 - 4 and from 6-10) as well as a Catholic and a Social primary school.
Nowadays there are 9 secondary schools: 7 public (numbered from 1 to 7), one Catholic and one Social school. In addition, there are 10 primary schools: 8 public (numbered from 2 - 4 and from 6-10) as well as a Catholic and a Social primary school.


Revision as of 22:36, 6 January 2011

Template:Otherplaces2

Zamość
City Hall and Armenian tenements
City Hall and Armenian tenements
Flag of Zamość
Flag
Coat of arms of Zamość
Coat of arms
Country Poland
VoivodeshipLublin
PowiatCity County
GminaZamość
Established1580
Town rights1580
Government
 • MayorMarcin Zamoyski
Area
 • City30.34 km2 (11.71 sq mi)
Elevation
212 m (696 ft)
Population
 (2006)
 • City66,613
 • Density2,200/km2 (5,700/sq mi)
 • Metro
140 274
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
22-400 to 22-410
Area code+48 084
Car platesLZ
Websitehttp://www.zamosc.pl
Old City of Zamość
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Main Square - Armenian tenements
CriteriaCultural: iv
Reference564
Inscription1992 (16th Session)
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Zamość.

Zamość [ˈzamɔɕt͡ɕ] (Yiddish: זאמאשטש, Zamoshtch) is a town in southeastern Poland with 66,633 inhabitants (2004), situated in the south-western part of Lublin Voivodeship (since 1999), about 90 km from Lublin, 247 km from Warsaw and 60 km from the border with Ukraine. About 20 kilometres from the town is the Roztocze National Park.

The historical city centre was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List (in 1992). In the view of UNESCO, "Zamość is a unique example of a Renaissance town in Central Europe, consistently designed and built in accordance with the Italian theories of the “ideal town,” on the basis of a plan which was the result of perfect cooperation between the open-minded founder, Jan Zamoyski, and the outstanding architect, Bernardo Morando. Zamość is an outstanding example of an innovative approach to town planning, combining the functions of an urban ensemble, a residence, and a fortress in accordance with a consistently implemented Renaissance concept. The result of this is a stylistically homogeneous urban composition with a high level of architectural and landscape values. A real asset of this great construction was its creative enhancement with local artistic architectural achievements. Zamość is spoken of as a Renaissance town. However, on the one hand, Morando himself must have had Mannerist training, and on the other, in all the countries of Central Europe (Poland, Bohemia, Slovakia, Hungary, certain German regions and, in part, Austria proper), Italian Renaissance architecture had been well assimilated and adapted to local traditions since the 15th century. Consequently, Zamość was planned as a town in which the Mannerist taste mingled with certain Central European urban traditions, such as the arcaded galleries that surround the squares and create a sheltered passage in front of the shops."[1]

History

History before World War II

Zamość was founded in the year 1580 by the Chancellor and Hetman (head of the army of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth) Jan Zamoyski, on the trade route linking western and northern Europe with the Black Sea. Modelled on Italian trading cities, and built during the Baroque period by the architect Bernardo Morando, a native of Padua, Zamość remains a perfect example of a Renaissance town of the late 16th century, which retains its original layout and fortifications (Zamość Fortress), and a large number of buildings blending Italian and central European architectural traditions.

At the turn of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries Zamość was one of the most impressive fortresses in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The city was belted with powerful bastion fortifications, curtains and moats. The defensive qualities of the fortress were determined by the natural conditions, since the city was founded at the Łabuńka river and its tributary Topornica river, surrounded by the extensive marshy valley.

South frontage of the Great Market

As a result of the merger of the fortress and the main city and thanks to the terrain, the fortress had a shape of irregular heptagon, consisting of 7 curtains and 7 bastions placed in the bends. Jan Zamoyski, the founder and owner of the city, paid a lot of attention to the defense functions of the city. In the founding document, he pledged to consolidate the city with ramparts and a moat. The city was founded in the areas that used to be threatened or attacked by the Tartars. In the case of emergency, the powerful fortress could give shelter to people fleeing from threatened areas.[2]

In the 17th century the city was thriving during the most extensive and fastest development period. It attracted not only the Poles but also many other nationalities. The city, however, faced numerous invasions, including the siege by the Cossacks led by Bohdan Khmelnytsky in 1648, the leader of the uprising against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (1648–1654) which resulted in the creation of a Cossack state, and during the Swedish deluge in 1656. The Swedish army, like the Cossacks, failed to capture the city. Only during the Great Northern War Zamość was occupied by the Swedish and Saxon troops.

In 1809 the city was incorporated to the Napoleonic Duchy of Warsaw whereas after the fall of Napoleon, following the decisions taken during the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Zamość became a part of the Kingdom of Poland, also called Congress Poland, which was controlled by the Russian Empire.

In 1821 the government of the kingdom bought off the city and modernized the Zamość fortress. As a result, many buildings were restructured losing their original form and style. The modernized fortress played a big role during the November Uprising in 1830-1831 and surrendered as the last Polish resistance point. The fortress was finally destroyed in 1866, giving rise to the robust spatial development of the city.

In 1916 the city was provided with the railway line. After Poland regained its independence in 1918, Zamość witnessed the outbreak of a communist revolt, suppressed by the Polish troops under the command of Major Leopold Lis-Kula. Two years later, during the Polish-Soviet War, the Soviet army surrounded the city but failed to capture it.

The interwar period was a period of fast city development when its boundaries were widened as well as many new institutions and centers, especially those relating to cultural and educational life, were created.

History after World War II

Following the German invasion and outbreak of World War II, in September 1939 Zamość was seized by the German army. Shortly, the Nazis created an extermination camp in the Zamość Rotunda where more than 8,000 people were killed, including displaced residents of the Zamość region and Soviet prisoners of war.

In 1942, Zamość County, due to its fertile black soil, was chosen for further German colonisation in the General Government as part of Generalplan Ost.[3] The city itself was initially to be renamed "Himmlerstadt" (Himmler City), later changed to "Pflugstadt" (Plough City), and the German occupiers had planned the relocation of at least 60,000 ethnic Germans in the area before the end of 1943. Before that, a "test trial" expulsion was performed in November 1941, and the whole operation ended in a pacification operation, combined with expulsions in June/July 1943 which was code named Wehrwolf Action I and II. Around 110,000 people from 297 villages were expelled.[4] Around 30,000 victims were children who, if racially "clean" (i.e. had physical characteristics deemed "Germanic") were planned for germanisation in German families in the Third Reich.[5] Most of the people expelled were sent as slave labour in Germany or to concentration camps.[5]

Cathedral in Zamość

Local people resisted the action with great determination; they escaped into forests, organised self-defence, helped people who were expelled, and bribed kidnapped children out of German hands.[6] Until the middle of 1943, the Germans managed to settle 8,000 colonists, the number increased by a couple of thousand more in 1944. This settlement was met with fierce armed resistance by Polish Underground forces (see Zamość Uprising). The Nazis found it difficult to find many families suitable for Germanization and so settlement, and that those settlers they did find often fled in fear, because those evicted would burn down houses or kill their inhabitants.[7]

The former President of Germany Horst Köhler was born to a family of German colonists in Skierbieszów.

After World War II, Zamość started a period of development. In the 1970s and 1980s the population grew rapidly (from 39,100 in 1975 to 68,800 in 2003), as the city started to gain significant profits from the old trade routes linking Germany with Ukraine and the ports on the Black Sea.

During the years 1975–1998 Zamość was the capital of Zamość Voivodeship.

Noted conservator and artist Professor Wiktor Zin was responsible for the design and oversight of conservation work on the Arsenal and the Armenian quarter in Zamość.

History of Jews in Zamość

The city was a large center of Chasidic Judaism. The Qahal of Zamość was founded in 1588 when Jan Zamoyski agreed to settle the Jews in the city. The first Jewish settlers were mainly the Sephardi Jews coming from Italy, Spain, Portugal and Turkey. In the 17th century, the newcomers were recruited among the Ashkenazi Jews that soon constituted the majority within the Jewish population. The settlement rights given by Jan Zamoyski were re-confirmed in 1684 by Marcin Zamoyski, the fourth Ordynat of Zamość estate.

Synagogue in Zamość

At the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, the Jewish inhabitants were under the strong influence of the Jewish Enlightenment trend called Haskalah. The late nineteenth century saw the spread of Hasidic Judaism. In Zamość there were a Jewish synagogue, two houses of worship and a hospital. Nowadays the best preserved remnant of the Jewish culture is the building of Zamość Synagogue.

In 1827, 2,874 Jews lived in the city. In 1900, the Jewish population was 7,034[8] whereas in 1921 - 9383 (49.3% of the population).

Zamość was the hometown of many prominent Jewish persons, including: poet Solomon Ettinger (1799-1855), writer Isaac Leib Peretz (1852 - 1915), and future revolutionist Rosa Luxemburg (1870 - 1919) who were all born there.

Shortly before World War II approximately 12,000 Jews lived in the city. In October 1939, the German occupants set up the Judenrat whereas in the spring of 1942 they set up a ghetto. From April to September 1942, around 4 thousand Jews were deported to the extermination camp at Belzec. In October 1942, the Germans shot dead 500 people, and the remaining 4,000 were deported, via the transfer point in Izbica, to the camp in Belzec. The Jews used to be transported in unheated closed, freight train compartments, without any food and water. Many times the relatively short distance travel took 3 days, so the transported people used to arrive already dead.

Today only 3 Jews live in Zamość.

Architecture

The most historic buildings are located in the Old Town. The main distinguishing features of the Old Town have been well preserved since its establishment. It includes the regular Great Market Square of 100 x 100 meters with the splendid Townhall and so-called Armenian houses, as well as the fragments of the original fortress and fortifications, including those from the period of the Russian occupation in the 19th century.[9]

Jan Zamoyski commissioned the Italian architect Bernardo Morando to design the city that would be based on the anthropomorphic concept. Its "head" was to be the Zamoyski palace, "backbone" Grodzka Street, crossing the Great Market Square from east to west, in the direction of the palace, and with the "arms" embodied by 10 streets intersecting the main streets: Solna street (north of the Great Market Square) and Bernardo Morando street (south of the Great Market Square). In these streets, the other squares were placed: Salt Square (Rynek Solny) and Water Square (Rynek Wodny), functioning as the "internal organs" of the city whereas the bastions are the "hands and legs" for self-defense.[10]

Panorama of the Old Town

Education

The Courtyard of the former Academy

Zamość prides itself in the long history of educational services. The Zamojski Academy (1594–1784) was an academy founded in 1594 by Polish Crown Chancellor Jan Zamoyski. It was the fourth institution of higher education to be founded in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Academy was an institution midway between a secondary school and an institution of higher learning. It bestowed doctorates of philosophy and law. It was known for the high quality of education that it provided, which however did not extend beyond the ideals of "nobles' liberty.[11]

After the death of Zamoyski, it slowly lost its importance, and in 1784 it was downgraded to a lyceum. The present-day I Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Jana Zamoyskiego is one of several secondary schools in Zamość.

The Present look of the former Academy

Nowadays there are 9 secondary schools: 7 public (numbered from 1 to 7), one Catholic and one Social school. In addition, there are 10 primary schools: 8 public (numbered from 2 - 4 and from 6-10) as well as a Catholic and a Social primary school.

High Schools

Colleges

  • Wyższa Szkoła Humanistyczno-Ekonomiczna im. Jana Zamoyskiego
  • Wyższa Szkoła Zarządzania i Administracji
  • Państwowa Wyższa Szkoła Zawodowa w Zamościu
  • Zespół Kolegiów Nauczycielskich w Zamościu
  • University of Life Sciences in Lublin - faculty in Zamość

Economy

The city is located on the broad gauge railway line linking former Soviet Union with Upper Silesian coal and sulphur mines as well as less than 60 kilometres from the border crossings to Ukraine. Also, Zamość is located on a regular rail line, although it is not electrified. The economy of the city is based on services that is why it is dominated by numerous small and medium-sized enterprises. However, there are some large production plants, mainly food factories and companies, which is related to the dominance of agriculture in the region. These include: the Zamojskie Wheat Company (Zamojskie Zakłady Zbożowe), the Animex fodder company, the Mors frozen food producer, and a daughter company of the Dairy in Krasnystaw.

The city is also a center of know-how support for agriculture and a market for various agricultural products. In addition, the other companies include: a daughter company of the Black Red White furniture company (former Zamojskie Furniture Company), the Spomasz Zamość SA industrial and metal hardware producer, the SIPMOT agricultural machinery producer (a branch of the SIPMA Group from Lublin and a branch of Stalprodukt (former Metalplast) - producer of metal hardware and equipment from Bochnia, listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.

Culture

The Old Town together with the remains of the old Zamość Fortress constitute an urban complex inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Zamość hosts the following cultural events: concerts of music performed by the Karol Namysłowski Symphonic Orchestra in Zamość and by Polish artists representing different kinds of music, Zamość Days of Music (Zamojskie Dni Muzyki) and International Meetings of Jazz Singers (Międzynarodowe Spotkania Wokalistów Jazzowych), which is a tribute to Mieczysław Kosz, a great blind jazz player and composer who used to combine his jazz music with the Polish folk.

Jazz na Kresach is a very popular annual music festival. It dates back to 1982 and has been held since then. The festival is organised in Zamość Old Town by the Zamość Jazz Club to commemorate Mieczysław Kosz.

The Zamość Festival of Mark Grechuta aims at commemorating his works. He was a composer, singer and poet. The festival has already taken place 3 times: 7–8 September 2007, 6–7 September 2008, 4–6 September 2009. The laureates of the competition and various well-known musicians sang at this festival. The festival is held in Zamość Great Market.

In addition, the admirers of open-air performances can enjoy the Zamość Summer Theatre (Zamojskie Lato Teatralne) whereas enthusiasts of folk art can relish the performances of folk groups from all over the world during the annual "EUROFOLK" International Folk Festival. Lovers of film-making can broaden their knowledge during the Summer Film Academy and the "SACROFILM" International Religious Film Days.

Politics

Biała Podlaska/Chełm/Zamość constituency

Members of Parliament (Sejm) elected from this constituency Sławomir Zawiślak - Prawo i Sprawiedliwość

Sports

Zamość is home to a soccer team Hetman Zamość.

Famous and/or known people from Zamość

50°43′14″N 23°15′31″E / 50.72056°N 23.25861°E / 50.72056; 23.25861

Literature

Fritz Stuber, "Notes on the Revalorization of Historic Towns in Poland", in Ekistics (Athens), Vol. 49, No. 295, 1982, pp. 336–341, 3 ill.

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Poland

Twin towns — sister cities

Zamość is twinned with: OWHC cities as well as:

See also

References

  1. ^ http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/564
  2. ^ Przewodnik po Zamościu, PTTK O/Zamość, Ryszard Łapa, Edward Słoniewski, Zamość 2005
  3. ^ Lynn H. Nicholas, Cruel World: The Children of Europe in the Nazi Web p. 333 ISBN 0-679-77663-X
  4. ^ Nicholas, p. 335.
  5. ^ a b Nicholas, p. 334-5
  6. ^ Nicholas, p. 334
  7. ^ Nicholas, p. 336.
  8. ^ JewishGen.org
  9. ^ A. Kędziora: Encyklopedia miasta Zamościa. Chełm: Towarzystwo Opieki nad Zabytkami, 2000
  10. ^ See above
  11. ^ "Akademia Zamojska," Encyklopedia powszechna PWN, vol. 1, p. 36.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Zamość&oldid=406367191"