Żyrardów
Żyrardów | |
|---|---|
 Historical pension lodge | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Żyrardów  Żyrardów | |
| Coordinates: 52°3′N 20°26′E / 52.050°N 20.433°E | |
| Country |  Poland |
| Voivodeship |  Masovian |
| County | Żyrardów County |
| Gmina | Żyrardów (urban gmina) |
| Established | 1830 |
| Town rights | 1916 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Wojciech Jasiński |
| Area | |
| • Total | 14.35 km2 (5.54 sq mi) |
| Population (2006) | |
| • Total | 41,161 |
| • Density | 2,900/km2 (7,400/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 96-300 |
| Area code | +48 046 |
| Car plates | WZY |
| Website | www |
Żyrardów [ʐɨˈrarduf] is a town and former industrial hub in central Poland with approximately 41,400 inhabitants (2006). It is the capital of Żyrardów County situated in the Masovian Voivodeship (since 1999); previously, it was in Skierniewice Voivodeship (1975–1998) 45 kilometres (28 miles) west of Warsaw. Żyrardów, initially a textile settlement, was named after French engineer and inventor Philippe de Girard, who worked in the area.
History
Founded by the Łubieński brothers as a textile factory in 1833. One of the directors of the factory was French inventor Philippe de Girard (from Lourmarin). The town developed during the 19th century into a significant textile mill town in Poland. In honour of Girard, Ruda Guzowska was renamed Żyrardów, a toponym derived of the polonised spelling of Girard's name.
On September 13, 1939 Germany captured the town. In 1941 they transported Jews into Warsaw ghetto. The town museum is nowadays located in the former palace of owner of factory K. Dittrich. A sign near the entrance to the town states that it was the only city in Europe, entirely set up for a factory. The town was named one of Poland's official national Historic Monuments (Pomnik historii), as designated January 17, 2012. Its listing is maintained by the National Heritage Board of Poland.
Monuments
Most of Żyrardów's monuments are located in the manufacturing area which dates from the 19th and early 20th centuries. It is widely believed that Żyrardów's textile settlement is the only whole urban industrial 19th-century complex to be preserved in Europe.
Education
- Szkoła Mistrzostwa Sportowego w Kolarstwie
- Wyższa Szkoła Rozwoju Lokalnego
- Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Stefana Żeromskiego
- Zespół Szkół Publicznych nr. 7 im. Henryka Sienkiewicza w Żyrardowie
Sport
Since 1923 Żyrardów has a football club named Żyrardowianka Żyrardów (it used to be named Włókniarz Żyrardów), which in 2015/2016 was part of IV League of polish football.
Notable people
- Feliks Łubieński (1758–1848), landowner who gave the estate and his blessing to his sons to build the very first textile factory
- Henryk Łubieński (1793–1883), banker and industrialist, son of Felix
- Feliks Sobański (1833–1913), philanthropist who donated land for the church
- Paweł Hulka-Laskowski (1881–1946), a writer, translator and social activist
- Leszek Miller (born 1946), former Prime Minister of Poland, started his professional life as electrician in a local textile factory
- Piotr Nowakowski (born 1987), volleyball player, double World Champion
International relations
Twin towns — Sister cities
Żyrardów is twinned with:
External links
- Official Site of Żyrardów
- A web page of the history of Żyrardów (in Polish)
- Current Population
- Memorial Book of Zyrardow, Amshinov and Viskit
- Jewish Community in Żyrardów on Virtual Shtetl
Seat: Żyrardów (urban gmina) | ||
| Urban-rural gmina |  | |
| Rural gminas | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
