Oswiecim town belongs to one from oldest castellan castle Polish ones. But it does not possess certificates of its own, and also did not remain direct sources related to its beginnings. Even a name of this old settlement is mentioned for first time only in medieval chronicles. Here are presented the most important facts from history of our town, as well as a Legend on Alliance with River, being an inseparable element of scenery of the town:

• About the year 1179 - Casimir the Just, the duke of Cracow, assigned the Oswiecim castellany on behalf of his own nephew Mieszko Platonogi, duke of Opole and a lord on Raciborz. (Separation of Oswiecim castellany from Cracow Duchy caused no essential changes in loyal and religious status of those territories, as until year 1821 they were subjected to Cracow diocese).
• About year 1272 - Under a rule of Wladyslaw I, the duke of Opole, Oswiecim received municipal rights, imitating Lower-Silesian Lwowek ones. (Lwowek rights were one of Polish versions of German Magdeburg rights). Oswiecim at the time get also a privilege of town headship.
• About year 1281 - In result of partition of Opole Duchy, the Oswiecim castellany entered into a newly created by this partition Cieszyn Duchy.
• Year 1291(September 3) - Oswiecim received confirmation of already possessed municipal rights, extended now additionally for new judicial and economic privileges.
• Years 1312 - 1317 - From partition of Cieszyn Duchy there was established an independent, neither from Polish nor from Bohemian Kingdoms, new duchy, with capital in Oswiecim, which an independent sovereign became prince Wladyslaw.
• Year 1327 (February 24) - Duke Jan called Scholastic paid homage to Jan of Luxembourg, the king of Bohemia. It was an act of important consequences, because it subjected the Oswiecim Duchy on above hundred years under influences of Bohemian Kingdom.
• Year 1445 (January 19) - Further partition of Oswiecim Duchy into three new ones: Oswiecim, Zator and Toszek Duchies. The sovereign of Oswiecim Duchy remained duke Jan IV.
• Year 1457r (February 21) - Duke Jan IV sold to Kazimierz Jagiellonczyk, the King of Poland, the Oswiecim Duchy, so the person of the king linked up the Oswiecim Duchy together with the town with the Polish Kingdom.
• Year 1564r (25 of February) - Zygmunt August, the King of Poland gave on the Warsaw Sejm an incorporation privilege, stating the Oswiecim and Zator Duchies became integral elements of the Polish Kingdom. (Zator Duchy was in 1494r bought by the king Jan Olbracht.) These Duchies since the moment of full incorporation administratively joint the Cracow district, as the Silesian administrative region, simultaneously maintained their own titles of Duchies. An official tongue remained Polish one.
• Greatest calamities of the former town were fires, and in half of XVII century, a period of Swedish wars began an economic regression of Oswiecim.
• Year 1772r - As a result of first partition of Poland, as well Oswiecim and Zator Duchies as another Southern districts of Polish Kingdom found themselves in a scope of Austrian annexation, as a part of Austrian land, Galicja.
• Year 1793 - Austrian emperor Francis II confirmed to Oswiecim all received from preceding sovereigns privileges, extending them by a right to 12 fairs a year, and granted beside it a title of municipal town and a new blazon.
• II half of XIX century. - Oswiecim becomes an important railway junction, as gathered there at the time three railway lines.
• Year 1863 (August 23) - Took its place sever in results fire. There were there burned then some 2/3 of the town, including a building of town hall, an upper part of a parish church and two synagogues.
• Years 1872 - 1875 - There was constructed a new town hall.
• Year 1874 - There was established in Oswiecim there, following an example of Cracow - a Voluntary Fire Brigade.
• Year 1881 (June 23) - The next sever fire. There were burnt down a part of parish church, presbytery, curate's house, school and hospital buildings - and more then 50 other ones.
• Year 1910 (July 1) - There was established an Oswiecim administrative region, with a seat of subprefecture in Oswiecim.
• Years 1915 - 1916 - First school year in a newly established secondary school in Oswiecim.
• Years 1917 - 1918 - On so-called "Lazy" at "Zasole" quarter there was sited a new settlement named as "Barakowe" (Hutment), "Nowe Miasto" (New Town)" or "Oswiecim III".
• Year 1918 (November 3) - Polish Liquidation Committee in Cracow appointed, for administrative Oswiecim county, a Regional Liquidation Committee (The first nucleus of official Polish civilian authorities for the Oswiecim county).
• Year 1919 (August 2) - In a newly arranged Cracow district - among 24 administrative regions there was found there the Oswiecim Administrative Region (without Kety town).
• Year 1919 (August 25) - There was established a Regional Aid Committee for Upper Silesians.
• Year 1920 (December 30) - There was established a Plebiscite Committee for Oswiecim Region.
• Year 1924 (October 26) - Solemnly there was put into service a new concrete bridge over Sola river, situated nearby the Oswiecim castle.
• Years 1929 - 1932r - Oswiecim was a seat of Regional Municipal Authorities. With the day April 1, 1932 the Oswiecim Administrative Region was dissolved, part of its area (the former Zator Duchy) was joint back to Wadowice Administrative Region; the remaining part of land was joint to Bielsko Administrative Region.
• Year 1939 (September 3 4) - Battle under Rajsko (some 5 km away from the town). - It was the last act of boundary fights waged by Army Cracow in Silesia's defence.
• Year 1939 (September 4) - Retreating from Oswiecim Polish Army blew up a bridge over Sola river, uncoupling two parts of the town located on both riverbanks.
• Year 1939 (October) - A part of Cracow district, a Bielsko Administrative Region, including Biala, Kety, Oswiecim and Wilamowice towns was incorporated to German Reich.
• Year 1940 (June 14) - To a newly established a Nazi Konzentrationslager Auschwitz (Nazi Extermination Camp Auschwitz) came the first group of Poles - political prisoners. It marked the beginning of the great human tragedy, which Oswiecim has to witness.
• Years 1940 - 1944r - The invader run many deportation and disseise actions from neighbouring to the Camp localities. German and Volksdeutsche colonists occupied free place after the deportees. (Volksdeutche - pro German collaborators, of foreign citizen roots)
• Years 1940 - 1944 Continuos reconstruction of market place and of streets in centre of the town.
• Years 1941 - 1942 - There was established a filial camps at Brzezinka (KL Auschwitz II - Birkenau), and at Monowice (KL Auschwitz III - Monowitz) and several sub-camps.
• Years 1941 - 1944 - There was constructed a new I.G. Farbenindustrie's chemical plant at Dwory near Oswiecim. It gave the beginning to present Firma Chemiczna "DWORY" (Chemical Company "Dwory" S. A.) (Until quite lately Chemical Works "Oswiecim" S. A.)
• Year 1945 (January 19) - There was led out from Auschwitz Camp the last pedestrian evacuation group of prisoners.
• Year 1945 (January) - During the last phase of liquidation of the Camp members of the SS have blown up gas chambers and crematories constructed in Birkenau Camp and have fired barracks, in which they stored properties after murdered. There was evacuated too the chemical plant as mentioned above, being at the moment under construction.
• Year 1945 (January 26) - The Auschwitz Camp was liberated.
• Year 1945 (January 27) - Soviet - Army entered Oswiecim.
• Year 1945 (January 31) - To Oswiecim - come a team of Polish Oil General Board representatives - which in the name of Polish Authorities took in possession the former I.G. Farbenindustrie's Plant at Dwory near Oswiecim.
• From half of February up to August 31,1945r - All the premises of the late Chemical Plant were taken out from Polish Authorities, by the Soviet Army. During this period Soviet technical troops, treating the Plant as a war booty started with dismounting and shipping to Russia all the technical equipment. Reacceptance of the totally destroyed Plant took place in August 31, 1945.
• Year 1945 - to end of this year - In Oswiecim there were put into a service 4 workshops and together with their development there were found many of new work places there.
• Year 1947 (July 2) - On the on grounds of former Extermination Camp (KL Auschwitz I and II (Birkenau) was formed the Auschwitz - Birkenau State Museum.
• Year 1951 (January 1) - There was established an Oswiecim Administrative Region, with its abode in Oswiecim. In scope of the Administrative Region there were included 4 towns and 6 collective communities.
• Year 1967 (April 16) - On the grounds of Auschwitz-Birkenau Camp there was an inauguration of an International Monument of Victims of Fascism.
• Year 1975 (June 1) - There was introduced a new administrative system of the country. As a result of this change the former Oswiecim Administrative Region was included into newly created Bielsko Administrative District (excluding the Brzeszcze town and the Jawiszowice community).
• Year 1979 (March 15) - Instead of used from January 1974r a tittle of The Head of the Town the Prime Minister pointed for Oswiecim a new tittle, the President of the Town.
• Year 1979 (June 7) - The pope - John Paul II visited the former Auschwitz - Birkenau Extermination Camp.
• Year 1979 - UNESCO registered the Auschwitz - Birkenau State - Museum on the List of World Heritage.
• Year 1985 (January 27) - The town was honoured with an order of Grunwald Cross of the II class.
• Year 1985 - The First Unprofessional Pictures Festival titled "To the love a man" has taken place. Festival is carried out in two years cycle, up to the present day.
• Year 1988 (May 31) - A new concrete bridge over Sola river in Oswiecim was put into service, the bridge was named "Jagiellonian".
• Year 1992 (August) - The world-wide folkloristic assemblies presented the first time themselves in frames of a Beskidy Cultural Week, and up to the present day Town is participating in this cyclical performance.
• Year 1996 -There was prepared for Oswiecim a "Governmental Strategic Programme" related with existence on the area of the town the Auschwitz - Birkenau State - Museum.
• Year 1999 (January 1) - There was introduced a new administrative system of the country. As a result of this change there were liquidated former Regional Offices and were created back Administrative Regions. Further on there was created a new Oswiecim Administrative Region including Zator, Kety, Oswiecim, Chelmek, Przeciszow, Osiek, Brzeszcze and Polanka Wielka communities. Oswiecim was pointed as the abode of the newly established Region.

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Opublikowane: 2003-02-24 (10395 odsłon)