Żyrardów | |
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 Flag  Coat of arms | |
| Nickname: | |
  Żyrardów  Żyrardów | |
| Coordinates:52°3′N20°26′E / 52.050°N 20.433°E /52.050; 20.433 | |
| Country |  Poland |
| Voivodeship |  Masovian |
| County | Żyrardów County |
| Gmina | Żyrardów(urban gmina) |
| Established | 1830 |
| City rights | 1916 |
| Named after | Philippe de Girard |
| Government | |
| • City mayor | Lucjan Krzysztof Chrzanowski |
| Area | |
• Total | 14.35 km2 (5.54 sq mi) |
| Population (2006) | |
• Total | 41,161 |
| • Density | 2,868/km2 (7,429/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 |
| Designated | 2012-01-04 |
| Part of | Żyrardów – 19th-century factory settlement |
| Reference no. | Dz. U., 2012, No. 59[2] |
Żyrardów[ʐɨˈrarduf] ⓘ is a town and former industrial hub in centralPoland with approximately 41,400 inhabitants (2006). It is the capital ofŻyrardów County in theMasovian Voivodeship, 45 kilometres (28 miles) west ofWarsaw.
Żyrardów, initially a textile settlement, was named afterFrench engineer and inventorPhilippe de Girard, who worked in the area.
A textile factory founded by theŁubieński brothers opened in the village of Ruda Guzowska in 1833, after it was moved fromMarymont.[1] One of the directors of the factory was French inventorPhilippe de Girard (fromLourmarin).[1] The village developed during the 19th century into a significanttextilemill town in Poland. In honour of Girard, Ruda Guzowska was renamedŻyrardów, a toponym derived of thepolonised spelling of Girard's name.[1]
Initially, the factory's founders provided workers with good social conditions.[1] Five schools were built, a preschool for the workers' children, bathhouses and a modern hospital staffed by English doctors.[1] In 1845, theWarsaw–Vienna railway was opened with a station in Żyrardów.[1] In 1889, Żyrardów was visited by ShahNaser al-Din Shah Qajar of Iran.[1]
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The terrible working conditions and inequality of thecotton mills and textile industry in Żyrardów during the late 19th century, which was inCongress Poland (part of theRussian Empire) at the time, led to a massive strike started by the female workers employed there in 1883. This event is one of the largest and most important events in the early history of the Polish workers' movement, which focused on fighting against the colonial oppressors as well as liberating the workers of partitioned Poland. Troops were used to put down a strike in April 1883, resulting in several dead or wounded.[3] The upheavals in Żyrardów were the largest protest in Poland up until theŁódź insurrection of the1905 Revolution.[4] They remain an essential element of Polish working class history, with various forms of media dedicated to them as well as street reenactments performed annually since 2004.[5]
In the 1921 census, 90.8% of the population declaredPolish nationality, 7.5%Jewish, 1.2%German, 0.22%Czech.[6]
During theinvasion of Poland at the start ofWorld War II, with the onset of dawn on September 12, 1939, units of the8th German Army launched an attack on Żyrardów. After several hours of fierce defence of the town, the Polish army had to leave their positions and start delaying actions towardsWiskitki,Guzów,Szymanów, andPaprotnia.[7]
In 1941, the Germans transported local Jews into theWarsaw Ghetto.
ThePolish resistance organized a unit of theUnion of Armed Struggle andHome Army in Żyrardów, under the cryptonym "Żaba" ("frog").[8] In revenge for the activities of the Polish resistance, the occupiers carried out mass arrests and executions of city residents.[8] The largest arrests of over 1,000 people took place in June and August 1943.[8] The largest public execution was committed on 18 November 1943, with 24 victims. One person managed to escape.[8]German occupation ended on 16 January 1945.[8]
From 1975 to 1998, Żyrardów was administratively located in theSkierniewice Voivodeship.
The town museum is nowadays located in the former palace of owner of factory K. Dittrich. A sign near the entrance to the little city states that it was the only town in Europe entirely set up for a factory. The city was named one of Poland's official nationalHistoric Monuments (Pomnik historii), as designated 17 January, 2012. Its listing is maintained by theNational Heritage Board of Poland.
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 complete 19th-century urban industrial complex to be preserved in Europe.
Since 1923 Żyrardów has afootball club named Żyrardowianka Żyrardów (formerly Włókniarz Żyrardów), which in 2015/2016 played in the PolishIV League.
Żyrardów istwinned with:
Seat:Żyrardów (urban gmina) | ||
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