Leszno | |
|---|---|
 Stary Rynek (Old Market Square) andRatusz (Town Hall) | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
| Motto(s): "Leszno — rozwiń skrzydła" "Leszno — spread your wings" | |
  Leszno | |
| Coordinates:51°50′45″N16°34′50″E / 51.84583°N 16.58056°E /51.84583; 16.58056 | |
| Country |  Poland |
| Voivodeship |  Greater Poland |
| County | city county |
| First mentioned | 1393 |
| City rights | 1547 |
| Government | |
| • City mayor | Grzegorz Rusiecki (PO) |
| Area | |
• Total | 31.9 km2 (12.3 sq mi) |
| Population (31 December 2021) | |
• Total | 62,200 [1] |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 64-100 to 64-110 |
| Area code | +48 065 |
| Car plates | PL |
| Website | www |
Leszno (Polish pronunciation:[ˈlɛʂnɔ],German:Lissa,[a][ˈlɪsa]) is a historic city in westernPoland, seat ofLeszno County within theGreater Poland Voivodeship.[2] It is the seventh-largest city in the province with an estimated population of 62,200, as of 2021.[1]
Leszno is a former residential city of prominent Polish magnate families ofLeszczyński andSułkowski, including KingStanisław Leszczyński, under whose patronage it flourished to become one of the major economic and cultural centers of Greater Poland, as reflected in the variety of landmarks, especially of theBaroque period.
Located on ahighway andrailway line at about half the distance between the two main cities of western Poland,Poznań andWrocław, Leszno is the largest city of south-western Greater Poland and a major location for industry, services and tourism. It is particularly well known as the location of an annual air show with attendance reaching tens of thousands of people from various countries, and as the home ofUnia Leszno, one of the most accomplishedmotorcycle speedway clubs.
The city's unrecorded history dates to the 13th century. It was first mentioned in historical documents in 1393, when the estate was the property of a noble named Stefan Karnin-Wieniawa. The family eventually adopted the nameLeszczyński (literal meaning "of Leszno"), derived from the name of their estate, as was the custom among thePolish nobility.[3]
In around 1516, a community of Protestants known as theUnity of the Brethren (Unitas fratrum) were expelled from theBohemian lands by KingVladislaus II and settled in Leszno. They were invited by theLeszczyński family,imperial counts since 1473 and who had converted toCalvinism. The arrival of the Bohemian Protestants, in addition to weavers from nearbySilesia, helped the settlement to grow.
In 1547 it became a town by a privilege according toMagdeburg Law granted by KingSigismund I of Poland. Leszno was aprivate town, administratively located in the Wschowa County in thePoznań Voivodeship in theGreater Poland Province.[4] Leszno became the largest printing center in Greater Poland thanks to the activity of the Protestant community. Their numbers grew with the inflow of refugees from Silesia,Bohemia, andMoravia during theThirty Years War.
In 1631, Leszno was vested with further privileges by KingSigismund III Vasa, who made it equal with the most important cities of Poland such asKraków,Gdańsk andWarsaw. By the 17th century, the town had a renownedGymnasium (school), which was headed byJan Amos Komenský (known in English as Comenius), an educator and the last bishop of the Unity of the Brethren.[5]Johann Heermann, a German-speaking poet, lived in Leszno from 1638 until his death in 1647. Between 1636 and 1639, the town became fortified and its area increased.[5]
The era of Leszno's prosperity and cultural prominence ended during theSecond Northern War, when the town was burnt down on 28 April 1656 by Polish forces faithful to King John Cassimir Vasa in retribution for letting in Swedish forces by protestant majority of burghers.[6] Quickly rebuilt afterwards, it was set on fire again during theGreat Northern War byRussian forces in 1707 and was ravaged byplague in 1709.
The Leszczyński family owned the city until 1738, when KingStanislaus I Leszczynski sold it toAleksander Józef Sułkowski following his abdication.[3] One of two main routes connectingWarsaw andDresden ran through Leszno in the 18th century and KingsAugustus II the Strong andAugustus III of Poland often traveled that route.[7]
In theSecond Partition of Poland in 1793, Leszno was annexed by theKingdom of Prussia, within which it was referred to asLissa. In 1807 it was taken by Napoleon'sGrand Armee and included within the newly established but short-lived PolishDuchy of Warsaw.
Following Napoleon's defeat in theNapoleonic Wars, in 1815 the town was reannexed by Prussia, initially as part of the semi-autonomousGrand Duchy of Posen. The town was subjected toGermanisation policies. Nevertheless, Polish press was issued in the town (Przyjaciel Ludu) and in the 1840s, Polish historian, geographer and former officerStanisław Plater published theMała Encyklopedia Polska [pl] ("Little Polish Encyclopedia"), one of the pioneering 19th-century Polish encyclopedias, in the town. In 1871 it became part of Germany, and in 1887, it became the administrative seat of the PrussianKreis Lissa.
AfterWorld War I, in November 1918, Poland regained independence. Shortly after theGreater Poland Uprising of 1918–19 broke out, attempting to reintegrate Greater Poland and Leszno with Poland. The first local battles of the uprising took place in the area on December 28, 1918.[8] Afterward the city became part of the newly establishedSecond Polish Republic under theTreaty of Versailles, with effect from 17 January 1920. The local populace had to acquire Polish citizenship. In the interbellum, Leszno was a county seat within the PolishPoznań Voivodeship. In 1924, a monument dedicated to the Polish insurgents of 1918–19 was erected.[8]
During the joint German-Sovietinvasion of Poland, which startedWorld War II in September 1939, the town was annexed byNazi Germany and incorporated intoReichsgau Wartheland. The Germans carried out mass arrests of Poles accused of "anti-German activities". Attending church services and having private meetings in Polish households were considered suspect activities.[9] A prison for Poles was established in the local monastery, where more than 200 people had already been imprisoned in September 1939 during theIntelligenzaktion.[10] The Polish population wasexpelled to theGeneral Government (German-occupied central Poland).
Most of the town'sJewish population (which had included such notablerabbis asLeo Baeck andJacob of Lissa, as well as the writerLudwig Kalisch) and the remaining Poles were massacred by the NaziEinsatzgruppen, which entered the town in September 1939.[11] A notable public execution of 20 Poles, members of the"Sokół" Polish Gymnastic Society, former Polish insurgents of 1918–19, a local teacher, and a lawyer, was carried out in Leszno by theEinsatzgruppe VI on October 21, 1939.[12] Poles who were initially imprisoned in Leszno were also murdered in nearby towns and villages ofPoniec,Osieczna,Włoszakowice andRydzyna.[13] Poles from Leszno were also among the victims of the largeKatyn massacre committed by the Russians in April–May 1940.[14]
Already in late 1939, the Germans expelled over 1,000 Poles, including families of Poles murdered in various massacres, in addition teachers, local officials, activists, former insurgents, and owners of shops and workshops, which were then handed over toGerman colonists as part of theLebensraum policy.[15] A transit camp for Poles expelled from various nearby settlements was established in the local school.[15] Poles were held there several days, their money, valuables and food were confiscated, and then they were either deported toTomaszów Mazowiecki orŁódź in German-occupied central Poland or sent to local German colonists or to Germany asslave labour.[16]
Despite such circumstances, local Poles organized anunderground resistance movement, which included theOgniwo andŚwit organizations, the secret youth organizationTajna Siódemka and structures of thePolish Underground State.[17]Polish underground press was printed in Leszno.[18] TheGerman occupation ended in 1945, and the town returned to Poland.
The pre-war monument of the Greater Poland insurgents was restored in 1957.[8] The town underwent a period of fast development especially between 1975 and 1998 when it was a seat of avoivodeship administrative area.[19] In 1991, a monument to theConstitution of 3 May 1791 and the heroes of the fights for Poland's independence was unveiled,[8] and in 1995, a memorial to the victims of theKatyn massacre was unveiled.[20] From 1975 to 1998, it was the capital of theLeszno Voivodeship. In 2000, the city was awarded "The Golden Star of Town Twinning" prize by theEuropean Commission.[21]
Leszno has anoceanic climate (Köppen:Cfb) although notably withwarm summer continental characteristics (Dfb), typical of inland west and south polish.[22][23]
| Climate data for Leszno (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1958–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 16.9 (62.4) | 20.4 (68.7) | 24.0 (75.2) | 30.0 (86.0) | 31.6 (88.9) | 37.6 (99.7) | 37.0 (98.6) | 37.8 (100.0) | 34.9 (94.8) | 27.5 (81.5) | 20.1 (68.2) | 16.6 (61.9) | 37.8 (100.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 2.5 (36.5) | 4.2 (39.6) | 8.5 (47.3) | 15.1 (59.2) | 19.7 (67.5) | 23.1 (73.6) | 25.4 (77.7) | 25.1 (77.2) | 19.8 (67.6) | 13.8 (56.8) | 7.6 (45.7) | 3.6 (38.5) | 14.0 (57.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −0.3 (31.5) | 0.6 (33.1) | 3.9 (39.0) | 9.2 (48.6) | 13.8 (56.8) | 17.2 (63.0) | 19.3 (66.7) | 18.9 (66.0) | 14.2 (57.6) | 9.1 (48.4) | 4.3 (39.7) | 0.9 (33.6) | 9.3 (48.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −3.2 (26.2) | −2.7 (27.1) | −0.2 (31.6) | 3.4 (38.1) | 7.8 (46.0) | 11.1 (52.0) | 13.2 (55.8) | 13.1 (55.6) | 9.2 (48.6) | 5.1 (41.2) | 1.4 (34.5) | −1.8 (28.8) | 4.7 (40.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −28.8 (−19.8) | −26.9 (−16.4) | −24.4 (−11.9) | −7.4 (18.7) | −4.3 (24.3) | −1.4 (29.5) | 2.2 (36.0) | 0.8 (33.4) | −3.3 (26.1) | −8.0 (17.6) | −15.8 (3.6) | −25.5 (−13.9) | −28.8 (−19.8) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 35.5 (1.40) | 31.3 (1.23) | 39.8 (1.57) | 28.8 (1.13) | 53.6 (2.11) | 57.6 (2.27) | 77.5 (3.05) | 70.4 (2.77) | 46.5 (1.83) | 38.2 (1.50) | 34.4 (1.35) | 35.7 (1.41) | 549.2 (21.62) |
| Average extreme snow depth cm (inches) | 4.0 (1.6) | 4.6 (1.8) | 2.5 (1.0) | 0.6 (0.2) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.2 (0.1) | 1.5 (0.6) | 3.6 (1.4) | 4.6 (1.8) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.1 mm) | 17.13 | 14.60 | 14.03 | 10.83 | 13.23 | 13.00 | 14.17 | 13.10 | 11.60 | 13.83 | 14.73 | 17.63 | 167.90 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0 cm) | 12.7 | 11.8 | 4.9 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 2.3 | 8.2 | 40.7 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 86.7 | 83.3 | 78.0 | 69.6 | 70.8 | 71.3 | 70.8 | 71.4 | 78.3 | 83.7 | 88.7 | 88.2 | 78.4 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 53.9 | 76.2 | 123.9 | 204.1 | 245.0 | 246.9 | 255.1 | 244.0 | 165.1 | 113.3 | 58.5 | 43.2 | 1,829.4 |
| Source 1: Institute of Meteorology and Water Management[24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Meteomodel.pl (records, relative humidity 1991–2020)[32][33][34] | |||||||||||||
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The Leszno motorcycle club was founded on May 8, 1938. The club was re-established May 2, 1946 after World War II. On July 28, 1949 the Leszno motorcycle club changed its name to Unia Leszno Speedway Club. Some rules and regulations were revised as well. The Unia Leszno has been a very successful club that has won many awards and medals throughout the years. The Unia Leszno Speedway Club has won over 78 different medals since the formation of the club.
The Leszno Aero Club is the largest airfield in the Wielkopolska area. The Aero Club belongs to thePolish Aero Club central gliding school. The Aero Club in Leszno hosted the world gliding championship in 1958, 1969, and 2003. It is the only place that has done so. The Aero Club also has a pilot school called the Central Gliding school. The school has been around for over 50 years and was managed by pilotIrena Kempówna in the 1950s and 1960s.[35]
The Klub Sportowy Polonia Leszno was formed in 1912 in Leszno. It is an indoor soccer field. The first President of the club was Marcin Giera. The club did not gain much popularity until after World War II when official teams started playing there. Prior to World War I most of the people that played there were locals.
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Leszno istwinned with:
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| Geographic | |
