Krzepice | |
|---|---|
 St. Jacob's church | |
 Coat of arms | |
  Krzepice | |
| Coordinates:50°58′2″N18°43′55″E / 50.96722°N 18.73194°E /50.96722; 18.73194 | |
| Country |  Poland |
| Voivodeship | Silesian |
| County | Kłobuck |
| Gmina | Krzepice |
| Established | 12th century |
| City rights | 1357 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Krystian Kotynia |
| Area | |
• Total | 27.71 km2 (10.70 sq mi) |
| Population (2019-06-30[1]) | |
• Total | 4,456 |
| • Density | 160/km2 (420/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 42-160 |
| Area code | +48 34 |
| Vehicle registration | SKL |
| Climate | Cfb |
| Website | http://krzepice.pl/ |
Krzepicepronounced[kʂɛˈpʲit͡sɛ] is a Polish town nearCzęstochowa, inKłobuck County,Silesian Voivodeship, in northwesternLesser Poland. It is near the historic border of Lesser Poland andSilesia, which goes along theLiswarta river. A few kilometers to the northwest, Lesser Poland meets another historic province of the country,Greater Poland.
For centuries, until theSecond Partition of Poland in 1793, the town belonged toLelów County of theKraków Voivodeship. Annexed by theKingdom of Prussia as part ofNew Silesia in 1807, it was passed to theDuchy of Warsaw, and thenCongress Poland. In 1918 it returned to Poland, and was part ofKielce Voivodeship. AfterWorld War II, Krzepice remained in Kielce Voivodeship until 1950, when it became part ofKatowice Voivodeship.
The name Krzepice, mentioned for the first time in 1356 asCrzepycze, comes from a last nameKrzepa; most probably, members of this family lived in the area of the town. In aLatin language medieval document of theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Wrocław (Liber fundationis episcopatus Vratislaviensis), written in 1295–1305, Krzepice is spelledCrippicz antiquum.
In theMiddle Ages, Krzepice was a border town, guarding the northwestern corner of Lesser Poland. In the 12th century, a wooden stronghold was built here, then it was replaced by a wooden castle, which in the 14th century was rebuilt into a stone complex. Today, only parts of amoat is all that remains of the castle. In 1357, KingCasimir III the Great erected a parish church. Krzepice was most probably incorporated in 1357, but there is speculation that it had taken place in the mid-13th century. In 1370, KingLouis I of Poland granted Krzepice as a temporaryfeudal fee to DukeWładysław Opolczyk. After a few years, the town was directly reintegrated with Poland. It was aroyal town of the Polish Crown, administratively located in theLelów County in theKraków Voivodeship in theLesser Poland Province.
On March 15, 1552, KingSigismund II Augustus specified the boundaries of the town. In its center there was a main market square, with six streets, and with parish church of St. Jacob. Due to convenient location, near the border withSilesia (which at that time was part ofKingdom of Bohemia), Krzepice became a local trade center, withfairs, and three market squares. This corner of theKingdom of Poland was located away from main military conflicts, and the town prospered, especially in the period known asPolish Golden Age. It changed during theSwedish invasion of Poland (1655–1656), when both Krzepice and the ancient castle were destroyed by the Swedes. Ruins of the castle remained until 1927, when they were finally demolished. The town frequently burned (1450, 1527, 1656, 1867, 1881, 1903, 1904 1906), which was due to its wooden architecture. In 1870, Russian authorities ofCongress Poland reduced Krzepice to the status of a village, as a reprisal for its inhabitants' participation in theJanuary Uprising. In 1914, a dairy cooperative was founded in Krzepice.[2] Krzepice regained its town status in 1919, when already it was part ofKielce Voivodeship of theSecond Polish Republic.
On September 3, 1939, during the Germaninvasion of Poland which startedWorld War II, German troops committed a massacre of 30 Poles in Krzepice (seeNazi crimes against the Polish nation);[3] the town was thenoccupied by Germany until 1945. Krzepice had a sizeableJewish community, 43% of the town's population, before World War II. In early 1940, the Germans set up an open typeghetto there with about 1,800 inmates, along withJudenrat and theJewish police. The Jews were forced to performslave labor until the liquidation of the ghetto in June and July 1942, when most of them were sentby train toAuschwitz extermination camp and murdered. Those who remained were deported to the ghetto inSosnowiec. Only a handful survivedthe Holocaust; most subsequently left Poland. The stone-and-brick synagogue in Krzepice, built around 1822, still stands, although unused and in a dilapidated state. The historic Jewish Cemetery is close by.[4]
Main highway connections from the Krzepice include those withWieluń (to the north-west) andCzęstochowa (to the south-east) viaNational road 43. A bypass of the town was opened in 2009. Krzepice is linked by rail toWieluń andKatowice, with a station, on a line fromHerby Nowe to Wieluń, built in 1926.
The officially protectedtraditional foods from Krzepice are local butter (masło krzepickie) andquark (twaróg krzepicki), as designated by theMinistry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland.[2][5]
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The town is home to afootball club, Liswarta Krzepice, established in 1946. It competes in the lower leagues.
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