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- Perhaps, we could go just for
a day to Wschowa?
- To Wschowa, for a day? A week would not be enough
for all there is to do in Wschowa...
- O.K., but what about accommodation?
- If there are no rooms in Wschowa’s hotels, "Bajka"
or OsiR, or in "Hubertus" motel in Dębowa Ł±ka,
we will certainly find something at the campsite
in Lgiń.
Here it is - the ancient Wielkopolska and Lubuska
Wschowa. It is ancient as it was mentioned in
the papal bulla of Innocent II to the archbishop
of Gniezno in 1136. Kazimierz the Great, on the
other hand, probably as he noted the trade importance
of the town located on the route from Łużyce and
Silesia to Wielkopolska and in recognition of
Wschowa residents’ courage in battles, gave it
the name of a royal town and made it a seat of
the starostwo grodzkie (urban starosty) while
joining it to Wielkopolska.
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Urz±d Miasta i Gminy Wschowa/
Wschowa Town and Muncipality Office
Rynek 1,
67-400 Wschowa
Telefony: (65) 5402426; 5401191
Faks: (65) 5401340
e-mail: wschowa@wschowa.pl
www.wschowa.pl |
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Wschowa’s location has always been important
to the town: today it is halfway between Leszno
and Głogów, and the new administrative organization
place the municipality in Lubuskie Voivodship,
although on border with Wielkopolska and Lower
Silesia.
Some 15 thousand people live in Wschowa, and 22
thousand - in the Wschowa municipality. Wschowa
used to be the biggest town in the Wielkopolska
region and one of major towns in Poland, an important
cloth production center - at present it is an
important industry, services and vocational training
center and the local industry is represented by
the food sector (sugar production, milk and meat
processing), furniture and textile industries,
production of communal equipment, machine tools
repairs. Hence, there is many a "tymf" (silver
coin) to Wschowa, to paraphrase the old Polish
saying. These coins (jokes aside) were minted
here since 1646 by a certain Andrzej Tymf - and
these were the first Polish silver Zloty coins,
called "tymf" due to his name.
Lets start the visit to Wschowa at the Old Town,
where the Medieval urban composition on the oval
plan has been maintained. And in the very center
the Neo Roman Town Hall, build for the medieval
councilors, rebuilt to its present form. Actually,
everything here is entwined in history. These
buildings behind the Town Hall for instance (beautifully
renovated in the 1990s)... And the Wschowa Land
Museum with the exposition of beautiful Saxon
porcelain and rather depressing coffin portraits
is located in the Renaissance tenement houses.
From here, it is just a short walk to the Parish
Church (a must see) rebuilt at the end of the
17th century according to the design of Pompeo
Ferrari.
There is quite a number of temples and religious
monuments in Wschowa. All of them show the stormy
history of the town. "And when the Christianity
came, at once they began building churches" -
wrote Józef Joneman, Judge of Peace in Wschowski
Poviat, in his "History of Wschowa Land and its
Capital Town of Wschowa". That is why "the citizens
of the town funded the cloister for the Bernardines"
and the monks came to the town in mid 15th century
- though just for a hundred years. But Wschowa
residents were a mixture of religions. Yes there
were Catholics but also Lutherans with Waleriusz
Herberger (16/17th century) called little Luther,
one of the most famous protestant theologians.
Still today we can admire the Lapidarium - the
country’s unique collection of protestant tomb
art; there is also a 17th century post-Lutheran
collection. But well, if anyone prefers laic buildings,
they will find 19th century manor houses and palace-and-park
complexes in the Municipality. And you must pay
a visit to the bull named Ilon that has... a monument
which is to remind for ever of the Holsztyn-Frisian
bulls bred in Osowa Sień. In the older days, the
today’s pedestal of this renowned herd progenitor
used to be occupied by the chancellor Bismarck
himself! Well, history has its own ways...
Then you can take a trip down the yellow path
- to all these legally protected beautiful places
of Przemęcki Park, to the picturesque lakes surrounded
with forests. But also in Wschowa, when you walk
in the parks, you can stop by the oaks, plane-trees,
elms - monuments of nature.
Yes, it is worth to come to Wschowa. Listen to
the history, listen to the nature...
Ewa Kłodzińska
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