Pilica, Silesian Voivodeship

Pilica
Rynek (Market Square)
Rynek (Market Square)
Coat of arms of Pilica
Coat of arms
Pilica is located in Poland
Pilica
Pilica
Coordinates: 50°27′59″N 19°39′24″E / 50.46639°N 19.65667°E / 50.46639; 19.65667
Country Poland
Voivodeship Silesian
CountyZawiercie
GminaPilica
Town rightsabout 1393
Government
 • MayorArtur Janosik (PSL)
Area
 • Total
8.22 km2 (3.17 sq mi)
Population
 (2019-06-30[1])
 • Total
1,936
 • Density236/km2 (610/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
42-436
Car platesSZA
Websitewww.pilica.pl

Pilica (Polish pronunciation: [piˈlit͡sa]) is a town in Zawiercie County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland,[2] with 1,936 inhabitants (2019).

History

Pilica Palace in the 1920s

Since the beginning of its existence, Pilica was part of the historic Lesser Poland region. In accordance with the testament of Duke Bolesław III Wrymouth (1138), it became part of the Seniorate Province. The town rights were granted in around 1393.

After 1815, it was located in the Russian Partition of Poland. Several years after the January Uprising, Pilica lost its town privileges under the Tsar's ukase from June 1, 1869.[3] After World War I, in 1918, Poland regained independence and control of Pilica. Town rights were restored in 1994.

Jewish community

Jews are first mentioned in Pilica in 1581, when they are accused of insulting the host.[4] The historian Meier Balaban notes in his book The History of the Jews of Kraków and Kazimierz 1304–1868 (in Polish): “In the 16th Century the Jewish Kehilla of Krakow was subdivided into seven regional districts: Olkusz, Chrzanow, Wisnicz, Sacz, Bobowa, Pilica, Bedzin, Oshpitzin, and Wolbrom.”[4]

Rabbi Pinchas Eliyahu Rotenberg, the nephew of Rabbi Yitzchak Meir Alter of Gur, was rabbi of the town until his death in 1903.[5]

Synagogue in the 1930s

In 1905 Pilica became a famous centre of Hasidism. After a famous tzaddik from Góra Kalwaria died – Rabbi Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter – a considerable number of Hasidim started to go on pilgrimages to the rabbi's brother-in-law, Rabbi Pinchas Menachem Justman author of Siftei Tzadik. The latter, on the other hand, was Pilica's rabbi.[6]

By 1921, the majority of the town's residents were Jewish, with a Jewish population of 1,877 compared to a population of 3,299 overall.[5] The town was occupied by the German army in September 1939. 2,000 Jews were kept imprisoned in a ghetto. In 1942, all the Jews were firstly transferred to the Wolbrom ghetto and then to the concentration camps. Today, no Jews live in Pilica.[4]

References

  1. ^ "Population. Size and structure and vital statistics in Poland by territorial division in 2019. As of 30th June". stat.gov.pl. Statistics Poland. 2019-10-15. Retrieved 2020-03-21.
  2. ^ "Główny Urząd Statystyczny" [Central Statistical Office] (in Polish). To search: Select "Miejscowości (SIMC)" tab, select "fragment (min. 3 znaki)" (minimum 3 characters), enter town name in the field below, click "WYSZUKAJ" (Search).
  3. ^ Szetetl. "Pilica - History". Museum of the History of Polish Jews. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
  4. ^ a b c "Virtual Shtetl-Pilica-History". www.sztetl.org. Virtual Shtetl. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  5. ^ a b Shmuel Levin and Wila Orbach, translated by Judy Montel (April 2002). "Pilica" (PDF). The Kielce-Radom Special Interest Group Journal. Spring 2002. 6 (2): 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  6. ^ "Gazeta Kielecka" (78). 1906. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilica,_Silesian_Voivodeship