Bochnia

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Bochnia

Bochnia is a town of 30,000 inhabitants on the river Raba

Raba River

The Raba is a river in the south of Poland, right tributary to the river Vistula. Its source is in the Beskids, between the towns of Rabka-Zdr?j and Nowy Targ....
in southern Poland

Poland

Kraków

Krak?w , in English also spelled Krakow or Cracow , is one of the largest and oldest cities in Poland, with a population of 756,336 in 2007 ....
. It is most noted for its salt mine, the oldest functioning in Europe

Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
, built circa 1248.

Since Poland's administrative reorganization in 1999, Bochnia has been the administrative capital of Bochnia County

Bochnia County

Bochnia County is a unit of territorial administration and local government in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, southern Poland. It was created on January 1, 1999 as a result of the Local Government Reorganization Act of 1998....
in Lesser Poland Voivodeship

Lesser Poland Voivodeship

Lesser Poland Voivodeship is a voivodeship, or province, in southern Poland. It has an area of , and a population of 3,267,731 .It was created on January 1, 1999, out of the former Krak?w Voivodeship, Tarn?w Voivodeship, Nowy Sacz Voivodeship and parts of Bielsko-Biala Voivodeship and Katowice Voivodeship Voivodeships, pursuant to the 199...
. Before reorganization it was part of Tarnów Voivodeship

Tarnów Voivodeship

Tarn?w Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in years 1975–1998, superseded by Lesser Poland Voivodeship....
.

History
Bochnia is one of the oldest cities of Lesser Poland

Lesser Poland

Discussion

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Encyclopedia

Bochnia is a town of 30,000 inhabitants on the river Raba

Raba River

The Raba is a river in the south of Poland, right tributary to the river Vistula. Its source is in the Beskids, between the towns of Rabka-Zdr?j and Nowy Targ....
in southern Poland

Poland

Kraków

Europe

Bochnia County

Lesser Poland Voivodeship

Tarnów Voivodeship

Tarn?w Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in years 1975–1998, superseded by Lesser Poland Voivodeship....
.

History

Bochnia is one of the oldest cities of Lesser Poland

Lesser Poland

Lesser Poland is one of the historical regions of Poland. It forms the southeastern corner of the country. It should not be confused with the modern Lesser Poland Voivodeship, which covers just a part of the historical region of Lesser Poland...
. The first known source mentioning the city is a letter of 1198, wherein Aymar the Monk, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem is the title given to the Latin Rite Catholic Archbishop of Jerusalem. The Archdiocese of Jerusalem has jurisdiction for all Latin Rite Catholics in Israel and Palestine....
, confirmed a donation by local magnate Mikora Gryfit to the monastery

Monastery

Monastery , a term derived from the Greek language word ???ast?????, neut. of ???ast????? - monasterios denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of Monk, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in Cenobium or alone ....
of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre

Order of the Holy Sepulchre

The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem is a Catholic chivalric order of Knighthood that traces its roots to Godfrey of Bouillon, principal leader of the First Crusade....
in Miechów

Miechów

Miech?w [] is a town in Poland, in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, about 40 km north of Krak?w. It is the capital of Miech?w County. Population is 11,852 ....
. The discovery of a major vein of rock salt

Halite

Halite is the mineral form of sodium chloride, sodiumchlorine, commonly known as rock salt. Halite forms Cubic crystals. The mineral is typically colorless to yellow, but may also be light blue, dark blue, and pink depending on the amount and type of impurities....
at the site of the present mine in 1248 led to the granting of city privileges (Magdeburg rights

Magdeburg rights

Magdeburg Rights or Magdeburg Law were a set of German town laws regulating the degree of internal autonomy within cities and villages granted with it by a local ruler....
) on 27 February 1253 by Boleslaw V the Chaste

Boleslaw V the Chaste

Boleslaw V the Chaste or the Shy was the son of Leszek the White. Several years after the death of Henry the Pious at the battle of Legnica , he became prince in Krak?w, and thus the predominant prince in fragmented Poland....
.

Town & sights

The oldest salt mine
Salt mine

A salt mine is an operation involved in the mining of edible salt from rock salt or halite, a type of evaporite deposit. Areas known for their salt mines include Khewra in Pakistan, Tuzla in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Wieliczka and Bochnia in Poland, Hallstatt and Salzkammergut in Austria, de:Rheinberg#Infrastruktur und Wirtschaft in Germany,...
in Europe and in the world (13th century), is an underground town today.
St. Nicholas Basilica
Old town and historical buildings
Statues of Leopold Okulicki
Leopold Okulicki

General Leopold Okulicki was a Polish general of the Polish Army and the last commander of the anti-Nazi Germany underground Home Army during World War II....
and Casimir III of Poland
Casimir III of Poland

Casimir III the Great , last List of Polish monarchs from the Piast dynasty , was the son of King Wladyslaw I the Elbow-high and Jadwiga of Gniezno and Greater Poland....
The Older parts of the cemetery at Oracka Street
The Catholic cemetery
The Jewish cemetery

Salt Mine

The Bochnia Salt Mine (Polish: kopalnia soli w Bochni) is one of the oldest salt mines in the world and the oldest one in Poland

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian Enclave and exclave, to the north....
and Europe. The mine was established between the 12th and 13th centuries after salt was discovered in Bochnia. The mines measure 4,5 kilometres in length and 468 metres in depth at 16 different levels. Deserted chambers, shafts and passages form a so called underground town, which is now open to sightseers. The largest of the preserved chambers has been converted into a sanatorium.

Education

Wyzsza Szkola Ekonomiczna

Notable Residents

St. Stanislaw Szczepanowski
Stanislaus of Szczepanów

Saint Stanislaw Szczepanowski or Saint Stanislaus of Szczepan?w was a Bishop of Krak?w known chiefly for having been martyred by List of Polish monarchs Boleslaw II the Bold....
, Poland's first native saint
List of saints

This is an incomplete list of Christian saints in alphabetical order by Christian name, but if necessary by surname, the place or attribute part of name as well....
.
Ralph Modjeski
Ralph Modjeski

Ralph Modjeski was a Poland-born United States engineer who achieved prominence as a pre-eminent bridge designer in the United States....
(Rudolf Modrzejewski), notable engineer in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, born 1861 to actress Helena Modjeska
Helena Modjeska

Helena Modjeska , was a renowned Poland, European and United States actress who specialized in Shakespearean and tragic roles.Modjeska was the mother of bridge engineer Ralph Modjeski....
.
Jan V. Mládek (Jan Viktor Mládek, 1912 Bochnia – 1989 Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the Capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790....
), Czechoslovak economist, official of its exile government during World War II working with John M. Keynes and on preparations of the International Monetary Fund
International Monetary Fund

The International Monetary Fund is an international organization that oversees the global financial system by following the macroeconomic policies of its member countries, in particular those with an impact on exchange rates and the balance of payments....
and Bretton Woods agreements, official of IMF for nearly 30 years, with his wife Meda Mládková established a foundation sponsoring work of Central European artists.
Bernhard Storch - World War II hero
Ludwik Stasiak
Ludwik Stasiak

Ludwik Stasiak , was a Poland painter, illustrator, writer, journalist, essayist and publisher.After graduation from the renowned Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts, he traveled across Europe and studied fine arts in Vienna and Munich ....
, Polish painter, writer and publicist.

Twin towns

Bad Salzdetfurth

is a town in the Hildesheim , in Lower Saxony, Germany....
, Cavtat

Cavtat

Cavtat is a town in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia. It is on the Adriatic Sea seacoast 15 km south of Dubrovnik and is the center of the Konavle municipality....
, Kežmarok

Kežmarok

Ke?marok is a town in the Spi? region of eastern Slovakia , on the Poprad River....
, Roselle

Roselle, Illinois

Roselle is a village located in both Cook County, Illinois and DuPage County, Illinois. Roselle is located in the northern edge of DuPage County 30 miles from downtown Chicago....

Bochnia

History

Town & sights

Salt Mine

Education

Notable Residents

Twin towns

See also

External links