Lublin

 

(lū'blēn) , city (1994 est. pop. 352,100), capital of Lubelskie prov., SE Poland. It is a railway junction and industrial center. Manufactures include trucks, agricultural machinery, chemicals, and foodstuffs. One of the oldest Polish towns, Lublin became the capital of a province in 1474 and the seat of a tribunal in 1578. It was the meeting place of several diets (16th–18th cent.), one of which united (1569) Poland with Lithuania. Lublin passed to Austria in 1795 and to Russia in 1815. It was (1918) the seat of a temporary Polish Socialist government. In 1941, Majdanek concentration camp was established by the Nazis in Lublin. In 1944 it was the seat of a provisional government rivaling the Polish government-in-exile in London. At the Yalta Conference (Feb., 1945) it was agreed to broaden the Lublin government by including members of the London cabinet; the Lublin government was recognized as the sole Polish authority at the Potsdam Conference (Aug., 1945). The Catholic Univ. of Lublin (founded 1918) and Maria Curie-Skłodowska Univ. are there. Lublin's most notable buildings are a 14th-century city hall (rebuilt 1787), a 14th-century castle (rebuilt 1826), and a 16th-century cathedral.

Lublin
Old Town
Flag Coat of arms
Lublin
Coordinates: 51°15′N 22°34′E / 51.25, 22.567
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Lublin
Powiat	city county
Gmina	Lublin
Established	before 12th century
City Rights	1317
Government
- Mayor	Adam Wasilewski
Area
- City	km²  ( sq mi)
Population (2006)
- City
- Density	/km² (/sq mi)
- Metro
Time zone	CET ([[UTC+1]])
- Summer (DST)	CEST ([[UTC+2]])
Postal code	20-001 to 20-999
Area code(s)	+48 81
Car Plates	LU
Website: www.um.lublin.pl

Coordinates: 51°14′N, 22°34′E

Lublin (['lublin] (help·info) is the biggest city in eastern Poland and the capital of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 355,954 (2004). It is Poland's ninth largest city.

History

The first permanent settlements on the Lublin site were established in the early Middle Ages, though archeological finds indicate a long, earlier presence of various cultures in the general area. The earliest, most significant settlement began in the 6th century, on a hill located in the suburb of Czwartek (in Polish Thursday, most likely in reference to the market day of the settlement). It is likely that the surrounding hills, notably the site of the present day Old Town, were also settled at around this time. In the 10th and 11th centuries the Czwartek settlement developed into an important trade centre. The location of Lublin at the eastern borders of the Polish lands gave it a military significance. The first fortification on the site may have been built as early as the 8th century, possibly on the Castle Hill. Certainly at the end of the 10th century a significant fortification existed there. As the castle grew, the Old Town hill adjacent to it became the main focus of settlement, and the Czwartek settlement declined in relative importance. The castle became the seat of a Castellan, first mentioned in historical sources from 1224, but quite possibly present from the start of the 12th, or even 10th century. The oldest historical document mentioning Lublin dates from 1198, so the name must have come into general use some time earlier.

The city was a target of attacks by Tatars, Ruthenes, Yotvingians and Lithuanians and was destroyed a number of times. It received a city charter in 1317. Casimir the Great, appreciating the strategic importance of the site, built a masonry castle in 1341 and encircled the city with defensive walls.

In 1392, the city received an important trade privilege from king Władysław Jagiełło, and with the coming of the peace between Poland and Lithuania developed into a great trade centre carrying a large portion of commerce between the two countries. In 1474 the area around Lublin was combined to form the Lublin Voivodeship. In the 15th century and 16th century the town grew rapidly. The largest trade fairs of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth were held in Lublin. During the 16th century the noble parliaments (sejm) were held in Lublin a number of times. On June 26, 1569, one of the most important ones proclaimed the Union of Lublin, which united Poland and Lithuania. The Lithuanian name for the city is Liublinas.

Some of the artists and writers of the Polish renaissance lived and worked in Lublin, including Sebastian Klonowic and Jan Kochanowski, who died in the city in 1584. In 1578 the Crown Tribunal was established in the city, this being the highest court of the Lesser Poland region.

Since the second half of the 16th century, Reformation movements developed in Lublin, and a large congregation of Polish Brethren was present in the city. One of Poland's most important Jewish communities was also established in Lublin around this time. It continued to be a vital part of the city's life until the community ceased to exist during the Nazi Holocaust. Between 1580 and 1764 the Jewish Council of Four Lands Arba Aracot (Sejm of 4 countries) was held in Lublin. 70 delegates of Jewish local kahals met to discuss issue of taxations and other important for Jewish communities issues.

Students came to Lublin from all over Europe to study at the yeshiva there. The yeshiva became a centre of learning of both Talmud and Kabbalah. The great scholarship of those who studied there led to the city being named the "Jewish Oxford"; the Rosh yeshiva received the title of rector and equal rights to those in Polish universities with the permission of the King in 1567.

In the 17th century, the town suffered a decline due to the Swedish invasion during the Northern Wars. After the Third of the Partitions of Poland in 1795 Lublin was located in the Austrian empire, then since 1809 in the Duchy of Warsaw, and then since 1815 in the Congress Poland under Russian rule. At the beginning of the 19th century a number of modern urban developments took place, with new squares, streets, and public buildings coming into existence. In 1877 a railway connection to Warsaw and Kovel was built, which spurred industrial development in the city. Lublin's population grew from 28,900 in 1873 to 50,150 in 1897.

The Russian rule ended in 1915, when the city was occupied by German and Austro-Hungarian armies. After the defeat of the Central Powers in 1918, the first government of independent Poland operated in Lublin for a short time. In the inter war years, the city continued to develop, its population grew, and important industrial enterprises were established, including the first aviation factory in Poland, the Plage i Laśkiewicz works, later nationalized as the LWS factory. The Catholic University of Lublin was founded in 1918. The city contained a vibrant Jewish community which formed around 40% of Lublin's population.

After the 1939 German invasion of Poland the city found itself in the General Government. During the German occupation the city's population was a target of various repressions by the occupiers, with a particularly grim fate reserved for the Jewish inhabitants. German plans were aimed towards turning Lublin into Germanised city with its population of Ethnic Germans growing towards 20-25 %, compared with 10-15% in 1939.[1].

The city served as a German headquarters for Operation Reinhardt, the main German effort to exterminate the Jews in occupied Poland. Lublin's Jewish population was forced into the Lublin ghetto established around the area of Podzamcze. The majority of the ghetto's inhabitants, about 26,000 people, were deported to the Bełżec death camp between 17 March and 11 April, 1942. The remainder were moved to facilities around Majdanek, a large concentration camp established at the outskirts of the city. Most of them were killed by the war's end. After the war the few Jews who survived in hiding or by escaping to Soviet territory reestablished a small Jewish community in the city, but it quickly shrank to insignificance as most Jews left Poland for Israel and the West in the immediate postwar years. The Majdanek camp, together with the prison established in the Lublin castle, also served as a major centre of terror measures aimed at the non-Jewish population of Lublin and the surrounding district.

On 24 July 1944, the city was taken by the Soviet Army and became the capital of a Soviet-controlled communist Polish Committee of National Liberation established in the city. The capital was moved to Warsaw in January 1945. In the postwar years Lublin continued to grow, tripling its population and greatly expanding in area. A considerable scientific and research base was established around the newly founded Maria Curie-Sklodowska University. A large automobile factory (FSC) was established in the city.

In July 1980, the workers of Lublin and nearby Świdnik began the first in the wave of mass strikes aimed against the Communist regime, which eventually led to the emergence of the Solidarity movement. The first strike began on July 8 in the WSK factory in Świdnik. It then quickly spread to other factories in Lublin and the surrounding region. The railroad network and city transit came to a standstill. Ultimately. 150 factories employing 50,000 workers joined the strike. The strikers used a novel tactic of staying inside their factories and occupying them, instead of marching in the streets where the authorities would have found it easy to use force against them. The workers made demands for their economic situation to be improved. They also made political demands, such as: new elections for the leadership of the trade unions, liquidation of privileges for the Communist party governing class, and the reduction of the bureaucracy in the factories.

The July strikes lasted two weeks. The Communist authorities eventually managed to bring them to an end peacefully, mainly by granting economic concessions to the workers. However, the momentum generated by the Lublin strikes quickly gave rise to a new wave of strikes in the Gdańsk region in August 1980. The workers there used similar tactics as the Lublin workers used a month before, and this time the Communist authorities had to agree to the strikers' demand to set up an independent trade union, which soon became the Solidarity.

Economy

The Lublin region had the unfortunate distinction of having the lowest per capita GDP in the entire European Union, until Bulgaria and Romania joined in 2007 (it was 32% of EU average in 2002). It is a part of eastern Poland, which has generally benefited less from the economic transformation after 1989 than other regions of Poland located closer to Western Europe.

While the standard of living in the city of Lublin is considerably higher than in the surrounding countryside, the city's relatively poor economic performance is unavoidably tied to the poverty of its surrounding region.

The factories build under the Communist regime in the city have generally done poorly in the new market economy. The large car factory FSC (Fabryka Samochodów Ciężarowych) seemed to have a brighter future when acquired by the South Korean Daewoo conglomerate in the early 1990s. Unfortunately, with Daewoo's financial troubles in 1998, the production at FSC practically collapsed and the factory entered bankruptcy. Efforts to restart its van production succeeded when the engine supplier bought the company in order not to lose its prime market.

With the decline of Lublin as a regional industrial centre, the city's economy is being reoriented towards the service industries. Currently, the largest employer is the Maria Curie-Sklodowska University (UMCS).

In 2001 Lublin became a sister city to its only namesake outside Poland; Lublin, Wisconsin, USA ^{[citation needed]}.

Agriculturally, the area of Lublin has been an important center of hops production since medieval times, and Lublin hops are used in lager beers throughout Central Europe. A hop plant is depicted on the city's coat of arms in recognition of this.

UPDATE 2007

The great advantage for the investor in Lublin area is the easy access to cheap land and labour in this city of charming historical architecture resembling that of Cracow and with its vibrant young inhabitants - www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmf8bB4bzT0.

BUSINESS

The prices of land and investing costs are still considerably lower than that in western part of Poland. However, the Lublin area is one of main beneficiaries of the EU development funds- http://www.um.lublin.pl/um/index.php?t=200&id=45863. Mr. Jerzy Kwiecinski, the Deputy Secretary of State in the Ministry for Regional Development at the Conference of the Ministry for Regional Development (Poland in the European Union – new possibilities for foreign investors) said: -

“In the immediate financial outlook, between 2007 and 2013, we will be the largest beneficiaries of the EU - every fifth Euro will be spent in Poland. In total we will have at our disposal 120 billion EUR, assigned exclusively for post development activities. This sum will be an enormous boost for our country”. http://www.paiz.gov.pl/nowosci/?id_news=1392&lang_id=1

In September 2007 the Prime Minister has signed a bill which had created a 70 ha large, special economic area in Lublin, which encourages investment with tax incentives. It is part of the “Park Mielec” – the European Economic Development area - http://miasta.gazeta.pl/lublin/1,35640,4527639.html; www.um.lublin.pl. At least 13 large companies had declared their wish to invest here e.g. Carefaur, Comarch, Safo, Asseco, Aliplast, Herbapol and Perła Browary Lubelskie - http://miasta.gazeta.pl/lublin/1,35640,4527639.html; http://ww2.tvp.pl/3903,20051107265122.strona. At the same time the energy giant Polska Grupa Energetyczna, which build Poland's first nuclear power station will have its main offices in Lublin.

There are number of new shopping centers build in Lublin such as Lublin Plaza with its giant multikino and galeria Gala - the largest shopping centre in Lublin, covering 33500 square metres. Similar investments are already being advanced or planned for in the near future e.g. Park Felin (Felicity) and new gallery between Świętoduska and Lubartowska streets - http://miasta.gazeta.pl/lublin/1,36651,3823552.html.

Lublin will also take an active part in the preparations for the upcoming EURO 2012 championships, with several preliminary matches being held in the city. This will bring the associated investment in infrastructure.

INTERESTING ACHIEVEMENTS - http://www.um.lublin.pl/um/index.php?t=200&id=46739.

STUDENTS

Lublin has a massive student population of around 100,000. It is sometimes called a “Polish Oxford” for its 5 public Universities and other private higher education establishments (www.umcs.lublin.pl; www.kul.lublin.pl/uk; www.am.lublin.pl; www.pollub.pl; www.ar.lublin.pl).

How to get there?

Trains run ten times a day to Krakow and Warsaw as well as all other major cities in Poland. Buses also run from below the castle in the Old Town and serve most of the same destinations as the rail network. The fast train to Warsaw takes around two and half hours and public transport is available to the Frederick Chopin Airport, which is only 10km outside the centre and has flights worldwide. The Polski Express bus service runs seven daily buses from the airport direct to Lublin and the journey takes around three and a half hours (http://www.odleglosci.pl/mapa,polski,Lublin.html; http://www.rozklad.mortin.pl/lublin.html).

A NEW AIRPORT IN ŚWIDNIK NEAR LUBLIN

The new airport in Świdnik, which has finally been accepted and will receive a large EU funds, will be open by 2011 at the latest and will serve a large young population of this area as well as business- http://www.spedycje.pl/aktualnosci/wiadomosci/3933/a_jednak_lotnisko_w_swidniku.html; www.koziolek.lublin.pl/news.php?did=21&idnews=62891&PHPSESSID=bbbb5fdd13cde5de728a3dd8e725c9a5; www.um.lublin.pl.

TURISM and NIGHTLIFE

In addition to being an important historical site Lublin has decent bars, cafes and restaurants, which are all significantly cheaper than neighbouring Warsaw. The gigantic student population supports a good music and nightclub scene - http://www.lsi.lublin.pl/de/deptak1.htm. Lublin has many high quality theatres, philharmony and museums (www.teatr-osterwy.lublin.pl; www.galeria.pl/nominacja.htm; http://filharmonialubelska.pl/; http://zamek-lublin.pl/index.php?l=pl&r=1).

There are great riding schools (http://www.skj-poczernin.stadniny.pl/oferty/1140631942; http://www.turystyka.lubelskie.pl/index.php/lrt/page/888/), old forests and you can kayak and bike around the Bystrzyca river (http://duch.mimuw.edu.pl/~abuczyns/rower/index.php?a=okolice_lublina; http://www.eko.lublin.pl/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1672). The Zemborzycki Zalew is a large man made lake with some wind surfing, fishing and other lake activities - http://zalewzemborzycki.pl.

Lublin’s Old Town has uncial atmosphere with its cobbled streets and buildings that are certainly worth seeing. The Classicist superstructure of Old Town Hall or Tribunal is set in the middle of the Market Square and is surrounded by burgher houses with equally interesting adornments. The views over the Bystrzyca and Czechowka rivers are superb and a great contrast to the intriguing and meandering narrow lanes that wind through the area (http://www.lsi.lublin.pl/stm/stmia.htm; http://hucal-jacek.webpark.pl/galery_files/smiasto1.htm; http://www.lublin-art.pl/thumbnails.php?album=14).

There are some very quaint establishments around the Old Town, and some excellent cafes in the centre such as the basement establishment Vanilla on Krakowskie Przedmiescie, Ulice Miasta by Krakowska Gate and many, many others around the city centre and in the Old Town - http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Poland/Wojewodztwo_Lubelskie/Lublin-486892/Restaurants-Lublin-BR-1.html.

Education

It has six schools of higher education, including Maria Curie-Sklodowska University (UMCS) and Catholic University of Lublin (KUL).

• Akademia Medyczna – http://www.am.lublin.pl/ (Medical University of Lublin)
• Akademia Rolnicza – http://www.ar.lublin.pl/
• Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski – http://www.kul.lublin.pl/
• Lubelska Szkoła Biznesu – http://www.lbs.pl/
• Politechnika Lubelska – http://www.pollub.pl/
• Uniwersytet Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej – http://www.umcs.lublin.pl/
• Wyższa Szkoła Ekonomii i Innowacji w Lublinie – http://www.wsei.lublin.pl/
• Wyższa Szkoła Nauk Społecznych z siedzibą w Lublinie – http://www.wsns.lublin.pl/
• Wyższa Szkoła Przedsiębiorczości i Administracji – http://www.wspa.lublin.pl/
• Wyższa Szkoła Społeczno-Przyrodnicza w Lublinie – http://www.wssp.edu.pl/

Sports

• Start Lublin - men's basketball team, 12th in Era Basket Liga in 2003–2004 season.
• SPR Safo iCom Lublin (formerly Bystrzyca Lublin) - women's handball team playing in Polish Ekstraklasa Women's Handball League: 2nd place in 2003–2004 season: also a winner of Women's EHF Cup in season 2000/2001.
• Motor Lublin - proffessional football team competing in the Polish second division.
• Lublinianka - men's football team competing in the Polish league (fourth division as of 2006–07).
• Budowlani Lublin - a local Rugby Union team competing in the Polish, and surrounding district league.
• TŻ Lublin speedway club competing in the Polish league (second division).

Famous people

• Janusz Lewandowski (1951—) - MEP, former minister of privatization; born in Lublin
• Stanisław Kostka Potocki (1755–1821)
• Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchak of Lublin (1745–1815) - "The Seer of Lublin"
• Henryk Wieniawski (1835–1880) - great violin virtuoso; born in Lublin
• Jacek Bąk (polish footbaler, captain of Poland on World Cup 2006)

Politics

Lublin constituency

Members of Parliament (Sejm) elected from Lublin constituency:

• Zyta Gilowska, PIS
• Stanisław Głębocki, Samoobrona
• Arkadiusz Kasznia, SLD-UP
• Elżbieta Kruk, PiS
• Grzegorz Kurczuk, SLD-UP
• Robert Luśnia, LPR
• Andrzej Mańka, PiS
• Gabriela Masłowska, LPR
• Wiktor Osik, SLD-UP
• Zdzisław Podkański, PSL
• Tadeusz Polański, PSL
• Izabella Sierakowska, SLD-UP
• Zygmunt Jerzy Szymański, SLD-UP
• Leszek Świętochowski, PSL
• Marian Widz, Samoobrona
• Józef Żywiec, Samoobrona
• Janusz Palikot, PO

Other

At ul. Raabego, there is a 104 metre tall concrete TV Tower (not accessible for tourists) of unconventional design, as it consists of a frame structure in which the tower stucks. [2].

Twin cities

Alcalá de Henares, Debrecen, Delmenhorst, Erie, Lancaster, Münster, Nancy, Nykøbing Falster, Pernik, Panevėžys, Rishon Le Zion, Luhans'k, Lutsk, L'viv, Starobielsk, Viseu, Windsor

See also

• Lublin Department (Polish: Departament Lubelski): a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland's Duchy of Warsaw, 1806–1815
• Nasze Miasto Lublin local newspaper
• Teatr Muzyczny w Lublinie Musical Theatre in Lublin (opera,operetta,musical,balet) http://teatrmuzyczny.eu
• Filharmonia Lubelska Lublin Philharmonic http://filharmonialubelska.pl

References

External links

• Lublin Municipality official website (in Polish) (in English)
• Genealogy in Lublin and a lot more interesting information about the city than on the city's homepage
• A photo tour of Lublin
• Official website of Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin (English version)
• Lublin Museum (in Polish)
• The Virtual Jewish History Tour: Lublin
• Website of the Jewish Community of Warsaw – Lublin Branch
• Lublin map via Encarta World Atlas
• Lublin in Old Postcards
• Real estate for sale in Lublin

Voivodeships of Poland
Principal cities	Warsaw | Łódź | Kraków | Wrocław | Poznań | Gdańsk | Szczecin | Bydgoszcz | Lublin | Katowice | Białystok | Częstochowa | Gdynia | Toruń | Olsztyn | Radom | Kielce | Rzeszów | Opole | Gorzów Wielkopolski

be-x-old:Люблін

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