Poddębice [pɔdːɛmˈbʲit͡sɛ] is a town in central Poland, in Łódź Voivodeship, about 40 km northwest of Łódź. It is the capital of Poddębice County. Population is 7,245 (2020).[1] It is located within the historic Łęczyca Land.

Poddębice
Poddębice Palace
Poddębice Palace
Coat of arms of Poddębice
Poddębice is located in Poland
Poddębice
Poddębice
Coordinates: 51°54′N 18°58′E / 51.900°N 18.967°E / 51.900; 18.967
Country Poland
VoivodeshipŁódź
CountyPoddębice
GminaPoddębice
Government
 • MayorPiotr Sęczkowski
Area
 • Total5.89 km2 (2.27 sq mi)
Population
 (31 December 2020)
 • Total7,245 Decrease[1]
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
99-200
Car platesEPD
National roads
Voivodeship roads
Websitehttp://www.poddebice.pl

History edit

 
Saint Catherine church in 1916

Poddębice was a private town, administratively located in the Łęczyca County in the Łęczyca Voivodeship in the Greater Poland Province of the Kingdom of Poland.[2] Zygmunt Grudziński built a Renaissance palace in the town.

World War II edit

During the German occupation of Poland (World War II), in 1940, the occupiers carried out expulsions of Poles, mostly owners of shops, workshops and better houses, which were then handed over to German colonists as part of the Lebensraum policy.[3] The local Jewish population, which numbered around 1,400 at the start of the war, was confined to a ghetto and subject to forced labor. In 1942, five were hung publicly and in April, 1,800 Jews, including several hundred forcibly resettled from Łęczyca, were confined in a church for ten days without any essentials, including food until a bribe was paid. Ten died there. After a few days, the sick and the elderly were then murdered nearby. After ten days, some skilled workers were sent to the Łódź Ghetto. All the remainder were sent to the Chełmno extermination camp where they were immediately gassed. Few of Poddębice's Jews survived the war. The German administrator of Poddębice (probably Franz Heinrich Bock) kept a secret diary published after the war. His diary was critical of the anti-Jewish policies. He had tried to help the Jewish population when he could. He was removed from his post during the war.[4]

Demographics edit

Historical population
YearPop.±%
18903,094—    
18972,724−12.0%
19102,834+4.0%
19213,122+10.2%
19313,800+21.7%
YearPop.±%
19394,305+13.3%
19502,539−41.0%
19603,262+28.5%
20107,781+138.5%
Source: [5][6][7]

Sports edit

The local football club is Ner Poddębice. It competes in the lower leagues.

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Local Data Bank". Statistics Poland. Retrieved 6 November 2021. Data for territorial unit 1011034.
  2. ^ Atlas historyczny Polski. Województwo sieradzkie i województwo łęczyckie w drugiej połowie XVI wieku. Część I. Mapy, plany (in Polish). Warszawa: Instytut Historii Polskiej Akademii Nauk. 1998. p. 3.
  3. ^ Wardzyńska, Maria (2017). Wysiedlenia ludności polskiej z okupowanych ziem polskich włączonych do III Rzeszy w latach 1939-1945 (in Polish). Warszawa: IPN. p. 251. ISBN 978-83-8098-174-4.
  4. ^ Megargee, Geoffrey (2012). Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos. Bloomington, Indiana: University of Indiana Press. p. Volume II, 94–95. ISBN 978-0-253-35599-7.
  5. ^ Skorowidz miejscowości Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (in Polish). Vol. II. Warszawa: Główny Urząd Statystyczny. 1925. p. 56.
  6. ^ Dokumentacja Geograficzna (in Polish). Vol. 3/4. Warszawa: Instytut Geografii Polskiej Akademii Nauk. 1967. p. 38.
  7. ^ Stan i struktura ludności oraz ruch naturalny w przekroju terytorialnym w 2010 r. (PDF) (in Polish). Warszawa: Główny Urząd Statystyczny. 2011. p. 64. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2011.

External links edit