Limanowa

Limanowa [lʲima'nɔva] (German: Ilmenau, Yiddish: לימינוב‎ Liminuv) is a small town in southern Poland, in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. It is the capital of Limanowa County and had a population of 15,132 in 2012.

Limanowa
Views of Limanowa
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Coat of arms
Limanowa
Coordinates: 49°42′2″N 20°25′36″E
Country Poland
VoivodeshipLesser Poland
CountyLimanowa County
GminaLimanowa (urban gmina)
Area
 • Total18.64 km2 (7.20 sq mi)
Elevation
400 m (1,300 ft)
Population
 (2012)
 • Total15,132
 • Density810/km2 (2,100/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
34-600, 34-601, 34-651
Car platesKLI
Websitehttp://miasto.limanowa.pl/

History
Panorama of Limanowa

Mentions of the town date back to 1496, when it was documented as Ilmanowa, a rural estate that belonged to members of the szlachta. In 1520, ownership of the estate was passed from the Słupski family to Achacy Jordan, who subsequently established a judiciary.

Limanowa became a township in 1565, after being granted city rights by King Sigismund II Augustus. The residents were not required to pay taxes to the Crown for a period of thirty years, throughout which the town rapidly developed. However, its economic strength declined due to the plague, and destruction caused by the Swedish invasion of 1655.

While the town was constantly damaged by fire because of its wooden buildings, much of its infrastructure was destroyed by the fire of 1759. It was not until the Polish Partitions, and Limanowa's incorporation into the Austrian province of Galicia, that it was rebuilt. The town began to flourish as a trading hub, hosting over eighteen markets per year.

During World War I, Limanowa was located at the Eastern Front. In the early months of the war, it was the site of the Battle of Limanowa between December 1 and December 9, 1914 in which the Austro-Hungarian Army repelled a Russian breakthrough southwestwards between Limanowa and Kraków.

The Second World War saw invasion by German soldiers, and the establishment of a ghetto in Limanowa. The town suffered heavy casualties as a result of the occupation; 472 people were shot as hostages and conspiracy participants, 123 as concentration camp prisoners, 91 people died in the Third Reich, 47 died fighting in the war, and 3,053 people from Limanowa's Jewish population were murdered, including the family of U.S. presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.

Sports
  • Limanovia Limanowa, a football team playing in local league.
  • Limblach Limanowa, a basketball team reaching top Polish leagues.
  • Limanowa is also home to one of the most extreme mountain marathons in Europe, so-called "Kierat" which attracts hundreds of people every year.

People

International relations
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Poland

Twin towns — Sister cities

Limanowa is twinned with:

References
  1. "Niles Sister Cities". Official website. The Village of Niles. 2010. Archived from the original on 22 March 2009. Retrieved 4 January 2010.

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