Brzeszcze

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Brzeszcze

Old municipality building

Coat of arms

Brzeszcze

Coordinates: 50°0′N 19°9′E / 50, 19.15

Country

Poland

Established

Town rights

1962

Government

- Mayor

Teresa Jankowska

Area

- Total

19.17 km² (7.4 sq mi)

Population (2006)

- Total

11,730

- Density

611.9/km² (1,584.8/sq mi)

Time zone

CET (UTC+1)

- Summer (DST)

CEST (UTC+2)

Postal code

32-620

Area code(s)

+48 32

Car plates

KOS

Website: http://www.brzeszcze.pl

Brzeszcze [ˈbʐɛʂt͡ʂɛ] is a town in Oświęcim County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship in southern Poland, near Oświęcim.

It was founded in the 15th century and was owned by many rich Polish citizens, such as Dominik Gherri, the doctor of king Stanislaw August Poniatowski. The citizens were mainly fishermen and farmers. The town grew because of the anthracite coal mine, which was founded in the beginning of the 19th century. During World War II the town was a stronghold of Polish resistance, helping the prisoners of Auschwitz concentration camp. Prisoners of Auschwitz were also housed in a sub-camp, called Jawischowitz, near the mine where they laboured. Conditions in the camp were worse than that of Auschwitz and many prisoners were killed through work, by the German civilian mine authorities, and the SS men. As of 2006, Brzeszcze has about 12000 citizens.

[edit] Economy

The economy of the town focus on an anthracite coal mine "Brzeszcze-Silesia" which is the biggest employer in the region, and one of the biggest in Voivodeship.