Starachowice

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Starachowice

County administration building

Flag

Coat of arms

Starachowice

Coordinates: 51°3′N 21°4′E / 51.05, 21.067

Country

Poland

Starachowice (urban gmina)

Established

15th century

Town rights

1624 as Wierzbnik

Government

- Mayor

Wojciech Bernatowicz

Area

- Total

31.85 km² (12.3 sq mi)

Population (2006)

- Total

53,092

- Density

1,666.9/km² (4,317.4/sq mi)

Time zone

CET (UTC+1)

- Summer (DST)

CEST (UTC+2)

Postal code

27-200

Area code(s)

+48 41

Car plates

TST

Website: http://www.um.starachowice.pl

Starachowice [staraxɔˈvit͡sɛ] ( listen) is a town in central Poland with 56,500 inhabitants (2005).

Starachowice is situated in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship (since 1999); it was formerly in the Kielce Voivodeship (1975-1998). It is the capital of Starachowice County. It is situated upon the River Kamienna, a tributary of the Vistula River.

During the Holocaust, the towns of Starachowice and Wierzbnik, a town located nearby, were liquidated, and sent to the Warsaw Ghetto. Later, on October 27, 1942, the Warsaw Ghetto was liquidated, and many of the residents of Starachowice and Wierzbnik were sent to the death camp Treblinka.

The Polish truck-brand STAR is produced in Starachowice, and was used as the basis for the Popemobile for Pope John Paul II's first visit to his home country as Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. The town has a special economy zone with lower tax rates to help the settlement of new industry.