Sandomierz

Sandomierz stands on hills above the Vistula in Lesser Poland. It was refounded under Magdeburg law in 1286, and its position on the river helped make it an important centre of trade and administration. After a Lithuanian raid and fire in 1349, King Casimir the Great supported the town's restoration. A royal castle, town hall and collegiate church belonged to the medieval town that emerged in this period. Merchants used the Vistula to connect the surrounding countryside with more distant markets, while the town served as the centre of Sandomierz Voivodeship. Its prosperity suffered during the Swedish invasion known as the Deluge: Swedish troops occupied the town in 1655 and blew up the castle when withdrawing in 1656. After the partitions and subsequent Napoleonic conflicts, Sandomierz became part of the Kingdom of Poland established in 1815. Its churches, market square and surviving castle wing bear witness to several centuries of political and commercial life.