Ropczyce

Infobox Settlement
name = Ropczyce

---

image_caption = "Ropczyce Town Centre"
settlement_type = Market Town
image_shield = POL_Ropczyce_COA.svg
shield_size = 120px
pushpin_

pushpin_label_position = bottom
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = POL
subdivision_type1 = Voivodeship
subdivision_name1 =
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 =
subdivision_type3 = Gmina
subdivision_name3 = Ropczyce
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = Bolesław Bujak
area_total_km2 = 47.03
population_as_of = 2007
population_total = 26059
population_density_km2 = auto
timezone = CET
utc_offset = +1
timezone_DST = CEST
utc_offset_DST = +2
latd = 50 | latm = 5 | lats = 10 | latNS = N | longd = 21 | longm = 38 | longs = 0 | longEW = E
postal_code_type = Postal code
postal_code = 39-100
blank_name = Car plates
blank_info = RRS
website = http://www.ropczyce.umig.gov.pl Ropczyce [IPA-pl|r|o|p|'|cz|y|c|e] ( _yi. ראָפּשיץ) is a town in Subcarpathian Voivodeship in south-eastern Poland, situated in the valley the Wielopolka River (a tributary of the Wisłoka River) and is inhabited by 26,059 people. It is the seat of Ropczyce-Sędziszów County.

Geography

Situated in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship (since 1999). It is the capital of Ropczyce-Sędziszów County.

Ropczyce is located east of Kraków and west of Rzeszów. The coordinates for Ropczyce: Latitude 50°0500' and Longitude 21°6167. In DMS or Degree, Minutes, & Seconds; Latitude 50°2'60N and Longitude is 21°37'0E. Elevation is 790 feet or 240 meters above sea level. The time zone for Poland is UTC+1.

Population

It has a population of 26,059 according to the [http://www.stat.gov.pl/gus/45_655_PLK_HTML.htm Polish Official Census 2007] of which 15,109 live in Ropczyce urban area and 10,950 live in the surrounding rural areas (7km radius). It is the seat of Ropczyce-Sędziszów County, which has a total population of 71,303 people (2007).

History

The first reference to Ropczyce comes from a document of 1252, which confirmed the donation of the land by brothers Klemens and Marek Gryf to a Cistercian Abbey in Szczyrzyc near Limanowa. [ "Mańko, Sławomir. "Ropczyce: The Chassidic Route", page 10. © Polish Jews Heritage 2008." ] ["Kłos, Stanisław. “Wojewodztwo Rzeszowskie Prewodnik″, page 100 © Sport i Turystyka, 1969.] Around this time Ropczyce was damaged by a Tatar raid. ["Kłos, Stanisław. “Wojewodztwo Rzeszowskie Prewodnik″, page 100 © Sport i Turystyka, 1969.] In 1266 the settlement was destroyed by an army composed of Rusyn, Tatar and Lithuanian troops, led by the Rusyn prince Ioann ("John") Shvarn (Polish: "Szwarno", Ukrainian: "Шварно"). ["Kłos, Stanisław. “Wojewodztwo Rzeszowskie Prewodnik″, page 100 © Sport i Turystyka, 1969.] Ropczyce became a town on the 3rd March 1362, when the Polish king, Casimir III the Great, gave it city rights (Magdeburg rights). ["Kłos, Stanisław. “Wojewodztwo Rzeszowskie Prewodnik″, page 100 © Sport i Turystyka, 1969.] At the same time, he made two brothers, Jan and Mikolaj Gielnic the first "‘wójts’" or advocates of the new town. He also made Ropczyce a parish, separate from the parish of Sędziszow. ["Ambrozowicz, Józef. "Ziema Ropczycka", Summary by Władysław M. Tabasz, © Agencja Wydawnicza JOTA, 1998.] Within six years a parish church was built in the new "‘royal’" town of Ropczyce. As Ropczyce was situated close to the Sandomierz Wilderness (Polish: "Puszcza Sandomierska"), one of the biggest forests in southern Poland, which covers large parts of the Sandomierz Basin, it became a popular place for the Polish Kings to stay when they went hunting and fishing. King Casimir III the Great, king Kazimierz IV Jagiellończyk and king Władysław II Jagiełło were regular visitors to Ropczyce. Under the patronage of the Polish Royals and subsequent trade agreements with Ruthenia, the town's future started to look very good. It could then grow and develop, also due to its favourable location on an important trade route from Silesia and Lesser Poland (Małopolska) to Ruthenia. ["cite web |url=http://dir.icm.edu.pl/pl/Slownik_geograficzny/ |title=Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego" "(in Polish) 1880-1914, a publication now in the public domain."] ["Kłos, Stanisław. “Wojewodztwo Rzeszowskie Prewodnik″, page 100 © Sport i Turystyka, 1969.] Ropczyce was severely damaged during a Tatar raid in 1504. To help the town and citizens recover from this tragedy, king Aleksander Jagiellończyk gave all the citizens a 10 year tax exemption from 1504-1514. [ "Delekta, Father Jan. “Parafia pw. Przemienienia Pańskiego w Ropczycach”" "(in Polish) © 2007 [http://ropczyce.rzeszow.opoka.org.pl/historia/H-Miasta-Paraf.html] "] In the 15^th and 16^th centuries Ropczyce became a major centre in the manufacture of canvas goods. ["Kłos, Stanisław. “Wojewodztwo Rzeszowskie Prewodnik″, page 100 © Sport i Turystyka, 1969.]

Since it's formation Ropczyce has been known by several different names, although these appear to be phonetic variations of the same name. By the middle of the 16^th century, it was first recorded as 'Ropczyce' replacing the previous variation of 'Robczyce' - this name is thought to have probably originated from the family name of "‘Robek’" ("from the polish verb, ‘robić’" - "‘to work’") who are thought to have established the original settlement. [ "Delekta, Father Jan. “Parafia pw. Przemienienia Pańskiego w Ropczycach”" "(in Polish) © 2007 [http://ropczyce.rzeszow.opoka.org.pl/historia/H-Miasta-Paraf.html] "] In the 16^th century Ropczyce's churches were influenced by The Reformation, with the Parish Church going over to Protestantism several times. Around the 1550s the Parish Church was under the control of the Polish Brethren "(Bracia Polscy, also called Arians or Socinians)" for over a decade. [ "Magdoń, Jacek. “Krótka Historia Królewskiego Miasta Ropczyce”" "(in Polish) © 2006 [http://ropczyce24.pl/content/view/41/31/] "]

"Jewish History"

From the founding of the Kingdom of Poland in the eleventh century through the early years of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth created in 1569 "(to 1795)", Poland was one of the most tolerant countries in Europe. ["Redwald, Hugh. "From Counter-Reformation to Glorious Revolution", page 51. © University of Chicago Press 1992."] Known as "paradisus Iudaeorum" (Latin for Jewish paradise) it became unique shelter for persecuted and expelled European Jewish communities and a home to one of the world's largest and most vibrant Jewish communities.

Streams of Jewish immigrants headed east to Poland during the reign of Casimir III the Great, who encouraged Jewish settlement by extending royal protection to them. The first mention of Jewish settlements in Lvov (1356), Sandomierz (1367), Kazimierz near Krakow (1386) and several other cities date from the second half of the The 14^th century . In the The 15^th century Jews appeared in many cities in Greater Poland (Polish: "Wielkopolska"), Lesser Poland (Polish: "Małopolska"), Kuyavia ("Kujawy"), Pomerania ("Pomorze") and Red Ruthenia ("Ruś Czerwona"). In the 1450s Polish towns gave shelter to Jewish refugees from Silesia which was then ruled by the Habsburgs. ["cite web |url=http://polishjews.org/ |title="The Polish Jews Home Page"]

The 17^th century was the time of the town’s stagnation and downfall. Ropczyce was plundered by Swedish troops in 1655 and conclusively devastated in 1657 by the army of George II Rákóczi, the Prince of Transylvania. Many houses in the town were deserted and ruined after the wars. As nobody paid for them, the local authorities tried to occupy the houses with new inhabitants. However, Polish townsmen were not interested in it, and so Jews were the buyers, despite the fact that the ban on their settling in the town was still in effect. The law was broken for the first time in 1675, when the Town Council allowed Józef Szmul, a Jew, to acquire a house at the Market Square under condition of renovating the building. In exchange for that, he was exempted from paying taxes for two years. [ "Magdoń, Jacek. “Krótka Historia Królewskiego Miasta Ropczyce”" "(in Polish) © 2006 [http://ropczyce24.pl/content/view/41/31/] "] [ "Mańko, Sławomir. "Ropczyce: The Chassidic Route", page 11. © Polish Jews Heritage 2008." ]

cquote|At the end of the 18^th century, Ropczyce became a significant center of Chassidism after the famous Zvi Naftali Horowitz (1760-1827) settled in the town. He was the son of Menachem Mendel, the rabbi of Lesko and a follower of two great "tzadikkim": Elimelech of Leżajsk (Lizhensk) and Menachem Mendel of Rymanów. "Tzadik" Zvi Naftali Horowitz was the author of, among others, [http://www.pantheon.org/articles/z/zera_kodesh.html "‘Zera Kodesh′"] (a collection of comments to the Torah, published in 1868), and "‘Ohel Naftali′" (a collection of sayings, published in 1911). ["Cohen, Chester G. “Shtetl Finder: Jewish Communities in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries”, page 84. © Heritage Books, 1989."] At the end of his life, he left Ropczyce and settled in Łańcut where he died and where he was buried. Asher of Ropczyce was the next "tzadik" of the town. The sons of Zvi Naftali Horowitz also became "tzadikkim": Eliezer Horowitz – in Dzików near Tarnobrzeg, and Jakub Horowitz (named "The Small" "‘Baal Shem Tov’", usually translated into English as "‘Master of the Good Name′", due to numerous miracles that he performed) – in Kolbuszowa and later in Mielec. [" Mańko, Sławomir. “Ropczyce: The Chassidic Route″, page 12. © Polish Jews Heritage 2008."]

Up until World War II Ropczyce was a "‘shtetl’" ( _yi. ראָפּשיץ , Ropshits, Ropshitz, Ropschitz) with a significant Jewish population. There is a Ropshitz Hasidic dynasty.

"17^th century to 20^th century"

Ropczyce's "‘Golden Age’" was but a distant memory in the 17^th and 18^th centuries – these were times of wars and invasions. The town went into decline and life got a lot harder for the townspeople. In 1605 over half of the town was destroyed in a great fire. Fifty years later, Ropczyce was hit by The Plague. Ropczyce was plundered by Swedish troops in 1655 and then devastated in 1657 by the army of George II Rákóczi, the Prince of Transylvania. In 1669 the Parish Church was destroyed by fire.

On 14^th July 1772, following the First Partition of Poland, Ropczyce found itself in the Austrian province of Galicia, part of the Habsburg Monarchy in the Austro-Hungarian Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria. Ropczyce was first located in the administative area (or "cyrkuł") of Pilznen and in the Sandomierski district. In 1775 the administative areas in Galicia were reorganised and Ropczyce was reallocated to the Tarnów "cyrkuł". Fortunately for Ropczyce, as a ‘Royal town’, it was given virtually autonomous administration. The position of ‘town advocate’ was replaced by the new position of mayor. However, during these times the whole region was systematically "‘germanised’", from the system of administration, local by-laws, education to everyday life. [ "Magdoń, Jacek. “Krótka Historia Królewskiego Miasta Ropczyce”" "(in Polish) © 2006 [http://ropczyce24.pl/content/view/41/31/] "]

At the beginning of the 19^th century, the population grew to over 1,000. At this time there was a small Austrian garrison stationed in the town. In 1806 there was a Cholera outbreak in which 133 people from Ropczyce died. [ "Magdoń, Jacek. “Krótka Historia Królewskiego Miasta Ropczyce”" "(in Polish) © 2006 [http://ropczyce24.pl/content/view/41/31/] "] In 1873 the town was again struck by a great fire, with much destruction. ["Kłos, Stanisław. “Wojewodztwo Rzeszowskie Prewodnik″, page 100 © Sport i Turystyka, 1969.]

In the following administrative changes of the region of Galicia in 1885, 178 counties "(powiats)" were created in the existing 19 administative areas ("cyrkułs") and Ropczyce was made the administrative centre of its own county. The last reorganization occurred in 1867 saw the reduction of administative areas and the number of counties set to 74. Ropczyce remained as the seat of it's county. At the end of 1867 the population of Ropczyce county was 58,975 people, the first "‘starosta′"; elder or mayor of the reorganised county of Ropczyce was Wilhelm Mehoffer [ "Delekta, Father Jan. “Parafia pw. Przemienienia Pańskiego w Ropczycach”" "(in Polish) © 2007 [http://ropczyce.rzeszow.opoka.org.pl/historia/H-Miasta-Paraf.html] "] ("father of Józef Mehoffer, polish painter"). Ropczyce remained part of Galicia until 1918, when it became part of independent Poland (Second Polish Republic). [ "Magdoń, Jacek. “Krótka Historia Królewskiego Miasta Ropczyce”" "(in Polish) © 2006 [http://ropczyce24.pl/content/view/41/31/] "]

Transport

Ropczyce is located on the main .

The nearest airport is Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport "(Port Lotniczy Rzeszów-Jasionka)" located in the village of Jasionka, north of Rzeszów. It is about 35km east of Ropczyce on the E40 and takes about 40 minutes by car. Scheduled passenger services include flights to: Warsaw (WAW), Dublin, London (Stansted), Bristol, UK, Birmingham, UK, New York (JFK Airport, and Newark Liberty International Airport).

Twin Towns

Ropczyce is twinned with:

Notable People

* Stanisław “Rewera” Potocki "(1579–1667) fontcolor|Gray|(nobleman, magnate and military leader)"
* Feliks Kazimierz Potocki "(1630–1702) fontcolor|Gray|(nobleman, magnate and military leader)"
* Franciszek Salezy Potocki "(1700–1772) fontcolor|Gray|(nobleman, knight)"
* Rabbi Naftali fun Ropszyc "(1760-1827) fontcolor|Gray|(religious leader)"
* Piotr Michałowski "(1800-1855) ["Ambrozowicz, Józef. "Ziema Ropczycka", Summary by Władysław M. Tabasz, © Agencja Wydawnicza JOTA, 1998.] " "fontcolor|Gray|(artist)"
* Karol Olszewski "(1846-1915) fontcolor|Gray|(chemist, mathematician & physicist)"
* Roman Zawiliński "(1855-1932) ["Ambrozowicz, Józef. "Ziema Ropczycka", Summary by Władysław M. Tabasz, © Agencja Wydawnicza JOTA, 1998.] " "fontcolor|Gray|(linguist & ethnographer)"
* Józef Mehoffer "(1869-1946) fontcolor|Gray|(artist)"
* Stanisław Kot "(1885-1975) ["Ambrozowicz, Józef. "Ziema Ropczycka", Summary by Władysław M. Tabasz, © Agencja Wydawnicza JOTA, 1998.] " "fontcolor|Gray|(historian, politician & ambassador)"
* Wojciech Aleksander Durekfontcolor|Green|^* "(1888-1951) ["Ambrozowicz, Józef. "Ziema Ropczycka", Summary by Władysław M. Tabasz, © Agencja Wydawnicza JOTA, 1998.] fontcolor|Green|(* Polish Wikipage only)" "fontcolor|Gray|(artist & sculptor)"
* Tadeusz Kantor "(1915–1990)" " [Ambrozowicz, Józef. "Ziema Ropczycka", Summary by Władysław M. Tabasz, © Agencja Wydawnicza JOTA, 1998.] " "fontcolor|Gray|(artist, theatre director)"
* Wilhelm Machfontcolor|Green|^* "(1917-1965) ["Ambrozowicz, Józef. "Ziema Ropczycka", Summary by Władysław M. Tabasz, © Agencja Wydawnicza JOTA, 1998.] fontcolor|Green|(* Polish Wikipage only)" "fontcolor|Gray|(literary critic)"
* Józef Rojek "(1950-current)" "fontcolor|Gray|(politician)"

Education

* Publiczne Przedszkole nr.1 im. Marii Konopnickiej cite web |url=http://pp1ropczyce.republika.pl//|title="Website (in Polish)"
* Wyższa Szkoła Inżynieryjno-Ekonomiczna
* Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Tadeusza Kościuszki cite web |url=http://loropczyce.info/|title="Website (in Polish)"
* Zespół Szkół im. ks. dr Jana Zwierza
* Zespół Szkół Agrotechnicznych im. Wincentego Witosa cite web |url=http://www.nowa.zsat-ropczyce.pl/|title="Website (in Polish)"
* Nauczycielskie Kolegium Języków Obcych
* Centrum Kształcenia Praktycznego
* Bibioteka Powiatowa oraz 2 filie miejskie

Nearby municipalities

* Dębica
* Sędziszów Małopolski

Recreational Walking Trails

Two tourist trails: fontcolor|Green|Green and fontcolor|Orange|Yellow run through the most picturesque and interesting parts of the terrain.

* - Ropczyce
*

External links

*cite web |url=http://spuscizna.org/spuscizna/ropczyce.html|title=The Parish of Ropczyce|language=English
* [http://www.ropczyce.net Ropczyce.net Photos from Ropczyce]
* [http://www.ropczyce24.pl Ropczyce24.pl regional web portal, source of informations about Ropczyce]
* [http://www.ropczyce.info.pl/ Center Culture of Ropczyce]
* [http://www.ropczyce.info.pl/ Centrum Kultury w Ropczycach]
* [http://www.ropczyce.info.pl/ www.ropczyce.info.pl]
* [http://www.kamera.ropczyce.info.pl/ Camera on center in Ropczyce (24 Hours a day)]
* [http://www.szczyrzyc.cystersi.pl/index.php?menu=miedzynarodowy&temat=opactwoen Cistercian Abbey in Szczyrzyc]

References

*"cite web |url=http://www.stat.gov.pl/broker/access/prefile/listPreFiles.jspa |title=Central Statistical Office(GUS) - TERYT(National Register of Territorial Land Apportionment Journal) |date=01.09.2008|language=Polish"
*"Ziema Ropczycka" Józef Ambrozowicz © Agencja Wydawnicza JOTA, 1998. ISBN 978-83-906916-4-7
*"Shtetl Finder: Jewish Communities in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries in the Pale of Settlement of Russia and Poland",Chester G. Cohen, © Heritage Books, 1989. ISBN 1556132484, ISBN 978-155613248-3"
*"Ropczyce: The Chassidic Route" Weronika Litwin, Marianna Mańko, Sławomir Mańko, translated by Maciej Gugała © Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland Warsaw 2008. ISBN 978-83-61306-64-1 [http://www.polin.org.pl/ www.polin.org.pl] "
*"cite web |url=http://www.stat.gov.pl/gus/45_655_PLK_HTML.htm |title=Polish official population figures 2007 |date=31.07.2007|language=Polish"
*"cite web |url=http://dir.icm.edu.pl/pl/Slownik_geograficzny/ |title=Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego |date=1880-1914|language=Polish a publication now in the public domain."
*fontcolor|DarkBlue|"Parts translated from the Polish version of this page from Polish Wikipedia on 23.09.2008"
*"“Encyclopædia Britannica 11^th Edition” a publication now in the public domain."
*"“1901–1906 Jewish Encyclopedia”, a publication now in the public domain."

Destinations around Ropczyce

geocompass
hub = Ropczyce
type = ex
NN = Ostrów, Ocieka, Blizna, Niwiska
NW = Pustków, "'
NE = Borek Wielki, Wolica Piaskowa, Wolica Ługowa, "'
WW =
EE = "'
SW = Łączki Kucharskie, "'
SS = Zagorzyce,
SE = Góra Ropczycka, Sielec, Olchowa, "'