Częstochowa
Częstochowa (/ˌtʃɛnstəˈkoʊvə/ CHEN-stə-KOH-və, Polish: [t͡ʂɛ̃stɔˈxɔva] ⓘ; German: Tschenstochau, Czenstochau [ˈt͡ʃɛnstɔxaʊ̯] ⓘ; Latin: Czanstochova) is a city in southern Poland on the Warta River with 214,342 inhabitants, making it the thirteenth-largest city in Poland. It is situated in the Silesian Voivodeship. However, Częstochowa is historically part of the Lesser Poland region, not of Silesia, and before 1795, it belonged to the Kraków Voivodeship. Częstochowa is located in the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland. It is the largest economic, cultural and administrative hub in the northern part of the Silesian Voivodeship.
Częstochowa | |
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Flag Coat of arms Wordmark | |
| Motto(s): Jasne, że Częstochowa (Of course Częstochowa) | |
Częstochowa | |
| Coordinates: 50°48′N 19°7′E | |
| Country | Poland |
| Voivodeship | Silesian |
| County | city county |
| Established | 11th century |
| City rights | 1356 |
| Government | |
| • City mayor | Krzysztof Matyjaszczyk (L) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 160 km2 (60 sq mi) |
| Population (31 December 2021) | |
| • Total | 214,342 (13th) |
| • Density | 1,380/km2 (3,600/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 42-200 to 42-229, 42-263, 42-271, 42-280, 42-294 |
| Area code | +48 34 |
| Car plates | SC |
| Climate | Cfb |
| Website | https://www.czestochowa.pl/ |
The city is known for the famous Pauline monastery of Jasna Góra, which is the home of the Black Madonna painting, a shrine to the Virgin Mary. Every year, millions of pilgrims from all over the world come to Częstochowa to see it. The city also was home to the Jewish Frankist movement in the late 18th and the 19th century.
The city has undertaken excavation of an ancient site of Lusatian culture, and has a museum devoted to this. The ruins of a medieval Royal Castle stand in Olsztyn, approximately 25 kilometres (16 miles) from the city centre (see also Trail of the Eagles' Nests).