Leszno

Leszno [ˈlɛʂnɔ] (listen) (German: Lissa, between 1800 and 1918 also called Polnisch Lissa or Lissa in Posen) is a town in western Poland with 64,197 inhabitants (2017) and is the seventh-largest town in the Greater Poland Voivodeship. Since 1999 it has been in the southern part of the new voivodeship. Previously it was the capital of the Leszno Voivodeship (1975–1998). The town has county status.

For other places with the same name, see Leszno (disambiguation).
Leszno
Town Hall in Leszno
Flag
Coat of arms
Motto(s): 
"Leszno — rozwiń skrzydła"
"Leszno — spread your wings"
Leszno
Leszno
Coordinates: 51°50′45″N 16°34′50″E
Country Poland
Voivodeship Greater Poland
Countycity county
Established14th century
Town rights1547
Government
 • MayorŁukasz Borowiak
Area
 • Total31.9 km2 (12.3 sq mi)
Population
 (2017)
 • Total64,197
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
64-100 to 64-110
Area code(s)+48 065
Car platesPL
Websitewww.leszno.pl

History

The town goes back to the 13th century. Leszno in the Polish Poznań Voivodeship was first mentioned in historical documents in 1393, when the estate was the property of Stefan z Karnina of Wieniawa Coat of Arms. The family took its name, Leszczyński from the place name of their estate as was the custom among the Polish nobility.[1]

Around 1516, a community of Protestant Unity of the Brethren (Unitas fratrum) refugees expelled from the Bohemian lands by King Vladislaus II, settled in Leszno invited by the Leszczyński family, who were since 1473 imperial counts and had converted to Calvinism. The arrival of the Bohemian Protestants as well as weavers from nearby Silesia helped the settlement to grow and made it possible to become a town in 1547 by a privilege according to Magdeburg Law given by King Sigismund I of Poland. Leszno was also the biggest printing center in Greater Poland thanks to the activity of the Protestant community, whose number increased because of inflow of refugees from Silesia, Bohemia and Moravia during the Thirty Years War. In 1631, Leszno was vested with further privileges by King Sigismund III Vasa, treating it as equal with the most important cities of Poland. At that time it already had a Gymnasium school led for a period by Jan Amos Komenský (known in English as Comenius), an educator and the last bishop of the Unity of the Brethren.[2] From 1638 until his death in 1647, Johann Heermann, a German-speaking poet, lived in Leszno. Between 1636 and 1639, the town became fortified and its area increased.[3]

The golden era of Leszno ended during the Second Northern War, when the town was burnt down on 28 April 1656. Quickly rebuilt afterwards, it was again set on fire during the Great Northern War by Russian forces in 1707 and was ravaged by plague in 1709. The Leszczyński family owned the city until 1738 when King Stanisław Leszczyński sold it to Alexander Joseph Sulkowski after he had abdicated for the second time.[4]

During the Second Partition of Poland in 1793, Leszno was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia and after the Napoleonic Wars was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Posen as Lissa. In 1887 it became the administrative seat of the Prussian Kreis Lissa. The town took part in the Greater Poland Uprising of 1918–19 and was returned to the Second Polish Republic by the Treaty of Versailles with effect from 17 January 1920. The local populace had to acquire Polish citizenship. In the 1939 Invasion of Poland, the town was annexed by Nazi Germany and incorporated into Reichsgau Wartheland. The Polish population was resettled to the General Government. Most of the town's Jewish population (which in its history included such famous rabbis as Leo Baeck and Jacob of Lissa as well as the writer Ludwig Kalisch) and remaining Poles were murdered by the Nazi Einsatzgruppen.

After the defeat of Nazi-Germany, the town returned to Poland in 1945. It underwent a period of fast development especially between 1975 and 1998 when it was a seat of a voivodeship administrative area.[5] In 2000 the city was awarded "The Golden Star of Town Twinning" prize by the European Commission.[6]

Climate

Leszno has an oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb) although notably with warm summer continental characteristics (Dfb), typical of inland west and south polish.[7][8]

Climate data for Leszno, elevation: 92 m or 302 ft, 1980-2012 normals
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 18.0
(64.4)		 18.5
(65.3)		 21.8
(71.2)		 27.6
(81.7)		 31.6
(88.9)		 38.0
(100.4)		 36.6
(97.9)		 36.6
(97.9)		 30.4
(86.7)		 26.3
(79.3)		 21.0
(69.8)		 15.1
(59.2)		 38.0
(100.4)
Average high °C (°F) 1.7
(35.1)		 3.3
(37.9)		 7.8
(46.0)		 13.9
(57.0)		 19.2
(66.6)		 21.8
(71.2)		 24.0
(75.2)		 23.6
(74.5)		 18.8
(65.8)		 13.2
(55.8)		 6.7
(44.1)		 2.9
(37.2)		 13.1
(55.5)
Daily mean °C (°F) −0.9
(30.4)		 −0.1
(31.8)		 3.6
(38.5)		 8.6
(47.5)		 13.6
(56.5)		 16.4
(61.5)		 18.4
(65.1)		 18.0
(64.4)		 13.8
(56.8)		 8.9
(48.0)		 3.8
(38.8)		 0.6
(33.1)		 8.7
(47.7)
Average low °C (°F) −3.8
(25.2)		 −3.5
(25.7)		 −0.3
(31.5)		 3.1
(37.6)		 7.5
(45.5)		 10.5
(50.9)		 12.7
(54.9)		 12.3
(54.1)		 8.8
(47.8)		 4.8
(40.6)		 0.8
(33.4)		 −2.0
(28.4)		 4.2
(39.6)
Record low °C (°F) −28.8
(−19.8)		 −23.1
(−9.6)		 −20.0
(−4.0)		 −7.0
(19.4)		 −3.7
(25.3)		 −1.0
(30.2)		 −2.0
(28.4)		 1.4
(34.5)		 −2.9
(26.8)		 −6.7
(19.9)		 −15.1
(4.8)		 −21.5
(−6.7)		 −28.8
(−19.8)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 24
(0.9)		 23
(0.9)		 26
(1.0)		 33
(1.3)		 53
(2.1)		 68
(2.7)		 72
(2.8)		 59
(2.3)		 44
(1.7)		 35
(1.4)		 40
(1.6)		 33
(1.3)		 510
(20)
Average precipitation days 8.0 8.3 7.7 7.3 7.8 8.9 8.2 6.8 6.9 7.0 8.8 8.3 94
Source 1: Climatebase.ru[9]
Source 2: Climate-data.org (precipitation)[8]

International relations
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Poland

Twin towns – Sister cities

Leszno is twinned with:

Sport
Historic tenements on the main square
Former Calvinist church dating back to the 17th century
Słowiańska Street
Main Post Office in Leszno
St. Nicholas Church

The Leszno motorcycle club was founded on May 8, 1938. The club was re-established May 2, 1946 after World War II. On July 28, 1949 the Leszno motorcycle club changed its name to Unia Leszno Speedway Club. When the name was changed, some rules and regulations were changed as well. The Unia Leszno has been a very successful club that has won many awards and medals throughout the years. The Unia Leszno Speedway Club has won over 78 different medals since the formation of the club.

  • Leszno Aero Club

The Leszno Aero Club is the largest airfield in the Wielkopolska area. The Aero Club belongs to the Polish Aero Club central gliding school. The Aero Club in Leszno hosted the world gliding championship in 1958, 1969, and 2003. It is the only place that has done so. The Aero Club also has a pilot school called the Central Gliding school. The school has been around for over 50 years.

  • KS Polonia Leszno

The Klub Sportowy Polonia Leszno was formed in 1912 in Leszno. It is an indoor soccer field. The first President of the club was Marcin Giera. The club did not gain much popularity until after World War II when official teams started playing there. Prior to World War I most of the people that played there were locals.

Museums
  • Muzeum Okregowe

The Muzeum Okregowe in Leszno was founded in 1949. It officially opened on January 1, 1950. It is known to be own of the oldest museums in the Wielkopolska area of Poland. The museum displays Leszno's history and culture from the past 50 years. It specializes in artifacts from the 17th century. Throughout the years, things from the museum were moved to different museums around Poland. In early 1963 the artifacts were officially and permanently placed in an old pastors home. The building is located on No. 17 Metzig Square.

Primary schools
  • Szkoła Podstawowa Nr 1
  • Szkoła Podstawowa Nr 2
  • Szkoła Podstawowa Nr 3
  • Szkoła Podstawowa Nr 4
  • Szkoła Podstawowa Nr 5
  • Zespół Szkół Specjalnych Nr 6
  • Szkoła Podstawowa Nr 7
  • Szkoła Podstawowa Nr 8
  • Szkoła Podstawowa Nr 9
  • Szkoła Podstawowa Nr 10
  • Szkoła Podstawowa Nr 12
  • Szkoła Podstawowa Nr 13

Secondary schools
  • Liceum Ogólnokształcące Nr 1 (http://lo1.leszno.edu.pl/)
  • Liceum Ogólnokształcące Nr 2 (http://www.iilo.leszno.pl/)
  • Liceum Ogólnokształcące Nr 3
  • Liceum Ogólnokształcące Nr 4
  • Prywatne Liceum Ogólnokształcące
  • Pierwsze Prywatne Liceum Ogólnokształcące w Lesznie

Technical Schools
  • Zespół Szkół Rolniczo-Budowlanych im. Synów Pułku
  • Zespół Szkół Ekonomicznych im. Jana Amosa Komeńskiego
  • Zespół Szkół Technicznych im. 55 Poznańskiego Pułku Piechoty (http://www.zst-leszno.pl)
  • Zespół Szkół Elektroniczno-Telekomunikacyjnych
  • Zespół Szkół Ochrony Środowiska
  • Zespół Szkół Specjalnych

Szkoły wyższe

People
  • Daniel Strejc-Vetterus, Reformed printer and author of a 1638 description of Iceland
  • Jan Jonston (1603-1675) Reformed teacher and scholar, physician
  • Carl Gottfried Woide (1725-1790), Reformed pastor, Orientalist and fellow of the British Royal Society
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References
  1. "Historia miejscowości". Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  2. "Leszno - miasto niebanalne". Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  3. "Leszno - miasto niebanalne". Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  4. "Historia miejscowości". Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  5. "Ustawa z dnia 28 maja 1975 r. o dwustopniowym podziale administracyjnym Państwa oraz o zmianie ustawy o radach narodowych". prawo.sejm.gov.pl. Retrieved 2019-02-14.
  6. "Summary of applications for the Europe Prize and the Plaque of Honour for 2006". Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  7. "Leszno, Poland Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)". Weatherbase. Retrieved 2019-11-21.
  8. "Leszno Climate". Climate-data.org. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  9. "Leszno, Poland #12418". Climatebase.ru. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  10. "Cooperation with Montluçon (France)". Leszno - Rozwiń Skrzydła. 21 February 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  11. "Cooperation with Deurne (The Netherlands)". Leszno - Rozwiń Skrzydła. 22 December 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  12. Fabryka, Studio. "Suhl". www.leszno.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2020-04-23.
  13. Fabryka, Studio. "Dunaújváros". www.leszno.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2020-04-23.
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