Alwernia

Alwernia [alˈvɛrɲa] (listen) is a Polish town situated some 36 kilometres (22 miles) west of Kraków in the Chrzanów district of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship (before 1999 it formed part of the Kraków Voivodeship). The town, as well as possessing a large chemical works, is a centre for recreation and tourism.

Alwernia
Church of 'The Stigmata of St Francis' in Alwernia
Coat of arms
Alwernia
Coordinates: 50°4′N 19°31′E
Country Poland
VoivodeshipLesser Poland
CountyChrzanów
GminaAlwernia
Government
 • MayorBeata Nadzieja-Szpila
Area
 • Total8.87 km2 (3.42 sq mi)
Elevation
312 m (1,024 ft)
Population
 (2006)
 • Total3,406
 • Density380/km2 (990/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
32-566
Car platesKCH
Websitehttp://www.alwernia.pl

History

The name of the town is taken from that of the Franciscan hermitage of La Verna (Latin: Alvernia) in Tuscany, Italy. It was bestowed on the locality in 1616 by the castellan Krzysztof Koryciński. A monastery of the order of the Stigmata of Saint Francis of Assisi was built on high ground between 1625 and 1656. The church dates from the period 1630 to 1676.

Below the monastery a settlement developed which in 1776 received the right to hold a market. In 1796 Alwernia is mentioned as being a (small) commercial and administrative centre.

In 1926 a chemical works was established in the southern part of the town; today it is Alwernia's biggest employer. Its attractive setting and proximity to Kraków led to the town's growth and in 1993 Alwernia was granted full civic status.

Economy

There are large Chemical Works "Alwernia" S.A (from 1923/1924), mainly producing phosphorus and chromium compounds. Industrial, tourist and leisure center.

Communication

Religious structures

Tourist attractions and monuments
  • Baroque Bernardine monastery and church. Stigmata of Sts. Francis Along with the wonderful image of Ecce Homo;
  • Market development, from the 18th and 19th centuries;
  • The oldest fire museum in Poland;
  • Skowronek lagoon;
  • Shootout indulgence on the first Sunday of the octave of Corpus Christi.
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