Lublin ( , ) is the ninth largest city in
Poland
. It is the capital of Lublin
Voivodeship
with a population of 350,462 (2008). Lublin
is also the largest Polish city east of the
Vistula river. Lublin is a candidate for the title
of
European Capital of
Culture in
2016.
History
The first permanent settlements on the Lublin site were established
in the early
Middle Ages, though
archeological finds indicate a long, earlier presence of various
cultures in the general area. The earliest, most significant
settlement began in the 6th century, on a hill located in the
suburb of Czwartek (in Polish
Thursday, most likely in
reference to the market day of the settlement). It is likely that
the surrounding hills, notably the site of the present day
Old Town, were also settled at around this
time. In the 10th and 11th centuries the Czwartek settlement
developed into an important trade centre. The location of Lublin at
the eastern borders of the Polish lands gave it a military
significance. The first fortification on the site may have been
built as early as the 8th century, possibly on the Castle Hill.
Certainly at the end of the 10th century a significant
fortification existed there. As the castle grew, the Old Town hill
adjacent to it became the main focus of settlement, and the
Czwartek settlement declined in relative importance. The castle
became the seat of a
Castellan, first
mentioned in historical sources from 1224, but quite possibly
present from the start of the 12th, or even 10th century. The
oldest historical document mentioning Lublin dates from 1198, so
the name must have come into general use some time earlier.
The city was a target of attacks by
Tatars,
Ruthenes,
Yotvingians and
Lithuanians and was destroyed a number of times.
It received a city charter in 1317.
Casimir the Great, appreciating the
strategic importance of the site, built a masonry castle in 1341
and encircled the city with defensive walls.

Meadow near Lublin Castle
In 1392, the city received an important trade privilege from king
Władysław Jagiełło, and with the coming of
the peace between Poland and Lithuania developed into a great trade
centre carrying a large portion of commerce between the two
countries.
In 1474 the area around Lublin was combined
to form the Lublin
Voivodeship
. In the 15th century and 16th century the
town grew rapidly. The largest trade fairs of the
Polish-Lithuanian
Commonwealth were held in Lublin. During the 16th century the
noble parliaments (
sejm) were held in Lublin a
number of times.
On June 26, 1569, one of the most important
ones proclaimed the Union of Lublin,
which united Poland and Lithuania
. The Lithuanian name for the city is
Liublinas.

Lublin in 1618
Some of the artists and writers of the
Polish renaissance lived and worked in
Lublin, including
Sebastian
Klonowic and
Jan Kochanowski,
who died in the city in 1584. In 1578 the
Crown Tribunal was established in the city,
this being the highest court of the
Lesser
Poland region.
Since the second half of the 16th century,
Reformation movements developed in
Lublin, and a large congregation of
Polish Brethren was present in the city. One
of Poland's most important Jewish communities was also established
in Lublin around this time. It continued to be a vital part of the
city's life until the community ceased to exist during the
Nazi Holocaust. Between
1580 and 1764 the Jewish Council of Four Lands Arba Aracot
(
Sejm of 4 countries) was held in Lublin. 70
delegates of Jewish local kahals met to discuss issue of taxations
and other important for Jewish communities issues.
Students came to Lublin from all over
Europe
to study at the
yeshiva there. The yeshiva
became a centre of learning of both
Talmud
and
Kabbalah.
The great scholarship
of those who studied there led to the city being named the "Jewish
Oxford
"; the
Rosh yeshiva received the title of
rector and equal rights to those in Polish universities with the
permission of the King in 1567.

The fire of Lublin, 1719
In the
17th century, the town suffered a decline due to a Russo
-Ukrainian
invasion in 1655 and a Swedish invasion during the
Northern Wars. After the Third of the
Partitions of Poland in 1795
Lublin was located in the Austrian
empire, then since 1809 in the Duchy of Warsaw
, and then since 1815 in the Congress Poland
under Russian
rule.
At the beginning of the 19th century a number of modern urban
developments took place, with new squares, streets, and public
buildings coming into existence.
In 1877 a railway connection to Warsaw
and Kovel
was built,
together with Lublin
Station
, which spurred industrial development in the
city. Lublin's population grew from 28,900 in 1873 to 50,150
in 1897 (including 24,000 Jews).
The Russian rule ended in 1915, when the city was occupied by
German and Austro-Hungarian armies. After the defeat of the
Central Powers in 1918, the first
government of independent Poland operated in Lublin for a short
time. In the inter war years, the city continued to develop, its
population grew, and important industrial enterprises were
established, including the first aviation factory in Poland, the
Plage i Laśkiewicz works,
later nationalized as the
LWS factory.
The Catholic
University of Lublin
was founded in 1918. The city contained a
vibrant Jewish community which formed around 40% of Lublin's
population.
After the
1939 German invasion
of Poland the city found itself in the
General Government. During the German
occupation the city's population was a target of severe oppression
by the occupiers, with a particularly grim fate reserved for the
Jewish inhabitants. German plans were aimed towards turning Lublin
into Germanised city with its population of
Ethnic Germans growing towards 20-25 %,
compared with 10-15% in 1939. Near Lublin, a reservation was set up
for Jews according to the
Nisko Plan,
also known as "Lublin Plan".

Church at.
The city served as a German headquarters for
Operation Reinhardt, the main German
effort to exterminate the Jews in occupied Poland.
Lublin's Jewish
population was forced into the Lublin Ghetto
established around the area of Podzamcze
. The majority of the ghetto's inhabitants,
about 26,000 people, was deported to the Bełżec
death camp between 17
March and 11 April 1942. The remainder were moved to facilities
around Majdanek
, a large concentration camp established at the
outskirts of the city. Most of them were killed by the war's
end. After the war the few Jews who survived in hiding or by
escaping to Soviet territory reestablished a small Jewish community
in the city, but it quickly shrank to insignificance as most Jews
left Poland for Israel and the West in the immediate postwar years.
The
Majdanek
camp, together with the prison established in the
Lublin castle, also served as a major centre of terror measures
aimed at the non-Jewish population of Lublin and the surrounding
district.
On 24
July 1944, the city was taken by the Soviet
Army and became the temporary capital of a Soviet
-controlled
communist Polish
Committee of National Liberation established in the city, which
was to serve as basis for a puppet government. The capital was moved
to Warsaw
in January
1945. In the postwar years Lublin continued to grow,
tripling its population and greatly expanding in area.
A considerable
scientific and research base was established around the newly
founded Maria Curie-Sklodowska
University
. A large automobile factory (
FSC) was
established in the city.
In July
1980, the workers of Lublin and nearby Świdnik
began the first in the wave of mass strikes aimed against the Communist
regime, which eventually led to the emergence of the Solidarity movement. The first strike
began on July 8 in the WSK factory in Świdnik
. It then quickly spread to other factories
in Lublin and the surrounding region. The railroad network and city
transit came to a standstill. Ultimately, 150 factories employing
50,000 workers joined the strike. The strikers used a novel tactic
of staying inside their factories and occupying them, instead of
marching in the streets where the authorities would have found it
easy to use force against them. The workers made demands for their
economic situation to be improved. They also made political
demands, such as: new elections for the leadership of the trade
unions, liquidation of privileges for the Communist party governing
class, and the reduction of the bureaucracy in the factories.

centre
The July strikes lasted two weeks. The
Communist authorities eventually managed to bring
them to an end peacefully, mainly by granting economic concessions
to the workers.
However, the momentum generated by the
Lublin strikes quickly gave rise to a new wave of strikes in the
Gdańsk
region in
August 1980. The workers there used similar tactics as the
Lublin workers used a month before, and this time the Communist
authorities had to agree to the strikers' demand to set up an
independent trade union, which soon became the
Solidarity.
Economy

Districts of Lublin
The
Lublin region had the lowest per capita GDP in the European Union until Bulgaria
and Romania
joined in 2007 (it was 32% of EU average in
2002). It is a part of eastern Poland, which has benefited
less from the economic transformation after 1989 than other regions
of Poland located closer to
Western
Europe. While the standard of living in the city of Lublin is
considerably higher than in the surrounding countryside, the city's
relatively poor economic performance is tied to the poverty of its
surrounding region.
Factories built under the Communist regime in the city have
performed poorly in the new market economy.
The large car factory
FSC
(Fabryka Samochodów Ciężarowych) seemed to have a brighter
future when acquired by the South Korean
Daewoo conglomerate in the
early 1990s. With Daewoo's financial troubles in 1998, the
production at FSC practically collapsed and the factory entered
bankruptcy. Efforts to restart its van production succeeded when
the engine supplier bought the company in order not to lose its
prime market. With the decline of Lublin as a regional industrial
centre, the city's economy is being reoriented towards the service
industries.
Currently, the largest employer is the
Maria
Curie-Sklodowska University
(UMCS).
The prices of land and investing costs are lower than in western
Poland. However, the Lublin area is one of main beneficiaries of
the EU development funds- Mr. Jerzy Kwiecinski, the Deputy
Secretary of State in the Ministry for Regional Development at the
Conference of the Ministry for Regional Development (Poland in the
European Union – new possibilities for foreign investors) said:
-
“In the immediate financial outlook, between 2007 and 2013, we will
be the largest beneficiaries of the EU - every fifth Euro will be
spent in Poland. In total, we will have at our disposal 120 billion
EUR, assigned exclusively for post development activities. This sum
will be an enormous boost for our country”.

Gala, up-market with e.g. luxury
furniture

Litewski Square, fountain in the
centre
In September 2007, the Prime Minister signed a bill creating a
special economic investment zone in Lublin that offers tax
incentives. It is part of “Park Mielec” – the European Economic
Development area. At least 13 large companies had declared their
wish to invest here e.g. Carefaur, Comarch, Safo, Asseco, Aliplast,
Herbapol and Perła Browary Lubelskie - . At the same time the
energy giant Polska Grupa Energetyczna, which will build Poland's
first nuclear power station, is to have its main offices in
Lublin.
New shopping centres built in Lublin are Lublin Plaza and Galeria
Gala, the largest shopping centre in the city, covering 33500
square metres. Similar investments are planned for the near future
such as Park Felin (Felicity) and a new gallery ("Alchemy") between
Świętoduska and Lubartowska streets.
Lublin will take an active part in the upcoming EURO 2012
championships, with several preliminary matches being held in the
city. This will bring associated investment in
infrastructure.
Media
Television
"TVP Lublin" is a TV Station in Lublin which owns a 104-metre-tall
concrete TV Tower.

Lublin TV Tower
- TVP 1 (channel 9), TVP 2
(channel 23), Polsat TV (channel 35), TVP
Info (channel 39), TVP Lublin (channel 39),TVP Lublin(channel 39) ,
TVN (channel 41), TV 4 (channel
57).
Radio
- Radio stations airing from Lublin:
-
- Radio RMF FM - 89.3 FM,
- Polskie Radio 1 (national station of the Polish Radio) - 90.8 FM,
- Polskie Radio 2 (national station of the Polish Radio) - 91.8 FM,
- Radio Maryja - 97 FM,
- Radio Euro (national station of the Polish Radio) - 99 FM,
- Radio Kielce (regional station of the Polish Radio) - 101.4 FM,
- Polskie Radio 3 (national station of the Polish Radio) - 104.2 FM,
- Radio Eska Rock - 106.1 FM,
- Radio Zet - 107 FM.
Newspapers
Transport
From
Lublin
Station
, trains run ten times a day to Warsaw and three
times to Krakow as well as all other major cities in Poland.
Buses also run from below the castle in the Old Town and serve most
of the same destinations as the rail network. The fast train to
Warsaw takes around two and half hours and public transport is
available from there to Frederic Chopin Airport, which is only
10 km outside the centre and has flights worldwide. The Polski
Express bus service runs seven daily buses from the airport direct
to Lublin and the journey takes around three and a half hours (;
).
Airport
Construction of a new airport at Świdnik, about 10 km SE of
Lublin, has been approved and will receive EU funding. It is
scheduled to open in 2011.
Roads
As of 2009 no motorways or expressways connect the city with the
rest of Poland. In the coming decade the construction of
expressways
S12,
S17 and
S19 will improve road access to the
city. The building of these roads will also give the city a proper
bypass road.
Culture and Tourism

Lublin's group Belriguardo, at Culture
Night in 2007.

Lublin Magnifika 2008.
Graffiti painters' Festival.

Chivalrous bravery, knight contest,
during
Jagiellonian Trades at night
Lublin is
not only the biggest City in eastern Poland
, but the
most important culture core city also. Since accession of
Poland into the
EU, Lublin is called "Gate to the
East", and that's true.
Since then, lot's of important big
international events had happened here, involving Ukrainian
, Lithuanian
, Russian
and Belorussian
artists, researchers and politics. Lublin
connects West with the East. Even frescos at the
Holy Trinity Chapel in Lublin
are mixture of West Catholic motives with east Russian-Byzantine
style.
Cinema
Lublin is a city with film-making past, few important films were
recorded here. e.g.
Oscar-winning,
"
The Reader", was partially filmed at the
German Majdanek concentration camp, located in Lublin.
In
2008, Lublin in cooperation with Ukrainian
Lviv
, filmed promotional materials, to promote them, as
cinematic cities, films were handed out between film-makers present
at Cannes
Festival
.
Action, was sponsored by
European
Union.
In Lublin, there's currently few cinemas:
- Cinema City (multiplex)
- Cinema Bajka
- Cinema Apollo (Wyzwolenie)
- Cinema Chatka Żaka
- Cinema Medyk
Theatres
There are many cultural organisations, both municipal, governmental
and non-governmental, e.g. in Lublin
- Municipal Theatres, with casual playhouses:
- Scenes:
- InVitro Pre-première Scene - Scena
Prapremier "InVitro"
- Scena Plastyczna KUL – created by Leszek Mądzik
- Theatre Panopticum
- Teatr ITP
- Teatr Pierwszego Kontaktu
- Cabaret
- Pantomimic group MIMIKA
- Ani Mru-Mru
- PoMimochodem
- Barnstormers"
- Lublin Dance Theatre - Lubelski Teatr Tańca
- Company "Theatre" - Kompania "Teatr"
- Teatr Widzenie
- Teatr Jasny
- Theatrical Group "Collective" - Grupa Teatralna "Kolektyw"
- Enigmatic Theatre of KUL
Galleries

Installation, encouraging to step into
the Gallery

Installation, encouraging to step into
the Gallery

Street Art Gallery during
"Culture Night" 2009 in Lublin.
There are lots of Art-Galleries in Lublin, some of them are run by
Private owners, some of them are Municipal, Governmental, NGO's,
Associations property.Here are only few most popular:
- "BWA" - Artistic Exhibitions Office - Biuro Wystaw
Artystycznych
- "Atu" Gallery
- "Postal Gallery" - Galeria na poczcie
- "Fot-Press" Gallery
- "Galeria Biała"
- Art-Gallery Sceny Plastycznej KUL
- "Pod podłogą" (Under the Floor Gallery)
- Galeria Sztuki "Wirydarz"
- "KONT" Academic Culture Centre Gallery "Chatka Żaka" UMCS
- "Labirynt 2"
- Galeria Grodzka
- Galeria "Po schodach"
- Galeria "Gardzienice"
- Galeria Autorska Michałowski
- Galeria Fotografii "Prospero"
- Galeria "Gala Dom i Wnętrze"
- Galeria Michałowscy
- Galeria Sztuki Współczesnej "Andzelm Gallery"
- Galeria ART
- "31'st Gallery"
- Galeria "Pomost"
- Galeria Sztuki Nieprofesjonalnej "U Lekarzy" (Amateur
art-gallery "At doctor's")
- Galeria Przy Bramie (Bramma Cafe)
- Lubelskie Towarzystwo Zachęty Sztuk Pięknych
Old Town

Magic places in Lublin - Hartwigow
Alley
Lublin, by some tourists called "little Krakow", has historic
architecture and a unique ambiance, especially the Old Town.
Catering to students, who account for 35% of the population, the
city offers a vibrant music and nightclub scene Lublin has many
theatres, philharmonic orchestras and museums. Old buildings, even
ruins, creates magic and unique atmosphere of the city. Lublin’s
Old Town has cobbled streets and traditional architecture.
Pubs and Restaurants

Mandragora Jewish Restaurant in the
centre
The Old Town Hall and Tribunal in the Market Square is surrounded
by burgher houses and winding lanes.
City of Festivals

Lublin Magnifika 2008.
Graffiti painters' Festival.

Folk music group concert, during
Jagiellonian Trades

Open City, logo self-painted on the
stone
Lublin could be called "The Capital of Festivals", every year is
appearing another one new. These are just few, the most
interesting:
- Noc Kultury - Culture Night' -
usually the first Saturday night of June, hundreds of events whole
the city, cultural manifestation of city's potential, admission is
totally free - [11362].
- OpenCity Festival - outdoor performances
festival, international artists and performers, make art
installations in public places in Lublin. - [11363]
- Museum Night - like in whole world, Lublin's
museums, are opened for visitors.
- Jarmark Jagielloński - Jagiellonian
Trades - every year, about 100k of tourists, arriving in
Lublin, only to feel middle-age atmosphere.
- Lubelskie Dni Kultury Studenckiej - an annual
students' holiday, usually celebrated for about three weeks between
May and June, students holiday in Lublin, are the longest in whole
Poland. There's usually bunch of student parties, concerts,
cultural events, and every year, Main Concert, usually, British
artists are invited.
- Słowo daję - Festiwal Opowiadaczy - I give
you my word. Storytellers Festival
- Rozstaje Europy - International Festival
of Document Film
- Mikołajki Folkowe - International Folk
Music Festival ("St. Nicholas Folk
Day") - organised by Maria
Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin.
- Strefa Inne Brzmienia
("Different Sounds Area" International Music Festival,
which connects Lublin and Lviv
citizens
together.
- Lublin. Miasto Poezji -
Poetry Festival organised by Ośrodek "Brama
Grodzka - Teatr NN" and Polish Literature Institute of
Catholic University in Lublin.
- Noc z Czechowiczem - A Night with
Czechowicz - walking the trace, from "Poem about The City of
Lublin" written by Józef
Czechowicz at first full moon at July, organised by Ośrodek "Brama Grodzka - Teatr NN"
- Najstarsze Pieśni Europy - The oldest
songs of Europe - Festival of Muzyka Kresów Foundation.
- Future Shorts - World Short Film Label
- Międzynarodowe Spotkania Teatrów Tańca -
International Lublin Dance Festival
- Międzynarodowy Festiwal Teatralny
"Konfrontacje" - International Theatre Festival
"Confrontations"
- Festiwal Kultury Alternatywnej "ZdaErzenia" -
Festival of Alternative Culture in Lublin
- Sąsiedzi - Festiwal Teatrów Europy Środkowej -
Neighbours - Central European Theatres Festival
- Festiwal "Prowokacje" - Young Polish Fashion Creators
Festival
- Studencki Ogólnopolski Festiwal Teatralny
Kontestacje - Polish Students Theatre Festival
- Międzynarodowe Spotkania Folklorystyczne im.
Ignacego Wachowiaka - International Folk Dance
Festival
- Lubelska Scena Rockowa - Lublin Rock
Scene
- Taniec Znaku - first in Poland Internet
Theatre, project of Lublin Maat Theatre,
- Scena Młodych - Youth Scene, music
festival
- Zwierciadła - Mirrors - High School
Theatres Revision
- Zaduszki Jazzowe - Jazz All Souls'
Day - it takes place in Dominican
Order Monastery
- "Invitro" Scena Prapremier - "Invitro"
Pre-première Scene
- Solo życia - Classical Music Festival -
creator of this festival is composer Mieczysław Jurecki
- Letnia Strefa Muzyki - Summer Music
Area - Young polish musicians, promotion, on the small scene,
organisators: Akwarela Cafe and Lublins' President Council
Zalew Zemborzycki
The Zemborzycki Zalew is a large man-made lake used for wind
surfing, fishing and other water sports.Municipal Centre of Sport
and Recreation (MOSiR), has opeed recently mini-aqua park, near
Zalew, there are few swimming pools, and other swimming
accessories.
European capital of culture

European Capital of Culture hoarding,
on the City Council building
Since 2007, Lublin has joined the group of Polish cities which are
candidates for the title of
European Capital of Culture, as
the one and only city from the eastern half of Poland.
Poland
will
participate in this title with Spain
in
2016.
"Lublin is the city that symbolises European idea of integration, universal heritage of democracy and tolerance and the idea of dialogue between the cultures of the West and East. Lublin is a unique place where the cultures and religions meet. Here the East meets West, and the European Union meets Belarus and Ukraine. It is the perfect place of cooperation for European artists living within and outside the European Union. Lublin is a city open to artists, a place where unique initiatives and activities take place. Lublin means the experience of hundreds of years of rich history and cultural heritage which constitutes endless source of inspiration for new generations.
European Culture is not only modern museums and enormous festivals,
but first of all people and their activities, aims, aspirations,
possibilities, potential and the desire for development.The
development of culture and being granted the title of European
Capital of Culture is a chance for development of one the poorest
regions of the European Union.
Mr. Adam Wasilewski, President of Lublin
Since 2007, there are organised special meetings,
enter2016, which could take part anyone in.As the
effect of hard work, of City's Marketing Office, special web page
was build:
Lublin2016.eu, it's available in four
languages:
Polish,
English,
Ukrainian and
Spanish.
Education

John Paul II Catholic University of
Lublin
There are
six schools of higher education, including Maria
Curie-Sklodowska University
(UMCS) and John Paul II Catholic University of
Lublin
(KUL).
Lublin also hosts a number of private higher education
establishments.The Polish Government has plans to establish a new
University in Lublin in cooperation with the Ukraine Government,
which promises to be one of the most innovative international
ventures of recent years. The Polish-Ukrainian Academy will support
multicultural exchange, and will highlight Polish and Ukrainian
heritage and history. It promises to be a milestone in the
rapprochement between Poland and Ukraine, and between Ukraine and
the
European Union.
Sports
Notable residents

"Lublin Eye"
Politics
Lublin constituency

Lublin Town Hall

Lublin Crown Tribunal, in the centre
of the Old Town main square
Members of Parliament (
Sejm) elected from
Lublin constituency:
- Zyta Gilowska, PIS
- Stanisław
Głębocki, Samoobrona
- Arkadiusz Kasznia, SLD-UP
- Elżbieta Kruk, PiS
- Grzegorz Kurczuk, SLD-UP
- Robert Luśnia, LPR
- Andrzej Mańka, PiS
- Gabriela Masłowska,
LPR
- Wiktor Osik, SLD-UP
- Zdzisław Podkański,
PSL
- Tadeusz Polański, PSL
- Izabella Sierakowska,
SLD-UP
- Zygmunt Jerzy
Szymański, SLD-UP
- Leszek
Świętochowski, PSL
- Marian Widz, Samoobrona
- Józef Żywiec,
Samoobrona
- Janusz Palikot, PO
Members of the European Parliament elected from the Lublin
constituency:
International relations
Twin towns — Sister cities
Lublin is
twinned with:
Gallery
File:Stare Miasto w Lublinie - kaplica św. Trójcy.jpg|Courtyard of
the Lublin Castle - Holy Trinity ChapelFile:Lublin wieza
trynitarska brama.jpg|Trinity Tower gateFile:Lublin brama krakowska
noc2.JPG|Krakow GateFile:Archikatedra lubelska.JPG|
John the Baptist and John the Evangelist
CathedralFile:Prezbiterium dominikanie lublin.jpg|
Dominican Basilica of Stanislaus of
SzczepanówFile:KarmeliciLublin.jpg|
Carmelite ChurchFile:Brama grodzka lbn.jpg|Grodzka
Gate, to the Jewish quarterFile:Teatr osterwy lublin
noc.JPG|Juliusz Osterwa TheatreFile:Lublin Dworek Wincentego
Pola2.jpg|
Wincenty Pol's
manorFile:Dworzec2.jpg|Main railway stationFile:Alians PL,Rynek
Kiermasz Lublin,2008-02-08,P3300314,WikimediaCommons
BronislawWesolowskiLublin20-325.jpg|Old TownFile:Lublin Kamienica
Chociszewska.jpg|Chociszewska tenement houseFile:Żyrzyn skansen
Lublin.jpg|Open air museum on rural lifeFile:Wiesław Ochman,
lubelski Chór Akademii Medycznej -Zamość 2008.jpg|
Wiesław Ochman, Lublin Medical Academy
ChoirFile:Zalew Zemborzycki Lublin 09.jpg|Zembrzycki
Reservoir
See also
References
External links
External files
City Council has produced bunch of information materials,which
should help, acquaint potential tourists with the city: