The capital of the Subcarpathian Region, Rzeszów, is the largest city in southeastern Poland, boasting a population of nearly 200,000.
Rzeszów lies along Via Regia, the oldest and longest road that has connected East and West Europe from Iberia to Kyivan Rus since medieval times. The Rzeszów City Museum offers a review of 600 years of the town’s history. Region’s history is a rollercoaster of events, with settlements dating back to the Bronze Age (4,000 years ago). The Carpathian Troy Open-Air Museum in Trzcinica near Jasło showcases these early settlements. Slavs first inhabited the area around the 5th century. The Piast dynasty annexed it in 1264, and it became part of the Polish Kingdom in 1340.
Over the centuries, Rzeszów belonged to many wealthy Polish families, including the Spytek-Ligieza, Ostrogowski, and Lubomirski families. Lubomirski Castle is an excellent example of the palace-fortress concept, withstanding many Tatar and Cossack attacks but not the Swedish Deluge of 1655-1660, when 30% of the Polish population perished and the country was largely destroyed.
The city and its region have a rich industrial heritage dating back to an oil boom in the early 1800s. Numerous oil wells operated in the area, predating the first oil well in Pennsylvania. Rzeszów later became part of the Central Industrial Region of Poland before WWII, which saw the construction of many factories.
The city has transformed from a sleepy town, once known for its massive communist monument, into one of Poland’s most dynamically developing cities. It is home to major companies such as Pratt & Whitney, United Technologies, BOSCH, Sanofi, Gerber, and ASSECO. This transformation is no accident; Rzeszów has a highly educated population, with about 40% holding a university degree. It is one of Poland’s prominent academic centers, with its first university dating back to 1658.
With its international airport and quaint atmosphere of Market Square and City Hall, Rzeszów serves as a gateway to a region rich in breathtaking architecture, museums, grand estates, Art Nouveau villas, an underground tourist route, arts and crafts, and plenty of eateries offering local specialties. The surrounding area offers glimpses of wooden churches, including the world’s oldest wooden Gothic church in Haczów. Nearby, the magnificent Łańcut Castle, built in the 1600s, was one of the greatest homesteads of eminent Polish families.
While in Rzeszów, be sure to try fuczki, proziaki, gomolki, żurek, game, local apple strudel and rosolisy.
Rzeszów's mobile app, “Culture in Rzeszów,” keeps users updated on events, maps, directions, and contact information.
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