DĘBICA

Dębica is a modern town which
perfectly combines the charm of the 650
years of history with its industrial
c h a ra c ter. Th e town o f fers i d e a l
conditions for active leisure as well as rich
variety of cultural events, no other place
in Poland can match. Musical traditions of
Dębica have influenced our most famous
citizen, the contemporary composer,
K r z y s z t o f Pe n d e r e c k i . D ę b i c a i s
a hometown of not only artists, musicians,
actors and scientists, but also a great
number of sportsmen, since it serves as an
important sport center. Our town is open
to investments and proposals of
cooperation; and welcomes visitors and
those who seek new trade relations or
business partners.
Dębica, situated in south-eastern Poland, has over 48
thousand inhabitants. It stands at the edges of
Sandomierz Basin and Carpathian Foothills, on the River
Wisłoka. There are many beautiful places, suitable for all
kinds of relaxation and recreational activities in this
region. The picturesque town is not far from Ukrainian and
Slovakian borders.
Signpost
with distances
from Dębica:
The Town Square in Dębica
(photo by Wojciech Woźniak)
Berlin (Germany) – 850 km
Lvov (Ukraine) – 150 km
Dębica plays an important role in domestic and
international communications system. It is located on the
main west-east European highway E-40, which goes from
Germany to Ukraine. In the future, the A-4 highway will
run just the to the north of the city. Two exits from the
highway are planned for Dębica. The system of railway
transportation, running through the town, connects
Wrocław, Przemyśl and Zamość. The nearest airport is 50
km from Dębica, in Jasionka near Rzeszów, another one is
in Kraków, 120 km from Dębica.
DĘBICA
Brussels (Belgium) – 1450 km
Paryż (France) – 1653 km
Warsaw – 268 km
Kraków– 117 km
History of the town began 650 years ago, though the oldest document that
mentions a settlement named Dambicha dates back to 1293. Not until 1358,
king Casimir III the Great issued a foundation charter to Świętosław Gryfita,
allowing him to build a town. It begin to flourish thank to the privilege to
organize farmer’s markets and fairs, granted in 1446. The town developed
slowly but constantly, and more and more new settlers built their houses there.
A town square and a town hall, situated near Saint Jadwiga Church were the
town’s center. Building of Saint Barbara Church (1651), outside the town, gave
birth of the New Dębica. Jewish settlers, who arrived in 1676 – 1690, established
their own districts in Old and New Dębica. As times went by, their influence on
town’s economy became more significant.
After the First Partition of Poland in 1772, Dębica found itself in Habsburg
Empire, New Austrian authorities decided that it should no longer be regarded as a town. This decision marked the decline of
the town.
This dramatic situation came to an end in the second half of the 19th century, when a main west-east railroad line,
connecting Kraków and Lvov was built (1856). The town became a rail junction and since then industrial development began.
In 1914, just before the outbreak of the First World War, Dębica was again incorporated as a town.
In 1936-1939, after Polish government had announced creation of Central Industrial Area aimed at fighting unemployment
in this part of Poland, Dębica experienced fast development. Among several factories built at that time, the most important
were a tire factory, a rubber factory (which produced synthetic rubber, original invention of Polish scientists), a metal rolling
mill, and explosive materials factory (in nearby Pustków). In 1937 the county’s capital in Krakowskie Province was moved here.
Just before the Second World War the number of dwellers exceeded 10.000.