Płock

Sister cities

• Huai'an
• Fort Wayne
• Bălți
• Forlì
• Darmstadt
• Thurrock
• Loznica
• Mažeikiai
• Rustavi
• Auxerre
• Pleven
• Zhytomyr

History

The area was long inhabited by pagan peoples. In the 10th century, a fortified location was established high of the Vistula River's bank. This location was at a junction of shipping and trade routes and was strategic for centuries. Its location was a great asset. In 1009 a Benedictine monastery was established here. It became a center of science and art for the area. During the rule of the first monarchs of the Piast dynasty, even prior to the Baptism of Poland, Płock served as one of the monarchial seats, including that of Duke Mieszko I and King Bolesław I the Brave. The king built the original fortifications on Cathedral Hill (), overlooking the Vistula River. From 1037 to 1047, Płock was capital of the independent Mazovian state of Miecław. Płock has been the residence of many Mazovian dukes. In 1075, a diocese seat was created here for the Roman Catholic church. From 1079 to 1138, during the reign of the Polish monarchs Władysław I Herman and Bolesław III Wrymouth, the city was the capital of Poland, then earning its title as the Ducal Capital City of Płock (). As a result of the fragmentation of Poland into smaller duchies, from 1138 it was the capital of the Duchy of Masovia, and afterwards the Duchy of Płock. Among its notable graduates is scholar and jurist Paweł Włodkowic, a precursor of religious freedom in Europe, who studied there in the late 14th century. In 1237 Płock was officially granted town rights, renewed in 1255. In the 14th century King Casimir III the Great vested Płock with vast privileges. From 1807 it was part of the short-lived Polish Duchy of Warsaw, within which it was the capital of the Płock Department. In 1815 it became part of Congress Poland, In 1827 Fryderyk Chopin visited Płock. In 1831, the last sejm of Congress Poland was held…