Pacanów

History

Pacanów was first mentioned in a document from 1110 to 1117, issued by the Bishop of Kraków Maur, in which the erection of St. Martin's church was confirmed. At that time, the village probably belonged to a man named Siemian, who is mentioned in the document. The existence of the parish church was confirmed on August 1219 by the incumbent Bishop of Kraków Iwo Odrowąż, and in 1265, the village was granted Magdeburg rights by Prince Bolesław V the Chaste. In the same period, a number of local villages were also granted town charters (Połaniec, Nowy Korczyn, Koprzywnica and Opatowiec). The original charter of Pacanów has not been preserved, but in a document issued on February 26, 1603, King Sigismund III Vasa reconfirmed its town status. Pacanów remained a private Bailiwick, belonging, among others, to a man named Piotr of Mokrsko and Pacanów, Castellan of Małogoszcz, (1306–1310), Wiślica (1315), and Sandomierz (1317–1328). By 1417, the town already had a parish school, and in 1433 in Nowy Korczyn, King Władysław II Jagiełło recognized its Magdeburg rights, allowing a number of fairs to be held there. The town was administratively located in the Sandomierz Voivodeship in the Lesser Poland Province. In 1502, during a Tatar raid, in which the invaders crossed the Vistula, Pacanów was successfully defended. The significance of the town was further enhanced when Nicholas of Cusa included Pacanów on his map of Central Europe. In 1583 and 1585 King Stephen Bathory stayed there briefly. The town's prosperity came to an end during the Swedish invasion of Poland. On April 9, 1657, the town was captured by the Transilvanian army of George II Rakoczi. The invaders burned it to the ground, and that marked the decline of Pacanów, which never quite recovered its former importance.…