Parczew

Sister cities

• Liuboml
• Prienai
• Bressuire

History

The settlement of Parczew existed since the 12th century, lying near then-eastern border of the Kingdom of Poland. In 1401, it received Magdeburg rights town charter from King Władysław II Jagiełło. The union of Poland and Lithuania (see Union of Krewo) helped Parczew to develop, as it ceased to be a border town. The town was conveniently located on one of the routes joining the capitals of the two united nations - Kraków and Vilnius. In 1413, in an act of Władysław II Jagiełło and Vytautas, Parczew was designated, equally with Lublin, as a venue for councils and parliamentary sessions. The town emerged as one of the centers of political life of the two nations. Parczew was visited by all kings of the Jagiellonian dynasty. A Sejm of the Kingdom of Poland was convened in Parczew in 1564 for final decisions regarding the Polish–Lithuanian union. The adoption of the decrees of the Council of Trent in Parczew was decisive in Poland's continued adherence to Catholicism during the Protestant Reformation. Parczew was a royal town of Poland. Administratively, Parczew formed part of the Sandomierz Voivodeship until 1474, and then of the Lublin Voivodeship in the Lesser Poland Province. Parczew reached its peak of prosperity and importance in the 15th and 16th centuries, when it hosted councils of Polish kings and the nobility. The town had a defensive wall, with three gates, and a royal residence, where Polish kings stayed on their way to and from Vilnius. The town was the seat of a starosta, with a town hall located on the market square, two bath houses, four mills and breweries. In the 16th century, there were guilds of shoemakers, blacksmiths, tailors, furriers, and weavers. In the 16th century, it had three Roman Catholic churches, one Orthodox church, a synagogue, a…

Most-observed species

• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  151
• Graylag Goose

  Anser anser (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  132
• Black-headed Gull

  Chroicocephalus ridibundus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  123
• Hooded Crow

  Corvus cornix Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  121
• Caspian Gull

  Larus cachinnans Pallas, 1811 · Aves
  116
• Mute Swan

  Cygnus olor (J.F.Gmelin, 1789) · Aves
  114
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  114
• Northern Lapwing

  Vanellus vanellus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  113