Wadowice

History

The first permanent settlement in the area of today's Wadowice was founded in the late 10th century or early 11th century. According to a local legend, the town was founded by a certain Wad or Wład, a short form for the Slavic name of Ladislaus (). The town was first mentioned as Wadowicze in [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/St.%20Peter%20Church%20in%20Wadowice St. Peter] penny register in the years 1325–1327. In 1327 it is also mentioned (under the same name) in a fief registry sent from prince John I Scholastyk of Oświęcim to Bohemian king John I, Count of Luxemburg. At this time it was a trading settlement belonging to the Dukes of Silesia of the Piast dynasty, and according to some historians it was already a municipality. In 1430 a great fire destroyed the town. It was soon rebuilt and granted city rights, along with a city charter and a self-government, based on the then-popular Kulm law. The privileges, granted by Prince Kazimierz I of Oświęcim led to a period of fast reconstruction and growth. The administrative division of the region in the times of regional division was complicated. Initially, between 1313/1317 and 1445, Wadowice belonged to the Silesian Duchy of Oświęcim and after 1445 to the Duchy of Zator. In 1482 Władysław I of Zator inherited only half of his father's lands and created a separate Duchy of Wadowice, which lasted until his death in 1493. The following year his brother and successor, Jan V of Zator abdicated. At the same time the land was subject to Bohemian overlordship, which lasted until the following year, when the Duchy was bought by the Kings of Poland and incorporated as a Silesian County. Finally, the county was incorporated into the Kraków Voivodeship of the Lesser Poland Province of the Kingdom of Poland in 1564. In the…

Most-observed species

• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,833
• Mute Swan

  Cygnus olor (J.F.Gmelin, 1789) · Aves
  2,511
• Tufted Duck

  Aythya fuligula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,317
• Eurasian Coot

  Fulica atra Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,213
• Gray/Purple Heron

  Ardea cinerea Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,087
• Common Pochard

  Aythya ferina (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,899
• Black-headed Gull

  Chroicocephalus ridibundus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,897
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,868

Most recent

• M 2.6 — 2026-04-09
  1 km WNW of Radlin, Poland
• M 2.9 — 2025-04-29
  4 km WSW of Bytom, Poland
• M 3.2 — 2025-01-27
  1 km NE of Radlin, Poland
• M 2.9 — 2024-07-11
  4 km N of Jejkowice, Poland
• M 3 — 2023-10-04
  2 km W of Murcki, Poland
• M 2.8 — 2023-01-12
  2 km ENE of Karviná, Czechia