Nowy Sacz Poland description, location, history. Poland map.

Nowy Sacz Poland description, location, history. Poland map.

Nowy Sącz is a land county and an urban county located in Małopolskie Voivodship (Province).

The town is situated in the Sądecka Valley at an altitude of 300m, at the confluence of the Kamienica River into the Dunajec River. The location between the two rivers provides the oldest part of the town with the natural fortification.

It is the third largest town in Małopolska Region. Before the admnistrative reform in 1998, the town was the capital of Nowosądeskie Voivodeship.

Nowy Sącz was founded in 1292 by the Bohemian king Weceslaus II, on the site of the village named Kamienica.

Inhabited mainly by the German settlers, the town developed quickly. During the reign of Casimir the Great, Nowy Sącz was surrounded by the brick wall and the castle was built. Between the 14th and 17th century, the town developed trade relations with Hungary and Czech Republic; as a result, it became the trade centre competing only with Cracow.

In the 17th century, in consequence of the Swedish invasion and numerous natural disasters, the town declined. After the Austrian occupation in 1770 and the annexation of Poland, Nowy Sącz lost its importance as the merchant power; by becomig the capital of the Austrian district and later of the poviat (county), the town started to play the role of an administrative centre.

In 1876 the railway shops were built and a year later Tarnów-Leluchów railway line was established. In 1889 Nowy Sącz became a rural commune. During World War I, in 1914, the town was occupied by the Russian Army; it was liberated in 1918.

In 1951, Nowy Sącz became an urban county, and during the years 1975-1998 the town was the capital of the former Nowosądeckie Voivodeship.

Nowy Sącz is an important tourist and cultural centre of Nowosądecki Region. Sądecki Ethnographic Park - an open-air museum presenting indigenous folk architecture and things from everyday life - is a great tourist attraction.