Wadowice : Poland
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 O?wi?cim and after 1445 to the Duchy of Zator. In 1482 W?adys?aw 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 Krakw Voivodship in 1564.
In the 16th-17th centuries Wadowice was a regional centre of crafts and trade. Among the most notable sons of the town was Marcin Wadowita, a teologist, philosopher and a deacon of the Krakw Academy. He was also the founder of a hospital and a basic school in Wadowice. However, several plagues and fires halted the prosperity and the town’s growth was eventually halted as well.
In the effect of the 1st Partition of Poland, Wadowice was annexed by Austria and incorporated into the newly-established Kingdom of Galicia, under direct Austrian rule. The town’s growth started soon afterwards, after a road linking Vienna with Lww was built. The town became a seat of a communal administration and since 1867 – a county site. Small industries were developing slowly during the 19th century. New inhabitants settled in the area, attracted by the industry, new military barracks and various administrative institutions. In addition, a new hospital and a regional court were erected in the town centre. Finally, in the last 25 years of the 19th century partial liberalisation of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy led to creation of various Polish cultural and scientific societies.
