tourpoland

Płock was the first capital of Mazovia, it has always been associated with it and remains one of the most important and largest cities in Mazovia. It lies on the Vistula, at the interface of the Dobrzyński Lake District and the Płock Basin. In the early Middle Ages, on the current Tumskie Hill there was a pagan worship center and a fortified prince's stronghold. In the mid-eleventh century, Płock was the capital of Masław's independent state? Voivode of Mieszko II. In 1075, the Masovian (Płock) bishopric was established with headquarters in Płock. At the turn of the 11th / 12th century Władysław Herman and Bolesław Krzywousty resided here, and the city was the capital of the state. In 1180, an elementary school was established, as the only medieval school it has been operating to this day, and now it houses LO Stanisław Małachowski. In 1237, the city obtained a location privilege under Polish law from Konrad Mazowiecki, then expanded by Prince Siemowit I. For years, Płock was the capital of the principality, later of the province. The following centuries brought war damage, at the beginning of the 17th century a great fire destroyed 70% of the city. The nineteenth century was the flourishing of the city, the economy and cultural life are developing. In 1820, the Scientific Society of Płock TNP was established, the first institution of this type in Poland, and four years later the first magazine was published. In 1869, the first vocational school in Poland (Sunday and Trade School) was launched. During World War II, the city was the seat of the poviat in the Ciechanów District of the Third Reich. Monuments and plaques commemorating people killed during the Nazi occupation remind of the tragic fate of those years. In the Radziwie district there is a mass grave of 113 Polish soldiers killed in 1939. On January 21, 1945, Płock was liberated by the Polish Army and the Soviet troops of the First Belorussian Front. An important event was the opening in 1959 of Mazovian Petrochemical Refinery Plant, currently PKN Orlen. On June 7 and 8, 1991, Płock was visited by Pope John Paul II, and on March 7, 2007 by Polish President Lech Kaczyński and President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko.