Secemin

Village

Coat of arms

Secemin

Coordinates: 50°46′4″N 19°50′18″E / 50.76778°N 19.83833°E

Poland

Population

1,600

Secemin [sɛˈt͡sɛmin] is a village in Włoszczowa County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, in south-central Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Secemin. It lies historic Lesser Poland, approximately 14 kilometres (9 mi) south-west of Włoszczowa and 57 km (35 mi) west of the regional capital Kielce. The village has a population of 1,600, and used to be a town in 1401 - 1869. Its name comes from the local swamps, called sece.

Secemin has a long and rich history, which dates back to a defensive gord, established in the 13th century among swamps and forests, in the proximity to the medieval merchant routes. Earliest documented mention of Secemin comes from the year 1291, when Duke of Kraków and Sandomierz, Bolesław V the Chaste met here with monks from Henrykow. In the 14th century, Secemin was a settlement, with a watermill and a forge, as well as a Roman Catholic parish church.

In 1401, Secemin received Magdeburg rights town charter from King Wladyslaw Jagiello (according to some other sources, Secemin received the charter in the mid-14th century, from King Kazimierz Wielki). The town was allowed to organize two fairs a year, as well as weekly markets. Following the order of King Jagiello, Secemin became property of knight Piotr Szafraniec (Starykon coat of arms), who had distinguished himself in the Battle of Grunwald. Szafraniec funded a stone church, and in the late Middle Ages, Secemin emerged as a local center of artisans, with butchers, shoemakers, potters, clothmakers, two watermills and a bath. The town was located on a very busy merchant route from Gdańsk to Kraków.

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Wikipedia