Szczebrzeszyn

Szczebrzeszyn
Town hall with the cricket statue
Coat of arms
Szczebrzeszyn
Coordinates: 50°41′N 22°58′E / 50.683°N 22.967°E / 50.683; 22.967
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Lublin
County	Zamość
Gmina	Szczebrzeszyn
Government
• Mayor	Marian Jan Mazur
Area
• Total	29.12 km2 (11.24 sq mi)
Elevation	230 m (750 ft)
Population (2006)
• Total	5,299
• Density	180/km2 (470/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	22-460
Car plates	LZA
Website	http://www.szczebrzeszyn.pl

Coordinates: 50°42′N 22°59′E / 50.700°N 22.983°E / 50.700; 22.983

Szczebrzeszyn [ʂt͡ʂɛˈbʐɛʂɨn] is a city in southeastern Poland in Lublin Voivodeship, in Zamość County, about 20 km west of Zamość. From 1975–1999, it was part of the Zamość Voivodeship administrative district. The town serves as the seat to the Gmina Szczebrzeszyn district. A 2004 census counted 5,357 inhabitants. It lends its name to the Szczebrzeszyn Landscape Park.

Szczebrzeszyn's history can be traced back to 1352, during the reign of Casimir III, although archaeological evidence suggests the area had been settled for several centuries prior to this. Neighboring villages named in Nestor's 11th century chronicle of Rus further support that Szczebrzeszyn is much older, once lying beside a major commercial route running from south to north.

By 1492, trade had developed enough to warrant a special act imposed by Jan Olbracht. The Act specified which roads Szczebrzeszyn merchants could use when traveling through Lesser Poland with their wares. As merchants traveled through Szczebrzeszyn, they paid set taxes which proved to be an excellent source of revenue. For example, the tax on a wagon with merchandise was 2 groschen, on an ox: 1 groschen, and on a wagon with salt from Drohobycz: a measure of salt.