Zywiec
| Żywiec | ||
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Top left: Market square with cathedral bell tower
Top right: Holy Cross Church Middle left: Beskid Wyzsza University Middle right: Zamkowy Park Bottom left: Saint Mark Church Bottom middle: Monument of Pope John Paul II Bottom right: Habsburg Palace |
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 Żywiec
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| Coordinates: 49°41′21″N 19°12′21″E / 49.68917°N 19.20583°ECoordinates: 49°41′21″N 19°12′21″E / 49.68917°N 19.20583°E | ||
| Country |
 Poland
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| Voivodeship | Silesian | |
| County | Żywiec County | |
| Gmina | Żywiec (urban gmina) | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Antoni Paweł Szlagor | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 50.57 km2 (19.53 sq mi) | |
| Highest elevation | 400 m (1,300 ft) | |
| Lowest elevation | 344 m (1,129 ft) | |
| Population (2006) | ||
| • Total | 32,078 | |
| • Density | 630/km2 (1,600/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
| Postal code | 34-300 to 34-330 | |
| Car plates | SZY | |
| Website | www |
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Żywiec /ˈʒɪvjɛts/ (Polish pronunciation: [ˈʐɨvjɛt͡s]) is a town in south-central Poland with 32,242 inhabitants (as of November 2007). Between 1975 and 1998, it was located within the Bielsko-Biała Voivodeship, but has since become part of the Silesian Voivodeship.
The town is situated in the center of the Żywiec Basin, on the Soła river near Żywiec Lake in the Lesser Poland historic region and includes Żywiec Landscape Park, one of the eight protected areas in the voivodedship.
Żywiec was first mentioned in a written document in 1308 as a seat of a Catholic parish. It was originally located in the place later known as Stary Żywiec (lit. "Old Żywiec"). It belonged then to the Duchy of Teschen, and after 1315 to the Duchy of Oświęcim, which in 1327 became a fief of the Kingdom of Bohemia. The town was a focal point for the development of hitherto sparsely populated Żywiec Basin. The area of Stary Żywiec was prone to flooding so the town was moved to the current spot in 1448. In 1457 the Duchy of Oświęcim was purchased to the Polish Crown. In 1624 it was acquired by Constance of Austria, queen consort of the Polish king Sigismund III Vasa. During the Deluge, Żywiec was plundered and destroyed by Swedish troops in 1656. From 1672 it was a possession the Polish chancellor (Kanclerz) Jan Wielopolski.
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