Będzin

created: 13 November 2026, last updated: 13 November 2026
From WikiZagłębie
Motyw MIASTO
Herb miastaBędzin
Administrative location
VoivodeshipSilesian Voivodeship
PowiatBędzin County
Rodzaj gminyurban municipality
History and residents
Prawa miejskie1358
Population58604
City authoritiesŁukasz Komoniewski
Location and information
Tablice rejestracyjneSBE
City website
Former coat of arms of Będzin
Former coat of arms of Będzin
Map of Będzin, 1927–1939 (FdZD private archive)
Map of the city of Będzin in the years 1927–1939

Będzin is a county town in southern Poland, on the Czarna Przemsza River. It is the historical capital of Zagłębie Dąbrowskie.

It was a royal town of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland.

History

A castle had stood on a rocky hill in Będzin, a strategic point on the border with Silesia, since at least the reign of Bolesław V the Chaste (13th century). However, the documented history of both the castle and the town begins under Casimir the Great, who rebuilt the castle in stone in the Gothic style, with a tower, walls and a moat, and fortified it in 1358. The town was established alongside the castle under Magdeburg law. Over the years, Polish kings granted the town privileges that laid the foundations for its development. Będzin also benefited from its geographical location: a trade route from Kraków to Greater Poland crossed the border here, and a waterway led from the sources of the Warta along the Czarna Przemsza towards the Vistula. The town's development attracted Jewish communities. In 1616, a fire destroyed the town and the castle, and Swedish troops caused further destruction.

Districts and residential neighbourhoods

Market in 19th-century Będzin
Market in 19th-century Będzin. Source: Historia Zagłębia Dąbrowskiego, J. Przemsza-Zieliński, Sosnowiec, 2006, published by Związek Zagłębiowski
Troop of the Merchants' Association Gymnasium in Będzin
Troop of the Merchants' Association Gymnasium in Będzin
Będzin, Syberka residential estate (001); photograph by Dariusz JUREK, all rights reserved
Panorama of the Syberka residential estate

Name

In the 14th century, the town was called Bandyen; in the 15th century, Bandyn, Bandin, Bandzen and Bandzyn; in the 16th and 17th centuries, Bendin, Bendzim and Bendzyn; and finally, in the 18th century, Bendzin, Będzyń and Będzyń.

Będzin among the towns of Zagłębie Dąbrowskie

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Industry

Historic monuments, trails and tourist attractions

Historic monuments

In the Grodziec district:

Monuments

Until December 1939, a monument honouring the soldiers of the 11th Infantry Regiment who fell in the war against the Bolsheviks stood in 3 Maja Square. The regiment was formed in the first days of November 1918. It originated from volunteer units organised among the inhabitants of Zagłębie.

Memorial sites

Będzin biographies

  • People born in Będzin:
  • People associated with Będzin:

See also

Culture

Museums and galleries

Theatre and cinema

Libraries

Folktales and legends of Będzin

Selected publications containing tales and legends associated with the town and Będzin County:

Education

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Religion

Roman Catholic Church

The Będzin deanery is part of the Diocese of Sosnowiec in the ecclesiastical province of Częstochowa.

Protestant churches

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Judaism

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Other religious communities

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Cemeteries

Sport

Sports clubs

Sports facilities

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Sporting events

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Recreation

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Press, social networking sites and television

Press

Social networking sites

Television

  • Kanał 99

Mayors of Będzin

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Twin towns

  • Tatabánya (Hungary)
  • Izhevsk (Udmurt Republic, Russia)
  • Kaišiadorys (Lithuania)

Trivia

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Bibliography

  • Przewodnik po Zagłębiu Dąbrowskim. Sosnowiec: Komitet Przewodnika po Zagłębiu Dąbrowskim, 1939, p. 82.

See also

External links

Contributors

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