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{{Infobox settlement
| name = Radomsko
| image_skyline = Radomsko, ratusz, 01.JPG
| image_caption = City Museum in the historic [[Ratusz]]
| image_flag = POL Radomsko flag.svg
| image_shield = POL Radomsko COA.svg
| pushpin_map = Poland
| pushpin_label_position = top
| subdivision_type = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name = {{POL}}
| subdivision_type1 = [[Voivodeships of Poland|Voivodeship]]
| subdivision_name1 = {{flag|Łódź Voivodeship|name=Łódź}}
| subdivision_type2 = [[List of Polish counties|County]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Radomsko County|Radomsko]]
| subdivision_type3 = [[Gmina]]
| subdivision_name3 = Radomsko <small>(urban gmina)</small>
| leader_title = City Mayor
| leader_name = Jarosław Ferenc
| established_title = Established
| established_date = 11th century
| established_title2 = First mentioned
| established_date2 = 1243
| established_title3 = City rights
| established_date3 = 1266
| elevation_min_m = 220
| elevation_max_m = 254
| area_total_km2 = 62.01
| population_as_of = 31 December 2021
| population_total = 44700 {{decrease}}<ref name="population">{{cite web|url=https://bdl.stat.gov.pl/bdl/dane/teryt/jednostka|title=Local Data Bank|access-date=19 August 2022|publisher=Statistics Poland}} Data for territorial unit 1012011.</ref>
| population_density_km2 = auto
| timezone = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset = +1
| timezone_DST = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset_DST = +2
| coordinates = {{coord|51|4|N|19|27|E|region:PL|display=title,inline}}
| postal_code_type = Postal code
| postal_code = 97-500
| registration_plate = ERA
| website = http://www.radomsko.pl
}}
'''Radomsko''' ({{IPA|pl|raˈdɔmskɔ|pron|audio=Pl-Radomsko.ogg}}) is a city in central [[Poland]]{{TERYT}} with 44,700 inhabitants (2021).<ref name="population" /> It is situated on the [[Radomka]] river in the [[Łódź Voivodeship]]. It is the county seat of [[Radomsko County]].

Founded in the 11th century, Radomsko is a former [[royal city]] located within the [[Sieradz Land]], which prospered as a trade center due to its location at the intersection of important trade routes. In the 14th century, it was the site of congresses at which Princess [[Jadwiga of Poland]] was chosen as Queen of Poland as the country's first female monarch. Due to particularly strong [[Polish resistance movement in World War II|partisan resistance]] against [[Occupation of Poland (1939–1945)|German occupiers]] during [[World War II]], it was dubbed ''Banditenstadt'' ("City of Bandits") by the Germans.

It is located on the [[Warszawa Zachodnia-Katowice line|main railway line]] connecting [[Warsaw]] and [[Katowice]], the country's two largest metropolitan areas, and on the [[A1 autostrada (Poland)|main highway]] connecting [[Gdańsk]] and [[Łódź]] with Katowice, part of the [[European route E75]].

==History==
[[File:SM Radomsko Kościół św Lamberta (3) ID 614012.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.9|Catholic Church of Saint [[Lambert of Maastricht]] (''Kościół św Lamberta''), as seen from Przedborska Street]]
Radomsko dates back to the 11th century.<ref name="radomsko.pl"/> The oldest known mention of Radomsko comes from a document of [[Konrad I of Masovia]] from 1243.<ref name="radomsko.pl"/> It received [[town privileges]] from Duke [[Leszek II the Black]] of [[Duchy of Sieradz|Sieradz]] in 1266. During the times of fragmentation of [[Piast dynasty|Piast]]-ruled [[Kingdom of Poland (1025–1385)|Poland]], it was part of the [[Seniorate Province]] and [[Duchy of Sieradz]], and afterwards it was a county seat and [[royal city in Poland|royal town]] of the Kingdom of Poland, administratively located in the [[Sieradz Voivodeship (1339–1793)|Sieradz Voivodeship]] in the [[Greater Poland Province, Crown of the Kingdom of Poland|Greater Poland Province]].<ref>{{cite book|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Atlas historyczny Polski. Województwo sieradzkie i województwo łęczyckie w drugiej połowie XVI wieku. Część I. Mapy, plany|year=1998|language=pl|location=Warszawa|publisher=Instytut Historii [[Polish Academy of Sciences|Polskiej Akademii Nauk]]|page=4}}</ref> In 1288, Duke Leszek II the Black brought [[Franciscans]] to the town, and in 1328, King [[Ladislaus the Short]] funded the construction of the [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] Franciscan church.<ref name=zab>{{cite web|url=https://zabytek.pl/pl/obiekty/radomsko-zespol-klasztorny-oo-franciszkanow|title=Zespół klasztorny oo. Franciszkanów, Radomsko|website=Zabytek.pl|accessdate=25 April 2021|language=pl}}</ref>

In 1382 and 1384, congresses of [[szlachta|Polish nobility]] were held in Radomsko, during which Princess [[Jadwiga of Poland]] was chosen as Queen of Poland as the country's first female monarch.<ref name=patr>{{cite web|url=https://radomsko.pl/miasto-otwarte2/o-radomsku/patronka-miasta|title=Patronka Miasta|website=Radomsko.pl|accessdate=25 April 2021|language=pl}}</ref> It was probably Radomsko where an agreement was concluded under which the future king of Poland [[Władysław II Jagiełło]] married Jadwiga, hence founding the [[Jagiellonian dynasty]].<ref name=zab/> Nowadays, Queen Jadwiga is considered the [[patron saint]] of Radomsko.<ref name=patr/> The town developed under the patronage of the Jagiellonian dynasty, and was granted important trade and tax [[Privilege (law)|privileges]] by Kings [[Władysław II Jagiełło]] in 1427 and [[Sigismund II Augustus]] in 1549 and 1552.<ref name="radomsko.pl"/>

In 1793 as a consequence of the [[Second Partition of Poland]] the town became part of the [[Kingdom of Prussia]]. In 1807 it became part of the Polish [[Duchy of Warsaw]], then in 1815 part of [[Congress Poland]] within the [[Russian Empire]]. In 1846 the section of the [[Warsaw–Vienna railway]] that ran through the town opened, providing a railway connection to Warsaw. Inhabitants took part in the [[November Uprising|November]] and [[January Uprising|January]] uprisings against Russia.<ref name="radomsko.pl"/> One of the first battles of the Polish [[January Uprising]] in the region took place in Radomsko on January 24, 1863.<ref>{{cite book|last=Zieliński|first=Stanisław|title=Bitwy i potyczki 1863-1864. Na podstawie materyałów drukowanych i rękopiśmiennych Muzeum Narodowego w Rapperswilu|year=1913|language=pl|publisher=Fundusz Wydawniczy [[Polish Museum, Rapperswil|Muzeum Narodowego w Rapperswilu]]|location=Rapperswil|page=190}}</ref> Further clashes between Polish insurgents and Russian troops took place in Radomsko on March 14 and June 24, 1863.<ref>Zieliński, pp. 193, 206</ref> After the fall of the January Uprising, [[Anti-Polish sentiment|anti-Polish]] repressions, including [[Russification of Poles during the Partitions|Russification]] policies, intensified.<ref name="radomsko.pl"/> The Russian administration expelled Franciscan monks from the town.<ref name=zab/>

During [[World War I]], the town was occupied by [[Austria]]. On 7 November 1918, local inhabitants and members of the secret [[Polish Military Organisation]] disarmed the Austrians and liberated the town, four days before Poland officially regained independence.<ref name=r24>{{cite web|url=https://radomsko24.pl/radomsko-bylo-niepodlegle-juz-7-listopada-1918-roku-657|title=Radomsko było niepodległe już 7 listopada 1918 roku!|website=Radomsko24.pl|date=11 November 2010|accessdate=25 April 2021|language=pl}}</ref> Polish political prisoners were then released.<ref name=r24/> The Franciscans came back to their monastery in 1918.<ref name=zab/>

===World War II===
[[File:Wrzesień 1939 – centrum Radomska po niemieckim bombardowaniu.jpg|thumb|left|Destruction after the German bombing of the town in 1939]]
On 1 September 1939, the first day of the German [[invasion of Poland]] that started [[World War II]], the Germans air raided the town.<ref name="RMu"/> Dozens of civilians were killed in the bombings. Radomsko was taken over by the [[Wehrmacht]] on 3 September 1939.<ref name="muzeum">{{cite web |url=http://muzeum.radomsko.pl/muzeum-regionalne/areszt-miejski/ |title=Areszt Miejski |year=2016 |author=Muzeum Regionalne w Radomsku |publisher=Muzeum Regionalne w Radomsku}}</ref> The next day, the Germans carried out executions of [[Polish people|Poles]] in the present-day districts of Bartodzieje, Folwarki and Stobiecko Miejskie.<ref name="radomsko.pl"/> On 6–8 September 1939, the ''[[Einsatzgruppen|Einsatzgruppe II]]'' entered the town, and then carried out mass arrests of Poles, and searched Polish offices and organizations.<ref>{{cite book|last=Wardzyńska|first=Maria|year=2009|title=Był rok 1939. Operacja niemieckiej policji bezpieczeństwa w Polsce. Intelligenzaktion|language=pl|location=Warszawa|publisher=[[Institute of National Remembrance|IPN]]|page=118}}</ref> [[Polish resistance movement in World War II|Polish underground resistance]] was organized already in October 1939.<ref name="RMu"/> There was also [[Education in Poland during World War II|secret Polish schooling]].<ref name="radomsko.pl"/>

In March 1940, the Germans carried out mass arrests of 60 Poles in the town and county.<ref>Wardzyńska, p. 252</ref> In April 1940 a [[Nazi ghetto]] was set up in the Przedborze district for local [[Polish Jews]]. Over 120 Poles from Radomsko and the area were murdered by the Russians in the large [[Katyn massacre]] in April–May 1940.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lodz.tvp.pl/47567217/radomsko-w-holdzie-ofiarom-zbrodni-katynskiej|title=Radomsko: w hołdzie ofiarom zbrodni katyńskiej|website=TVP3 Łódź|accessdate=25 April 2021|language=pl}}</ref> During the [[German AB-Aktion in Poland|German AB-Aktion]], 53 Polish teachers and school principals were arrested on 11 June 1940, and further mass arrests of Poles were carried out in August 1940<ref>Wardzyńska, p. 266</ref> and in 1941.<ref name="radomsko.pl"/> The victims were interrogated by the [[Gestapo]], deported to [[Nazi concentration camps|concentration camps]] or murdered in the forests near [[Olsztyn, Silesian Voivodeship|Olsztyn]] during large massacres carried out in June, July and October 1940<ref>Wardzyńska, p. 266-267</ref> or in the Kopiec district and nearby villages.<ref name="radomsko.pl"/> In September 1942, the German ''Kreishauptmann'' (district administrator) issued a document stating that Poles in the city and county were [[Rescue of Jews by Poles during the Holocaust|hiding Jews]] who had escaped from the ghetto, and reminded of the death penalty imposed on Poles for giving shelter to Jews or supplying them with food.<ref>{{cite book|last=Datner|first=Szymon|year=1968|title=Las sprawiedliwych|language=pl|location=Warszawa|publisher=Książka i Wiedza|page=22}}</ref> The ghetto was liquidated in two stages during [[The Holocaust in occupied Poland|the Holocaust]]. The first deportation action took place in early October 1942 with prisoners sent aboard [[Holocaust trains|freight trains]] to the [[Treblinka extermination camp]]. On 12 October, approximately 9,000 Jews were deported. A small group of Jewish [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|slave laborers]] was allowed to stay. They were sent to Treblinka in January 1943. Radomsko was declared ''[[Judenfrei]]''. In retaliation, the unit of [[Armia Krajowa]] ambushed and shot the Chief of Gestapo Willy Berger and his deputy Johann Wagner on 27 May 1943. The German pacification action took place on 3 August 1943 in [[Rejowice]]. The settlement was levelled; some AK soldiers were captured and brought to Radomsko. The Nazi prison in Radomsko, located at the historic [[Ratusz]], was attacked by AK on the night of 7–8 August 1943; and the prisoners were rescued. The attack was led by ''[[Porucznik]]'' Stanisław "Zbigniew" Sojczyński.<ref name="RMu">{{cite web |title=Historia regionu w datach - lata 1939-1945 |publisher=Radomsko.pl |year=2012 |author=Radomsko Museum |url=http://www.radomsko24.pl/historia-regionu-w-datach-lata-1939-1945-3558}}</ref> There are multiple known cases of local Poles, who were persecuted by the Germans for [[Rescue of Jews by Poles during the Holocaust|rescuing Jews]].<ref>{{cite book|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Rejestr faktów represji na obywatelach polskich za pomoc ludności żydowskiej w okresie II wojny światowej|year=2014|language=pl|location=Warszawa|publisher=IPN|pages=73, 127, 177}}</ref>

[[File:Egzekucja Polaków w Radomsku.jpg|thumb|German execution of Poles in Radomsko in 1943]]
To eliminate the "Polish bandits" in the vicinity of Radomsko, some 1,000 [[SS]] and Wehrmacht soldiers were called in by the German administration. The battle was fought on 1 June 1944 near Krzętów, against about 80 AK partisans led by Florian "Andrzej" Budniak. The German army, unfamiliar with the local forest, lost 250 men and retreated. The second battle was launched on 12 September 1944 near Ewina. It was one of the biggest battles of the [[Polish underground]] in World War II, fought for several hours. The 3rd Brigade of [[Polish People's Army PAL|Armia Ludowa]] (PAL) with 600 partisans, stood against the German force ten times larger. The losses of the enemy were estimated at 100 killed and 200 wounded. The Polish losses amounted to 12 killed partisans, 11 wounded, and several missing. The battles earned Radomsko the Nazi German nickname of 'Banditenstadt', meaning 'the City of Bandits'.<ref name="radomsko.pl">{{Cite web |url=http://radomsko.pl/historia,m,mg,1,10,40 |title=Historia - Strona Miasta Radomska |access-date=2016-09-16 |archive-date=2020-10-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201007123554/https://radomsko.pl/historia,m,mg,1,10,40 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 1944, during and following the [[Warsaw Uprising]], the Germans carried out deportations of Varsovians from the [[Dulag 121 camp in Pruszków|Dulag 121 camp]] in [[Pruszków]], where they were initially imprisoned, to Radomsko.<ref name=dul>{{cite web|url=http://dulag121.pl/encyklopediaa/transporty-z-obozu-dulag-121/|title=Transporty z obozu Dulag 121|website=Muzeum Dulag 121|accessdate=4 April 2021|language=pl}}</ref> Those Poles were mainly old people, ill people and women with children.<ref name=dul/> In 1945, the German occupation ended and the town was restored to Poland, although with a [[Soviet Union|Soviet]]-installed communist regime, which then stayed in power until the [[Fall of Communism]] in the 1980s.

===Post-war period===
In April 1946, 167 partisans of the [[Konspiracyjne Wojsko Polskie|Underground Polish Army]] attacked a communist prison and liberated over 50 prisoners.<ref name=r24h>{{cite web|url=https://radomsko24.pl/historia-regionu-w-datach-lata-1946-1989-3825|title=Historia regionu w datach - lata 1946-1989|website=Radomsko24.pl|date=24 December 2012|accessdate=25 April 2021|language=pl}}</ref> In the following weeks, the communists increased repressions and arrested about 150 people associated with the [[Anti-communist resistance in Poland (1944–1953)|resistance movement]].<ref name=r24h/> In May 1946, the communists sentenced 17 participants of the action from April 1946, including 12 to death.<ref name=r24h/> Those sentenced to death were brutally murdered, and then their bodies were thrown into a well near the [[Pilica river]].<ref name=r24h/>

The Culture Center and the Regional Museum were opened in 1967 and 1969, respectively.<ref name=r24h/> From 1975 to 1998, Radomsko was located in the [[Piotrków Voivodeship]]. In December 1981, the communists imprisoned eight local [[Solidarity (Polish trade union)|Solidarity]] members.<ref name=r24h/> The local people gathered and tried to stop the transport of the arrested activists, however, they were still interned by the communists in [[Sieradz]] and then [[Łowicz]].<ref name=r24h/>

==Transport==
[[File:WK15 Radomsko (13) Travelarz.jpg|thumb|Railway station]]
The [[Warszawa Zachodnia-Katowice line|Polish Railway line 1]], which connects [[Warsaw]] and [[Katowice]], the country's two largest metropolitan areas, runs through the town. [[Polish State Railways]] (PKP) provide Radomsko with connections with various cities throughout Poland, including [[Łódź]], [[Częstochowa]], [[Sosnowiec]], [[Gliwice]], [[Wrocław]], [[Toruń]], [[Bydgoszcz]], [[Gdańsk]], [[Gdynia]], [[Białystok]], [[Olsztyn]] and [[Lublin]].

The town can also be reached by the [[National road 1 (Poland)|Polish National road 1]], the [[A1 autostrada (Poland)|A1 autostrada]] (highway), which connects the largest Polish port city of [[Gdańsk]] in the north with the [[Katowice urban area]] and the [[Czech Republic–Poland border]] at [[Gorzyczki, Silesian Voivodeship|Gorzyczki]] in the south. The town is also located on the Polish National roads 42 and [[National road 91 (Poland)|91]], and the [[European route E75]], which connects northern [[Norway]] and [[Finland]] with [[Greece]].

==Cuisine==
[[File:Tatarczuch z Radomska.jpg|thumb|Tatarczuch from Radomsko, a traditional local sweet brown bread]]
The officially protected [[traditional food]]s originating from Radomsko are ''radomszczańska zalewajka'' and tatarczuch of Radomsko (as designated by the [[Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Poland)|Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland]]). ''Radomszczańska zalewajka'' is a distinct type of [[Zalewajka (soup)|zalewajka]], a traditional Polish soup made of diced and boiled [[potato]]es, sour rye (''żur'') made of [[sourdough]] bread, and [[Salo (food)|słonina]] with [[Čvarci|skwarki]]. It differs from other types by the use of dried mushrooms and local [[Smetana (dairy product)|smetana]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.pl/web/rolnictwo/radomszczanska-zalewajka|title=Radomszczańska zalewajka|website=Ministerstwo Rolnictwa i Rozwoju Wsi - Portal Gov.pl|accessdate=25 April 2021|language=pl}}</ref> Tatarczuch is a sweet, [[honey]]-tasting [[brown bread]] made of [[buckwheat]] [[flour]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.pl/web/rolnictwo/tatarczuch-z-radomska|title=Tatarczuch z Radomska|website=Ministerstwo Rolnictwa i Rozwoju Wsi - Portal Gov.pl|accessdate=25 April 2021|language=pl}}</ref>

==Sports==
[[RKS Radomsko]] [[Association football|football]] club was founded in 1979. It competes in the lower leagues, although in the past it played in the [[Ekstraklasa|Poland's top division]].

[[File:MOs810 WG 23 2016 (Zaglebiowskie Zakamarki) (Narutowicza 4, Radomsko).jpg|thumb|Municipal library]]
[[File:Radomsko, kościół p.w. Podwyższenia Krzyża, 08.JPG|thumb|[[Gothic architecture in Poland|Gothic]]-[[Baroque in Poland|Baroque]] Exaltation of the Holy Cross church and Franciscan monastery]]
[[File:Sąd rejonowy w radomsku.jpg|thumb|District Court]]

==International relations==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Poland}}

===Twin towns — sister cities===
Radomsko is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:
* {{flagicon|HUN}} [[Makó]], [[Hungary]]<ref name="Makó">{{cite web |url=http://www.mako.hu/hu/node/279 |title=Makó külkapcsolatai – előtérben a kultúra és a gazdaságélénkítés |publisher=Mako.hu |date=2005-07-11 |access-date=2009-05-05}} {{Dead link|date=November 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|UK}} [[Lincoln, England|Lincoln]], [[United Kingdom]]<ref name="Lincoln's Twin Towns">{{cite web |url=http://www.lincoln.gov.uk/your-council/civic-and-twinning/lincolns-twin-towns/ |title = Lincoln's Twin Towns|access-date = 2013-06-11|last =Fenn|first =Kate| publisher =City of Lincoln Council, City Hall, Beaumont Fee, Lincoln}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|UKR}} [[Voznesensk]], [[Ukraine]]
* {{flagicon|Israel}} [[Kiryat Bialik]], [[Israel]]

==Notable people==
{{div col}}
* [[Jan Benigier]] (born 1950) former footballer, member of the [[Poland national football team]]
* [[Stefan Brzózka]] (1931–2023) Polish chess player, [[International Correspondence Chess Grandmaster]]
* [[Mariusz Czerkawski]] (born 1972) ice hockey player
* [[Zbigniew Dłubak]] (1921–2005) artist, painter, photographer, art theoretician, prisoner of the [[Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp]] during World War II
* [[José Ber Gelbard]] (1917–1977) born in Radomsko; emigrated in 1930 with his family to Argentina; a communist; appointed as an advisor by [[Juan Perón]]; served as an Economic Minister in every government until the military coup of 1976
* [[Zbigniew Gniatkowski]] (born 1972) diplomat, former ambassador of Poland to [[New Zealand]]
* [[Janusz Łęski]] (1930–2022) film director, screenwriter
* [[Sławomir Majak]] (born 1969) football manager, former footballer, member of the Poland national football team
* [[Anna Milczanowska]] (born 1958) Polish politician, parliamentarian, former mayor of Radomsko
* [[Avraham Yissachar Dov Rabinowicz|Avraham Yissachar Dov Hakohen Rabinowicz]] of Radomsk (''Chesed LeAvraham'') (1843–1892), second Radomsker Rebbe
* [[Shlomo Chanoch Rabinowicz|Shlomo Chanoch Hakohen Rabinowicz]] of Radomsk (1882–1942) fourth Radomsker Rebbe
* [[Shlomo Rabinowicz|Shlomo Hakohen Rabinowicz]] of Radomsk (''Tiferes Shlomo'') (1801–1866) first [[Radomsk (Hasidic dynasty)|Radomsker]] Rebbe
* [[Yechezkel Rabinowicz|Yechezkel Hakohen Rabinowicz]] of Radomsk (''Kenesses Yechezkel'') (1862–1910) third Radomsker Rebbe
* [[Władysław Reymont]] (1867–1925) novelist, [[Nobel Prize in Literature|Nobel laureate]]
* [[Stanisław Różewicz]] (1924–2008) Polish film director, screenwriter
* [[Tadeusz Różewicz]] (1921–2014) poet, [[Struga Poetry Evenings|Golden Wreath laureate]].
* [[Jerzy Sadek]] (1942–2015) footballer, member of the Poland national football team
* [[Jerzy Semkow]] (1928–2014) Polish conductor
* [[Cezary Stefańczyk]] (born 1984) Polish footballer
* [[Piotr Stępień]] (born 1963) Polish former Olympic wrestler, silver medalist of the [[Wrestling at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Men's Greco-Roman 82 kg|1992 Summer Olympics]]
* [[Karol Świtalski]] (1902–1993) Polish Lutheran pastor, [[military chaplain]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
;Notes
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Radomsko}}
* [http://www.radomsko.pl/ Official Radomsko city page]
* [http://www.radomsko24.pl/ Fresh news, fun, community, photos and more from Radomsko]

{{Cities of Poland}}
{{Radomsko County}}
{{Gmina Radomsko}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Radomsko| ]]
[[Category:Cities and towns in Łódź Voivodeship]]
[[Category:Radomsko County]]
[[Category:11th-century establishments in Poland]]
[[Category:Populated places established in the 11th century]]
[[Category:Holocaust locations in Poland]]
[[Category:Sites of Nazi war crimes during the Invasion of Poland]]