Radom - WikiHQ

Radom is a city in east-central Poland, located approximately south of the capital, Warsaw. It is situated on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Voivodeship. Radom is the sixteenth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest in its province with a population of 191,819 (31.12.2025).

thumb|upright=0.85|left|Saint John the Baptist church, founded by King [[Casimir III the Great in the 14th century]]

In the second half of the 13th century, Radom was granted a Środa Śląska town charter by Prince Bolesław V the Chaste, although no documents exist to confirm the exact date of this event. The town prospered in the 14th century, when in 1350 King Casimir III the Great established the so-called New Town, with a royal castle, a defensive wall, and a town hall. There was also a market square and a grid plan of the streets, patterned after Gothic German towns. The area of New Town was 9 hectares, and the length of the defensive wall was 1,100 meters. Radom had three gates, named after main merchant roads: Iłża Gate, Piotrków Trybunalski Gate, and Lublin Gate. The defensive wall was further protected by 25 fortified towers. New Town had the Church of John the Baptist, and the Royal Castle was built between the church and the moat.

In 1364, Radom's obsolete Środa Śląska rights were replaced with more modern Magdeburg rights, and residents gained several privileges as a result. At that time, Radom was located along the so-called Oxen Trail, from Ruthenian lands to Silesia. In 1376, the city became the seat of a starosta, and entered the period of its greatest prosperity.

Poland's Golden Age

King Władysław Jagiełło granted several privileges to the city. Jagiełło himself frequently travelled from Kraków to Vilnius, and liked to stay at Radom Castle en route. On March 18, 1401, the Pact of Vilnius and Radom was signed, which strengthened the Polish–Lithuanian union. Immediately after the Pact, preparations for the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War began. King Casimir IV Jagiellon frequently visited Radom, along with his wife, Elizabeth of Austria. Here, the King would host foreign envoys, from such countries as the Crimean Khanate, the Kingdom of Bohemia, and the Duchy of Bavaria. On November 18, 1489, Johann von Tiefen, the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, paid homage to King Jagiellon at Radom Castle. Mikołaj Radomski, one of the earliest Polish composers, comes from Radom. In 1468, the complex of a Bernardine church and monastery was founded here by King Jagiellon, with support of the local starosta, Dominik z Kazanowa. The complex was originally made of wood (until 1507).

thumb|Plaque at the Radom Castle commemorating the adoption of the [[Nihil novi act in Radom in 1505]]

In 1481, Radom became the residence of Prince Casimir Jagiellon, the son of King Casimir IV Jagiellon. The young prince died of tuberculosis, and later became patron saint of both the city of Radom (since 1983), and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Radom (since 1992). During the reign of Alexander Jagiellon, the Nihil novi act was adopted by the Polish Sejm in a meeting at Radom Castle. Furthermore, at the same meeting, the first codification of law published in the Kingdom of Poland was accepted. Radom was a royal city, county seat and castellany, administratively located in the Sandomierz Voivodeship in the Lesser Poland Province. It remained one of the most important urban centers of the Sandomierz Voivodeship, and was also the seat of the Treasure Tribunal in 1613–1764, which controlled taxation. Several kings visited the city, including Stephen Bathory and his wife Anna Jagiellon, Sigismund III Vasa, and Augustus III of Poland. In 1623 many residents died in an epidemic, and in 1628, half of Radom burned in a fire. The 3rd Infantry Regiment of the Polish Crown Army was stationed in Radom at various times.

Late modern era

thumb|left|Piarist College in the 19th century

After the Third Partition of Poland (1795), Radom was part of the Austrian province of West Galicia. After the Polish victory in the Austro-Polish War of 1809, it was part of the Polish Duchy of Warsaw, which named it capital of the Radom Department. From 1815 the city belonged to Russian-controlled Congress Poland, remaining a regional administrative center. In 1816–1837 it was the capital of the Sandomierz Voivodeship, whose capital, despite the name, was at Radom. In 1837–1844 it was the capital of the Sandomierz Governorate, and from 1844 until the outbreak of World War I, the capital of the Radom Governorate. The Polish 5th Line Infantry Regiment, which later fought against Russia in the November Uprising, was stationed in Radom. The city was an important center of the November Uprising. Its obsolete and ruined fortifications were destroyed upon order of Mayor Józef Królikowski. In the early days of the January Uprising, Marian Langiewicz visited Radom, preparing the rebellion. In the 19th century, Radom was one of the leading centers of the new art of photography in partitioned Poland, alongside major cities of Warsaw, Gdańsk, Kraków and Wilno. In 1867 a sewage system was built. Russians closed down the Benedictine monastery and established a Tsarist prison in its place. Streets were gradually paved, and in 1885, a rail line from Dąbrowa Górnicza to Dęblin was completed, via Radom. In the early 20th century a power plant was built. In 1906, notable Polish independence fighter Kazimierz Sosnkowski, future politician and general, escaped from Warsaw to Radom, pursued by the Russian Okhrana. In Radom, he continued his secret activities, and became the commander of the local Combat Organization, before he eventually had to escape again, this time to the Dąbrowa Basin. The Germans immediately confiscated the food stored in warehouses in Radom and nearby settlements, and carried out requisitions in the city council. The occupiers established a special court in Radom, and two temporary prisoner-of-war camps for captured Polish soldiers, one in the pre-war military barracks and one in the Tadeusz Kościuszko Park. There were poor conditions in the camp in the barracks, and hunger and diseases were common. The local civilian population helped many POWs escape from the camp.

From 1939 to 1945, Radom was the seat of the Radom District in the General Government.

thumb|Former seat of the [[Gestapo and NKVD during the occupation]]

From October 1939 to January 1940, the Germans carried out several public executions of Polish civilians in various locations in Radom, killing 111 people. The Germans also operated a heavy prison in the city, and carried mass arrests of hundreds of Poles, who were then held in the prison. Many Poles expelled from Gdynia in 1939 were placed in a temporary transit camp in a local church, before they were sent to nearby settlements.

The occupiers liquidated local cultural and social life. All sports clubs and high schools were closed, and teaching of literature, geography and history in the remaining schools was prohibited.

In March and May 1940, the Germans carried out massacres of 210 Poles, including teenagers, from Radom and nearby settlements in the city's Firlej district. Around 100 Poles from Radom were murdered by the Russians in the large Katyn massacre in April–May 1940. In July, August and November 1940, the Germans carried out deportations of Poles from the local prison to the Auschwitz concentration camp. Deportations to concentration camps continued throughout the war, and 18,000 people passed through the local prison, mostly Polish political activists, resistance members and innocent people, plus ordinary criminals. At the large massacre sites in the present-day districts of Firlej and Kosów, the Germans murdered around 15,000 and 1,500 people, respectively.

thumb|left|Monument and cemetery in [[Firlej, Radom|Firlej where the Germans murdered around 15,000 Poles and Jews]]

In October 1940, the German occupiers established a forced labour camp for Jews, and in 1941, they formed the Radom Ghetto, with a population of 34,000 Jews, most of whom perished at the Treblinka extermination camp. According to German regulations, sheltering Jews outside the ghetto was punishable by death. The secret Polish Council to Aid Jews "Żegota", established by the Polish resistance movement operated in the city.

Radom was a center of Polish resistance, with various organizations, such as Service for Poland's Victory, , Union of Armed Struggle, Bataliony Chłopskie, Grey Ranks and numerous Home Army units operating in the area. Scouts from the Gray Ranks who worked at the local post office stole and destroyed anonymous letters to the Gestapo, thus possibly saving many lives.

In 1944, following the Polish Warsaw Uprising, the Germans deported thousands of Varsovians from the Dulag 121 camp in Pruszków, where they were initially imprisoned, to Radom. Those Poles were mainly old people, ill people and women with children.

Current events

thumb|Radom in the 1970s

From 1975 to 1998, it was the seat of the Radom Voivodeship. In 1954 and 1984, city limits were greatly expanded by including several settlements as new districts, including Długojów Górny, Huta Józefowska, Janiszpol, Józefów, Kierzków, Kończyce, Krychnowice, Krzewień, Malczew, Mleczna, Nowa Wola Gołębiowska, Nowiny Malczewskie, Stara Wola Gołębiowska, Wincentów, Wólka Klwatecka.

In 2007, two pilots died in an accident at the air show, resulting in the cancellation of the rest of the event. On 2009, also during the air show, another two pilots who represented Belarus were killed when their plane crashed.

Radom was one of the main centres of the strike action taken by Polish health care workers in 2007.

Geography

Climate

Radom has a humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfb).

Places of interest

St Waenceslaus Church in the Old Town Square: founded by Leszek I the White, built in the 13th century in Gothic style
St John the Baptist Church: founded by Casimir III, built in the years 1360–1370 in gothic style, and re-constructed many times
Bernardine Church and monastery: founded by Casimir IV of Poland, built in the years 1468–1507, listed as a Historic Monument of Poland
Holy Trinity Church: built in the years 1619–1627 in Baroque style, burned in a fire and was rebuilt in the years 1678–1691
Gąska's and Esterka's Houses from the 16th–17th century
Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession: built in 1785
Sandomierz Palace: building of voivodeship council, built in the years 1825–1827, designed in classical style by Antonio Corazzi
City hall: built in the years 1847–1848
Cathedral of Virgin Mary: built in the years 1899–1908 in Gothic Revival style
Resursa Citizen's Club building built in 1852
Podworski House built in the Renaissance Revival style in 1867
Tool gates: built in the nineteenth century in classical style
Tadeusz Kościuszko Park opened in 1867
Radom Air Show: the most popular air show in Poland

thumb|Żeromski Street, the city's main thoroughfare

Demographics

Culture

thumb|Building of the former Land Credit Society

thumb|[[Jacek Malczewski Museum and Polish Legions monument]]

The arts

Philharmonic

Radom Chamber Orchestra established in 2007

Cinemas

Elektrownia
Helios cinema
Hel (currently not functioning)
Multikino cinema

Theatre

Jan Kochanowski Theatre

Museums and art galleries

dedicated to the painter
Modern art museum
Scouting Museum
"Elektrownia" - Power station built in 1903, renewed as a Modern art gallery
Cultural Heritage Gallery of Radom
Skansen in Radom

Sports

thumb|[[Polish Basketball League match between Rosa Radom and Trefl Sopot in Radom in 2014]]

Rosa Radom - men's basketball team, founded in 2003, currently playing in the Polish Basketball League (country's top division) and the international Basketball Champions League.
Czarni Radom - men's volleyball team, founded in 1921, currently playing in the PlusLiga (Poland's top division).
Radomiak Radom - men's football team, founded in 1910, currently playing in the Ekstraklasa (top tier).
Broń Radom - men's football team, founded in 1926, currently playing in the III liga (fourth tier).
Jadar Radom - defunct men's volleyball team, which played in the PlusLiga in 2006–10.

File:Radomskie Centrum Sportu during Babilon MMA 55.jpg|Interior of Radom Sports Center

File:Hala sportowa MOSiR w Radomiu.JPG|Hala MOSiR Radom

File:Stadion im. Braci Czachorów.jpg|Radom Municipal Stadium

File:Stadion Miejski Radom 2012.png|Marshal Józef Piłsudski Athletic and Football Stadium

</gallery>

Transport

thumb|Transport in Radom

Radom is an important railroad junction, where two lines meet: east–west connection from Lublin to Łódź, and north–south from Warsaw to Kielce, and Kraków. The city is also located close

to European route E77, here the European route E371 begins, which runs southwards, to Slovakia. The famous Radom Air Show takes place at Radom Airport, an airport located from the center of Radom.

File:Lotnisko Warszawa-Radom.jpg|Radom Airport

File:Sol130.jpg|Bus Solaris Urbino 12

File:Dworzec Radom train station.jpg|Main railway station

File:Radom bike.jpg|Biking in Radom

</gallery>

Education

thumb|Faculty of Economics of the [[University of Radom]]

Radom is home to about 20 schools of higher education:

thumb|Public Library

University of Radom (Uniwersytet Radomski)
Instytut Teologiczny Uniwersytetu Kardynała Stefana Wyszyńskiego w Radomiu - department of theology
Kolegium Nauczycielskie
Nauczycielskie Kolegium Języków Obcych
Niepubliczne Nauczycielskie Kolegium Języków Obcych
Niepubliczne Nauczycielskie Kolegium Języków Obcych TWP
University College of Environmental Sciences (Wyższa Szkoła Ochrony Środowiska)
Radomska Szkoła Zarządzania
Warsaw Agricultural University - department in Radom (Szkoła Główna Gospodarstwa Wiejskiego w Warszawie)
College of the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University (Kolegium licencjackie Uniwersytetu Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej)
Warsaw University - department in Radom (Uniwersytet Warszawski)
Maria Curie-Skłodowska University - department in Radom (Uniwersytet Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej)
Wyższa Inżynierska Szkoła Bezpieczeństwa i Organizacji Pracy
Higher Business College (Wyższa Szkoła Biznesu)
Higher Financial and Banking College (Wyższa Szkoła Finansów i Bankowości)
Higher Merchant College (Wyższa Szkoła Handlowa)
Higher Seminary (Wyższe Seminarium Duchowne)
Higher Journalis College (Wyższa Szkoła Dziennikarska)
Zespół Szkół Medycznych

Other

thumb|Headquarters of [[Polish Armaments Group]]

thumb|[[MSBS rifle from Łucznik Arms Factory]]

At the Western part of Radom, there is a facility for commercial LF transmission (not broadcasting), the Radom longwave transmitter
The Łucznik Arms Factory in Radom produces a range of military firearms such as assault rifles
The book, Outcry - Holocaust Memoirs, by Manny Steinberg, chronicles a young Jewish man's life and trials during the Nazi occupation of Radom and beyond. Published by Amsterdam Publishers, The Netherlands in 2014.
The Kurc family lives in Radom at the opening of the narrative non-fiction novel We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter.

Politics

Members of Parliament (Sejm) elected from Radom constituency

Ewa Kopacz (PO)
Dariusz Bąk (PIS)
Mirosław Maliszewski (PSL)
Czesław Czechyra (PO)
Marek Suski (PIS)
Marek Wikiński (SLD),
Radosław Witkowski (PO)
Krzysztof Sońta (PIS)
Sandra Pachocka (NIC)

thumb|City Council

Twin towns – sister cities

Radom is twinned with:

Banská Bystrica, Slovakia <small>(since 2001)</small>
Daugavpils, Latvia
Ploiești, Romania

Notable people

thumb|upright|[[Jan Kochanowski monument]]

thumb|upright|[[Leszek Kołakowski monument]]

thumb|upright|[[Jacek Malczewski monument]]

Notable people who have been born, have lived or have worked in Radom:

Józef Brandt (1841–1915), painter
Henia Bryer (born 1925), Holocaust survivor, subject and narrator of the autobiographical film Prisoner Number A26188: Henia Bryer
Iga Cembrzyńska (born 1939), actress, singer, composer and screenwriter
Tytus Chałubiński (1820–1889), physician, professor of the Medical-Surgical Academy and of the Principal School in Warsaw, co-founder of the Polish Tatra Society
Jan Chrapek (1948–2001), local bishop
Małgorzata Foremniak (born 1967), actress
Artur Gadowski (born 1967), singer
Witold Gombrowicz (1904–1969), writer and playwright.
Bernard Gotfryd (1924–2016), photographer
Igor Grobelny (born 1993), Belgian volleyball player
Kaja Grobelna (born 1995), Belgian volleyball player
Stanisław Gronkowski (1922–2004), actor
Andrzej Jajszczyk (born 1952), professor and scientist
Michał Karbownik (born 2001), footballer
Kazimierz Kelles-Krauz (1872–1905), philosopher and sociologist
Jan Kochanowski (1530–1584), Renaissance poet who established poetic patterns that would become integral to the Polish literary language, considered the greatest Slavic poet prior to the 19th century
Oskar Kolberg (1814– 1890), ethnographer, folklorist and composer
Leszek Kołakowski (1927–2009), philosopher and historian of ideas
Jan Krugier (1928-2008), Swiss art dealer
Tomasz Kupisz (born 1990), footballer
Hilary Majewski (1838–1892), architect
Jacek Malczewski (1854–1929), painter, one of the most important artists of Poland, associated with the patriotic Young Poland movement
Marian Mazur (1909 –1983), scientist, founder of the Polish school of cybernetics
Eva Mekler (born 1945), American novelist and author of the prolific "Actors' Scenebook" series, novels Sunrise Shows Late and The Polish Woman, was born in Radom in the aftermath of World War II
Kazimierz Ołdakowski (1878–1940), prewar director of Fabryka Broni
Jerzy Połomski (born 1933), singer
Mikołaj z Radomia (), mediaeval composer
Dariusz Rosati (born 1946), MEP, professor of economics, ex-minister of foreign affairs
Zygmunt Solorz (born 1956), entrepreneur and billionaire, president of Polsat TV and owner of Polkomtel
Adolf Schulz-Evler (1852 – 15 May 1905), Polish-born composer
Włodzimierz Sedlak (1911–1993), priest and scientist
Piotr Dominik Siara (born 1983), rapper going under the name of "Kękę"
Maciej Skorża (born 1972), Polish football coach and former football player.
Hersh Mendel ‘Manny’ Steinberg (1925-2015), author, Holocaust survivor
Andrzej Wajda (1926–2016), Academy Award-winning film director, considered one of the greatest filmmakers in the history of Polish cinema
Marvin Weintraub (1924–2021), Canadian scientist
Helen Weinzweig (1915–2010), Canadian writer
Jan Woleński (born 1940), philosopher
Szymon Wydra (born 1976), singer

Notes

References

External links

Official web page of Radom in English
Official web page of Radom in Polish
Radom Culture
http://www.nasz-radom.pl/
Radom photo gallery
Jewish Community in Radom on Virtual Shtetl