Bełchatów ([bɛu̯ˈxatuf] ) is a city in central Poland with a population of 55,583, as of December 2021.[3] It is located in Łódź Voivodeship, 160 kilometres (99 miles) southwest of Warsaw.
Bełchatów | |
|---|---|
 Gabriel Narutowicz square | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Bełchatów | |
| Coordinates: 51°22′N 19°22′E / 51.367°N 19.367°E | |
| Country |  Poland |
| Voivodeship | Łódź |
| County | Bełchatów |
| Gmina | Bełchatów (urban gmina) |
| Established | 14th century |
| City rights | 1743-1870, 1925 |
| Government | |
| • City mayor | Patryk Marjan (NN) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 34.64 km2 (13.37 sq mi) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 55,583  |
| • Density | 1,605/km2 (4,160/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 97-400 |
| Area code | +48 44 |
| Vehicle registration | EBE |
| National roads |  |
| Voivodeship roads |    |
| Website | http://www.belchatow.pl |
The Elektrownia Bełchatów, located in Bełchatów, is the largest coal fueled power plant in Europe and the fifth largest in the world. It produces 27–28 TWh of electricity per year, or 20% of the total power generation in Poland.[5] 8,000 people work directly for the company that runs the coal mine and electricity plants.[5]
Districts
editOne municipal division of Bełchatów comprises numerous housing estates, including the Budowlanych housing estate located in the central part of the town (close to the "Kultura" cinema, the Municipal Cultural Center, the Town Hall and the church). The estate is also close to the "Rakówka" river and Olszewski Park.
Other municipal divisions of Bełchatów include Dobrzelów District, Grocholice, and the following housing estates:
|
 Osiedle 1 Maja  Osiedle Binków in Bełchatów. |
History
editGrocholice was a private church town, whereas Bełchatów, Dobrzelów and Zdzieszulice were private villages of Polish nobility, administratively located in the Piotrków County in the Sieradz Voivodeship in the Greater Poland Province of the Kingdom of Poland.[6]
Cuisine
editThe officially protected traditional food of Bełchatów (as designated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland) is wyborowa krówka bełchatowska, a local type of krówka (traditional Polish candy).[7]
Sports
edit- Skra Bełchatów – men's volleyball team playing in PlusLiga (Polish top division), 9–time Polish Champions, 7–time Polish Cup winners.
- GKS Bełchatów – men's football team playing in the lower divisions, which has also played in Ekstraklasa (top division) in the past.
International relations
editTwin towns - sister cities
edit
Aubergenville, France- Myślenice in Poland
Csongrád in Hungary
Alcobaça in Portugal
Tauragė in Lithuania
Former twin towns
edit
Sovetsk, Russia
In February 2022, Bełchatów suspended its partnership with the Russian city of Sovetsk as a reaction to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[9]
Notable people
edit- Harry Haft (1925–2007), survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp and a professional boxer in the United States during 1948–1949
Gallery
edit-
PGE headquarters -
GKS Bełchatów Stadium -
Olszewski Manor -
Library -
A view of the Power Plants and the Brown Coal Mine
References
edit- ^ "Prezydent Miasta Bełchatowa". belchatow.bip.gov.pl (in Polish). Bełchatów City Council. Retrieved 2022-08-30.
- ^ "Local Data Bank". Statistics Poland. Retrieved 2022-08-30. Category K1, group G441, subgroup P1410. Data for territorial unit 1001011.
- ^ a b "Local Data Bank". Statistics Poland. Retrieved 2022-08-30. Category K3, group G7, subgroup P1336. Data for territorial unit 1001011.
- ^ "Local Data Bank". Statistics Poland. Retrieved 2022-08-30. Category K3, group G7, subgroup P2425. Data for territorial unit 1001011.
- ^ a b Colgan, Jeff D.; Green, Jessica F.; Hale, Thomas N. (2021). "Asset Revaluation and the Existential Politics of Climate Change". International Organization. 75 (2): 586–610. doi:10.1017/S0020818320000296. ISSN 0020-8183. S2CID 225704002.
- ^ Atlas historyczny Polski. Województwo sieradzkie i województwo łęczyckie w drugiej połowie XVI wieku. Część I. Mapy, plany (in Polish). Warszawa: Instytut Historii Polskiej Akademii Nauk. 1998. p. 4.
- ^ "Wyborowa krówka bełchatowska". Ministerstwo Rolnictwa i Rozwoju Wsi - Portal Gov.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 3 July 2021.
- ^ "Portal Bełchatów" [Bełchatów - Partnership Cities]. Miasto Bełchatów [Bełchatów town council] belchatow.pl (in Polish). 2010. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 22 June 2011.
- ^ "Bełchatów zawiesza współpracę z miastem partnerskim w Rosji. Samorząd deklaruje pomoc Ukraińcom" (in Polish). Retrieved 13 March 2022.
External links
edit
- Official website (in Polish)
- Local News Portal (in Polish)
- Jewish community of Bełchatów on Virtual Shtetl