Rawicz

For other uses, see Rawicz (disambiguation).

Rawicz
Town Hall in Rawicz
Coat of arms
Rawicz
Coordinates:
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Greater Poland
County	Rawicz County
Gmina	Gmina Rawicz
Established	1638
Town rights	1638
Government
• Mayor	Tadeusz Pawłowski
Area
• Total	7.81 km2 (3.02 sq mi)
Population (2006)
• Total	21,301
• Density	2,700/km2 (7,100/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	63-900
Area code(s)	+48 65
Car plates	PRA
Website	http://www.rawicz.pl

Rawicz [ˈravʲit͡ʂ] (German: Rawitsch) is a town in central Poland with 21,398 inhabitants (2004). It is situated in the Greater Poland Voivodeship (since 1999); previously it was in Leszno Voivodeship (1975–1998). It is the capital of Rawicz County.

History

The town was founded by Adam Olbracht Przyjma-Przyjemski for Protestant refugees from Silesia during the Thirty Years War. In the 1800s, it contained a Protestant church and a medieval town hall. The principal industry was the manufacture of snuff and cigars. Trade involved grain, wool, cattle, hides, and timber. In 1905 it had 11,403 inhabitants. A large prison exists in former monastery since 1820. After World War I the town became part of the Second Polish Republic.

A 50 billion cubic feet natural gas discovery at Rawicz in 2015 is expected to be the largest gas development in Poland for 20 years.

Notable residents

• Heinrich Braun (1862 – 1934), surgeon
• Maximilian Otte (1910 – 1944), Luftwaffe pilot
• Arthur Ruppin (1876–1943), Zionist
• Reinhard Seiler (1909-1989), Luftwaffe officer
• Anita Włodarczyk, Polish hammer thrower

See also

• Battle of Rawicz
• Coat of Arms of Rawicz

External links

• Municipal Website
• Rawicz Yizkor (Holocaust Memorial) Book (Hebrew & English)