Lezajsk
Encyclopedia
Leżajsk ' is a town in southeastern Poland
with 14,127 inhabitants (02.06.2009). It has been situated in the Subcarpathian Voivodship
since 1999 and is the capital of Leżajsk County
. Leżajsk is famed for its Bernadine
basilica
and monastery
, built by the architect Antonio Pellacini. The basilica contains a highly regarded pipe organ
from the second half of the 17th century and organ recitals take place there. Leżajsk is also home of the Leżajsk brewery. The Jewish cemetery
in Leżajsk is a place of pilgrimage
for Jews from all over the world, who come to visit the tomb
of Elimelech
, the great 18th century Hasidic Rebbe. The town is crossed by a forest creek, ‘Jagoda’.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
with 14,127 inhabitants (02.06.2009). It has been situated in the Subcarpathian Voivodship
Subcarpathian Voivodeship
Podkarpackie Voivodeship , or Subcarpathian Voivodeship, is a voivodeship, or province, in extreme-southeastern Poland. Its administrative capital and largest city is Rzeszów...
since 1999 and is the capital of Leżajsk County
Lezajsk County
Leżajsk County is a unit of territorial administration and local government in Subcarpathian Voivodeship, south-eastern Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its administrative seat and largest town is Leżajsk, which lies...
. Leżajsk is famed for its Bernadine
Bernadine
Bernadine is a latinate diminutive of the given name "Bernard". It can be applied to men, notably Saint Bernadine, but is now much more often a female name....
basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
and monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
, built by the architect Antonio Pellacini. The basilica contains a highly regarded pipe organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
from the second half of the 17th century and organ recitals take place there. Leżajsk is also home of the Leżajsk brewery. The Jewish cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
in Leżajsk is a place of pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
for Jews from all over the world, who come to visit the tomb
Tomb
A tomb is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes...
of Elimelech
Elimelech of Lizhensk
Elimelech Weisblum of Lizhensk , a Rabbi and one of the great founding Rebbes of the Hasidic movement, was known after his hometown, Leżajsk near Rzeszów in Poland...
, the great 18th century Hasidic Rebbe. The town is crossed by a forest creek, ‘Jagoda’.
Leżajsk's historical sites include
- The Holy Trinity and All Saints' Parish Church
- The Bernardine Order Monastery and Church Complex
- The Former Greek Catholic Parish Church under the invocation of Holy Virgin's Rest, currently known as the Succursal Roman Catholic Church
- The Jewish Cemetery at Górna Street, established in the 18th century. In the cemetery is the tomb of Rabbi Elimelech WeissblumElimelech of LizhenskElimelech Weisblum of Lizhensk , a Rabbi and one of the great founding Rebbes of the Hasidic movement, was known after his hometown, Leżajsk near Rzeszów in Poland...
. - The Town Hall, 1 Rynek Street
- The Arsenal, Furgalskiego Street, the 19th century
- The Municipal Public Library. The library was erected before 1914 as a social and culture club of the "Proświta" Ukrainian Association, and has functioned as the library since 1956.
- The Former Palace, 4 Furgalskiego Street
Notable people
- Rabbi Elimelech WeisblumElimelech of LizhenskElimelech Weisblum of Lizhensk , a Rabbi and one of the great founding Rebbes of the Hasidic movement, was known after his hometown, Leżajsk near Rzeszów in Poland...
(1717–1787),one of the Hadisic movement's founding Rebbes; - Prof. Janusz Dolny, b. December 3, 1927, a Polish pianist and composer, was born in Kurylówka, a village in the province of Leżajsk; He studied music at Konserwatorium Krakowskie im. Witolda Lutoslawskiego in KrakówKrakówKraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
and lives in Kraków. - Count Jan PotockiJan PotockiCount Jan Nepomucen Potocki was a Polish nobleman, Polish Army Captain of Engineers, ethnologist, Egyptologist, linguist, traveler, adventurer and popular author of the Enlightenment period, whose life and exploits made him a legendary figure in his homeland...
(1761–1815), capitan, engineer of the Crown Army, ethnologist, Egyptologist, linguist, and author.