Oswiecim
Encyclopedia
Oświęcim ' onMouseout='HidePop("52040")' href="/topics/Yiddish_language">Yiddish
Oshpitsin אָשפּיצין, , ) is a town in the Lesser Poland
province of southern Poland
, situated 50 kilometres (31.1 mi) west of Kraków
, near the confluence of the rivers Vistula (Wisła) and Soła.
attached the town to the Duchy of Opole
in 1179 for his younger brother Mieszko I Tanglefoot. The town was destroyed in 1241 during the Tatar invasions
. Around 1272 the newly rebuilt town created a municipal charter modeled on those of Lwówek Śląski
(a Polish variation of the Magdeburg Law). Throughout much of history, Germans and Poles lived together peacefully in the town. From 1315 the town was the capital of independent duchy. In 1327, John I, Duke of Oświęcim joined with a western part of Galicia (Central Europe), the Duchy of Oświęcim
, and Duchy of Zator
a vassal
state attached to the Kingdom of Bohemia
. In the 14th century the population declined. The portion of ethnic Germans in the town shrank and in 1457 the Polish king Casimir IV bought the rights to the town, which was attached afterwards to the Cracow Voivodeship. Jews, invited by Polish kings to settle in the region
, had already become the majority of the population in the 15th century. The town also became one of the centres of Protestant culture in Poland.
The town was destroyed again during the 1655 Swedish Deluge. In 1772 it was annexed by Austria
in the First Partition of Poland
.
After the 1815 Congress of Vienna
, the town was close to the borders of both Russian
-controlled Congress Poland
, and the Kingdom of Prussia
. In the 1866 war between Austria and the Prussian-led North German Confederation
, a cavalry skirmish was fought at the town, in which an Austrian force defeated a Prussian incursion.
After World War I
, the city became part of the Second Polish Republic
. On the eve of World War II there were about 8,000 Jews in the city, over half the population.
immediately annexed the area
to Germany in the Gau of Upper Silesia
, which became part of the "second Ruhr
" by 1944. In 1940, Nazi Germany used forced labor to build a new subdivision to house Auschwitz guards and staff.
After the territorial changes of Poland immediately after World War II, new housing complexes in the town were developed with large buildings of rectangular and concrete constructions. The chemical industry became the main employer of the town and in later years, a service industry and trade were added. Tourism to the concentration camp sites is an important source of revenue for the town's businesses.
In the mid-1990s following perestroika
, employment at the chemical works (renamed Dwory S.A.) reduced from ~10,000 in the communist era to only 1,500 people.
44 with road 933 and is at the northern extremity of road 948. Oświęcim's old town
is located east of the Soła, with the Main Market Square (Rynek Główny) at its centre. The railway station is across the river, in the north west of the town, with the main museum in the west of the town. The Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum
is in the village of Brzezinka
, to the west of the railway station. The chemical works are located east of the town.
railway services from ulica
Powstańców Śląskich are available to Kraków
, Katowice
and Czechowice-Dziedzice
and internationally to Vienna
and Prague
.
team of TH Unia Oświęcim
was crowned Polish champions
8 times as of 2010.
are from the town, including Sabina Wojtala
and the pair Dorota Siudek and Mariusz Siudek
. Other notable people from the town include Aaron Miller (cantor) (rebbe
& father of chazzan Benzion Miller) and Victor Zarnowitz
(American economist). Members of Parliament (Sejm
) elected from this constituency include Janusz Chwierut
(PO
), Paweł Graś (PO), Paweł Kowal (PiS
), Marek Jerzy Łatas (PiS), Leszek Murzyn
(LPR
), Marek Polak
(PiS), and Stanisław Rydzoń (SLD-UP
).
Yiddish language
Yiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world. It developed as a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages...
Oshpitsin אָשפּיצין, , ) is a town in the Lesser Poland
Lesser Poland
Lesser Poland is one of the historical regions of Poland, with its capital in the city of Kraków. It forms the southeastern corner of the country, and should not be confused with the modern Lesser Poland Voivodeship, which covers only a small, southern part of Lesser Poland...
province of southern Poland
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...
, situated 50 kilometres (31.1 mi) west of Kraków
Kraków
Kraków 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...
, near the confluence of the rivers Vistula (Wisła) and Soła.
History
Following the Fragmentation of Poland in 1138, Casimir II the JustCasimir II the Just
Casimir II the Just was a Lesser Polish duke at Wiślica during 1166–1173, and at Sandomierz since 1173. He became ruler over the Polish Seniorate Province at Kraków and thereby High Duke of Poland in 1177; a position he held until his death, interrupted once by his elder brother and predecessor...
attached the town to the Duchy of Opole
Duchy of Opole
Duchy of Opole was one of the duchies of Silesia ruled by the Piast dynasty. Its capital was Opole in Upper Silesia.After Bolesław I the Tall and his younger brother Mieszko I Tanglefoot backed by Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa had retained their Silesian heritage in 1163, they divided the...
in 1179 for his younger brother Mieszko I Tanglefoot. The town was destroyed in 1241 during the Tatar invasions
Tatar invasions
The Mongol invasion of Europe from the east took place over the course of three centuries, from the Middle Ages to the early modern period.The terms Tatars or Tartars are applied to nomadic Turkic peoples who, themselves, were conquered by Mongols and incorporated into their horde...
. Around 1272 the newly rebuilt town created a municipal charter modeled on those of Lwówek Śląski
Lwówek Slaski
Lwówek Śląski is a town in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship in Poland. Situated on the Bóbr River, Lwówek Śląski is about 30 km NNW of Jelenia Góra and has a population of about 10,300 inhabitants...
(a Polish variation of the Magdeburg Law). Throughout much of history, Germans and Poles lived together peacefully in the town. From 1315 the town was the capital of independent duchy. In 1327, John I, Duke of Oświęcim joined with a western part of Galicia (Central Europe), the Duchy of Oświęcim
Duchy of Oswiecim
The Duchy of Oświęcim , or the Duchy of Auschwitz , was one of many Duchies of Silesia, formed in the aftermath of the fragmentation of Poland....
, and Duchy of Zator
Duchy of Zator
The Duchy of Zator was one of many Duchies of Silesia.It was split off the Duchy of Oświęcim, when after eleven years of joint rule the sons of Duke Casimir I in 1445 finally divided the lands among themselves, whereby his eldest son Wenceslaus received the territory around the town of Zator...
a vassal
Vassal
A vassal or feudatory is a person who has entered into a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. The obligations often included military support and mutual protection, in exchange for certain privileges, usually including the grant of land held...
state attached to the Kingdom of Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
. In the 14th century the population declined. The portion of ethnic Germans in the town shrank and in 1457 the Polish king Casimir IV bought the rights to the town, which was attached afterwards to the Cracow Voivodeship. Jews, invited by Polish kings to settle in the region
History of the Jews in Poland
The history of the Jews in Poland dates back over a millennium. For centuries, Poland was home to the largest and most significant Jewish community in the world. Poland was the centre of Jewish culture thanks to a long period of statutory religious tolerance and social autonomy. This ended with the...
, had already become the majority of the population in the 15th century. The town also became one of the centres of Protestant culture in Poland.
The town was destroyed again during the 1655 Swedish Deluge. In 1772 it was annexed by Austria
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
in the First Partition of Poland
First Partition of Poland
The First Partition of Poland or First Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in 1772 as the first of three partitions that ended the existence of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth by 1795. Growth in the Russian Empire's power, threatening the Kingdom of Prussia and the...
.
After the 1815 Congress of Vienna
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna was a conference of ambassadors of European states chaired by Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, and held in Vienna from September, 1814 to June, 1815. The objective of the Congress was to settle the many issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars,...
, the town was close to the borders of both Russian
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
-controlled Congress Poland
Congress Poland
The Kingdom of Poland , informally known as Congress Poland , created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna, was a personal union of the Russian parcel of Poland with the Russian Empire...
, and the Kingdom of Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
. In the 1866 war between Austria and the Prussian-led North German Confederation
North German Confederation
The North German Confederation 1866–71, was a federation of 22 independent states of northern Germany. It was formed by a constitution accepted by the member states in 1867 and controlled military and foreign policy. It included the new Reichstag, a parliament elected by universal manhood...
, a cavalry skirmish was fought at the town, in which an Austrian force defeated a Prussian incursion.
After World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the city became part of the Second Polish Republic
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
. On the eve of World War II there were about 8,000 Jews in the city, over half the population.
World War II and post-war
In October 1939, Nazi GermanyNazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
immediately annexed the area
Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany
At the beginning of World War II, nearly a quarter of the pre-war Polish areas were annexed by Nazi Germany and placed directly under German civil administration, while the rest of Nazi occupied Poland was named as General Government...
to Germany in the Gau of Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia. Since the 9th century, Upper Silesia has been part of Greater Moravia, the Duchy of Bohemia, the Piast Kingdom of Poland, again of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown and the Holy Roman Empire, as well as of...
, which became part of the "second Ruhr
Second Ruhr
The "second Ruhr" was a World War II area that included the "southern regions of Germany, the plateau of Bohemia, and Polish Silesia" where Nazi Germany military production was dispersed away from Allied bomber bases in England...
" by 1944. In 1940, Nazi Germany used forced labor to build a new subdivision to house Auschwitz guards and staff.
After the territorial changes of Poland immediately after World War II, new housing complexes in the town were developed with large buildings of rectangular and concrete constructions. The chemical industry became the main employer of the town and in later years, a service industry and trade were added. Tourism to the concentration camp sites is an important source of revenue for the town's businesses.
In the mid-1990s following perestroika
Perestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
, employment at the chemical works (renamed Dwory S.A.) reduced from ~10,000 in the communist era to only 1,500 people.
Historical affiliations
- Province of KrakówSeniorate ProvinceSeniorate Province, also known as the Senioral Province , Duchy of Kraków , Duchy of Cracow, Principality of Cracow, Principality of Kraków, was the superior among the five provinces established in 1138 according to the Testament of Bolesław III Krzywousty...
-1179 - Duchy of OpoleDuchy of OpoleDuchy of Opole was one of the duchies of Silesia ruled by the Piast dynasty. Its capital was Opole in Upper Silesia.After Bolesław I the Tall and his younger brother Mieszko I Tanglefoot backed by Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa had retained their Silesian heritage in 1163, they divided the...
1179 - Duchy of OświęcimDuchy of OswiecimThe Duchy of Oświęcim , or the Duchy of Auschwitz , was one of many Duchies of Silesia, formed in the aftermath of the fragmentation of Poland....
1315-1327 - Kingdom of BohemiaKingdom of BohemiaThe Kingdom of Bohemia was a country located in the region of Bohemia in Central Europe, most of whose territory is currently located in the modern-day Czech Republic. The King was Elector of Holy Roman Empire until its dissolution in 1806, whereupon it became part of the Austrian Empire, and...
1327 - Dukes of Te and Grossglogau
- Kraków Voivodeship 1457
- Kingdom of Galicia and LodomeriaKingdom of Galicia and LodomeriaThe Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria was a crownland of the Habsburg Monarchy, the Austrian Empire, and Austria–Hungary from 1772 to 1918 .This historical region in eastern Central Europe is currently divided between Poland and Ukraine...
1772First Partition of PolandThe First Partition of Poland or First Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in 1772 as the first of three partitions that ended the existence of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth by 1795. Growth in the Russian Empire's power, threatening the Kingdom of Prussia and the...
-1918 - Second Polish RepublicSecond Polish RepublicThe Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
1918-1939 - Nazi GermanyNazi GermanyNazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
(Bielitz districtKattowitz (region)Regierungsbezirk Kattowitz was a Regierungsbezirk, or administrative region, of Nazi German Provinz Schlesien from 1939 to 1941, and Provinz Oberschlesien from 1941 to 1945. The regional capital was Kattowitz .-History:The region was created after German invasion of Poland in 1939 from...
) - 1939Polish areas annexed by Nazi GermanyAt the beginning of World War II, nearly a quarter of the pre-war Polish areas were annexed by Nazi Germany and placed directly under German civil administration, while the rest of Nazi occupied Poland was named as General Government...
-1945 - 1945
- People's Republic of PolandPeople's Republic of PolandThe People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...
1952 - Bielsko-Biała Voivodeship 1975-1998
- Lesser Poland VoivodeshipLesser Poland VoivodeshipMałopolska Voivodeship , or Lesser Poland Voivodeship, is a voivodeship, in southern Poland...
1999Administrative divisions of PolandThe administrative division of Poland since 1999 has been based on three levels of subdivision. The territory of Poland is divided into voivodeships ; these are further divided into powiats , and these in turn are divided into gminas . Major cities normally have the status of both gmina and powiat...
(year wikilinks are to a corresponding article)
- People's Republic of Poland
Geography
Oświęcim lies on the intersection of national roadNational roads in Poland
National road in Poland refers to a public trunk road controlled by the Polish central government authority, the General Directorship of National Roads and Motorways...
44 with road 933 and is at the northern extremity of road 948. Oświęcim's old town
Old Town
Old Town is the typical designation of a historic or original core of a city or town. Although the city may be larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins after thorough renovations...
is located east of the Soła, with the Main Market Square (Rynek Główny) at its centre. The railway station is across the river, in the north west of the town, with the main museum in the west of the town. The Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum
Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum
The Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum is a memorial and museum in Oświęcim, Poland , which includes the German concentration camps Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau. It is devoted to the memory of the murders in both camps during World War II...
is in the village of Brzezinka
Brzezinka
Brzezinka is a village in southern Poland, located about from Oświęcim , in the district of Gmina Oświęcim, Oświęcim County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship.- General information :...
, to the west of the railway station. The chemical works are located east of the town.
Transport
The main bus station of the town is in ulica Chemików in the east of town and local bus services are operated by PKS Oświęcim. The PKPPolish State Railways
is the dominant railway operator in Poland.The company was founded when the former state-owned operator was divided into several units based on the requirements laid down by the European Union...
railway services from ulica
Ulica
Ulica may refer to the following places in Poland:*Ulica in Gmina Strzelin, Strzelin County in Lower Silesian Voivodeship *Other places called Ulica It is also "street" in Polish.-Solar:...
Powstańców Śląskich are available to Kraków
Kraków
Kraków 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...
, Katowice
Katowice
Katowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids and about southeast of the Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 2...
and Czechowice-Dziedzice
Czechowice-Dziedzice
Czechowice-Dziedzice is a town in Bielsko County, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland with 34,867 inhabitants . It lies on the northeastern edge of the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia...
and internationally to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
and Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
.
Sport
The ice hockeyIce hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team of TH Unia Oświęcim
TH Unia Oświęcim
Towarzystwo Hokejowe Unia Oświęcim is a Polish ice hockey club based in Oświęcim, Poland. From 1958 to 1999 it was called KS Unia Oświęcim, and from 1999 to 2006, Dwory Unia Oświęcim...
was crowned Polish champions
Polish Ice Hockey Federation
The Polish Ice Hockey Federation is the governing body that oversees ice hockey in Poland. Founded in Warsaw on February 22, 1925 by representatives of the 4 polish hockey's clubs: Polonia Warsaw, AZS Warszawa, Warszawianka Warszawa and Warszawskie Towarzystwo Łyżwiarskie .-Presidents:* Wacław...
8 times as of 2010.
Notable people
Many Polish figure skatersFigure skating
Figure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...
are from the town, including Sabina Wojtala
Sabina Wojtala
Sabina Wojtala is Polish figure skater.She started skating at the age of 5. Around the age of 14, she briefly competed as a pair skater with Janusz Komendera. She soon returned to the Ladies competition. She has been coached by Iwona Mydlarz-Chruścińska for most of her life...
and the pair Dorota Siudek and Mariusz Siudek
Mariusz Siudek
Mariusz Siudek is a retired Polish pairs skater who competed with wife Dorota Siudek. They are the 1999 World bronze medalists, two-time European silver medalists and two-time European bronze medalists...
. Other notable people from the town include Aaron Miller (cantor) (rebbe
Rebbe
Rebbe , which means master, teacher, or mentor, is a Yiddish word derived from the Hebrew word Rabbi. It often refers to the leader of a Hasidic Jewish movement...
& father of chazzan Benzion Miller) and Victor Zarnowitz
Victor Zarnowitz
Victor Zarnowitz was a leading scholar on business cycles, indicators, and forecast evaluation. Dr. Zarnowitz was Senior Fellow and Economic Counselor to The Conference Board...
(American economist). Members of Parliament (Sejm
Sejm
The Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....
) elected from this constituency include Janusz Chwierut
Janusz Chwierut
Janusz Chwierut is a Polish politician. He was elected to Sejm on September 25, 2005 getting 5272 votes in 12 Chrzanów district, candidating from Platforma Obywatelska list.-See also:*Members of Polish Sejm 2005-2007...
(PO
Civic Platform
Civic Platform , abbreviated to PO, is a centre-right, liberal conservative political party in Poland. It has been the major coalition partner in Poland's government since the 2007 general election, with party leader Donald Tusk as Prime Minister of Poland and Bronisław Komorowski as President...
), Paweł Graś (PO), Paweł Kowal (PiS
Law and Justice
Law and Justice , abbreviated to PiS, is a right-wing, conservative political party in Poland. With 147 seats in the Sejm and 38 in the Senate, it is the second-largest party in the Polish parliament....
), Marek Jerzy Łatas (PiS), Leszek Murzyn
Leszek Murzyn
For the Polish word for a black person, see MurzynLeszek Murzyn is a Polish politician. He was elected to Sejm on September 25, 2005 getting 7220 votes in 12 Chrzanów district, candidating from Liga Polskich Rodzin list.He was also a member of Sejm 2001-2005.-External links:* - includes...
(LPR
League of Polish Families
The League of Polish Families is a right-wing political party in Poland. It was represented in the Polish parliament, forming part of the cabinet of Jarosław Kaczyński, until the latter dissolved in September 2007....
), Marek Polak
Marek Polak
Marek Polak is a Polish politician. He was elected to Sejm on September 25, 2005 getting 6014 votes in 12 Chrzanów district, candidating from Prawo i Sprawiedliwość list.-External links:...
(PiS), and Stanisław Rydzoń (SLD-UP
Democratic Left Alliance-Labor Union
Democratic Left Alliance-Labor Union is an electoral committee and a coalition of two Polish centre-left political parties: Democratic Left Alliance and Labour Union. At the national level, the alliance arose at the time of the 2001 parliamentary elections and continued through the 2004 elections...
).
Twin towns — sister cities
Oświęcim is twinned with:| Sambir Sambir Sambir is a city in the Lviv Oblast, Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Sambir Raion , the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast. It is located at around , close to the border with Poland.-History:... , Ukraine Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia... Kerpen Kerpen Kerpen is a town in the Rhein-Erft-Kreis, North Rhine-Westphalia. Germany. It is located about 30 kilometers southwest from Cologne.-Division of the town:... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
Breisach Breisach Breisach is a town with approximately 16,500 inhabitants, situated along the Rhine in the Rhine Valley, in the district Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about halfway between Freiburg and Colmar — 20 kilometres away from each — and about 60 kilometres north of Basel near the... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... Arezzo Arezzo Arezzo is a city and comune in Central Italy, capital of the province of the same name, located in Tuscany. Arezzo is about 80 km southeast of Florence, at an elevation of 296 m above sea level. In 2011 the population was about 100,000.... , Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... |