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This project seeks to collect all of the Jewish families from the town of Żywiec, Poland.
Overview
Żywiec /ˈʒɪvjɛts/ (Polish pronunciation: [%CB%88%CA%90%C9%A8vj%C9%9Bt%CD%A1s]) is a town in south-central Poland with 32,242 inhabitants (Nov. 2007). Between 1975 and 1998, it was located within the Bielsko-Biała Voivodeship, but has since become part of the Silesian Voivodeship. The town is situated in the center of the Żywiec Basin, on the Soła river near Żywiec Lake in the Lesser Poland historic region and includes Żywiec Landscape Park, one of the eight protected areas in the Voivoidedship.
History
Żywiec was first mentioned in a written document in 1308 as a seat of a Catholic parish. It was originally located in the place later known as Stary Żywiec (lit. Old Żywiec), belonging to the Duchy of Teschen, and after 1315 to the Duchy of Oświęcim, which in 1327 became a fee of Kingdom of Bohemia.
The town was a focal point for the development of hitherto sparsely populated Żywiec Basin. The area of Stary Żywiec was prone to flooding so the town was moved to the current spot in 1448. In 1457 the Duchy of Oświęcim was purchased to the Polish Crown. In 1624 it was acquired by Constance of Austria, queen consort of the Polish king Sigismund III Vasa. During the Deluge, Żywiec was plundered and destroyed by Swedish troops in 1656. From 1672 it was a possession the Polish chancellor (Kanclerz) Jan Wielopolski.
The Old Castle was built in the mid-14th century. The castle has undergone several restorations and boasts a number of styles of architecture and decoration, including Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque. Żywiec's Old Castle is encompassed by a 260,000 square metre landscape park, which was established initially in the 17th century.
The Church of the Holy Cross was built towards the end of the 14th century, and expanded twice, once in 1679 and again in 1690. In the 18th century, a Baroque church was later constructed on the site and still stands today. A second noteworthy church, the Cathedral of the Virgin Mary's Birth, was constructed and expanded during the first half of the 15th century, before being renovated in Baroque fashion after a fire in 1711.
Upon the First Partition of Poland in 1772, Żywiec became part of the Austrian Kingdom of Galicia. In 1810 it was purchased by Prince Albert of Saxony, son of King Augustus III of Poland and again ruled with the neighbouring Silesian Duchy of Teschen. When he died in 1822, his estates fell to Archduke Charles from the Austrian House of Habsburg-Lorraine. The town also houses the Żywiec Brewery, established by Charles' son Archduke Albert in 1852, and purchased by Heineken International in the 1990s. A museum was founded at the site in 2006.
Second World War
Following the 1939 Invasion of Poland, Żywiec was occupied by Nazi Germany. The last Habsburg owner Archduke Karl Albrecht of Austria refused to sign the German Volksliste, whereafter he was ousted and arrested.
Between September and December 1940, the Nazi authorities deported between 17,413–20,000 Polish inhabitants from around Żywiec county in the so-called Action Saybusch conducted by Wehrmacht and Gestapo. The expelled Poles were taken to the General Government (German: Generalgouvernement, Polish: Generalne Gubernatorstwo), a different region within Poland under German military occupation. The incident formed part of the Nazis' efforts, led by Reich Minister Dr. Alfred Rosenberg and his deputy Dr. Alfred Meyer, to develop the Occupied Eastern Territories for settlement by German migrants.
Żywiec Brewery
The Zywiec Brewery was founded in 1856, in Żywiec, Poland, then part of Austria-Hungary. It was nationalised after the Second World War. Grupa Żywiec S.A. consists of five main breweries:
Żywiec Brewery, Elbrewery, Leżajsk, Warka Brewery and Cieszyn Brewery.
Currently the Dutch Heineken Group (Heineken International Beheer B.V.), with a 61% shareholding, has control over major operations. The brewery has the capacity of producing 5 million hls a year, making it the largest brewery in Grupa Żywiec.
History of the brewery
The brewery started operating in 1856. It was owned by the Habsburgs until it was confiscated by the post-WWII Communist government of Poland. At the beginning of the 1990s a court case was started by the descendants of the original owners, who sued the Polish government demanding $77 million compensation for the nationalisation and the use of the Habsburg family name and coat of arms for marketing purposes. The case was settled out of court on undisclosed terms in December 2005.
Żywiec Brewery began distribution to other towns of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1913. In the 1990s, the brewery was acquired by Heineken International and was also thoroughly modernized. It is currently considered to be one of the most modern breweries in the world. Żywiec Beer has become a symbol of Polish pride and Polish recognition for many Poles.
- The brewery produces several brands of beer, usually pale lagers ranging from 5.6% to 9.5% abv, including Żywiec Jasne Pełne or Żywiec Beer, a 5.6% abv pale lager, which has been brewed in the town of Żywiec, Poland for almost 150 years, and Żywiec Porter, a dark porter brewed in Cieszyn Brewery.
- Żywiec Beer is sold by the 1pt. can, 1pt. bottles and by the keg. In the United States, it also is sold by 12-pack and 6-pack bottles (12 oz.). It is still brewed by means of traditional methods using all-natural ingredients and mountain spring water.
The Logo
The Żywiec logo includes all of the most important historical symbols of the brewery and Poland itself. Żywiec Beer’s prominent front label displays a man and woman, who dance the Krakowiak, a traditional dance of the area of Kraków in historic Lesser Poland. This dancing couple is dressed in classic Polish folk dancing clothes. Kraków’s coat of arms is represented with the crown in the middle of the couple. The coat of arms is also represented by the three spruce trees displayed on the bottom of the label and the year 1856 on top underneath the crown. The name Żywiec is placed on the red sash across the middle of the label with the golden trimming. The Żywiec logo is the most famous mark and brand of beer in Poland and the trademark of the entire brewery.
