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Zator
Town street
Coat of arms
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Lesser Poland
County	Oświęcim
Gmina	Zator
Government
• Mayor	Zbigniew Biernat
Area
• Total	11.53 km (4.45 sq mi)
Elevation	239 m (784 ft)
Population
• Total	3,726
• Density	320/km (840/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	32-640
Car plates	KOS
Website	http://www.zator.pl

Zator (Template:Lang-de, Wymysorys: Naojśtaod) is an old town on the Skawa river within Oświęcim County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship (since 1999) in southern Poland. From 1975 to 1998 it belonged to the Bielsko-Biała Voivodeship. It is the administrative seat of the Gmina Zator. According to data from December 31, 2008, Zator was inhabited by 4779 people.

Descriprion

The city, located on the Skawa river, is well known for pisciculture, especially carp, and periodic event called Zatorskie Dni Karpia. Zator is the main city of the Carp Valley.

History

Originally a part of Lesser Poland, the area was acquired by the Silesian Piast Duke Władysław of Opole by an 1274 agreement with the Polish Princeps Bolesław V the Chaste. Zator then belonged to the Upper Silesian Duchy of Opole and after Władysław's death in 1281 fell to the Duchy of Cieszyn. It received town privileges in 1292.

From 1315 on Zator belonged to the Duchy of Oświęcim split off Cieszyn and in 1445 even became the capital of a Piast duchy in its own right, the Duchy of Zator under Duke Wenceslaus I, a Bohemian vassal. It finally fell back to the Kingdom of Poland, when in 1494 Wenceslaus' son Jan V sold his lands to King John I Albert.

From 1564 Zator had been incorporated into the Kraków Voivodeship of Lesser Poland; in the course of the 1772 First Partition of Poland it was annexed by the Habsburg Monarchy under Empress Maria Theresa of Austria and incorporated into the Austrian Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria. After the dissolution of Austria–Hungary by the 1919 Treaty of Saint-Germain Zator again fell to Poland.

During the World War II, Zator was incorporated to Nazi Germany, and was freed on January 26, 1945.

Monuments

• The Zator castle, actually a palace, originally of defensive purposes. The castle is from 1445 year. It is classified as The First Class Monument. In 1836, it was completely renovated by The Potocki family according to the project of F. M. Lanci.
• The Jewish cemetery, founded in the middle of the 19th century. There are about 50 preserved headstones, most of which with an inscription in Hebrew language.

Notable people

• Roman Rybarski (1887–1942), economist and politician
• Master Paweł from Zator - preacher and a professor at the Jagiellonian University.

Tourism

• DinoZatorLand, the biggest park of animate dinosaurs.
• Energylandia, the biggest theme park in Poland

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Zator is twinned with:

• Berekfürdő, Hungary
• Bojnice, Slovakia

References

1. Stowarzyszenie Dolina Karpia (December 9, 2010). "Dolina Karpia" (in Polish).
2. Polskie Zamki (December 7, 2010). "Zamek w Zatorze" (in Polish).

External linwaks

• Template:Pl icon Serwis Internetowy Miasta i Gminy Zator
• Template:Pl icon Stowarzyszenie Dolina Karpia
• Template:Pl icon The illustrated article about the castle in Zator
• Jewish Community in Zator on Virtual Shtetl

49°59′47″N 19°26′17″E / 49.99639°N 19.43806°E / 49.99639; 19.43806

v t e Gmina Zator
Town and seat	Zator
Villages	Graboszyce Grodzisko Laskowa Łowiczki Palczowice Podolsze Rudze Smolice Trzebieńczyce

• Cities and towns in Lesser Poland Voivodeship
• Oświęcim County
• Galicia (Eastern Europe)