Alwernia
Alwernia (
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listen) is a Polish town situated some 36 km west of
Kraków in the
Chrzanów district of the
Lesser Poland Voivodeship (before
1999 it formed part of the
Kraków Voivodeship). The town, as well as possessing a large chemical works, is a centre for recreation and tourism.
The name of the town is taken from that of the
Franciscan hermitage of La Verna (
Latin: Alvernia) in
Tuscany,
Italy. It was bestowed on the locality in
1616 by the castellan Krzysztof Koryciński. A
monastery of the order of
St Bernard was built on high ground between
1625 and
1656. The church dates from the period
1630 to
1676.
Below the monastery a settlement developed which in
1776 received the right to hold a
market. In
1796 Alwernia is mentioned as being a (small) commercial and administrative centre.
In
1926 a chemical works was established in the southern part of the town; today it is Alwernia's biggest employer. Its attractive setting and proximity to Kraków led to the town's growth and in
1993 Alwernia was granted full civic status.
*
Official website (in Polish)
