Mielec
Mielec
History
First mentioned in a papal bull in 1229. In 1457 it obtained its city charter. Mielec became part of the Austrian empire in 1772, in which it remained until Poland regained its independence in 1918. The town had a significant Jewish community, which perished in the Holocaust carried out by the occupying Nazi German forces in the course of World War II.
The town's economy has been centered for the last 70 years around a single industrial enterprise, which transformed the town and increased its population sixfold. This process began in the 1930s, when Poland launched a significant expansion of its armaments industry, focused on building plants in the newly created Central Industrial Region. As part of this effort, in the years 1937-1939 a large aviation factory of the PZL company was set up in the town. It developed further after 1945 into the largest aviation factory in Poland under the name WSK-Mielec (Wytwórnia Sprzętu Komunikacyjnego; in English, Transport Equipment Manufacturing Centre).
At first, the factory produced Soviet-designed planes under license. Thus it was the primary production site of the widely used An-2 transport plane.
It also manufactured Polish versions of the MiG-15 and MiG-17
fighters. The factory also built planes designed in Poland such as the trainer plane TS-11 Iskra used by Poland and India. In 1998 the company changed its name to PZL-Mielec (Polskie Zakłady Lotnicze, in
English Polish Aviation Works). After 1989 and the economic changes
due to the fall of communism, the factory orders declined and it has
encountered serious financial difficulties. It continued to produce
successful aircraft types, but at much lower volumes than during the
Cold War. In 2007 the factory has been acquired by Sikorsky and will be the main production site of the export version UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter 
Relics
- Minor basilica of Matthew the Evangelist, built in 1526
- Oborscys' manor-house from XVII century
- Jadernys' house (currently museum)
- Musical school
- St. Mark church
Economy
From the beginning of Centralny Okręg Przemysłowy Mielec is commonly associated with PZL Mielec aviation factory.
The first Special Economic Zone in Poland, SEZ EURO-PARK MIELEC, has been founded in Mielec in 1995 and has a great impact on economy of Mielec.
Sports
- FKS Stal Mielec - men's football team currently in 3th league:
- Participating in Poland's Ekstraklasa Premier League: 1st place in 1972/73 season; 1st place in 1975/76 season; 2nd place in 1974/75 season; 3rd place in 1973/74 season; 3rd place in 1983/84 season.
- Participating in Polish Cup: finalist in 1976 season
- Participating in UEFA Cup: quarter-finalist in 1975/76 season
- Participating in European Champions Cup: first round elimination in 1973/74 season; first round elimination in 1976/77 season
- Notable players: Grzegorz Lato, Henryk Kasperczak, Andrzej Szarmach, Jan Domarski
- KPSK Stal Mielec - women's volleyball team playing in Liga Siatkówki Kobiet: 2nd place in 1999/2000 season.
- SPR BRW Stal Mielec - men's handball team playing in Ekstraklasa
Education
People related to Mielec
- Marek Bałata - jazz musician
- Mieczysław Działowski and Stanisław Działowski - aircraft constructors and pilots
- Piotr Gąsowski - actor
- Grzegorz Lato - football player, senator
- Jerzy Mamcarz - poet, singer, composer
- Zbigniew Mączka - parliamentarian (Sejm RP 1993-1997), Polish Civil Aviation Authority vice-president
- Władysław Ortyl
- Władysław Szafer - biologist
- Hieronim Wrona - music reporter
- Kacper Aleksander Strak - Grand Omega, Grand B.R., Grand Pizza Chair, Poet, Pilot, Best Drummer Ever
Twin towns
Mielec is twinned with
- Douchy-les-Mines in France
- Löhne in Germany
- Mukacheve in Ukraine
- Tiszaföldvár in Hungary
- Vila Nova de Poiares in Portugal
External links
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Sunday October 05, 2008 at 18:58:13 PDT (GMT -0700)
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