Биеч: История и происхождение названия польской жемчужины Карпат

Biecz (Beitsch) is a town and municipality in southeastern Poland, in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Gorlice County. It is in the Carpathian Mountains, in the Doły Jasielsko Sanockie, by the Ropa River. Due to its rich history, it is often referred to as "little Kraków" or the "pearl of the Carpathians". The many preserved medieval city walls and buildings have also given rise to the nickname "Polish Carcassonne" for both Biecz and the town of Szydłów. By the mid 16th century, the city was one of the largest in Poland. Being a royal city, Biecz enjoyed an economic and social Renaissance during the 14th and 15th centuries which tapered off into a gradual decline starting during the 17th century. Today, it is a small town with a number of historical monuments. This allows to establish that the original form of the name was Biejecz, apparently a regular possessive adjective derived from the diminutive personal name Biejek (not attested, but easily reconstructable from Biejecz and perhaps Biejków). The age of the town makes further derivation from Bieniedzikt improbable, leading linguists to hypothesize that the ultimate source is Biezdziad or other Old Slavic name beginning in Bie In the 13th century, the nominative stem was levelled to the oblique stem Biejcz (e. g. Loc. w Biejczu "in Biejecz"), giving Biejcz without stem alternations (attested as late as the 17th century) and then the current form, Biecz. Apart from that, there are a plethora of other theories, including obvious folk etymologies, linking the name e. g. to a Carpathian tribe called Biessi, mentioned by Ptolemy; a legendary bandit called Becz; the Beskids; and a west and south west Slavic dialectal word meaning "borough", attested e. g. as Beč/Беч in Serbo Croatian, borrowed into Romani (Bech) and Hungarian (Bécs). During the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age, the area was home to the Lusatian culture. Pottery fragments were uncovered during archaeological work at the castle in 1961. Excavated Byzantine and Roman coins dating from the 2nd to the 5th centuries indicate that the area was part of an important trade route for these empires.

A castle was erected as early as the 9th century, a small settlement quickly developing around its perimeter. This early castle was demolished by King Casimir IV Jagiellon in the 13th century and replaced with a much larger structure, now one of three surviving castles in the area. Biecz is first referenced by name in church documents written by Thietmar of Merseburg c. 1012–1018. In 1184, Casimir II the Just gave the land as tithes to St. Florian of Kraków. The castle was a strategic military stronghold due to its location near the Polish border. It served as a preparation area for attacks on enemy states and a rallying point for forces resisting invasion. The stronghold also served as a center for trade due to its position at the crossroads between east–west and north–south trade routes between Red Ruthenia and Hungary.

After the war, Biecz began the process of reconstruction and preservation. The first new buildings constructed were related to education, and included several high schools and vocational schools. In 1949, a new public library was built, and in 1953, a regional museum. During the 1970s, new buildings included hotels, restaurants, cooperatives, a health center, and a public kindergarten. The 1980s saw the construction of 150 single family homes. In 1950–1953, the city hall bell tower was renovated and strengthened, and the cupola covered in sheet copper. Later the city embarked on a costly campaign to repair and preserve the outer sgraffito. Numerous preservation projects were ongoing during this period in Corpus Christi Church, such as the preservation of confessionals, altars, statues, and so forth. In 1992, the church gates of Corpus Christi Church were demolished. The gates dated back to the Renaissance. In 1955, a memorial plaque was placed on the city hall bell tower to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the death of Adam Mickiewicz. During the 1970s, the city built and dedicated a monument to the victims of the world wars. In 1989, a bust of Marcin Kromer and accompanying monument were dedicated on the 400th anniversary of his death.

The 21st century has been marked by numerous restoration and preservation projects. In 2000, renovation work was completed on the 15th century bell tower. The 14th century Corpus Christi Church has been the scene of a number of important restoration projects, including the 2004 restoration of the altar of St. Teresa of Avilla, 2002 restoration of the main altar, and 2005 replacement of a number of important structural support beams. In March 2001, the Fundacja na Rzecz Szpitala Ubogich im. św. Jadwigi Królowej w Bieczu was established as part of a campaign to save the Gothic Hospital of the Holy Ghost. Renovation and preservation work had already begun by 2004. On 21 April 2005, the town government reinstated the tradition of playing the hejnał. Beginning June 2009 of that year, the hejnał was played from the bell tower of town hall. Biecz was one of the towns to host the seventh annual Małopolskie Dni Dziedzictwa Kulturowego (Lesser Poland cultural heritage day) from 20 to 21 May 2006. On 8 June 2006, relics of Queen Jadwiga of Poland, the patron saint of Biecz, were brought to the town for a dedicated exhibition. The relics were processed along a number of city and country roads that the Queen probably walked. On 1 July 2007, Biecz celebrated the 750 year anniversary of the city's establishment under Magdeburg law. The festival was marked by dance performances, musical exhibitions, theater, and lectures by historical experts. On 16 October 2008, the Biecz beltway was officially opened.

The average annual temperature is approximately 6 °C (43 °F). The average high in July is 17 °C (63 °F), and in January the average low is 5 °C (23 °F). The area receives at most of rain per annum. Sheet ice in winter lasts approximately 100 days, and has an average thickness of .

Biecz municipality is split into three formal divisions called jednostki pomocnicze gminy (literally: auxiliary municipality units). These divisions are numbered one through three. Each division has a governing council, with an elected chairman. as of 2007, the chairmen of the divisions were: Władysław Lignar, Renata Kudła, and Ireneusz Zając.

In addition to the formal divisions, Biecz has a number of neighborhoods, each with their own particular history and character. These include:
Miasto: old parts of town enclosed by the remains of the city walls. Podwale: historical buildings that abut the remains of the city walls. The name literally means "under the walls." Załawie: part of town on the embankments of the Ropa River. The neighborhood abuts the village of Korczyna
Belna Dolna: part of town along the banks of the Ropa within district 2. Belna Górna: area encompassed by district number 2, along ulica Belna Górna. Przedmieście Dolne: Settlement along ulica Przedmieście Dolne and partly along Casimir the Great Street. Kurpiel: also called Przedmieście Górne, part of town along ulica Przedmieście Górne. Osiedle Górne: settlement along the streets ulica Tysiąclecia, ulica Skłodowska, ulica królowa Jadwiga, and ulica Słoneczny. Nęckówka: settlement past Osiedle Górne. It is sparsely populated, and mostly consists of forests, orchards, and cultivated fields. Wapniska: part of town along the top of ulica ks. Jan Bochniewicz
Harta: part of town along ulica Harta.

Due to its long history, Biecz is home to a number of culturally and historically significant monuments and buildings. Some of the most important of these include the 14th century Corpus Christi Church, the 15th century town hall bell tower, and the 14th century hospital of the Holy Ghost.

The originally Gothic town hall was rebuilt in the 16th century, and served as the center of administrative power for the powiat of Biecz. After the First Partition of Poland, the powiat was dissolved, and the parts of the building dedicated to its administration fell into disuse. In the 19th century, the eastern wing of the hall was demolished. These foundations were discovered during a 1958 archaeological excavation of market square. Today these foundations are marked with commemorative plates. The old bell tower collapsed from disrepair on 8 May 1569. It was rebuilt from 1569 to 1580 with funds donated by Marcin Kromer. The tower stands at in height, the highest building in the town. The walls are sgraffitoed plaster simulating the appearance of rustication. Inside hang numerous crests and coats of arms, including that of Marcin Kromer and Adam Mickiewicz. On the east wall is a 16th century 24 hour clock face. This style of clock is rare, as the 17th century brought with it a switch to 12 hour clock faces. The bell tower's ornate cap burned in the great city fire on 12 May 1903. During the process of reconstruction, the cap was rebuilt with wooden shingles, which in 1998 were covered with sheet copper. Historically, a trumpeter played the hejnał from this tower when the city gates were opened, morning, noon, and night. This tradition ended with the collapse of the old bell tower, which killed the town trumpeter. In 2005, the tradition was restarted, and today the hejnał is played every day at noon. The lowest levels of the tower include a dungeon called Turm. Convicts scratched primitive calendars and other inscriptions into the walls, which are still visible to this day. Today, the dungeons include an exhibition of prison cells, and an exhibition dedicated to medieval torture instruments.

The Hospital of the Holy Spirit (Polish: Szpital św. Ducha) is the oldest preserved hospital in Poland. The Catholic church first began establishing hospitals in Western Europe during the 8th century. The first Polish hospitals were established during the 13th century, where they were administered by various religious orders. Each hospital had an attached parish and church. By the late 14th century, Biecz had accumulated a population of over 3,000 residents, necessitating some form of public health service. On 25 July 1395, Queen Jadwiga signed a royal edict ordering the construction of the hospital, granting tax breaks for the duration of construction, and earmarking two fiefs, a folwark, 3 fish ponds, and a town square near the city walls for construction. The budget provided by the queen for construction was one of the largest of its kind in the country. In the 18th century, the church attached to the hospital was demolished, and in the 19th century, the hospital was renovated. The hospital continued to administer to the poor until 1950, when it was converted into a boys' boarding school. After a new school building had been built, the hospital was abandoned, and began to fall into a state of disrepair. Attempts to restore the buildings began during the 1980s, but were disrupted due to political changes in Poland. Due to difficult economic times from 1991 to 1997, only the walls and roofs have been preserved at present. The hospital is in the eastern part of the city, and consists of a two story building measuring The eastern and western walls are decorated with patterns made from dark, strongly fired bricks. The eastern wall has two entries, while the west has one stone entry that has since been walled over. Above the stone entryway is a stone sculpture of the Polish coat of arms with the date 1487, that was probably moved there from the remnants of the third castle during the 17th century.

The Kromer House (Polish: Dom Kromera) is a 16th century building that never actually belonged to Marcin Kromer. Built in 1519, only seven years after Kromer's birth, the building belonged to the wealthy Chodorów family. Today the building houses a cultural museum that includes a number of important folk artifacts, art, and coins. The oldest exhibits include axeheads and related neolithic artefacts, as well as Roman and Byzantine coins, and medieval ceramics and weaponry. Other exhibits showcase historical weaponry and the day to day life of townspeople throughout history.

During the course of history, there existed three separate castles in Biecz. Currently, only the ruins of one of these remain. Of the other two castles, one was built in the current location of the Franciscan church, while the other was located on land owned by the hospital. Only the foundations remain of the Gothic royal castle on nearby Górze Zamkowej (literally Castle Mountain). The castle was built on the foundations of an early medieval gord. Built in the 13th century, the castle was made of fortified stone, and served as field headquarters for Polish kings and princes. The entire hill was surrounded by a rectangular defensive wall. The northern gate was guarded by a tower, bridge, and gates. The southern wall was protected by the Ropa River. The castle ceased to be considered an important line of defense during the second half of the 15th century. In 1475, King Casimir IV Jagiellon ordered the castle's demolition. Large pieces of stonework and related ruins were scattered across the nearby countryside as late as the 19th century. Today, all that is visible is the foundation of the castle, which has been preserved for posterity.

There are 3 bus stops and one railway station. There are 4 schools. The main industries are trade, services and tourism. There is one cinema.