Wieluń County

Wieluń County (Polish: powiat wieluński) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Łódź Voivodeship, central Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its administrative seat and only town is Wieluń, which lies 88 kilometres (55 mi) south-west of the regional capital Łódź.

The county covers an area of 927.69 square kilometres (358.2 sq mi). As of 2006 its total population is 78,260, out of which the population of Wieluń is 24,347 and the rural population is 53,913.

Neighbouring counties

Wieluń County is bordered by Sieradz County to the north, Łask County to the north-east, Bełchatów County and Pajęczno County to the east, Kłobuck County to the south-east, Olesno County to the south, and Wieruszów County to the west.

Administrative division

The county is subdivided into 10 gminas (one urban-rural and nine rural). These are listed in the following table, in descending order of population.

Wieluń

Wieluń [ˈvjɛluɲ] (German: Welun) is a city in central Poland with 24,347 inhabitants (2006). Situated in the Łódź Voivodeship (since 1999), it was previously in Sieradz Voivodeship (1975–1998). Wieluń has a long and rich history. In the past, it used to be one of the most important urban locations of the Kingdom of Poland, and the capital of the Land of Wieluń (Ziemia wieluńska). Several Polish kings and notables visited the town, but following the catastrophic Swedish invasion of Poland (1655–1660), Wieluń declined and never regained its status. In September 1939, during the Invasion of Poland, it was bombed by the Luftwaffe. The Bombing of Wieluń is considered to be one of the first bombings in Europe in this war. It killed an estimated 1,300 civilians, injured hundreds more and destroyed 90 percent of the town centre.

Wieluń is an important road junction, the town also has a sports club WKS Wieluń, established in 1957 after a merger of two earlier clubs. In the past, WKS Wieluń had several departments, such as track and field, basketball, table tennis, handball and association football. Currently, the only remaining department is football.