Alwernia [alˈvɛrɲa] (listen) is a Polish town situated some 36 kilometres (22 miles) west of Kraków in the Chrzanów County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship. Between 1975 and 1998 it was a part of the Kraków Voivodeship. The town, as well as possessing a large chemical works, is a centre for recreation and tourism. As of December 2021, it has a population of 3,310.[3]

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Alwernia
Church of 'The Stigmata of St. Francis' in Alwernia
Coat of arms
Alwernia Show map of Poland Alwernia Show map of Lesser Poland Voivodeship
Coordinates: 50°4′N 19°31′E
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Lesser Poland
County	Chrzanów County
Gmina	Alwernia
Government [1]
• Mayor	Beata Nadzieja-Szpila
Area [2]
• Total	8.88 km2 (3.43 sq mi)
Elevation	312 m (1,024 ft)
Population  (31 December 2021)[3][4]
• Total	3,310
• Density	373/km2 (970/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	32-566
Area code	+48 12
Car plates	KCH
Voivodeship roads
Website	http://www.alwernia.pl

History

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 the Stigmata of Saint Francis of Assisi 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.

Economy

There are large Chemical Works "Alwernia" S.A. (from 1923/1924), mainly producing phosphorus and chromium compounds. Industrial, tourist and leisure center.

Transport

• In the nearby Grojec (about 4 km north of Alwernia) A4 motorway (Rudno junction) access to the motorway possible entry and exit in the direction of Kraków and towards Katowice;
• PKS and numerous private lines to Kraków, Chrzanów, Oświęcim and Krzeszowice.

Tourist attractions and monuments

• Baroque Bernardine monastery and church. Stigmata of St. Francis, along with the wonderful image of Ecce Homo;
• Market development, from the 18th and 19th centuries;
• The oldest fire museum in Poland;
• Skowronek lagoon;
• Shootout indulgence on the first Sunday of the octave of Corpus Christi.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alwernia.

• Official website (in Polish)
• Jewish community of Alwernia on Virtual Shtetl
• A guide of Alwernia

На других языках

[de] Alwernia

[ru] Альверня