Send Gift Baskets to Mielec, Poland

During the thirteenth century, Pope Gregory IX mentions Mielec in a bull. The parish of “Mielecka” was mentioned in a list of parishes in the second half of the fourteenth century. In 1457, King Casimir IV granted a charter to Jan Mielecki to establish the city of Mielec, part of the Sandomierz Voivodeship and Lesser Poland Province of the Polish Crown. Due to unknown reasons, Jan Mielecki did not go on to find the city; it was founded by his sons, Jan and Bernardyn, in 1470. The Mielecki family owned Mielec until 1771, when the last Mielecki died. There was a rapid development of craft industries during their rule. A guild was founded for the first time in 1522. Blacksmiths were members of this guild. Following it were guilds of tailors, cobblers, potters, spinners, and weavers.

Following the Ossolinski and Morsztyn families, Mielec was owned by the Ossolinski and Morsztyn families. In 1775, Anna Ossilińska married Jan Pieniążek, bringing as a dowry her share of part of the city. His daughter Paulina was married to Ignacy Suchorzewski, the next owner. A Jewish family named Gross purchased Mielec’s property from Suchorzewski in 1847 and then disposed of it ten years later. Mielec was last owned by the Oborski family in 1891.

Mielec governed an area in 1853 that included 106 settlements and 91 cantonal municipalities. On Kosciuszko Street, a new City Council building and police barracks were constructed in 1892. Three-quarters of the county town was destroyed by a massive fire that interrupted the town’s development. As a result of this catastrophe, the city applied for a state loan of 12 crowns, which led to its rapid development. During the early twentieth century, brick houses surrounded the market square in Mielec, and a courthouse was constructed in 1902. Buildings were built to house a gymnasium (or academic high school) and the County Council office in 1912.

During World War I, Mielec and its surrounding county suffered much damage to their infrastructure and economy. Cobblestones were paved on many streets during the interwar period. A private power plant, craft workshops, and retail businesses were also established. Approximately 11,000 houses were destroyed by a flood in the Mielec region in 1934. A meeting place for the local artistic community was the house and studio of the Polish photographer August Jaderny in the early 20th century.