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Lublin

BASIC FACTS
Establishment: 12th century
City rights: around 1317
Area: 147,5 sq. Km
Elevation: N/A
Population: around 360 000
Unemployment rate: 8,4 %
Significant employers: Biomed, Polfa, Polmos, Lubella, Solidarność, Herbapol, Perła, Emperia Holding, Pol Skone
Average wage: 2500 PLN
Official website: www.lublin.pl

TRANSPORT & ACCOMODATION COSTS
Single public transport ticket - 0,90 PLN
Monthly ticket - 40,50 PLN
Taxi fares - 2-3 PLN / km
A single room monthly rent - 250-600 PLN
A single room flat rent - 850 PLN
A double room flat rent - 1200 PLN

HISTORY
The earliest, most significant settlement began in the 6th century, on a hill located in the suburb of Czwartek In the 10th and 11th centuries Lublin developed into an important trade centre. The oldest historical document mentioning Lublin dates from 1198.

The city was a target of attacks by Tatars, Ruthenes, Yotvingians and Lithuanians and was destroyed a number of times. It received a city charter in 1317. Casimir the Great, appreciating the strategic importance of the site, built a masonry castle in 1341 and encircled the city with defensive walls.

In the 15th century and 16th century the town grew rapidly. The largest trade fairs of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth were held in Lublin. During the 16th century the noble parliaments (sejm) were held in Lublin a number of times. On June 26, 1569, one of the most important ones proclaimed the Union of Lublin, which united Poland and Lithuania. The Lithuanian name for the city is Liublinas.

Since the second half of the 16th century, Reformation movements developed in Lublin, and a large congregation of Polish Brethren was present in the city. One of Poland's most important Jewish communities was also established in Lublin around this time. It continued to be a vital part of the city's life until the community ceased to exist during the Nazi Holocaust. Between 1580 and 1764 the Jewish Council of Four Lands Arba Aracot (Sejm of 4 countries) was held in Lublin.

LublinStudents came to Lublin from all over Europe to study at the yeshiva there. The yeshiva became a centre of learning of both Talmud and Kabbalah. The great scholarship of those who studied there led to the city being named the "Jewish Oxford"; the Rosh yeshiva received the title of rector and equal rights to those in Polish universities with the permission of the King in 1567.

In the 17th century, the town suffered a decline due to the Swedish invasion during the Northern Wars. After the Third of the Partitions of Poland in 1795 Lublin was located in the Austrian empire, then since 1809 in the Duchy of Warsaw, and then since 1815 in the Congress Poland under Russian rule. At the beginning of the 19th century a number of modern urban developments took place, with new squares, streets, and public buildings coming into existence. In 1877 a railway connection to Warsaw and Kovel was built, which spurred industrial development in the city. Lublin's population grew from 28,900 in 1873 to 50,150 in 1897.

After the defeat of the Central Powers in 1918, the first government of independent Poland operated in Lublin for a short time. In the inter war years, the city continued to develop, its population grew, and important industrial enterprises were established, including the first aviation factory in Poland, the Plage i Laśkiewicz works, later nationalized as the LWS factory. The Catholic University of Lublin was founded in 1918. The city contained a vibrant Jewish community which formed around 40% of Lublin's population.

After the 1939 the city was a German headquarters for Operation Reinhardt, the main effort to exterminate the Jews in occupied Poland. A large concentration camp Majdanek was established at the outskirts of the city. Most of the city's Jewish population was murdered.

On 24 July 1944, the city was taken by the Soviet Army and became the capital of a Soviet-controlled communist Polish Committee of National Liberation established in the city. The capital was moved to Warsaw in January 1945. In the postwar years Lublin continued to grow, tripling its population and greatly expanding in area. A considerable scientific and research base was established around the newly founded Maria Curie-Sklodowska University. A large automobile factory (FSC) was established in the city.

In July 1980, the workers of Lublin and nearby Świdnik began the first in the wave of mass strikes aimed against the Communist regime, which eventually led to the emergence of the Solidarity movement.