Lesko

Infobox Settlement
name = Lesko

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imagesize = 250px
image_caption = The synagogue in Lesko
image_shield = POL Lesko COA.svg
pushpin_

pushpin_label_position = bottom
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = POL
subdivision_type1 = Voivodeship
subdivision_name1 = Subcarpathian
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Lesko County
subdivision_type3 = Gmina
subdivision_name3 = Gmina Lesko
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = Barbara Jankiewicz
established_title = Established
established_date = 14th century
established_title3 = Town rights
established_date3 = before 1470
area_total_km2 = 15.09
population_as_of = 2006
population_total = 5864
population_density_km2 = auto
timezone = CET
utc_offset = +1
timezone_DST = CEST
utc_offset_DST = +2
latd = 49 | latm = 28 | lats = 28 | latNS = N | longd = 22 | longm = 19 | longs = 44 | longEW = E
postal_code_type = Postal code
postal_code = 38-600
area_code = +48 13
blank_name = Car plates
blank_info = RLS
website = http://www.lesko.pl Lesko [IPA-pl|'|l|e|s|k|o] (or "Lisko" until 1926) ( _yi. לינסק-"Linsk") is a town in south-eastern Poland with a population of 5,855 (2004), in the Bieszczady mountains. It is located in the heartland of the Doły (Pits), and its average altitude is 390 metres above sea level, although there are some hills located within the confines of the city. Since 2002 it has been the capital of Lesko County.

Lesko is situated in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship (since 1999); previously it was in Krosno Voivodeship (1975-1998).

History

Lesko was probably founded in the fourteenth century; records first mention it in 1436. It was granted its town charter in approximately 1469, when it was owned by the Kmita family. In the seventeenth century, the town was quite an important centre of trade and craftsmanship, with approximately 1,500 inhabitants. Its heyday ended in 1704, when it was looted by the Swedish troops during the Great Northern War.

Currently Lesko is a gateway to the Bieszczady Mountains. The city has numerous outdoor recreational clubs.

Sites of interest

*Gothic church built in 1539 by the Kmit family. Destroyed by a Swedish attack, the church was reconstructed. A Baroque interior has survived, featuring an altar blessed by Pope John Paul II.
*Castle of the Kmita family, built in the sixteenth century, then reconstructed, partially destroyed and rebuilt. At one time, it was the home of the Polish poet Wincenty Pol. It now houses many works of notable European painters and writers.
*former synagogue, built during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, then reconstructed. Destroyed during the Second World War, then rebuilt. It currently houses an art gallery.
*Kirkut (Jewish cemetery), with graves dating back to the sixteenth century. One of Poland's oldest Jewish cemeteries, it contains over 2,000 headstones.
*Town Hall building, which dates back to 1896.
*Lesko Stone, a popular geological formation.

People

*Franciszek Ksawery Abancourt - writer, scientist
*Janusz Gołda - novelist, publicist
*Korneliusz Pacuda - musician, Honorary Citizen

Hiking trails

*European walking route E8

Literature

* Prof. Adam Fastnacht. Slownik Historyczno-Geograficzny Ziemi Sanockiej w Średniowieczu (Historic-Geographic Dictionary of the Sanok District in the Middle Ages), Kraków, 2002, ISBN 83-88385-14-3.