Sieradz is one of the oldest towns in Poland. Sieradz is first mentioned in writing in 1136, by Pope Innocent II in the Papal Bull of Gniezno. The municipality privilege was granted by Prince Kazimierz Konradowic, probably between 1247 and 1255. Unfortunately, no founding documents survive.
In the 14th century, King Kazimierz the Great erected a castle there. It was encircled by fortified walls, embankments and a moat. The development of the city was disrupted by raids by Tartars, Czechs and the Teutonic Knights.
From the 13th to the 15th centuries, fifteen general assemblies of the nobility took place in Sieradz, six of which were presided over by Polish kings. On February 26, 1383 the Sejm in Sieradz assured the Hungarian envoy that Jadwiga, daughter of king Louis I of Hungary, would become queen of Poland. In 1432 the Sieradz meeting resolved to elect King Władysław Jagiełło’s oldest son, Władysław, later known as Warneńczyk, to the Polish throne upon his father’s death. In 1445 the election of King Kazimierz Jagiellończyk took place here[1.1].
The greatest growth of the town took place during the Renaissance. Sieradz was located at the confluence of three trade routes of international significance. The Polish-Swedish Wars and numerous conflagrations hampered the development of the city, and it was only the 18th century that again spurred growth. In the 19th century, despite the beneficial location in the vicinity of blossoming large economic centers, such as Łódź, Pabianice and Zduńska Wola, Sieradz did not benefit from the economic growth that reigned in the Kingdom of Poland after the Congress of Vienna. The town’s prestige was sustained only by the district of which Sieradz was the seat. According to Holsche, in 1820, 1,557 Catholics, 306 Jews, 202 Lutherans and 3 Greek Catholics inhabited Sieradz[1.2]. In 1823 Adolf Harrer’s workshop was created, in which one of the first steam machines in Poland was installed.
At the end of the century, a theater was opened, and a harbor and a Rowing Society were created. The town had an agricultural-industrial character. During World War II it was annexed to the Third Reich.
