Myślenice

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Myślenice is a town in southern Poland, in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship, about 30 kilometers south of Kraków. It has around 17,000 residents and covers about 30 square kilometers. The town is made up of six districts; the best known is Zarabie, a popular tourist area with a view tower, a landscape park, and ski lifts on the hill above the Raba River.

Geography: Myślenice sits in a valley between hills and on the edge of two Beskid mountain groups. The Raba River flows through the town. On the western bank are Maków Beskid and Wieliczka Foothills; on the eastern bank are Island Beskid and Wiśnicz Foothills. There is a direct bus connection to Kraków, but no train station in the town.

History: The town is first mentioned between 1253 and 1258. It began as a defensive settlement with a castle to protect Kraków from the south. In 1342 it received Magdeburg rights, becoming a local trading center. Famous visitors included Mikolaj Rej, King Władysław II Jagiełło and Queen Jadwiga, and the German emperor Sigismund. In 1557 it came under Kraków castellans, later declined and was destroyed in the Deluge. In 1772 it was annexed by Austria and stayed in Galicia until 1918. After World War I it became part of Poland again. On 22 January 1945, Myślenice was liberated by the 38th Army of the 4th Ukrainian Front. From 1975 to 1998, the town belonged to Kraków Voivodeship.

Today Myślenice is a small regional town known for Zarabie and its proximity to Kraków.