# Nowy Korczyn

- **Country:** Poland
- **Coordinates:** 50.299167, 20.808889
- **Location Text:** Holy Cross Voivodeship

Nowy Korczyn is a small town located in Busko County within the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship of southern Poland. Situated in the historic region of Lesser Poland, it lies near the confluence of the Nida and Vistula rivers, approximately twenty kilometers south of Busko-Zdrój. Originally established as a trade village on key merchant routes connecting Kraków to Kievan Rus', it was granted Magdeburg rights in 1258 by Prince Bolesław V the Chaste. The settlement was named New Town Korczyn to distinguish it from the nearby Old Korczyn, quickly evolving into a significant political and judicial center for the province.

The town's architectural history is marked by a transition from wooden fortifications to stone structures. After the original wooden castle was burned by Rus warriors in 1300, King Casimir III the Great commissioned a new stone castle in the 1350s, which became a major royal residence. The town was further protected by defensive walls and an artificial lake known as Czartoria. Throughout the 15th century, Nowy Korczyn hosted the General Assembly of Lesser Poland, where the nobility convened to discuss critical state matters, including taxation and military strategies against the Teutonic Knights.

Despite its former prominence, the town began a long decline in the 17th century and officially lost its town status in 1869, reverting to a village. Historically, it possessed a large Jewish community that persisted until the Second World War, when most members were murdered during the Holocaust. Today, Nowy Korczyn serves as the administrative seat of its local gmina with a population of just over one thousand residents. While the medieval stone castle no longer stands in its original form, the site remains a testament to the area's rich royal and political heritage during the Piast and Jagiellonian dynasties.

![Photo of Nowy Korczyn](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/20170210_Ko%C5%9Bci%C3%B3%C5%82_%C5%9Bw._Stanis%C5%82awa_w_Nowym_Korczynie_4027.jpg)

**Source:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nowy_Korczyn (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)