Miechów

Gmina Miechów is an urban-rural gmina (administrative district) in Miechów County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. Its seat is the town of Miechów, which lies approximately 34 kilometres (21 mi) north of the regional capital Kraków. The gmina covers an area of 132.91 square kilometres (51.3 sq mi), and as of 2006 its total population is 19,786 (out of which the population of Miechów amounts to 11,717, and the population of the rural part of the gmina is 8,069).

Miechów County (Polish: powiat miechowski) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, southern Poland. It came into being on 1 January 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its administrative seat and only town is Miechów, which lies 34 kilometres (21 mi) north of the regional capital Kraków. The county covers an area of 676.73 square kilometres (261.3 sq mi). As of 2019 its total population is 48,948, out of which the population of Miechów is 11,612 and the rural population is 37,336.

The Battle of Miechów took place on February 17, 1863, near Miechów in Małopolska, Poland (at the time Congress Poland), during the January Uprising. Polish units under Apolinary Kurowski numbering around 2,500 troops attacked the town in an attempt to gain control of the so-called border triangle - an area at the crossroads of the Austrian, Prussian and Russian partitions which would have allowed the insurgents access to supplies and troops from outside the Congress Poland where the uprising proper was taking place. They were hoping to surprise Russian troops. However, the Russian garrison (2 companies, 550 men) was stronger than expected by insurgents. Either the Russian commander guessed the intent, or the strategic plan of the Poles was somehow betrayed. As a result, they bolstered their defenses. Initial engagements were favorable to the Poles. These included a successful charge by the Zouaves of Death, a unit organized by Francois Rochebrune and led by Wojciech Komorowski in this battle, on Russian positions in the local cemetery. However, charges by the Polish cavalry through the narrow streets of the town resulted in very high casualties in the face of concentrated fire from the Russians and eventually a panic of the Polish troops. According to contemporary Russian reports, 200 insurrectionists died. There were also some reports of atrocities, including the killing or burying alive of the wounded. As a measure of repression, the town was set on fire and local residents were forbidden to put it out. As a result of the engagement, Kurowski's unit ceased to exist. Rochebrune reformed his Zouaves later in Kraków.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Polish: Bazylika Grobu Bożego) in Miechów, Poland, is a 14th-century Gothic basilica, with a nave and two aisles, incorporating some 13th-century Romanesque stonework. It received many privileges from Casimir of Bytom. Damaged by a fire, it was rebuilt in the late-Baroque style in the second half of the 18th century. The premise has been associated with the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre.

Komorów [kɔˈmɔruf] is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Miechów, within Miechów County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland.

Poradów [pɔˈraduf] is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Miechów, within Miechów County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland.

Kamieńczyce [kamjɛɲˈt͡ʂɨt͡sɛ] is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Miechów, within Miechów County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland.

Bukowska Wola (Polish pronunciation: [buˈkɔfska ˈvɔla]) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Miechów, within Miechów County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland.

Wielki Dół (Polish pronunciation: [ˈvjɛlkʲi ˈduw]) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Miechów, within Miechów County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland.

Biskupice [biskuˈpit͡sɛ] is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Miechów, within Miechów County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland.

Jaksice [jakˈɕit͡sɛ] is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Miechów, within Miechów County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland.

Wymysłów [vɨˈmɨswuf] is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Miechów, within Miechów County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland.