Zgierz


Zgierz is a town in central Poland, located just to the north of Łódź and part of the metropolitan area centered on that city. As of 2016 it had a population of 56,929.
Zgierz is situated in the Łódź Voivodeship ; previously it was in Łódź Metro Voivodeship. It is the capital of Zgierz County.
Zgierz is one of the oldest cities in Central Poland. It acquired its city rights some time before 1288.
Before World War II, Zierz had a thriving Jewish community of around 4000. When the Germans occupied the town, they began persecuting the Jews, with the assistance of local ethnic Germans. The synagogue was burned and Jews were kidnapped from the streets for forced labor. Many tried to flee the town, though some of these returned. In December, 1939, the Germans deported 2500 of the Jews to Glowno in the Generalgouvernment, the Nazi occupied part of Poland. Left behind were fewer than 100 Jews, mostly craftsmen thought to be useful to the Germans. In 1942, these Jews were deported to the Lodz ghetto. This history is unusual in that no mass killings in Zgierz were reported. Of course, the Jews deported to Lodz and Glowno were caught up in the fate of those communities, and most were later deported to the killing camp of Treblinka. As many as 350 Jewish residents of Zierz survived the war, but did not return to the town.

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Zgierz is twinned with: