History of Rzeszow

Ruthenians. Polish princes of the Piast dynasty annexed it in 1264 and in Tarnów, there was a meeting of Prince Bolesław V the Chaste, and Prince Daniel of Galicia, during which both sides agreed that the border would go between Rzeszów and Czudec (Rzeszów belonged to Red Ruthenia, while Czudec and Strzyżów to Lesser Poland).

After unification of Poland (see Testament of Bolesław III Wrymouth), Rzeszów remained in Ruthenian hands until 1340, when Casimir III the Great annexed Red Ruthenia, inviting his knights to govern the newly acquired land. According to some sources, at that time Rzeszów was inhabited by the Walddeutsche, and was called Rishof (during World War II, the Germans renamed it into Reichshof). The town was granted Magdeburg rights, it had a parish church, a market place and a cemetery, and its total area was some 1,5 km. Magdeburg rights granted Rzeszów’s local authorities the permission to punish criminals, build fortifications and tax merchants.

In 1458 Rzeszów was burned by the Vlachs and the Tatars, in 1502 the Tatars destroyed it again. Earlier, in 1427, Rzeszów had burned to the ground in a big fire, but the town recovered after these events, due to its favorable location on the main West - East (Kraków - Lwów) and North - South (Lublin - Slovakia) routes. In the 15th century first Jews settled in Rzeszów. 16th century was the time of prosperity for the town, especially when Rzeszów belonged to Mikołaj Spytek Ligęza (since the 1580s), who invested in infrastructure, building a castle, a Bernardine church and a monastery. Rzeszów then had some 2,500 inhabitants, with a rapidly growing Jewish community. The town was granted several royal rights, including the privilege to organize several markets a year. At that time, Rzeszów finally grew beyond its medieval borders, marked by fortifications. A new town hall was built in 1591

In 1638 Rzeszów passed into the hands of