2020 | Building Peace through Heritage
the plundering of the city by the Swedes were the main causes of Wiślica ’ s collapse , apart from national issues . Former municipal development from the 16 th century and the beginning of the 17 th century , made of broken plaster and bricks , practically ceased to exist . It seems that only one house survived along the northern frontage of the Market Square , the collegiate church and the Długosz House . Other houses were destroyed or devastated so significantly that they had to be disassembled .
In the 16 th and the 17 th century , Wiślica became an important centre of reformation in Lesser Poland .
The second half of the 18 th century was marked by a gradual inflow of people to Wiślica ; the last inspection from 1789 lists fifty-one Christian houses in the city , yet over a half of the city ’ s population was Jewish . Falling apart of the city and castle walls posed a threat to residents ’ lives . On account of this , in 1766 the king allowed Staroste Stanisław Lubomirski to disassemble the ruins of the castle and city walls . From the materials procured from the disassembly , the Staroste planned to build a house with premises for the land court and file archives . The castle and the walls with still existing gates – Cracow Gate , Busko Gate and Castle Gate – were completely disassembled .
Partitions of Poland brought an end to the attempts of Wiślica development . Originally , it formed a part of the Austrian partition and after 1815 was incorporated into the Congress Kingdom . Wiślica , distant from larger industrial centres and transport routes , was reduced to the level of a large settlement . In the first half of the 19 th century , Wiślica had 1,675 residents ; 2 / 3 of them were of Jewish origin . At that time , the city had 129 houses , yet only seven were made of brick . Out of all Wiślica churches , only the collegiate church was preserved in the city and the St . Lawrence ’ s Church in Gorysławice . The Church of St . Martin and the hospital Church of the Holy Spirit ceased to function at the end of the 18 th century and were disassembled in the early years of the 19 th century . On 15 August 1858 , a sudden fire broke out in the city . Thirty-six houses burnt down , along with entire farm buildings . The second half of the 19 th century was marked by reconstruction of the destroyed portion of the city and disputes among burghers and peasants pertaining to the Sunday fairs . Eventually , the Sunday fairs were abolished . As of 1869 , Wiślica became a government city , forfeiting royal municipal rights .
Military activities during WWI at the Austrian and Russian front line were tragic for Wiślica . The front line on the Nida River resulted in severe artillery shelling by the Austrian army which targeted the defending Russian forces . The collegiate church and most of the houses by the Market Square were destroyed .
During the inter-war period , reconstruction of the partially-collapsed collegiate church and the damaged Długosz House was supervised by Adolf Szyszko-Bohusz , who , next to Kazimierz Wyczyński , conducted research work in Wiślica .
In order to save the cultural heritage of Wiślica , in 2016 on the initiative of the Association of Monument Conservators , a non-governmental public organisation , a team of experts was appointed , which prepared a directional Heritage Project for Wiślica entitled : Prehistoric Wiślica : following the oldest civilisations and cultures , the history of European Christianity and establishing the first Piast state in the lands of southern Poland , which assumes a gradual realisation of key points in order to implement the vision of an innovative model of the economic-spatial development of the historic-cultural area of Wiślica , based on the most recent understanding of the heritage as a collection of material value and non-material significance created within a natural and cultural area during civilisation processes , and together determining the living space for man .
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