# Miechów

> city of Poland, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, 20 miles NNE of Kraków

**Wikidata**: [Q324927](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q324927)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miechów)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/miechow

## Summary

Miechów is a city in Poland, situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship approximately 20 miles north-northeast of Kraków. It serves as the administrative capital of both Miechów County and the urban-rural Gmina Miechów. With a population of 11,215 as of the 2021 Polish census, the city covers an area of 15.49 square kilometres and is home to the notable Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre.

## Key Facts

- **Classification**: City (large human settlement) in Poland, Lesser Poland Voivodeship
- **Location**: 20 miles NNE of Kraków, at coordinates 50.3578°N, 20.0325°E
- **Area**: 15.49 square kilometres
- **Population**: 11,215 (as of 31 March 2021, per the Polish census of 2021)
  - Male population: 5,304
  - Female population: 5,911
- **Administrative Role**: Capital of Miechów County and Gmina Miechów (urban-rural gmina)
- **Postal Code**: 32-200
- **Timezone**: UTC+01:00 (Central European Time, standard) / UTC+02:00 (Central European Summer Time, daylight saving)
- **Continent**: Europe
- **UN/LOCODE**: PLMIC
- **TERC Municipality Code**: 1208054
- **SIMC Place ID**: 0947225
- **Official Website**: http://www.miechow.eu/ (in Polish)
- **Sister City**: Volochysk (Ukraine)
- **Notable Landmark**: Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Miechów
- **Wikipedia Presence**: Article available in 30 languages; 31 sitelinks across Wikimedia projects

## FAQs

**What administrative functions does Miechów serve?**
Miechów functions as the seat (capital) of both Miechów County — a powiat of Poland — and Gmina Miechów, an urban-rural gmina. This dual administrative role makes it a local governmental hub in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship.

**Where exactly is Miechów located?**
The city lies in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship in southern Poland, approximately 20 miles north-northeast of Kraków. Its geographic coordinates are 50.3578° latitude and 20.0325° longitude.

**What is the demographic breakdown of Miechów?**
According to the 2021 Polish census conducted on 31 March 2021, Miechów had a total population of 11,215. Of these, 5,911 were female and 5,304 were male, showing a slight majority of women.

**What notable religious or cultural sites are in Miechów?**
The Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Miechów is the most prominent church building in the city and a recognized landmark. It is documented as a distinct entity tied to the city's cultural identity.

**Is Miechów connected to any international communities?**
Yes. Miechów is twinned with Volochysk, a partnership that reflects cross-border municipal cooperation between Poland and Ukraine.

## Why It Matters

Miechów's significance stems from its position as a dual administrative center — simultaneously anchoring Miechów County and Gmina Miechów — which concentrates regional governance, services, and infrastructure in one locality. Its proximity to Kraków (just 20 miles to the south-southwest) situates it within the economic and cultural orbit of one of Poland's most important historical and tourist cities. The presence of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre connects Miechów to a broader network of European pilgrimage and religious heritage sites. The city's documentation across five major encyclopedic dictionaries — including Brockhaus and Efron and the Sytin Military Encyclopedia — attests to its longstanding historical importance in the region. Its international twinning with Volochysk further underscores its engagement in cross-cultural municipal partnerships within Central and Eastern Europe.

## Notable For

- Serving as the administrative seat of both a county and an urban-rural gmina simultaneously
- Housing the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, a significant church building in Poland
- Being located just 20 miles from Kraków, one of Poland's most historically significant cities
- Being documented in five separate encyclopedic reference works, including Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary, Small Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary, Jewish Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron, Sytin Military Encyclopedia, and the New Encyclopedic Dictionary
- Having a Wikipedia presence in 30 languages, indicating broad international recognition
- Maintaining an international sister-city relationship with Volochysk in Ukraine
- Being distinguished from multiple similarly-named Polish localities (Miechowo; Miechów in Lower Silesian, Lubusz, and Masovian Voivodeships; and Miechów-Kolonia)

## Body

### Geography and Demographics

Miechów is a city classified as a "large human settlement," situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship of Poland. It lies at geographic coordinates 50.3578°N, 20.0325°E, approximately 20 miles north-northeast of Kraków. The city encompasses a total area of 15.49 square kilometres. It falls within the Central European Time zone (UTC+01:00) during standard time and observes Central European Summer Time (UTC+02:00) during daylight saving periods.

The 2021 Polish census, recorded as of 31 March 2021, enumerated the total population of Miechów at 11,215 individuals. The female population numbered 5,911, while the male population was 5,304, reflecting a demographic composition with a slightly higher proportion of women.

### Administrative Structure

Miechów holds the distinction of being the capital (administrative seat) of two overlapping Polish administrative units. It is the capital of Miechów County (a powiat of Poland) and simultaneously the capital of Gmina Miechów (an urban-rural gmina of Poland). Both entities are subdivisions of Poland (country identifier Q36). The city's TERC municipality code is 1208054, and its SIMC place identification number is 0947225. Miechów is located administratively within Gmina Miechów. Its postal code designation is 32-200.

### Religious and Cultural Landmarks

The Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Miechów is a recognized church building and the most prominently documented landmark in the city. It is identified as a distinct entity within Poland (country Q36) and carries 8 sitelinks across Wikimedia projects, signifying its notability.

### International Relations

Miechów maintains a sister-city (town twinning) relationship with Volochysk. This partnership links the city to a counterpart in Ukraine, reflecting cross-border cooperation within the Central and Eastern European region.

### Encyclopedic and Scholarly Documentation

Miechów has been described or referenced in five major encyclopedic works:
- **Sytin Military Encyclopedia** (subject reference )
- **New Encyclopedic Dictionary** (subject reference )
- **Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary** (subject reference )
- **Small Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary** (subject reference )
- **Jewish Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron** (subject reference )

This breadth of encyclopedic documentation reflects Miechów's historical and cultural significance across multiple domains, including military history and Jewish heritage.

### Digital Presence and Identifiers

Miechów maintains an official website at http://www.miechow.eu/, which is published in Polish. The city's UN/LOCODE is PLMIC. It has been assigned numerous catalog and authority identifiers across global knowledge systems:

- **GND ID**: 4372346-9
- **VIAF ID**: 122383242
- **FAST ID**: 1878644
- **GeoNames ID**: 764917
- **Freebase ID**: /m/0c17ss
- **Facebook Location ID**: 108373415853927
- **MusicBrainz Area ID**: 0015e6cf-c98b-41f5-829a-204b77a4a6d9
- **Library of Congress Authority ID**: no2009023450
- **National Library of Israel J9U ID**: 987008917473805171
- **NLR CR AUT ID**: ge577273 (listed as "Miechów (Polsko)")
- **GNS Unique Feature ID**: -516183
- **JewishGen Locality ID**: 516183
- **Historical Gazetteer (Gov) ID**: MIECHWKO00AI
- **Who's On First ID**: 101821261
- **Yale LUX ID**: place/12d8a45a-72b3-4d8a-bec2-6b32ce84ea6e
- **FactGrid Item ID**: Johann Evangelist Müller
- **Wikimedia Commons Category**: Miechów
- **Wikipedia Title**: Miechów

The Wikipedia article for Miechów exists in 30 languages: Belarusian, Bulgarian, Cebuano, Czech, Danish, German, Esperanto, Estonian, Persian, French, Hebrew, Italian, Javanese, Lithuanian, Latvian, Malay, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Serbian, Silesian, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, Waray, and Chinese. The article has 31 sitelinks across Wikimedia projects.

### Disambiguation

Miechów is explicitly differentiated from several similarly-named Polish localities. It is distinct from Miechowo, from Miechów in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Miechów in the Lubusz Voivodeship, Miechów in the Masovian Voivodeship, and from Miechów-Kolonia. This disambiguation is necessary due to the prevalence of toponyms derived from the same root across Poland.

### Visual Documentation

Aerial imagery of Miechów is available through Wikimedia Commons at the file "Miechow z lotu ptaka.jpg" (literally "Miechów from a bird's eye view"). The city's coat of arms is also documented and accessible as "POL Miechów COA.svg" through the same repository.

### Wikimedia Categorization

Miechów is the subject of several structured Wikimedia categories:
- **Main Category**: Category:Miechów
- **Maps and Plans**: Category:Maps of Miechów
- **People Born Here**: Category:Births in Miechów
- **Associated People**: Category:People of Miechów

## References

1. [Source](https://www.worlddata.info/europe/poland/timezones.php)
2. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
3. Czech National Authority Database
4. MusicBrainz
5. [Source](https://bdl.stat.gov.pl/api/v1/data/localities/by-unit/011212008054-0947225?var-id=1639616&format=jsonapi)
6. [Source](https://bdl.stat.gov.pl/api/v1/data/localities/by-unit/011212008054-0947225?var-id=1639618&format=jsonapi)
7. [Source](https://bdl.stat.gov.pl/api/v1/data/localities/by-unit/011212008054-0947225?var-id=1639617&format=jsonapi)
8. GeoNames
9. [Source](https://service.unece.org/trade/locode/pl.htm)