Zamość

Zamość, city, Lubelskie województwo (province), eastern Poland. One of the few large communities in the Lublin Uplands, it was founded on the estates of Polish chancellor Jan Zamoyski (1542–1605) that lay on the trade route between the Black Sea and northern and western Europe. In 1578 the Paduan architect Bernardo Morando conceived and implemented the city’s modern design, which remains a fine example of grid-based urban planning. Italianate Renaissance architecture dominates the main square, with uniform but ornate two-story houses clustered around the town hall. Zamość today is, in its entirety, classified as a historical monument; it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1992. The city was incorporated in 1580.

For a long period its academy made Zamość the scientific and cultural centre for the region. In 1821 the city was refortified and became Polish territory, but by 1866 it had been abandoned as a defense point and began to develop once again as a free city. During World War II Zamość was occupied by the Germans, and 8,000 of its inhabitants were slaughtered. Notable sites include the town hall (early 17th century, in the Mannerist style) and Morando’s Collegiate Church of St. Thomas (1593–1628), one of the finest Renaissance churches in Poland. There is also a branch of the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University. Pop. (2011) 65,966.