See also: Poddębice, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship.
| Poddębice | |
| Pushpin Map: | Poland |
| Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Voivodeship |
| Subdivision Name1: | Łódź |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Poddębice |
| Subdivision Type3: | Gmina |
| Subdivision Name3: | Poddębice |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Piotr Sęczkowski |
| Area Total Km2: | 5.89 |
| Population As Of: | 31 December 2020 |
| Population Total: | 7245 [1] |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone: | CET |
| Utc Offset: | +1 |
| Timezone Dst: | CEST |
| Utc Offset Dst: | +2 |
| Coordinates: | 51.9°N 76°W |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 99-200 |
| Blank Name: | Car plates |
| Blank Info: | EPD |
| Blank Name Sec2: | National roads |
| Blank1 Name Sec2: | Voivodeship roads |
| Website: | http://www.poddebice.pl |
Poddębice is a town in central Poland, in Łódź Voivodeship, about 40 km northwest of Łódź. It is the capital of Poddębice County. Population is 7,245 (2020).[1] It is located within the historic Łęczyca Land.
Poddębice was a private town, administratively located in the Łęczyca County in the Łęczyca Voivodeship in the Greater Poland Province of the Kingdom of Poland.[2] Zygmunt Grudziński built a Renaissance palace in the town.
During the German occupation of Poland (World War II), in 1940, the occupiers carried out expulsions of Poles, mostly owners of shops, workshops and better houses, which were then handed over to German colonists as part of the Lebensraum policy.[3] The local Jewish population, which numbered around 1,400 at the start of the war, was confined to a ghetto and subject to forced labor. In 1942, five were hung publicly and in April, 1,800 Jews, including several hundred forcibly resettled from Łęczyca, were confined in a church for ten days without any essentials, including food until a bribe was paid. Ten died there. After a few days, the sick and the elderly were then murdered nearby. After ten days, some skilled workers were sent to the Łódź Ghetto. All the remainder were sent to the Chełmno extermination camp where they were immediately gassed. Few of Poddębice's Jews survived the war. The German administrator of Poddębice (probably Franz Heinrich Bock) kept a secret diary published after the war. His diary was critical of the anti-Jewish policies. He had tried to help the Jewish population when he could. He was removed from his post during the war.[4]
The local football club is Ner Poddębice. It competes in the lower leagues.