THE ORIGINS OF BOBOWA AND ITS DEVELOPMENT IN THE MIDDLE AGES

Similarly to other towns and villages, the origins of Bobowa are not very clear. According to the legend Bobowa had already existed before the first Tatars' invasion, so it was before 1240. However, because of the above mentioned attack Bobowa was entirely destroyed by the Tatars. It is believed that there is a bit of truth in every legend. So it is possible that Bobowa already existed in the first half of the 13th century. Unfortunately there is no formal evidence which could confirm this information and that is why we can treat it only as a legend.
The first formal information related to Bobowa's foundation was noted in a document which comes from 1339. This document was edited by Jadwiga's registry office. Jadwiga was a widow after the Polish king Władysław Łokietek (died in 1333). At the time when the document was edited Jadwiga was already a nun of the order of St. Clare in a convent founded by saint Kinga in Stary Sącz. Jadwiga was also called the Lady of Sądecki Land then. The mentioned document confirms the act of giving a forest to the village Jaubkowice for the benefit of Paweł Benedykt called Węgier and his descendants. Paweł Benedykt was a squire of Jakubkowice. The document said that Wegier had right to grub up the forest in order to found there a village called Wrocimirowa. The inhabitants of this village after 20 years of being relieved from paying taxes were supposed to pay a rent - charge according to "the practice of Bobowa town".
On the basis of this fragment we can draw a couple of conclusions. However, before we do that we must inform about one stipulation. The authenticity of the mentioned document is doubted. It is claimed to be a falsehood that comes from the 15th century. In fact it has never been seen in the original version but as a summary in Kazimierz Wielki's document from 1340. This form of document was published in the Diplomatic Codex of Poland. However, because the information about Bobowa is only a short note that has a comparative character, it does not necessarily have to be rejected as a historical source. Moreover the document was based on the form of the civic prerogative of location. Some of the professionals suppose that the falsehood was based on the unknown privilage of location of Bobowa town.... Nevertheless, any other document which mentions Bobowa until 1346 has never been found.
The first essential information is the fact that in 1339 Bobowa was already a town located on the German Statute. That is why this date 1339, is believed to be the first source of information which confirms the foundation of the town. The priest professor B. Kumor in his article about the erection of the Collegiate Church in Bobowa also mentions the date 1339 and the name of the town. According to him Bobowa was founded earlier than 1339.
In the document that has already been mentioned a few times there is also information that the inhabitants of located at that time villages owned by Paweł Benedekt Węgier, were supposed to pay a rent - charge "iuxta consuetudinem oppidi Bobowa" - according to the practice of Bobowa town. So, since the inhabitants of Bobowa had their own practice of paying a rent - charge in 1339, it means that the period of being relieved from paying this tax must have been finished. This period used to be given to towns and villages which were newly located on the so called "Magdeburski Statute". The above mentioned Wrocimirowa was given a period of 20 years of being relieved from paying a rent - charge. It does not necessarily mean that in case of Bobowa the same procedure was used. However the fact that Bobowa was mentioned in this document may suggest that. We must remember that Wrocimirowa was located in a place in which there had been a forest earlier. The document says that the inhabitants were supposed to grub up the forest before founding there a village. In this kind of cases the period of 20 years without taxes was a rule. We have not got any information about grubbing up a forest in a place were Bobowa was located. But if it had been like that, Bobowa may have been founded in 1319. There is one more possibility. If locating Bobowa on the German Statute meant only giving civic rights to an already existing village, the town may have been founded even earlier, maybe before the first Tatars' invasion .
On the left bank of Biała river in the part of Bobowa which is called Berdechów, there are some remains of a castle. The archaeologists claim that their beginnings date from the 11th century. This is another argument which proves the very early origins of Bobowa.

SOME STATISTICS
Bobowa lost its civic rights in 1934 and if has not regained them until now, 2004. However there still is a local administration of a commune council in Bobowa. As far as the administrative division is concerned, the commune of Bobowa belongs to Gorlicki district and to Małopolski province. It covers the area of 49,84 km2 . Arable land covers 73,8 % of this area and forests 16,3 %. About 9370 inhabitants live on the area of Bobowa commune. The average rate of occupancy is 188 people per 1 km2. Comparing the number of inhabitants, the commune of Bobowa is the fourth one from the ten communes of the Gorlicki district. However, taking into account the fact that Bobowa commune covers quite a small area, the rate of occupancy here is higher than in nine other communes and lower only than Gorlice commune. It is worth mentioning that the average rate of occupancy in Gorlicki district is 111 people per 1 km2 and it is considerably overstated by the town of Gorlice (1287 people per 1 km2)
The following villages belong to the commune of Bobowa: Bobowa, Brzana, Jankowa, Sędziszowa, Siedliska, Stróżna and Wilczyska. The shown below chart depicts the number of inhabitants in particular villages

VILLAGE NUMBER OF INHABITANTS

The statistics show that in the commune of Bobowa agriculture is the main industry. Most of the land is the arable land. In spite of that the majority of inhabitants do not work in the agriculture industry. There are quite many people who run their own small businesses. Maybe when the number of companies in the area of Bobowa increases, it will be easier to suppress the unemployment problem. Currently the statistics show about 15 % of unemployment in the commune of Bobowa. The local authorities are trying to prevent this problem by organising work for the unemployed.

EDUCATION AND CULTURE
As far as education is concerned the commune of Bobowa is a real phenomenon in Poland. The reason why it is so is that in Bobowa there are a couple of secondary schools. There are in fact two school complexes in Bobowa. There are: The Stanisław Wyspiański memorial Zespół Szkół Zawodowych and the Henryk Sienkiewicz memorial Zespół Szkół Ogólnokształcących.

Zespół Szkół Zawodowych in the school year 2003/2004 offers the following forms of education:

Liceum profilowane
. Economy and administration
. Forestry and technology of wood

Liceum Techniczne
. Economy and administration
. Forestry and technology of wood
. The environment protection

Technikum Zawodowe (the last year)
. Technology of clothes
. Technology of wood

Zasadnicza Szkoła Zawodowa
. Salesman's training

Technikum Zawodowe for students who graduated from Zasadnicza Szkoła Zawodowa
. Technology of clothes
. Technology of wood

Zespół Szkół Ogólnokształcących offers the following courses of training for students:

. A secondary school of general education
. Technical school of farming and nourishment
. Economic study (after graduating from a secondary school)
. Nourishment study (after graduating from a secondary school)

Younger students attend the local primary schools:
. Stanisław Staszic memorial Primary School in Bobowa: 414 students.
. Henryk Dobrzański "Hubal" memorial Primary School in Jankowa: 101 students.
. Primary School in Stróżna: 85 students.
. Primary School in Siedliska: 167 students.
. Primary School in Sędziszowa: 39 students.
. Batalionów Chłopskich memorial Primary School in Wilczyska: 99 students.

There are also Gimnazja for students who are between 13 and 16 years old.
. Gimnazjum in Bobowa - 260 students,
. Gimnazjum in Brzana - 81 students,
. Gimnzajum in Siedliska - 150 students.

For very young children there are nurseries:
. The municipal nursery in Bobowa: 53 children,
. The municipal nursery in Wilczyska: 30 children.

As far as the cultural life in the commune of Bobowa is concerned, it is mainly organized by the full of vitality Centre of Culture and Promotion in Bobowa. The group of people working in the mentioned centre organizes different variety shows and competitions every year eg.
. The Nativity play show - January
. The recitation competition - March
. The children and youth's theatres show
."Everyone may be a singer" - June
In all primary schools and gimnazjum there are school amateur theaters. The number of reciters in the annual competition exceeds 80 people. In the primary school in Sędziszowa Children's Regional Group "Koronecka" under the patronage of the Centre of Culture exists.
At the Centre of Culture and Promotion of Bobowa commune also other organizations, which are financed by the centre, exist.

These are:
. The brass band of fire voluntary brigade in Bobowa - 30 members (children, youth and adults). It has existed from the 19th century.
. The brass band of fire voluntary brigade in Siedliska - 45 members.
. The Regional Group of Song and Dance "Koronka". The members of "Koronka" are teenagers and adults. The group consists of 35 people.
"Koronka" has taken part in different contests in the country and abroad. One of them was the International Festival of Mountainous Areas in Zakopane. In the contest called the Festival of Polish mountaineers in Żywiec "Koronka" won the bronze Żywiec Heart. Besides, the group participated in different theatrical and ceremonial shows like eg. in Czarny Dunajec, Bukowina Tatrzańska, the all - Polish Council of Theatres of Polish Village in Tarnogród. "Koronka" presents the folklore of Pogórzanie Zachodni from the valley of Biała river. Its repertoire does not include only dances but also customs and traditions of local people. One of them is a very difficult: "Pogórzański Wedding Ceremony".

THE INTERNET CAFÉ
One of many forms of activity organized by the Centre of Culture and Promotion in Bobowa is an Internet café. The main aim of creating it was to help the unemployed from the area of Bobowa. However, the six of eight computers, which form the actual Internet café, are used not only by the unemployed.
The Internet café is open from Monday to Friday between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. At weekends it is open from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
High quality of equipment, a quick Internet link and a very low fee for using the computers (1,50 zł per hour) cause that the Internet café in Bobowa is a perfect place to spend free time not only for teenagers but also for the adult residents of Bobowa commune.
In the Internet café you can use programmes such as Microsoft Word or Open Office. You can also type or correct an essay, a report or your thesis. There is also a possibility to use a printer, a recorder or a photocopier in the Internet café.
In the Internet café the same regulations as in the Centre of Information of Bobowa commune are valid.
The activities of the Centre of Culture and Promotion do not collide with the Centre of Information's work.

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