Dębica is a town in southeastern Poland with 48,700 inhabitants (as of 1995). Since 1999 it has been situated in the Subcarpathian Voivodship; it was previously in the Tarnow Voivodship (1975–1998). The town was founded in 1358 by the Polish king Casimirus the Great (Kazimierz Wielki). For many years Dębica was a small and unimportant town, located in the county of Pilzno , Sandomierz Voivodship. Lacking fortifications that would defend it, Dębica was vulnerable to various invasions of the Tartars, Swedes, or Hungarians, who burnt or ransacked the town every few years. As a result of these events, there are very few historical monuments in this town. One of these is the Saint Jadwiga church, originally from the 14th century, but completely rebuilt in the 19th century.

In 1772, following the second partition of Poland, Dębica found itself in the Habsburg Empire. New, Austrian authorities decided that it should no longer be regarded as a town, but rather a village. Bad times came to an end in the second half of the 19th century, when the Austrian government decided to build a main West-East railroad line, connecting two major centers of the Austrian province of Galicja—Krakow and Lwow. A railroad station was built in Dębica, and at the end of the 19th century, another line was constructed, joining Dębica and Sandomierz. The town became a rail junction, which was a huge boost for its citizens.

In 1900 a high school was opened, and in 1908 students from this school founded one of the oldest sports clubs in Poland, Wisloka (whose name comes from the River Wisloka , which flows by the town).

Just before World War I, Dębica was again incorporated as a town. The war was a disaster for the town, as it was almost completely destroyed.

Dębica is the birthplace of 20th century composer Krzysztof Penderecki.

Education

• Wyższa Szkoła Informatyki i Zarządzania in Rzeszów, branch in Dębica