Skierniewice

Skierniewice (Polish pronunciation: [skʲɛrɲɛˈvʲit͡sɛ]) is a city in central Poland with 45,184 inhabitants (2023), situated in the Łódź Voivodeship. It is the capital of Skierniewice County. Through the town runs the small river Łupia, also called Skierniewka. Located in the historic region of Masovia, Skierniewice dates back to the medieval period. It prospered as a local trade center with annual fairs and engaged in domestic and international trade. In the 17th and 18th centuries it hosted the residence of the Primates of Poland, and was home of leading Polish Enlightenment poet Ignacy Krasicki. Skierniewice is known as the "Polish Capital of Horticultural Sciences" with local tradition of horticultural studies dating back to 1922. It hosts the annual Skierniewice Festival of Flowers, Fruits and Vegetables. It is a railway junction, located on the main railway line almost exactly halfway between the two largest cities of central Poland, Łódź and Warsaw.