One of the most beautiful Polish towns, in situated at the intersection of the river Vistula and the river San, in the neighbourhood of the three geographical regions: the Sandomierska Upland, the Sandomierska Valley and the Lubelska Upland. It is assumed that the name of the town originated from the popular in the past Slav first name Sędomir. The first written accounts of the town come from the year 1113 in the Gall Anonimus Chronicle. 
     The chronicler mentions Sandomierz beside Cracow and Wroclaw as one of the three major towns. Such high position of the town was thanks to its geographical loca­tion which promoted trade. Already in the early Middle Ages, beside the castle and the burg, a new settlement with the Church of 'Saint Mary (later on the collegiate church) came into being outside the town walls. In the same time on the hill called świętojakubskie a market settlement was established. It received municipal status by the year 1224. This settlement embraced the Church of Saint James and the Church of Saint Paul, built earlier. 
     It was also there that one of first brich buildings in Poland - the Dominican church and monastery was erected. 
The destruction done by the Mongolians who invited the region in the years 1241, 1259-60 and 1287 hindered the further development of the town. Several scores of years after these incursions the centre of the settlements moved from the hills to the place of the present Old Town. The act of the town's location there took place in 1286. 
     After Władysław Łokietek united the country, Sandomierz become the capitol of the province which embraced a greater part of the present Małopolska. The further development of the town followed in the 14th century, in the reign of Casimirus the Great. The scheme of the Old Town was finally devised, the Townhall, the castle, and the cathedral as well as the town walls with three gates: Krakowska, Opatowska and Zawichojska were built. The House of Długosz, that is the dwelling house for the priests of Sandomierz chapter, also comes from this period. 
     Gradually the town grew rich on the corn trade - corn was floated by the Vistula to Gdansk. The most fortunate period for Sandomierz as well as for the whole country was the 16 century. Art, culture and trade were flourishing. The market place and the streets were full of life and the inhabitants of the town were prosperous. Among them there were many outstanding physicians, botanists and philosophers, a well known composer, Mikołaj Gomółka also lived and worked there. Many new build­ings were erected and some of the already existing ones were reconstructed according to the rules of the Renaissance architecture. This great time in the history of the town ends with Swedish invasion in 1655. 
     During the fights the castle was blown up, the Townhall the collegiate church and houses were destroyed and many inhabitants died. On the turn of the 17 century, dur­ing the periods of peace, the town was rebuilt but it has never regained its previous position and prosperity. This was due to many, mainly objective reasons, but also because of great fire which destroyed the town once more in 1757. This time the recon­struction was very slow and the period of the partitions of Poland contributed to the stagnation. Two new development schemes were devised in the years 1820-26 but their realisation was unsuccessful - as a result only the town walls and two gates were demolished. 
     The first World War spared the town but the schemes introduced in connection with the development of the Central Industrial Region were frustrated by the outbreak of the Second World War. During the military operations the great relics of the past were preserved. After the war the restoration of the town was started. In the 60s there was a necessity for an immediate action in order to save Sandomierz because many of the construction get wrecked and the Vistula slope sank. 
As a result of a preservational and constructional action the under ground galleries corridors were provided for and the endangered foundations reinforced. Many buildings including the Townhall, the Castle and the town walls were restored.     
     Thanks to this operation many inestimable monuments of Polish culture, which today attract tourists from the country and abroad, were preserved. 

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