Editing Częstochowa (section)

==History==
A [[Lusatian culture]] cemetery from around 750–550 BC is located in the present-day district of [[Raków, Częstochowa|Raków]] and it is now an Archaeological Reserve, a branch of the Częstochowa Museum.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://zabytek.pl/pl/obiekty/czestochowa-cmentarzysko|title=Cmentarzysko|website=Zabytek.pl|author=Michał Bugaj|access-date=7 August 2021|language=pl}}</ref>

===Middle Ages===
[[File:Jasna Góra - Na murach obronnych..jpg|thumb|left|Fortifications of the [[Jasna Góra Monastery]]]]
According to archaeological findings, the first medieval settlement in the location of Częstochowa was established in the late 11th century within [[Piast dynasty|Piast]]-ruled [[Kingdom of Poland (1025–1385)|Poland]]. It was first mentioned in historical documents from 1220, when Bishop of Kraków [[Iwo Odrowąż]] made a list of properties of the [[Mstów, Silesian Voivodeship|Mstów]] monastery. Two villages, Częstochowa and Częstochówka were mentioned in the document. Both of them belonged to the basic territorial unit of Slavic [[Polish tribes]] (''opole''), with its capital at Mstów. Częstochówka was located on a hill, where the [[Jasna Góra Monastery]] was later built.

In the late 13th century Częstochowa became the seat of a [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] parish church, which was under the [[Lelów]] [[deanery]]. The village was located in the northwestern corner of ''Kraków Land'', [[Lesser Poland]], near the [[Olsztyn Castle (Silesian Voivodeship)|Royal Castle]] at [[Olsztyn, Silesian Voivodeship|Olsztyn]]. Częstochowa developed along a busy merchant road from Lesser Poland to [[Greater Poland]]. The village was ruled by a [[starosta]], who stayed at the Olsztyn Castle.

It is not known when Częstochowa was granted a town charter, as no documents have been preserved. It happened sometime between 1356 and 1377. In 1502, King [[Alexander Jagiellon]] granted a new charter, based on [[Magdeburg rights]] to Częstochowa. In 1382 the Paulist monastery of Jasna Góra was founded by [[Vladislaus II of Opole]] – the Polish [[Piast]] prince of [[Upper Silesia]]. Two years later the monastery received its now-famous Black Madonna icon of the Virgin Mary; in subsequent years became a centre of [[Christian pilgrimage|pilgrimage]], contributing to the growth of the adjacent town.<ref name="Official" />
{{Historical populations|1950|112198|1960|164906|1970|188189|1980|234681|1990|257957|2000|253133|2010|238042|2020|217530|footnote=source <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.polskawliczbach.pl/Czestochowa |title=Częstochowa (śląskie) » mapy, nieruchomości, GUS, noclegi, szkoły, regon, atrakcje, kody pocztowe, wypadki drogowe, bezrobocie, wynagrodzenie, zarobki, tabele, edukacja, demografia}}</ref>}}[[File:blackmadonna.jpeg|thumb|upright|[[Black Madonna of Częstochowa|The Black Madonna of Częstochowa]]]]

===Early modern period===
Częstochowa prospered in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, due to efforts of [[Sigismund I the Old]], the future king of [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]]. At that time, Sigismund ruled the [[Duchy of Głogów]], and frequently visited Częstochowa on his way to the [[Duchies of Silesia]] (1498, 1502, 1502, 1503, 1505, 1505, 1506). In 1504, Częstochowa was granted the right to collect tolls on the [[Warta]] river bridge. In 1508, Częstochowa was allowed to organise one [[fair]] a year; in 1564, the number of fairs was increased to three annually, and in 1639 to six. In the year 1631, Częstochowa had 399 houses, but at the same time, several residents died in a [[Epidemic|plague]], after which 78 houses were abandoned.<ref name="Official" />

In the first half of the 17th century, kings of the [[House of Vasa]] turned the [[Jasna Góra Monastery]] into a modern Dutch-style fortress. During the [[Deluge (history)|Swedish invasion of Poland]] in 1655, the monastery was one of the pockets of Polish resistance against the Swedish armies (for more information, see [[Siege of Jasna Góra]]). The town of Częstochowa was almost completely destroyed by Swedish soldiers. It has been estimated that the town lost 50% of the population, and 60% of houses. But the town suffered less severe destruction than nearby towns like [[Przyrów]], [[Olsztyn, Silesian Voivodeship|Olsztyn]] and [[Mstów, Silesian Voivodeship|Mstów]]. It took several years for Częstochowa to recover from these extensive losses. As late as in the 1680s there still were ruined houses in the town.

At the same time, the Jasna Góra Monastery prospered. On 27 February 1670 the wedding of King [[Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki]] to Princess [[Eleonore of Austria, Queen of Poland|Eleonore of Austria]] took place here. In 1682 the celebration of the 300th anniversary of the [[Black Madonna of Częstochowa]] brought thousands of pilgrims from both [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]] and [[Silesia]]. The Jewish community in Częstochowa developed by about 1700.<ref name="Official" />

[[File:ChelmonskiJozef.1875.KazimierzPulaskiPodCzestochowa.jpg|thumb|left|[[Kazimierz Pulaski]] and the [[Bar Confederation]] 1772 defence of Częstochowa. Painting by [[Józef Chełmoński|Chełmoński]].]]

During the [[Great Northern War]], Częstochowa was captured by the Swedish army on 11 August 1702. In February 1703 Swedes besieged the monastery, but failed to seize it. In April 1705 the Swedes returned, and appeared at the monastery again in September 1709. Unable to capture the fortified stronghold, they looted villages in the area, set Częstochowa on fire, and left towards [[Wieluń]]. At that time, a village of Częstochówka also existed next to Częstochowa. The village belonged to the monastery and quickly developed. In 1717 it was granted town charter, and its name was changed into ''Nowa Częstochowa'' (''New Częstochowa''). The town was completely destroyed during the [[Bar Confederation]]. On 8 February 1769 the monastery was seized by rebels of the Bar Confederation, commanded by [[Kazimierz Pułaski]]. Soon the stronghold was besieged by Russians under German-born General Johann von Drewitz. The Russians gave up on 15 January 1771.<ref name="Official" />

In 1789, the population of Częstochowa (also called ''Stara Częstochowa'', ''Old Częstochowa'') was app. 1,600, which was less than in the 15th century. After the [[Great Sejm]] passed the [[Constitution of 3 May 1791]], local [[Sejmik]]s were obliged to legitimize it. On 14–15 February 1792, a sejmik of the [[szlachta]] of northern part of [[Kraków Voivodeship (14th century – 1795)|Kraków Voivodeship]] (counties of [[Lelów]] and [[Książ Wielki]]) took place in Częstochowa. Traditionally, local sejmiks were organized in [[Żarnowiec, Silesian Voivodeship|Żarnowiec]]; the fact that it was moved to Częstochowa confirms the growing importance of the town.

In 1760, [[Jacob Frank]], the leader of a [[Judaism|Jewish]] sect mixing Kabbalah, [[Catholicism]] and Islam, was imprisoned for heresy in the monastery by the church. His followers settled near him, later establishing a cult of his daughter [[Eve Frank]]. In August 1772, Frank was released by the Russian general [[Aleksandr Bibikov]], who had occupied the city. Frank had promised the Russians that he would convince Jews to convert to [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christianity]].<ref name="Official" />

===Partitions of Poland===
During the [[Second Partition of Poland]], Częstochowa was seized by the [[Kingdom of Prussia]] in 1793, and incorporated into the newly formed province of [[South Prussia]], Department of [[Kalisz]]. The Old Częstochowa became the seat of a county (see [[Districts of Prussia]]). During the [[Napoleonic Wars]], in 1807 Częstochowa became part of the [[Duchy of Warsaw]]. In 1815 it came under Russian-controlled [[Congress Poland]], in which it remained until [[World War I]]. Old Częstochowa remained the seat of a county in 1807–1830. In 1809, the monastery was unsuccessfully besieged by Austrians (see [[Polish–Austrian War]]). On 2 April 1813 Jasna Góra was seized by the Russians (see [[War of the Sixth Coalition]]), after a two-week siege,<ref name="Official"/> and the fortifications were razed that year.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Czenstochowa|volume=7|page=724}}</ref>

In 1821, the government of [[Congress Poland]] carried out a census, according to which the population of New Częstochowa was 1,036, while the population of Old Częstochowa was 2,758. Furthermore, almost four hundred people lived in several settlements in the area (Zawodzie, [[Stradom, Częstochowa|Stradom]], Kucelin). The idea of a merger of both towns was first brought up in 1815. In 1819, military architect Jan Bernhard planned and started the construction of ''Aleja Najświętszej Panny Marii''—the ''Holy Virgin Mary Avenue'', which is the main arterial road of the modern city. It connected Old Częstochowa with New Częstochowa.

[[File:Polish forces in Częstochowa (January Uprising).JPG|thumb|Polish insurgents in Częstochowa during the [[January Uprising]]]]
Finally, the two towns were officially merged on 19 August 1826. The new city quickly emerged as the fourth-largest urban centre of Congress Poland; surpassed only by the cities of [[Warsaw]], [[Lublin]], and [[Kalisz]]. On 8 September 1862 a patriotic rally took place in the city, in front of St. Sigismund church. As a reprisal, Russian military authorities destroyed app. 65% of Częstochowa's Old Town, and introduced [[martial law]] . During the [[January Uprising]], several skirmishes took place in the area of Częstochowa, with the last one taking place on 4 July 1864 near [[Chorzenice, Silesian Voivodeship|Chorzenice]].

In 1846 the [[Warsaw–Vienna Railway|Warsaw-Vienna Railway]] line was opened, linking the city with the rest of Europe. After 1870 [[iron ore]] started to be developed in the area, which gave a boost to the local industry. Among the most notable investments of the epoch was the Huta Częstochowa steel mill built by Bernard Hantke, as well as several textile mills and paper factories.

In 1900, the traveling cinema of brothers Władysław and Antoni Krzemiński came to the city for the first time, after it was founded in [[Łódź]] in 1899 as the oldest Polish cinema.<ref name=wi>{{cite web|url=https://www.niedziela.pl/artykul/95011/nd/zdjecia|title=Pionierzy polskiej kinematografii|website=Niedziela.pl|author=Witold Iwańczak|access-date=28 March 2021|language=pl}}</ref> In 1909, they settled in Częstochowa and founded Kino Odeon, the first permanent cinema in the city.<ref name=wi/>

[[File:Executive Committee of the Polish Bakers' Union in Częstochowa, 1927 Trim.jpg|thumb|left|Executive Committee of the Polish Bakers' Union in Częstochowa, 1927]]

Up to the Second World War, like many other cities in Europe, Częstochowa had a significant Jewish population: according to [[Russian Empire Census|Russian census of 1897]], out of the total population of 45,130, Jews constituted 12,000 (so around 26% percent).<ref>Joshua D. Zimmerman, ''Poles, Jews, and the Politics of Nationality'', Univ of Wisconsin Press, 2004, {{ISBN|0-299-19464-7}}, [https://books.google.com/books?id=6sbr9cZyw_4C&dq=population+Brest+Poles+Jews&pg=PA16 Google Print, p.16]</ref>
An anti-Semitic [[Częstochowa pogrom (1902)|pogrom]] occurred in 1902.<ref>Theodore R. Weeks, "Polish-Jewish relations 1903-1914: The view from the chancellery," ''Canadian Slavonic Papers, Sep-Dec 1998''</ref> A mob attacked the Jewish shops, killing fourteen Jews and one [[gendarme]].<ref>"Anti-Semitic outbreak," ''New York Times,'' September 14, 1902</ref>

Częstochowa entered the 20th century as one of the leading industrial centres of Russian Poland (together with Warsaw, [[Łódź]], and [[Zagłębie Dąbrowskie]]). The city was conveniently located on the [[Warta]] and other smaller rivers (''Kucelinka, Stradomka, Konopka''). Real estate and land prices were low, compared to Łódź. The monastery attracted numerous pilgrims, who also were customers of local businesses. In 1904, Częstochowa had 678 smaller workshops, which employed 2,000 workers. In 1902, rail connection to the Prussian border crossing at [[Herby Stare railway station|Herby Stare]] was opened, and in 1911, the line to [[Kielce]] was completed. The [[Revolution in the Kingdom of Poland (1905–1907)]] began in Częstochowa as early as May 1904, when first patriotic rallies took place. On 25 December 1904 a man named Wincenty Makowski tried to blow up a monument of [[Tsar]] [[Alexander II of Russia|Alexander II]], which stood in front of the monastery. In February 1905, a general strike action was declared in the city, with workers demanding pay rises. In June 1905 street clashes took place in Częstochowa, in which 20 people were killed by Russian forces. Further protests took place in 1909 and 1912.<ref name="Official" />
[[File:Czestochowa - ul. Dojazd. 1902-1928 (70226989) (cropped).jpg|thumb|Częstochowa in the early 20th century]]

===World War I===
In early August 1914, Częstochowa was abandoned by the [[Imperial Russian Army]], and the first units of the [[German Army (German Empire)|German Army]] entered the city on August 3. Four days later drunken German soldiers shot at each other; an unknown number died. Residents of the city were accused of killing Germans, and as a punishment, a number of civilians were executed. During the German occupation (1914–1918), Częstochowa was cut off from its prior Russian markets, which resulted in widespread poverty and unemployment. Furthermore, German authorities closed down several factories, urging unemployed workers to migrate to [[Upper Silesia]], where they replaced men drafted into the army. Altogether, some 20,000 left for Upper Silesia and other provinces of the [[German Empire]]. On 2 February 1915 Częstochowa was visited by [[Charles I of Austria]]. Four days later Emperor [[Wilhelm II, German Emperor|Wilhelm II]] came to the city, and on 17 May 1915 Częstochowa hosted [[Kingdom of Saxony|King of Saxony]] [[Frederick Augustus III of Saxony|Frederick Augustus III]].

Unlike the city of Częstochowa, since 26 April 1915 the Jasna Góra Monastery had been under the control and protection of [[Austria-Hungary]], after the personal intervention of Emperor [[Franz Joseph I of Austria|Franz Joseph I]], who was a pious Roman Catholic. The monastery was manned by soldiers under Austrian Army Captain Josef Klettinger and remained under Austrian control until 4 November 1918. In October 1917 the City Council of Częstochowa demanded permission to destroy the monument to Tsar Alexander II, to which General Governor of Warsaw [[Hans Hartwig von Beseler]] agreed. Polish authorities established control over the entire city on 11 November 1918, the day of the re-establishment of Poland's independence.

===Second Polish Republic===
On 12 November 1918, three companies of the freshly created [[Polish Army]] marched along the Holy Virgin Mary Avenue. In 1919–1921, Częstochowa was one of the centres of support of Silesian Poles fighting in the [[Silesian Uprisings]]. On 4 December 1920 [[Symon Petliura]] arrived, together with app. 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers. Their arrival spurred widespread protests, as the city already had a desperate food situation and was obliged to house and feed the Ukrainians.

[[File:Muzeum zapałek automat zapałczany.jpg|thumb|[[Match]] factory modernized in the 1920s, now a museum]]
In the [[Second Polish Republic]], Częstochowa belonged to [[Kielce Voivodeship]] (Kieleckie), where from 1928 it constituted the ''City County of Częstochowa''. In the 1920s, local industry still suffered from World War I losses, and having been cut off from Russian markets. Unemployment remained high, and thousands of workers left for France in search of work. The [[Great Depression]] was particularly difficult, resulting in strikes and workers' street clashes with the police.

In 1925, the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Częstochowa]] was created. The city grew in size, when between 1928 and 1934, several local settlements and villages were incorporated into city limits. In 1939, the population of Częstochowa was 138,000, which made it the eighth-largest city of Poland. In 1938, the Polish government announced plans to liquidate [[Kielce Voivodeship]], and create [[Sandomierz Voivodeship (1939)|Sandomierz Voivodeship]], based on [[Central Industrial Area]]. According to these plans, Częstochowa was to be transferred either to [[Łódź Voivodeship]], or [[Silesian Voivodeship (1920–1939)|Silesian Voivodeship]], together with [[Zagłębie Dąbrowskie]].

===World War II===
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-380-0086-27, Polen, Halbkettenfahrzeuge.jpg|thumb|left|German troops in Częstochowa during the [[invasion of Poland]]]]
In the [[Invasion of Poland|Polish Defensive War]] of 1939, Częstochowa was defended by the [[7th Infantry Division (Poland)|7th Infantry Division]], part of northern wing of [[Kraków Army]]. After the [[Battle of Mokra]] and other battles, Polish forces withdrew, and the [[Wehrmacht]] entered the city on Sunday 3 September 1939. Częstochowa was renamed by the Germans as ''Tschenstochau'', and incorporated into the [[General Government]]. Monday 4 September 1939 became known as ''[[Częstochowa massacre|Bloody Monday]]'' or also ''Częstochowa massacre''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/Czestochowa/cze039.html|title=Czestochowa, Poland (Pages 39–47)|website=www.jewishgen.org|access-date=15 March 2018}}</ref> The Germans killed 227 people (205 ethnic Poles and 22 Jews) in various places in the city, including the town hall courtyard, town squares and at a local factory (some estimates of victims put the number at more than 1,000; 990 ethnic Poles and 110 Jews).

From the beginning of the occupation, the Germans initiated a plan of cultural and physical extermination of the Polish nation (see ''[[Nazi crimes against the Polish nation]]''). By a decision of 5 September 1939, one of the first three German special courts in occupied Poland was established in the city.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Grabowski|first=Waldemar|year=2009|title=Polacy na ziemiach II RP włączonych do III Rzeszy|magazine=Biuletyn Instytutu Pamięci Narodowej|language=pl|publisher=[[Institute of National Remembrance|IPN]]|issue=8–9 (103–104)|page=62|issn=1641-9561}}</ref> On 6 September 1939 the ''[[Einsatzgruppen|Einsatzgruppe II]]'' entered the city to commit atrocities against the population.<ref>{{cite book|last=Wardzyńska|first=Maria|year=2009|title=Był rok 1939. Operacja niemieckiej policji bezpieczeństwa w Polsce. Intelligenzaktion|language=pl|location=Warszawa|publisher=[[Institute of National Remembrance|IPN]]|page=58}}</ref> On 14–15 September 1939 the Germans arrested around 200 inhabitants of the district of [[Stradom, Częstochowa|Stradom]].<ref>Wardzyńska, p. 118</ref> In order to terrorize the Polish population, on 9–11 November 1939 the Germans carried out mass arrests of dozens of Poles, including the mayor, vice-mayor, teachers, students, activists and local officials, but they were soon released.<ref>Wardzyńska, p. 250</ref> During the ''[[German AB-Aktion in Poland|AB-Aktion]]'', the Germans carried out mass arrests of Poles in March, June and August 1940, and also imprisoned 60 Poles from [[Radomsko]] and the [[Radomsko County]] in the local prison in March 1940.<ref>Wardzyńska, p. 252, 266</ref> Arrested Poles were then either deported to the [[Sachsenhausen concentration camp|Sachsenhausen]], [[Buchenwald concentration camp|Buchenwald]] and [[Ravensbrück concentration camp|Ravensbrück]] concentration camps or massacred in the nearby forests of [[Olsztyn, Silesian Voivodeship|Olsztyn]] and [[Apolonka, Silesian Voivodeship|Apolonka]].<ref name=mw>Wardzyńska, p. 267</ref> Among the victims of the massacres committed in Olsztyn were school principals, teachers, lawyers, policemen, merchants, craftsmen, pharmacists, engineers, students and local officials, and among the victims of the Apolonka massacres were 20 girl scouts.<ref name=mw /> Further executions of local Poles were carried out by the Germans throughout the war.

[[File:Częstochowa pomnik Poległym w obronie ojczyzny2 19.08.09 p.jpg|thumb|Monument dedicated to the fallen defenders of Poland in the [[Polish–Soviet War]] and [[World War II]]]]
Under [[Occupation of Poland (1939–1945)|German occupation]] Częstochowa administratively was a city-county (''Stadkreis Tschenstochau''), part of the Radom District of the General Government. The [[Polish resistance movement in World War II|Polish resistance movement]] was active in the city, and units of the [[Home Army]] and [[National Armed Forces]] (''NSZ'') operated in its area. A branch of the secret Polish [[University of the Western Lands]] was located in the city, and it secretly continued [[Education in Poland during World War II|Polish education]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Gruszczyński|first=Włodzimierz|year=2011|title=Odwet i Jędrusie|language=pl|location=[[Zagnańsk]]|page=211}}</ref> The secret [[Żegota|Polish Council to Aid Jews "Żegota"]], established by the [[Polish resistance movement in World War II|Polish resistance movement]] operated in the city.<ref>{{cite book|last=Datner|first=Szymon|year=1968|title=Las sprawiedliwych|language=pl|location=Warszawa|publisher=Książka i Wiedza|page=69}}</ref> On 20 April 1943 a ''NZS'' unit attacked the local office of the [[Bank Emisyjny w Polsce]]. After the collapse of the [[Warsaw Uprising]], Częstochowa was briefly the capital of the [[Polish Underground State]].

On 9 April 1941 the Nazis created a [[Częstochowa Ghetto|ghetto]] for Jews in the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.holocaustsurvivors.org/data.show.php?di=record&da=encyclopedia&ke=47|title=Holocaust Survivors: Encyclopedia - "Czestochowa Ghetto"|website=www.holocaustsurvivors.org|access-date=15 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702193225/http://holocaustsurvivors.org/data.show.php?di=record&da=encyclopedia&ke=47|archive-date=2 July 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> Approximately 45,000 of Częstochowa's Jews, almost the entire community, were killed by the Germans. Life in German-occupied Częstochowa is depicted in the [[Pulitzer Prize]]-winning [[graphic novel]] ''[[Maus]]'', by [[Art Spiegelman]], the son of a Jewish Częstochowa resident. Before the [[Holocaust]], Częstochowa was considered a great Jewish centre in Poland. By the end of World War II, nearly all Jews had been killed or deported to [[extermination camp]]s to be killed, making Częstochowa what Nazi Germany called ''[[judenfrei]]''. There are known cases of local Polish men and women, who were captured and persecuted by the Germans for [[Rescue of Jews by Poles during the Holocaust|rescuing and aiding Jews]].<ref>{{cite book|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Rejestr faktów represji na obywatelach polskich za pomoc ludności żydowskiej w okresie II wojny światowej|year=2014|language=pl|location=Warszawa|publisher=IPN|pages=115–117, 123, 133, 140, 142–143, 145, 147, 158, 171–172, 178–179, 185, 190, 231, 246}}</ref> These Poles were sentenced to death, prison or [[Nazi concentration camps|concentration camps]], in which some died, some survived, while the fate of many remains unknown. Poles who saved Jews in other places in the region were also either sentenced to death by the local German court or incarcerated in the local prison.<ref>''Rejestr faktów represji na obywatelach polskich za pomoc ludności żydowskiej w okresie II wojny światowej'', pp. 73, 82, 95, 127, 129, 136, 157, 165, 169, 177, 257</ref> The Germans also tried to obscure the Catholic shrine and pilgrim devotion by renaming the road leading to the pilgrimage church after Hitler, though they did allow some pilgrimage activity to continue.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hurlock |first=Kathryn |date=2022-01-02 |title=Peace, Politics, and Piety: Catholic Pilgrimage in Wartime Europe, 1939–1945 |journal=War & Society |language=en |volume=41 |issue=1 |pages=36–52 |doi=10.1080/07292473.2022.2021754 |s2cid=246695850 |issn=0729-2473|doi-access=free}}</ref>

From 1941 to 1944, the Germans operated the Stalag 367 [[German prisoner-of-war camps in World War II|prisoner-of-war camp]] for [[Italian Military Internees|Italian]] and [[German atrocities committed against Soviet prisoners of war|Soviet]] POWs in the city.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Megargee|first1=Geoffrey P.|last2=Overmans|first2=Rüdiger |last3=Vogt|first3=Wolfgang|year=2022|title=The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos 1933–1945. Volume IV|publisher=Indiana University Press, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum|page=372|isbn=978-0-253-06089-1}}</ref> During and after the [[Warsaw Uprising]], in August–October 1944, the Germans deported thousands of Varsovians from the [[Dulag 121 camp in Pruszków|Dulag 121 camp]] in [[Pruszków]], where they were initially imprisoned, to Częstochowa.<ref name=dul>{{cite web|url=http://dulag121.pl/encyklopediaa/transporty-z-obozu-dulag-121/|title=Transporty z obozu Dulag 121|website=Muzeum Dulag 121|access-date=28 March 2021|language=pl}}</ref> Those Poles were mainly old people, ill people and women with children.<ref name=dul /> In late December 1944, there were 14,671 registered Poles, who were expelled from Warsaw.<ref name=dul />

In the autumn 1944, Germans fortified the city, preparing for a lengthy defence. On January 16, 1945, however, the Wehrmacht retreated after just one day of fighting. The city was restored to Poland, however, with a [[Soviet Union|Soviet]]-installed communist regime, which remained in power until the [[Fall of Communism]] in the 1980s.

===Recent period===
[[File:AGAD Prymas Stefan Wyszyński na spotkaniu z wiernymi.jpg|thumb|Celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the baptism of Poland with the participation of Primate of Poland [[Stefan Wyszyński]] in 1966]]
Due to the [[Communism|communist]] idea of fast [[industrialisation]], the inefficient [[steel mill]] was significantly expanded and named after [[Bolesław Bierut]]. This, combined with the growing tourist movement, led to yet another period of fast city growth, concluded in 1975 with the creation of a separate [[Częstochowa Voivodeship]]. In the immediate post-war period, Częstochowa belonged to [[Kielce Voivodeship]] (1945–1950), and then the city was transferred to [[Katowice Voivodeship]]. In the [[Polish People's Republic]], Częstochowa emerged not only as an industrial, but also academic centre of the region. The city expanded, with the first [[tram]] lines opened in 1959. On 1 January 1977 several villages and settlements were included within Częstochowa city limits. As a result, the area of the city expanded from {{convert|90|to|160|km2|0|abbr=out}}.

[[Pope John Paul II]], prayed before the Black Madonna during his historic visit to his Polish homeland in 1979, several months after his election to the Chair of Peter. The Pope made another visit to [[Blessed Virgin Mary|Our Lady]] of Częstochowa in 1983 and again in 1987, 1991, 1997 and 1999.<ref name="Madonna">{{cite web|url=https://udayton.edu/imri/mary/c/czestochowa-black-madonna.php |title=Black Madonnas: Our Lady of Częstochowa |last=Duricy |first=Michael P |publisher=[[copyright|©]] 2008 The Marian Library/International Marian Research Institute, Dayton, Ohio |access-date=2008-10-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111012031018/https://udayton.edu/imri/mary/c/czestochowa-black-madonna.php/ |archive-date=2011-10-12}}</ref> On 15 August 1991 John Paul II was named Honorary Citizen of Częstochowa. In 1998, the city was awarded the [[Europe Prize]] by the [[Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe|Parliamentary Assembly]] of the [[Council of Europe]] for having made exceptional efforts to spread the ideal of European unity.<ref>[http://website-pace.net/web/apce/the-europe-prize The Europe Prize]</ref> On 26 May 2006 the city was visited by [[Pope Benedict XVI]].