Editing Częstochowa (section)

===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 It was first mentioned in historical documents from 1220, when Bishop of Kraków [[Iwo Odrowąż]] made a list of properties of the [[Mstów, Silesian Voivodeship|Mstów]] monastery.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]]]]