Editing Częstochowa (section)

===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]].