CZESTOCHOWA

city, capital (since 1975) of Czestochowa wojewdztwo (province), south-central Poland. The city originally consisted of two settlements, Old Cz estochowa, founded in the 13th century, and Jasna Gra (Polish: Shining Mountain), founded in the 14th; the two were merged in 1826. Roman Catholic pilgrimages are made to the Jasna Gra monastery (1382), which contains valuable frescoes and the famous painting of Our Lady of Czestochowa (also known as The Black Madonna). The monastery was fortified and became a stronghold for Polish forces during the Swedish invasions of 1655 and 1705. Czestochowa is now an important industrial city with textile mills, chemical processing, glass and paper manufacturing, and food processing and is the site of an iron and steel plant. Pop. (1991 est.) 258,300.