STARACHOWICE

town, central Kielce wojewdztwo (province), southeastern Poland. It lies along the Kamienna River, which is a tributary of the Vistula River. It is an industrial centre located in the Staropolskie Zaglebie Przemyslowe (Old Poland Industrial Basin) on the rail line between Skarzysko-Kamienna and Sandomierz. Starachowice's economy relies upon iron mining and the manufacture of trucks, buses, and machinery. Beginning as a mining settlement in the 16th century, the town grew with the building of its iron foundries in 1789. By 1920 Starachowice was a major Polish industrial centre, but its industry was largely destroyed in World War II. Vehicle-assembly plants were built after the war. Pop. (1990 est.) 56,300.