Geography of Lublin
Lublin, Poland, the capital of Lubelskie province. It is a commercial and industrial center in a productive agricultural and lignite-producing area in the southeastern part of the country. Manufactured products include machinery, motor vehicles, chemicals, and foods. There are three universities and several specialized institutes.
Lublin was founded in the late ninth century and grew around a castle. A city charter was obtained in 1317. By the Union of Lublin, signed here in 1569, Poland and Lithuania united under the rule of the Poles. Lublin came under the rule of Austria in 1795 and of Russia in 1815. It became part of an independent Poland in 1918. In 1941, during World War II, the Nazis established Majdanek concentration camp near the city. Hundreds of thousands of persons perished in the camp before Soviet forces reached the city in 1944.
Population: 354,552.