Royal city in Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth


In the history of Poland, a royal city or royal town was an urban settlement within the crown lands.
The most influential royal cities enjoyed voting rights during the free election period in Poland. These cities were Gdańsk, Warsaw, Kraków, Poznań, Lwów, Wilno, Toruń, Lublin, Kamieniec and Elbląg. Other important royal cities included Gniezno, Płock, Piotrków, Grodno, Bydgoszcz and Kalisz, and Sandomierz, Przemyśl, Kazimierz.

Law on the Cities

On April 18, 1791, the Great Sejm adopted the Free [Royal Cities Act], included as Article III into the Constitution of [May 3, 1791].
The law granted a number of privileges for the residents of royal cities. Many of these privileges and rights have already been enjoyed by major royal cities, and the law effectively equalized all royal cities in this respect. It also includes some rights earlier enjoyed only by szlachta.

Royal cities by region

[Crown of the Kingdom of Poland]

[Greater Poland Province, [Crown of the Kingdom of Poland|Greater Poland Province]]

Lesser Poland Province">Lesser Poland Province, Crown of the Kingdom of Poland">Lesser Poland Province

[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]

Royal castles and residences

Examples of Polish royal castles and residences found in former royal cities of Poland:

Old towns

The historic old towns of Kraków, Warsaw, Toruń, Vilnius and Lviv are designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and additionally the old towns of Gdańsk, Kazimierz Dolny, Lublin, Przemyśl, Sandomierz and Tykocin are designated Historic Monuments of Poland. Examples of Polish royal cities historic centers include: