Zelów

Zelów () is a town in Bełchatów County, Łódź Voivodeship, in central Poland, with 7,459 inhabitants (2020). It is located in the historic Sieradz Land.

==History== thumb|left|Reformed church in Zelów Zelów was probably founded in the 13th century, when it was part of fragmented Piast-ruled Poland. It was mentioned in documents in 1441. In 1802 the town was purchased by Czech colonists from Czernin, Mały Tabor, and Duży Tabor. The official act of purchase dated- 21 December 1802, says, that Józef Świdziński sold the village with all its surrounding grounds, forests, buildings, etc. for a figure of 25,666 Prussian thalers, which was equivalent to 154,000 Polish zlotych. The former owner of the land promised to relocate the peasants living in the territory, however, according to the contract, they had a right to harvest crops of what they planted during fall. First Czech families that came into Zelów in 1803, had soon begun to build houses and communal buildings since the existing ones were not enough to accommodate the group of newcomers. The main building material used by the colonists was wood obtained from the surrounding forests. Each of the family was given around 18 Morgens of farmlands and 18 Morgens of forests. Within the first few years, the colonists had to build roads and bridges for the sake of Trakt Napoleoński. Despite initial difficulties, Zelów was expanding. By 1827 the settlement consisted of 142 houses and 847 settlers(which paralleled the demographics of the surrounding villages). After years of effort, the Kingdom of Poland gave Czech colonists permission for building a church. Most of the building costs were covered by the residents. Construction lasted from 1821 to 1825. The development of the city contributed to a new wave of colonists coming in, which resulted in population growth. This led to the development of the surrounding area, new villages emerged (like Zelówek, Ignaców, Pożdżenice). Since agriculture wasn't profitable enough Zelów residents had to engage in additional activities like weaving, hackwork, production of tablecloths, and other jobs. The weaving industry became a significant part of the town’s history in the years to come.