Uście Solne

Uście Solne [ˈuɕt͡ɕɛ ˈsɔlnɛ] is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Szczurowa, within Brzesko County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately 9 kilometres (6 mi) west of Szczurowa, 18 km (11 mi) north of Brzesko, and 43 km (27 mi) east of the regional capital Kraków. The village has a population of 950.

The name of the village is tied to its location, at the mouth of the Raba, where it flows into the Vistula (Polish word "ujście" or "uście" means "river mouth"). The adjective Solne refers to salt, as for centuries, the river port at Uście served salt mines from Bochnia. Uście Solne received town charter from King Kazimierz Wielki, on May 18, 1360. Most likely, however, it had been a town before that date, and Kazimierz Wielki only confifmed the already existing charter, changing it from obsolete Sroda Slaska rights to the more modern Magdeburg rights

After 1360, the new town of Uscie Uście was placed near Old Uście (Stare Uście), a village near the confluence of the Raba and the Vistula. Traces of earth fortification, which protected salt warehouses, are still visible. Uście Solne prospered in the second half of the 14th century, due to salt deposits, mined at Bochnia, and transported here along the Raba river. The town had a large medieval main square, as well as a town hall. Several residents of Uście Solne studied at Kraków’s Jagiellonian University; three rectors of the university came from Uście (Stanislaw z Uścia Jakub Papenkowicz z Uścia, and Wojciech Papenkowicz).