and western parts of the village, flowing into the river Warta a few kilometres to the west. The municipal buildings, library and many shops are situated on or close to the old marketplace in the village centre, which also contains St. James' church (built 1605). However a large part of the village's population lives on the modern Zielone Wzgórza estate (with blocks of flats and houses built from 1983 onwards), which is located to the south of the old part of the village. Murowana Goślina is also the seat of a municipality (gmina), called Gmina Murowana Goślina, which has a total population of 15,713 (2007) and covers an area of . The area around Murowana Goślina contains many lakes and forest areas, including the Puszcza Zielonka forest, incorporated into the protected area called Puszcza Zielonka Landscape Park. The region is popular with holiday-makers and day-trippers, and there are a large number of summer vacation properties in the area. History Early history In the region around Murowana Goślina, there have been archeological finds dating from the Paleolithic (c. 8000 BC) and the Neolithic. In a triangle between Murowana Goślina, Długa Goślina and the Warta, early mediaeval treasure from the 10th and early 11th centuries have been found. The area lay on the ancient route from the early Polish capital Gniezno to western Pomerania via a crossing of the Warta at Radzim (near today's Starczanowo). It is not known when Murowana Goślina received village rights, although it must have occurred before 1389, in the reign of Władysław Jagiełło. In that year there is a reference to the wójt Andrzej of Górka, and in 1391 there is also mentioned a local resident called Staszek. The village took over the function of a castellany from Radzim. 17th and 18th centuries Murowana Goślina was a privately owned village, and changed owners often. From 1593 it was owned by Jan Rozdrażewski, who granted privileges and a coat of arms – a blue shield with three rosettes on a silver diagonal stripe (an angel was added in the 18th century). In 1605 the old wooden church was replaced with a brick church with a single nave, built onto the two-storey rectangular tower. In 1651 the village was acquired by Jan Leszczyński, and his family held it until 1694. In 1724-1726 the priest, Filip Woliński, added a presbytery to the church in place of the earlier apse. The