Krzepice () is a Polish town near Częstochowa, in Kłobuck County, Silesian Voivodeship, in northwestern Lesser Poland. It is near the historic border of Lesser Poland and Silesia, which goes along the Liswarta river. A few kilometers to the northwest, Lesser Poland meets another historic province of the country, Greater Poland. For centuries, until the Second Partition of Poland in 1793, the town belonged to Lelów County of the Kraków Voivodeship. Annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia as part of New Silesia in 1807, it was passed to the Duchy of Warsaw, and then Congress Poland. In 1918 it returned to Poland, and was part of Kielce Voivodeship. After World War II, Krzepice remained in Kielce Voivodeship until 1950, when it became part of Katowice Voivodeship. Etymology The name Krzepice, mentioned for the first time in 1356 as Crzepycze, comes from a last name Krzepa; most probably, members of this family lived in the area of the town. In a Latin language medieval document of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Wrocław (Liber fundationis episcopatus Vratislaviensis), written in 1295–1305, Krzepice is spelled Crippicz antiquum. History In the Middle Ages, Krzepice was a border town, guarding the northwestern corner of Lesser Poland. In the 12th century, a wooden stronghold was built here, then it was replaced by a wooden castle, which in the 14th century was rebuilt into a stone complex. Today, only parts of a moat is all that remains of the castle. In 1357, King Casimir III the Great erected a parish church. Krzepice was most probably incorporated in 1357, but there is speculation that it had taken place in the mid-13th century. In 1370, King Louis I of Poland granted Krzepice as a temporary feudal fee to Duke Władysław Opolczyk. After a few years, the town was directly reintegrated with Poland. It was a royal town of the Polish Crown, administratively located in the Lelów County in the Kraków Voivodeship in the Lesser Poland Province of the Polish Crown. On March 15, 1552, King Sigismund II Augustus specified the boundaries of the town. In its center there was a main market square, with six streets, and with parish church of St. Jacob. Due to convenient location, near the border with Silesia (which at that time was part of Kingdom of Bohemia), Krzepice became a local trade center, with fairs, and three market squares. This corner of the Kingdom of