Sieradz [ˈɕɛrat͡s] ⓘ (Latin: Siradia, Yiddish: שעראַדז, שערעדז, שעריץ, German: 1941-45 Schieratz)[2] is a city on the Warta river in central Poland with 40,891 inhabitants (2021).

In the 17th century due to the Swedish invasions, plagues, fires and floods the town lost its trading importance and fell from its prime.

With the joint German-Soviet invasion of Poland and the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, Sieradz was attacked on September 9 and occupied by the Wehrmacht.

Annexed by Nazi Germany, it was renamed Schieratz and administered as part of the county or district (kreis) of the same name within Reichsgau Wartheland.

[8] Among the victims were activists, teachers, school principals, craftsmen, policemen, pre-war mayor Ignacy Mąkowski, local officials, judges, and a boy scout.

[8] 522 Poles, families of teachers, officials, policemen, merchants, craftsmen and shop owners, were expelled in late 1939.

[10] Its prisoners, predominantly Poles and Jews, were subjected to insults, beatings, forced labour, tortures and executions.

[11] Prisoners were given very low food rations, and meals were even prepared from rotten vegetables, spoiled fish and dead dogs.

[12] After the war, Polish historian Antoni Galiński was able to identify 968 people who died or were shot in the prison and its subcamps in 1940–1945, however the overall number of deaths is certainly higher.

The last executed prisoner was Antonina Chrystkowa, a female member of the Home Army resistance organization, who was beheaded with an axe on 18 January 1945.

[16] Its activity extended to the nearby cities of Zduńska Wola, Warta, Łódź and even Włocławek, and included collecting weapons, secret training, intelligence, and publishing and distribution of independent Polish press and leaflets.

After 1305 part of the united Kingdom of Poland as a vassal duchy, later after 1339 incorporated by the Polish king Casimir III the Great as the Sieradz Voivodeship.

Members of Parliament (Sejm) elected from Sieradz constituency Sieradz has a fully equipped Sports town centre, with three proper football pitches, running track, two sports grounds, hotel, restaurant, tennis courts, sauna, health club, games, swimming pool and well guarded river side swim area.

The Rynek (town square) filled with historic architecture also makes a perfect tourism place with local shops selling various products of good quality and brands.