Czernichów lies on the left bank of the Vistula. The village’s history started in the 10th century. Czernichówek, situated on the hill was the property of the Benedictines from Tyniec, whilst Czernichów at the foot of the Chełm hill was owned by the Szydłowiecki family. In 1367, King Casimir the Great the village of Czernichów a charter based on Magdeburg law. At that time the village was owned by the Żegota family, which in the 15th century assumed the name Czernichowski. After the death of the last descendant of the family, the village became a royal property. The life of local residents focused around the Vistula. Farming was their prevailing occupation, but local rafters transported agricultural products down the Vistula as far as Gdańsk. Barges were built to transport goods. The river bed changed its course several times, so the soil was fertile and ponds were created in old river beds. Unfortunately, residents were constantly threatened with flood. One such disaster occurred in the 17th century, and as a result the settlement was moved to the church hill area.
As a result of the third partition of Poland, Czernichów fell under Austrian rule. In 1815 it was incorporated into the Kraków Republic. After the dissolution of the Benedictine order by the Austrian authorities, most of land was passed to local peasants. Crafts and trade began to develop in the village along with farming. In 1857, the Czernichów estate was purchased by the Kraków Economic
and Agricultural Society which set up the Practical School of Rural
Management here. Today the school in Czernichów is the oldest
agricultural school, still in operation. At the end of the 19th
century Czernichów was the cradle of rural cooperative movement in
Galicia. Thanks to Dr Franciszek Stefczyk, the Cooperative Saving and
Loan Fund was created, giving way to the further ”Kasa Stefczyka”
mutual assistance fund. A ferry river crossing on the Vistula leads
from Czernichów to the neighbouring village of Brzeźnica.
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