Mentions of the town date back to 1496, when it was documented as Ilmanowa, a rural estate that belonged to members of the szlachta. In 1520, ownership of the estate was passed from the Słupski family to Achacy Jordan, who subsequently established a judiciary.[1]
Limanowa became a township in 1565 after being granted city rights by King Sigismund II Augustus. For thirty years, the residents were not required to pay taxes to the Crown, during which time the town rapidly developed. However, its economic strength declined due to the plague and destruction caused by the Swedish invasion of 1655.
While the town was constantly damaged by fire because of its wooden buildings, the fire of 1759 destroyed much of its infrastructure. It was only in the Polish Partitions and Limanowa's incorporation into the Austrian province of Galicia that it was rebuilt. The town began flourishing as a trading hub, hosting over eighteen markets yearly.
The Second World War saw an invasion by German soldiers and the establishment of a ghetto in Limanowa. The town suffered heavy casualties as a result of the occupation; 472 people were shot as hostages and conspiracy participants, 123 as concentration camp prisoners, 91 people died in the Third Reich, 47 died fighting in the war, and 3,053 people from Limanowa's Jewish population were murdered, including the family of Senator Bernie Sanders.
