Częstochowa is a city in southern Poland on the Warta River. It has been situated in the Silesian Voivodeship (administrative division) since 1999, and was previously the capital of the Częstochowa Voivodeship (1975–1998).
The city is known for the famous Pauline monastery of Jasna Góra, which is the home of the Black Madonna painting, a shrine to the Virgin Mary. There is also a Lusatian culture excavation site and museum in the city, and ruins of a medieval castle in Olsztyn.