Starachowice
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Starachowice is a town in central Poland with 57,500 inhabitants (1995).
Situated in the Swietokrzyskie Voivodship (since 1999), formerly in the Kielce Voivodship (1975-1998).
The Polish truck-brand STAR is produced in Starachowice, and was used as the basis for the Popemobile for Pope John Paul II's first visit to Poland. The town has a special economy zone with lower tax rates to help the settlement of new industry.
In March 2003 the so-called Starachowice affair occurred, involving leaks to members of the Democratic Left Alliance involved in criminal gangs in Starachowice. On October 29 national police chief Kowalczyk resigned after admitting he had leaked plans of a police raid on corrupt politicians to deputy prime minister Zbigniev Sobotka, and then through Andrzej Jagiełło, Henryk Długosz. Initially he had denied it.