PRZEMYSL, one of the principal towns of Galicia, Austria, and the seat of a Roman Catholic and of a Greek bishop, is picturesquely situated on the river San, about 140 miles to the east of Cracow. It contains several churches, of which the two cathedrals are the most interesting, and numerous convents, schools, and seminaries. Among its manufactures are wooden wares, linen, leather, and liqueur, and a brisk trade is carried on in these articles and in agricultural produce. The trade is mostly in the hands of Jews, who form fully a third of the population. On the hill above the town are the ruins of an old castle, said to have been founded by Casimir the Great. Since 1874 Przemysl has been strongly fortified. The population of the town proper in 1880 was 9244, of the commune 20,040.

Przemysl, one of the oldest towns in Galicia, claims to have been founded in the 8th century, and was at one time capital of a large independent principality. Casimir the Great and other Polish princes endowed it with privileges similar to those of Cracow, and it attained a high degree of prosperity. In the 17th century its importance was destroyed by inroads of Tatars, Cossacks, and Swedes.