Płońsk | |
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 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Płońsk | |
| Coordinates:52°37′23″N20°22′14″E / 52.62306°N 20.37056°E /52.62306; 20.37056 | |
| Country |  Poland |
| Voivodeship | Masovian |
| County | Płońsk |
| Gmina | Płońsk(urban gmina) |
| Established | 10th century |
| Town rights | 1400 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Andrzej Józef Pietrasik |
| Area | |
• Total | 11.6 km2 (4.5 sq mi) |
| Population (2022-12-31) | |
• Total | 21,591[1] |
| • Density | 1,860/km2 (4,820/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 09-100 |
| Area code | +48 023 |
| Car plates | WPN |
| Highways |  |
| National roads |   |
| Voivodeship roads |  |
| Website | http://www.plonsk.pl |
Płońsk (Polish:[pwɔj̃sk]ⓘ;Yiddish:פּלאָנסק,romanized: Plonsk) is a town in centralPoland with 21,591 inhabitants (2022).[2] Situated at thePłonka river in the historic region ofMazovia, it is the seat ofPłońsk County in theMasovian Voivodeship.
According to archaeological research, the Płońskstronghold was built in the late 10th century within theearly Polish state. Dating back to 1155, is the first historical record confirming the existence of Płońsk. Around the castle a group of inhabitants was formed, most of whom initially worked on the land. As a result of the fragmentation of medievalPiast-ruled Poland, it was part of the duchies ofMasovia and Płock, and then it was aroyal town of the Polish Crown, administratively located in thePłock Voivodeship in theGreater Poland Province. In 1400,Siemowit IV of Masovia, granted it town rights under Chełmno law, then merchants and craftsmen started to come to the town. Płońsk was located on a trade route connectingToruń withBrześć.[3]
In 1872–1875 astronomer Jan Walery Jędrzejewicz established an astronomical observatory and meteorological station in Płońsk.[4] After his death, the astronomical observatory was moved toWarsaw in 1898.[5]
It was a centre of the garment industry.[6] The Jews lived mostly within the city, whilst the Poles were more scattered and tended to live in the countryside. On 16 October 1886David Ben Gurion was born in Płońsk. Like him, also many other Jewish residents of the city immigrated to Palestine forZionist reasons, spurred on by the idea of building a Jewish homeland.[7]
On 14–17 August 1920, the Poles successfully defended the town during aSoviet invasion.[8] According to the 1921 Polish census, the town had a population of 9,220, 58.1%Polish and 41.9%Jewish.[9]
During the joint German-Sovietinvasion of Poland, which startedWorld War II in September 1939, Germany invaded the town and theEinsatzgruppe V entered the town to commit variouscrimes against the populace.[10] UnderGerman occupation the town was annexed directly toNazi Germany and was renamedPlöhnen. The Germans established and operated a court prison in the town.[11] In 1940, the occupiersexpelled around 1,000 Poles, whose houses and workshops were then handed over toGerman colonists as part of theLebensraum policy.[12] In September 1940, Jews from the town and the surrounding areas were imprisoned in aghetto. Soon atyphus epidemic broke out. A hospital, a bathhouse for the sick, a pharmacy, and a folk kitchen were organized in the ghetto.[13] In total, 12,000 Jews were prisoners of the ghetto and from October 1942, they were sent to theAuschwitz extermination camp. In 1943 inBerlin, the Germans sentenced six members of the localPolish resistance movement, some to death.[14] On 16–18 January 1945, shortly before retreating, the German police carried out a massacre of 78 Poles in the town.[15]
The town was administratively part of theCiechanów Voivodeship from 1975 to 1998.
In 2008, the Płońsk Association of Astronomy Enthusiasts was founded, and in 2024 the Jan Walery Jędrzejewicz Planetarium and Astronomical Observatory in Płońsk was opened.[16]
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Płońsk is located at the intersection of the PolishS7 highway (partly under construction as of February 2022) andNational roads No. 10 and50. There is also arailway station in the town.
In 2018, local Poles held a celebration in honor ofDavid Ben-Gurion, who was born in the town, for the 70th anniversary of the re-establishment of the State of Israel.[20]
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