Płock (pronounced[pwɔt͡sk]ⓘ), officially theDucal Capital City of Płock,[2] is a city in centralPoland, on theVistula river, in theMasovian Voivodeship.[3] According to the data provided byGUS on 31 December 2021, there were 116,962 inhabitants in the city.[1]
The area was long inhabited by pagan peoples. In the 10th century, afortified location was established high of the Vistula River's bank. This location was at a junction of shipping and trade routes and was strategic for centuries. Its location was a great asset. In 1009 aBenedictinemonastery was established here. It became a center of science and art for the area.
During the rule of the first monarchs of thePiast dynasty, even prior to theBaptism of Poland, Płock served as one of the monarchial seats, including that of DukeMieszko I and KingBolesław I the Brave. The king built the original fortifications on Cathedral Hill (Polish:Wzgórze Tumskie), overlooking theVistula River. From 1037 to 1047, Płock was capital of the independent Mazovian state ofMiecław. Płock has been the residence of many Mazovian dukes. In 1075, adiocese seat was created here for the Roman Catholic church.[7] From 1079 to 1138, during the reign of thePolish monarchsWładysław I Herman andBolesław III Wrymouth, the city wasthe capital of Poland, then earning its title as the Ducal Capital City of Płock (Polish:Stołeczne Książęce Miasto Płock).[8] As a result of the fragmentation of Poland into smaller duchies, from 1138 it was the capital of theDuchy of Masovia, and afterwards the Duchy of Płock.[7] In 1180 the present-dayMarshal Stanisław Małachowski High School (Małachowianka), the oldest still existing school in Poland and one of the oldest inCentral Europe, was established.[9] Among its notable graduates is scholar and juristPaweł Włodkowic, a precursor ofreligious freedom in Europe, who studied there in the late 14th century.[10]
Privilege of KingCasimir III the Great from 1353 created a fund for the construction of defensive walls.
In 1237 Płock was officially grantedtown rights, renewed in 1255.[7] Płock was located on a trade route connectingToruń with Warsaw,Lublin,Chełm andWłodzimierz.[11] In the 14th century KingCasimir III the Great vested Płock with vastprivileges.[7] The firstJewish immigrants came to the city in the 14th century, responding to the extension of rights by the Polish kings. In 1495 the Duchy of Płock was integrated directly with the Polish Crown as a revertedfief.
In the 17th century, the Swedes destroyed much of the city, but the people rebuilt and recovered.[6] In the late 18th century, it took down the old city walls, and made a New Town, and after Germans of Prussia partitioned PolandSecond Partition of Poland, they filled Płock with many German migrants.[6]
In theSecond Partition of Poland in 1793 the city was annexed byPrussia.[9] The Polish 4th and 5th Infantry Regiments were formed in Płock in 1806.[12] From 1807 it was part of the short-lived PolishDuchy of Warsaw, within which it was the capital of thePłock Department. In 1815 it became part ofCongress Poland,[9] later on fully annexed by theRussian Empire. The Polish 3rd Rifle Regiment, which later fought against Russia in theNovember Uprising, was stationed in Płock.[13] In 1827Fryderyk Chopin visited Płock. In 1831, the lastsejm ofCongress Poland was held in thePłock Town Hall.[9] It was a seat of provincial government and an active center; its economy was closely tied to majorgrain trade. It laid out a new city plan in the early 19th century, as new residents continued to arrive. Many of its finest buildings were constructed in this period in theNeoclassical style. In 1820 the Płock Scientific Society was founded,[7] and in the late 19th century the city began to industrialize.[6] In 1863 local Poles fought in theJanuary Uprising against Russia.[7] The leader of the uprising in the Płock region,Zygmunt Padlewski, was executed by the Russians in Płock in May 1863.[9] In 1905, large demonstrations of Polish youth and workers took place in Płock.[7]
DuringWorld War I, Płock was occupied byGermany from 1915 to 1918,[9] and in 1918 Poland regained independence, and Płock was immediately reintegrated with Poland. In August 1920, the city became famous for its successful heroic defense against the Soviets during thePolish–Soviet War.[7][9][14] 250 Polish defenders, including 100 civilians, werekilled in the battle.[14] In 1921, MarshalJózef Piłsudski visited Płock and awarded the city with theCross of Valour, making Płock the second Polish city to be awarded with a Polish military decoration (shortly afterLwów).[14]
The bridge at Płock, destroyed by retreating Polish forces during theinvasion of Poland in September 1939
As part of theIntelligenzaktion, Germans carried out mass arrests of Poles, who were then imprisoned in the local prison, and around 200 of whom were murdered in large massacres inŁąck between October 1939 and February 1940.[16] Among the victims were Polish teachers, activists, shopowners, notaries, local officials, pharmacists, directors and members of thePolish Military Organisation.[17] Next mass arrests of about 2,000 Poles from Płock and thePłock County were carried out in April 1940, and in June 1940, another 200 Poles from various settlements in the region were imprisoned in the local prison.[18] Some prisoners were then deported and murdered in theSoldau concentration camp, and some teachers from Płock were among Polish teachers murdered in theMauthausen concentration camp.[19] In 1940, Germans murdered 80 elderly and disabled people from Płock in the nearby village ofBrwilno.[20] The Archbishop of PłockAntoni Julian Nowowiejski and the auxiliary BishopLeon Wetmański were imprisoned in the nearby village ofSłupno, and then in 1941 also murdered in the Soldau concentration camp, where also many other local priests were killed.[21] Nowowiejski and Wetmański are now considered two of the108 Blessed Polish Martyrs of World War II by theCatholic Church. Poles were also subjected toexpulsions, 1,300 Poles were expelled in November and December 1939, and over 4,000 also in February and March 1941.[22] Nazi Germany also subjected the inhabitants toforced labour. Even 10 to 14-year-old children were used for forced labour in the city and its environs, whereas older ones were deported to forced labour in Germany.[23] The Germans also established and operated two forced labour subcamps of the local prison,[24][25] and an additional forced labour "education" camp in the city.[26] In the winter of 1942–1943, a freight train withkidnapped Polish children arrived to the Płock-Radziwie station, and around 300 of the children froze to death and were buried by the Germans in the forests of nearbyŁąck.[27] Since 1943, the localSicherheitspolizei carried out deportations of Poles including teenage boys to theStutthof concentration camp.[28]
At the same time, the Nazis were also brutalizing the Jewish population of Płock. They conscripted them for forced labor and established aJewish ghetto in Płock in 1940. In that ghetto, up to ten people shared each room. Medical supplies were inadequate and diseases spread. Germans murdered many Jews in Płock but most were deported to other areas and then on to be murdered inTreblinka. By the war's end, only 300 Jewish residents were known to have survived, of more than 10,000 in the region (for more information seeJewish history below). Some Poles in Płock tried to assist their Jewish neighbors by smuggling food to them and sneaking food to them when they were rounded up and had to stand in the street for an entire day on a bitterly cold day waiting to be deported.[32]
Germans closed Polish institutions, schools[23] and the Polish press, andlooted or destroyed numerous Polish cultural monuments, collections and archives, including the rich collection of the Płock Scientific Society.[33][34] The collections of local museums, the cathedral's ancient treasury, church archives and the diocesan library were stolen and taken to museums inKönigsberg,Wrocław andBerlin.[34] The localseminary was converted by the Germans into barracks of theSS.[33]
Despite such circumstances, the city remained the center of thePolish underground resistance movement.[7]Secret Polish schooling was organized.[23] In September 1942, the Germans publiclyhanged 13 Polish resistance members in the Old Town.[35] On 19 January 1945, theGestapo carried out a massacre of 79 Poles, who were either shot orburned alive.[36] The city was restored to Poland, although with aSoviet-installed communist regime, which remained in power until theFall of Communism in the 1980s.
Płock is the oldest legislated seat of the Roman Catholicdiocese; theMasovian Blessed Virgin Mary Cathedral was built here in the first half of the 12th century and houses thesarcophagi of Polish monarchs. It is one of the five oldest cathedrals in Poland.
From the visions ofFeliksa Kozłowska in 1893, the Mariavite order of priests originated, originally working to renew clergy within the Roman Catholic Church. Despite repeated attempts, they were not recognized by the Vatican and in the early 20th century established a separate and independent denomination. This site is the main seat of theMariavitebishops. Their most important church was built here in the beginning of the 20th century; it is called theTemple of Mercy and Charity and is situated in a pleasant garden on the hill on which the historical centre of Płock is built, near theVistula River. Poland in total has about 25,000 members of the Old Catholic Mariavite Church, as it is now named, with another 5,000 in France. A smaller breakaway church, theCatholic Mariavite Church, which has an integrated female priesthood (since 1929), has 3,000 members in Poland.
The Jewish presence in Płock (Yiddish:Plotzk) dates back many centuries, probably to the 13th and 14th centuries, when records include them. The Polish kings extended rights to them in 1264 and the 14th century, and provided continued political support through the centuries.[54] At the beginning of the 19th century, their more than 1,200 residents comprised more than 48% of the city's population in what is considered the city's Old Town; through the century, their proportions ranged from 30 and 40 percent.[55] It varied as German migrants were arriving in the region, and the area was becoming urbanized, as more people moved to the city. After Płock fell toRussia in the 19th century, it was part of thePale of Settlement, where Russians allowed the settlement of Jews. As in other parts of theRussian Partition of Poland, they were restricted to employment in trades and crafts.[54]
Small Synagogue
In the late 19th century, Moszek Szlama Sarna (1838–1908) established twofactories to produce farm machines and tools, and the first iron foundry in the city. The Jewish community had two synagogues and two cemeteries (dating to the 15th century), religious and secular schools, and established a library and hospital. They contributed strongly to the economy and culture of the city. In the early 20th century, and had two newspapers, representing active political parties.[54]
In 1939, Płock had a Jewish population of 9,000, an estimated 26% of the city's total.[55] After the 1939invasion of Poland, German Nazi persecution began, about 2,000 Jews fled the city, with half going to Soviet-controlled territory. They were assigned to locations far from the front. In 1940, the Nazis established aghetto in Płock. They started actions against the Jews, killing those in an old people's home and sick children, and transporting others to be killed at Brwilski Forest. Ultimately, they transported the Jews to 20 camps and sites in the Radom district, where in 1942 those still alive were sent to Treblinka to be murdered.[54] There is evidence that a few Poles tried to help their Jewish neighbors in Płock by smuggling food into the ghetto, sneaking food to them while they were awaiting deportation, and throwing loaves of bread to them on the transport trucks.[56] By 1946, only 300 Jews survived in Płock. While they were active in the new politics, gradually the Jews left, and by 1959 three remained.[55]Herman Kruk, a survivor and notable chronicler of life inside theNazi concentration camps, was born in Płock in 1897.[57]
The small synagogue, built in 1810, was one of the few to surviveWorld War II in the Masovia region of Poland. The Great Synagogue was destroyed during the Holocaust. The small synagogue was designated as a historic building about 1960, but deteriorated in physical condition while vacant. It was renovated and adapted for use as a museum, opening in April 2013 as the Museum of Masovian Jews, a branch of the Museum of Płock Mazowiecki.[58]
The main industry isoil refining, which was established in 1960. The country's largestoil refinery (Płock refinery) and its parent company,Orlen, are located here. It is served by a largepipeline leading fromRussia toGermany. Associated industrial activities connected with the refinery are servicing and construction. ALevi Strauss & Co. factory is located in Płock and provides manufacturing jobs.
Wisła Płock – one of Poland's most successful handball teams, playing in theSuperliga, Poland's top division, multiple Polish Champion and multiple Polish Cup winner
In March 2022, Płock suspended its partnership with the Russian city of Mytishchi and the Belarusian city of Novopolotsk as a response to the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[63]
^"Główny Urząd Statystyczny" [Central Statistical Office] (in Polish). To search: Select "Miejscowości (SIMC)" tab, select "fragment (min. 3 znaki)" (minimum 3 characters), enter town name in the field below, click "WYSZUKAJ" (Search).
^Erlich, Ludwik (1968).Pisma wybrane Pawła Włodkowica (Preface). Warsaw: PAX. p. 13.
^Bartoszewicz, Henryk (1994). "Drogi handlowe ziemi dobrzyńskiej w XV–XVI w.".Miscellanea Historico-Archivistica (in Polish). Vol. IV. Warszawa: Naczelna Dyrekcja Archiwów Państwowych, Wydawnictwo DiG. p. 166.ISSN0860-1054.
^Gembarzewski, Bronisław (1925).Rodowody pułków polskich i oddziałów równorzędnych od r. 1717 do r. 1831 (in Polish). Warszawa: Towarzystwo Wiedzy Wojskowej. p. 54.
^Wardzyńska, Maria (2009).Był rok 1939. Operacja niemieckiej policji bezpieczeństwa w Polsce. Intelligenzaktion (in Polish). Warszawa:IPN. pp. 224–225.
^Wardzyńska, Maria (2009).Był rok 1939. Operacja niemieckiej policji bezpieczeństwa w Polsce. Intelligenzaktion. pp. 225–226.
^Wardzyńska, Maria (2009).Był rok 1939. Operacja niemieckiej policji bezpieczeństwa w Polsce. Intelligenzaktion. p. 230.
^Wardzyńska, Maria (2009).Był rok 1939. Operacja niemieckiej policji bezpieczeństwa w Polsce. Intelligenzaktion. pp. 231–232.
^Wardzyńska, Maria (2009).Był rok 1939. Operacja niemieckiej policji bezpieczeństwa w Polsce. Intelligenzaktion. p. 236.
^Wardzyńska, Maria (2009).Był rok 1939. Operacja niemieckiej policji bezpieczeństwa w Polsce. Intelligenzaktion. p. 233.
^Wardzyńska, Maria (2017).Wysiedlenia ludności polskiej z okupowanych ziem polskich włączonych do III Rzeszy w latach 1939-1945 (in Polish). Warszawa:IPN. pp. 383, 406.ISBN978-83-8098-174-4.
^Kołakowski, Andrzej (2020). "Zbrodnia bez kary: eksterminacja dzieci polskich w okresie okupacji niemieckiej w latach 1939-1945". In Kostkiewicz, Janina (ed.).Zbrodnia bez kary... Eksterminacja i cierpienie polskich dzieci pod okupacją niemiecką (1939–1945) (in Polish).Kraków:Uniwersytet Jagielloński,Biblioteka Jagiellońska. p. 78.
^Drywa, Danuta (2020). "Germanizacja dzieci i młodzieży polskiej na Pomorzu Gdańskim z uwzględnieniem roli obozu koncentracyjnego Stutthof". In Kostkiewicz, Janina (ed.).Zbrodnia bez kary... Eksterminacja i cierpienie polskich dzieci pod okupacją niemiecką (1939–1945) (in Polish). Kraków: Uniwersytet Jagielloński, Biblioteka Jagiellońska. p. 187.
^Megargee, Geoffrey (2012).Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos. Bloomington, Indiana: University of Indiana Press. p. Volume II 22–24.ISBN978-0-253-35599-7.
^abWardzyńska, Maria (2017).Wysiedlenia ludności polskiej z okupowanych ziem polskich włączonych do III Rzeszy w latach 1939-1945. p. 381.
^abWardzyńska, Maria (2009).Był rok 1939. Operacja niemieckiej policji bezpieczeństwa w Polsce. Intelligenzaktion. p. 224.
^"Miesięczna suma opadu".Normy klimatyczne 1991-2020 (in Polish). Institute of Meteorology and Water Management. Archived fromthe original on 9 January 2022. Retrieved5 February 2022.
^"Liczba dni z opadem >= 0,1 mm".Normy klimatyczne 1991-2020 (in Polish). Institute of Meteorology and Water Management. Archived fromthe original on 15 January 2022. Retrieved5 February 2022.
^"Średnia grubość pokrywy śnieżnej".Normy klimatyczne 1991-2020 (in Polish). Institute of Meteorology and Water Management. Archived fromthe original on 15 January 2022. Retrieved5 February 2022.
^"Średnia suma usłonecznienia (h)".Normy klimatyczne 1991-2020 (in Polish). Institute of Meteorology and Water Management. Archived fromthe original on 15 January 2022. Retrieved5 February 2022.
^Megargee, Geoffrey (2012).Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos. Bloomington, Indiana: University of Indiana Press. p. Volume II, 22–23.ISBN978-0-253-35599-7.
The list includes the 107 urban municipalities governed by acity mayor (prezydent miasta) instead of a town mayor (burmistrz) ·Cities with powiat rights are initalics · Voivodeship cities are inbold
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