Węgrów ([ˈvɛŋɡruf];Yiddish:ווענגעראָווע,romanized: Vengrov) is a town in easternPoland with 12,796 inhabitants (2013),[1] capital ofWęgrów County in theMasovian Voivodeship.
Węgrów | |
|---|---|
 Baroque Basilica of the Assumption at the Market Square | |
 Coat of arms | |
  Węgrów | |
| Coordinates:52°24′N22°1′E / 52.400°N 22.017°E /52.400; 22.017 | |
| Country |  Poland |
| Voivodeship | Masovian |
| County | Węgrów |
| Gmina | Węgrów(urban gmina) |
| Established | 14th century |
| Town rights | 1441 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Paweł Marchela |
| Area | |
• Total | 35.45 km2 (13.69 sq mi) |
| Population (2013[1]) | |
• Total | 12,796 |
| • Density | 360/km2 (930/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 07-100 |
| Area code | +48 25 |
| Car plates | WWE |
| National roads |  |
| Voivodeship roads |    |
| Website | http://www.wegrow.com.pl |
History
edit
First mentioned in historical records in 1414, Węgrów received its city charter in 1441. Between 16th and 18th centuries it was an important centre forReformation movements in Poland. It was aprivate town owned by variousPolish nobles, including theKiszka,Radziwiłł andKrasiński families, administratively located in thePodlaskie Voivodeship in theLesser Poland Province of the Kingdom of Poland. The local Basilica of the Assumption houses the so-called Twardowski Mirror, aRenaissance mirror from the 16th century associated with the legend ofSir Twardowski.
After theThird Partition of Poland it was annexed byAustria in 1795. It was regained by Poles following theAustro–Polish War of 1809, and included within the short-livedDuchy of Warsaw. After the duchy's dissolution, in 1815, it passed to so-calledCongress Poland in theRussian Partition of Poland. It was the site of four battles between Polish insurgents and Russian troops during the PolishNovember Uprising of 1830–1831.[2] During theJanuary Uprising, on February 3, 1863, it was the site of theBattle of Węgrów, in which Polish insurgents defeated Russian troops and captured the town. From 1867 to 1912, Węgrów was part ofSiedlce Governorate and from 1912 to 1915 ofŁomża Governorate.
It became part of independent Poland again when the country regained its independence in 1918. From 1919 to 1938, Węgrów was part ofLublin Voivodeship and from 1938 to 1939 ofWarsaw Voivodeship. During thePolish–Soviet War, on August 19, 1920, it was the site of a battle between Poles and the retreating Russian16th Army.[3]
Throughout most of its history, the town had a thriving Jewish community, present at least since the 16th century. It numbered about 6,000 in 1939. The entire community was exterminated duringthe Holocaust by the occupying forces ofNazi Germany, during which time the Nazis also created theWęgrów Ghetto.[4]
The town was liberated fromGerman occupation by the Polish undergroundHome Army in August 1944 during theOperation Tempest.
Demographics
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| Source:[5][6][7] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Economy
editWęgrów is home to Odlewnia dzwonów Braci Kruszewskich (Kruszewski Brothers Bell Foundry), founded in the 19th century, which has cast more than 2,500 bells that have been installed in Poland and other countries, even as distant asRwanda andPapua New Guinea.[8]
People from Węgrów
edit- Krzysztof Filipek (born 1961), politician
- Piotr z Goniądza (c. 1525–1573), religious leader and writer
- Stanisław Kosior (1889–1939), Soviet politician
- Samuel Rajzman (1902–1979), Holocaust survivor and court witness
References
edit- ^abDemographic Yearbook of Poland 2014Archived February 20, 2016, at theWayback Machine
- ^Dmowski, Rafał (2015). "Powstanie listopadowe na południowym Podlasiu i wschodnim Mazowszu w historiografii". In Skoczek, Tadeusz (ed.).Powstanie listopadowe 1830–1831. Dzieje – historiografia – pamięć (in Polish). Warszawa:Muzeum Niepodległości w Warszawie. p. 266.ISBN 978-83-62235-66-7.
- ^Kowalski, Andrzej (1995). "Miejsca pamięci związane z Bitwą Warszawską 1920 r.".Niepodległość i Pamięć (in Polish) (2/2 (3)).Muzeum Niepodległości w Warszawie: 167.ISSN 1427-1443.
- ^Grabowski, Jan (2018). "A Study in the Microhistory of the Holocaust: The Liquidierungsaktion in Węgrów Ghetto A Study in the Microhistory of the Holocaust: The Liquidierungsaktion in Węgrów Ghetto". In Skitolsky, Lissa; Glowacka, Dorota (eds.). New Approaches to an Integrated History of the Holocaust: Social History, Representation, Theory. Lessons and Legacies. Vol. XIII. Northwestern University Press. pp. 141–166.doi:10.2307/j.ctv4t7zgx.11ISBN 978-0-8101-3768-4
- ^Wiadomości Statystyczne Głównego Urzędu Statystycznego (in Polish). Vol. X. Warszawa: Główny Urząd Statystyczny. 1932. p. 194.
- ^Dokumentacja Geograficzna (in Polish). Vol. 3/4. Warszawa: Instytut GeografiiPolskiej Akademii Nauk. 1967. p. 56.
- ^Stan i struktura ludności oraz ruch naturalny w przekroju terytorialnym w 2010 r.(PDF) (in Polish). Warszawa: Główny Urząd Statystyczny. 2011. p. 78. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 13 November 2011.
- ^Modzelewski, Rafał; Jarosz, Monika.Industrialne Mazowsze (in Polish). Warszawa: Mazowiecka Regionalna Organizacja Turystyczna. p. 62.ISBN 978-83-8218-191-3.
External links
edit- Official homepage of Węgrów(in Polish)
- Jewish Community in Węgrów on Virtual Shtetl
- Górczyk Wojciech Jerzy,BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CHURCH AND FORMER REFORMATI ORDER'S MONASTERY IN WĘGRÓW, Węgrów 2020.
- Górczyk Wojciech Jerzy,The Former Reformati Order’s Monasteries Route, Węgrów 2020.
