Augustów | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Top left: Augustów Basilica of Jesus in Skorupki; top right: former Water Management Authority's office (Budynek Zarządu Wodnego); middle left: ancient house in Augustów Market Square; middle right: Netta Nature Park and Augustów Canal; bottom: icy season in Studzieniczne Lake | |
 Coat of arms | |
  Augustów  Augustów | |
| Coordinates:53°50′37″N22°58′46″E / 53.84361°N 22.97944°E /53.84361; 22.97944 | |
| Country |  Poland |
| Voivodeship |  Podlaskie |
| County | Augustów County |
| Gmina | Augustów(urban gmina) |
| First mentioned | 1496 |
| Established | 1546 |
| Town rights | 1557 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Mirosław Karolczuk [pl] |
| Area | |
• Total | 80.90 km2 (31.24 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• Total | 29,305 |
| • Density | 362/km2 (940/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal codes[5] | 16-300 to 16-303 |
| Area code[6] | +48 87 |
| Number plates[7] | BAU |
| National roads |    |
| Voivodeship roads |   |
| Website | http://urzad.augustow.pl/ |
Augustów[a] is a town in north-easternPoland. It lies on theNetta River and theAugustów Canal. It is the seat ofAugustów County and ofGmina Augustów in thePodlaskie Voivodeship. Augustów has an area of 80.90 square kilometres (31.24 square miles),[2] and as of June 2022 it has a population of 29,305.[3]
In 1970, Augustów became officially recognized as a health andrelaxationresort. In 1973, surrounding settlements were named a part of it, forming a popularresort town.
A settlement in the area was first mentioned in 1496.[citation needed] Augustów was established around 1540 byBona Sforza and grantedMagdeburg rights in 1557 bySigismund II Augustus,[8] after whom it was also named.[9] It was laid out in a very regular manner, with a spacious market-place.[10]
Until 1569 Augustów belonged to theGrand Duchy of Lithuania. In 1569 it became part of theCrown of the Kingdom of Poland,[11] while its cemetery was left in the Grand Duchy,[citation needed] both countries formed thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth as a result of theUnion of Lublin. Augustów was aroyal city,[12] located in thePodlaskie Voivodeship in theLesser Poland Province.Tatar invaders destroyed Augustów in 1656, and the second half of the 17th century saw the town afflicted byplague.[citation needed] The 4th Polish National Cavalry Brigade was stationed in Augustów in 1790.[13]
In 1795Prussia annexed Augustów in theThird Partition of Poland.[citation needed] In 1807, it became part of theDuchy of Warsaw, followed by incorporation into the Russian-controlledKingdom of Poland in 1815. It was made a county seat in 1842. The local populace took part in the large PolishJanuary Uprising of 1863–1864 againstRussia. Following Russia's full annexation of the Polish kingdom in the 1860s, it was administered fromSuwałki.[14] With a population around 9400(c. 1875), it carried a large trade in cattle and horses, and manufacturedlinen andhuckaback.[14] Itscanal connects theVistula andNemanrivers and therailway reached the town in 1899, when its population was around 12,800.[10]
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DuringWorld War I, theRussian Army successfully counterattacked theGerman Army in theBattle of Augustów, in the lead-up to the better-knownBattle of the Vistula River. In theaftermath of World War I, it was a site of fighting during theBattle of Augustów in 1920.[citation needed]
Following the joint German-Sovietinvasion of Poland, which startedWorld War II in September 1939, Augustów wasoccupied by theSoviet Union until 1941. Many inhabitants were sent to exile inKazakhstan, from where some were able to return after 6 years. On June 22, 1941, just before the Germans captured the town, the Soviets murdered around 30–34 Polish prisoners in Augustów as part of theNKVD prisoner massacres.[15] TheNazi German forces occupied Augustów until 1944, and operated aforced labour camp in the town.[16] World War II brought the destruction of about 70% of the town and death or departure of most of its residents, amongst them a community of several thousand Jews who were imprisoned in the ghetto situated between the canal and the river. The Germans executed practically all of them before they left. In 1945 the Soviets conducted the nearbyAugustów roundup – a special operation against formerArmia Krajowaanticommunist fighters.[17][18] They are presumed to have been executed and buried in an unknown location in present-day Russia or Belarus.[18][19] PolishInstitute of National Remembrance has declared the 1945 Augustów roundup "the largest crime committed by the Soviets on Polish lands after World War II".[17]
After the war, the recreational base of the city was further expanded. In 1946, the city had 7.2 thousand inhabitants. In 1954, several rural settlements were excluded from the city area, but in 1973, the city expanded to include several villages, forests and six lakes.[20] In the years 1975–1998, the city was located in the Suwałki Voivodeship. In 1999, the city became part of newly createdPodlaskie Voivodeship, and the seat of the Augustów district and the Augustów urban gmina.
2002 – 29,705 inhabitants, by nationality:[21]
| 1921 – 8,762 inhabitants, by nationality:[22]
| 1897 – 12,743 inhabitants, by language:[23]
|
National roads8 (Kudowa-Zdrój–Budzisko),16 (Dolna Grupa–Ogrodniki and61 (Warsaw–Augustów), as well asvoivodeship roads664 (Augustów–Lipszczany) and672 (Augustów–Suwałki) pass through the town.
The construction of the Augustów bypass called Via Baltica, through thewetlands of theRospuda Valley, attracted great controversy in 2007. The work was halted after theEuropean Commission applied for an immediate injunction.[24]
Railway line 40 (Sokółka–Suwałki) passes through the town. Augustów has arailway station.
The town, although small, has many attractions for the visitors. Oficerski Yacht Club Hotel, built in the 1930s, is an army yacht club that has been restored and converted into a resort.[25] It is located on the edge of one of many lakes in the region. PopeJohn Paul II has a memorial chair from the first and last time he visited the town right outside the club. Boat tours are also popular and the old town square still has its originalcobblestone streets.
Every year hundreds of bikers come to Augustowskie Motonoce bikers festival.[26][27] Bands that over years participated in celebration includeBright Ophidia [pl], AGE, ZZ Top Czech Revival Band, AC/DC Show Ukraina, Kraków Street Band, etc.
Among the popular traditionaldishes of north-eastern Poland, including Augustów, arekartacze andpotato babka. Popular regional cakes aresękacz andmrowisko (lit. transl. "anthill"). Officially protectedtraditional foods from Augustów and its surroundings include the Augustówhoney (miód augustowski) which comes in several variants,[28] andaugustowska jagodzianka, a local yeast roll stuffed withblueberries and topped withstreusel, a popular dessert.[29]
The main sports club of the town isSparta Augustów [pl] withfootball andcanoeing sections.
Druskininkai, Lithuania (2007)
Porto Ceresio, Italy (2003)
Rudky, Ukraine (2011)Supraśl, Poland (2012)
Tuusula, Finland (1996)On 7 March 2022, partnership with Belarusian cities was terminated due to Belarus's involvement in the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[31]
a.^[au̯ˈɡustuf] ⓘ;Lithuanian:Augustavas;[32] formerly known in English asAugustovo[14] orAugustowo)[10]
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Augustowo".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 2 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 911.
np was invoked but never defined (see thehelp page).
Seat:Augustów (urban gmina) | ||
| Urban-rural gmina |  | |
| Rural gminas | ||
Authority control databases: National |
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