Ciechanów | |
|---|---|
 Ciechanów Castle | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Ciechanów | |
| Coordinates:52°52′N20°38′E / 52.867°N 20.633°E /52.867; 20.633 | |
| Country |  Poland |
| Voivodeship | Masovian |
| County | Ciechanów |
| Gmina | Ciechanów(urban gmina) |
| First mentioned | 1065 |
| City rights | 1400 |
| Government | |
| • City mayor | Krzysztof Kosiński (PSL) |
| Area | |
• Total | 32.51 km2 (12.55 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 151 m (495 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 116 m (381 ft) |
| Population (31 December 2021[1]) | |
• Total | 43,495 |
| • Density | 1,338/km2 (3,465/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 06-400 to 06-413 |
| Area code | +48 023 |
| Car plates | WCI |
| National roads |   |
| Voivodeship roads |    |
| Website | www.umciechanow.pl |
Ciechanów (Polish pronunciation:[t͡ɕeˈxanuf]ⓘ) is a city in north-centralPoland, seat of theCiechanów County in theMasovian Voivodeship.[2] As of December 2021, it has a population of 43,495.[1]
A city with almost a thousand years of history, recorded in 1065, Ciechanów is one of the oldest and largest cities of northernMazovia, particularly known for itsmedieval castle, brewery, founded in the 18th century, and the science park with the uniquehyperboloid water tower. The city has experienced several foreign invasions and was the site of the publication of Poland's pioneeringhoney harvesting law in 1559. From 1975 to 1998, it was thecapital of theCiechanów Voivodeship.
The settlement is first mentioned in a 1065 document byBolesław II the Bold handing the land over to the church. The medievalgord in Ciechanów numbered approximately 3,000 armed men,[3] and together with the region ofMazovia, it became part of the emerging Polish state in the late 10th century.
In 1254, Ciechanów is mentioned as the seat of acastellany (Rethiborius Castellanus de Techanow (Racibor, Kasztelan Ciechanowa)). In 1400 Janusz I ofCzersk granted Ciechanówtown privileges.[4][5] The area eventually become a separate duchy with Casimir I of Warsaw using the title "dominus et heres lub dominus et princeps Ciechanoviensis". In theMiddle Ages, the defensive gord of Ciechanów protected northern Mazovia from raids of Lithuanians,Yotvingians,Old Prussians and later, theTeutonic Knights. It is not known when it was granted a town charter. This must have happened before 1475, as a document from that year, issued by Duke Janusz II of Warsaw, states that Ciechanów has aChełmno town charter.
In the period between the 14th and 16th centuries, Ciechanów prospered with the population reaching 5,000. In the late 14th century,Siemowit III, Duke of Masovia, began construction of a castle, while his sonJanusz I of Warsaw invited theAugustinians, who in the mid-15th century began construction of a church and an abbey. The Augustinian Friars were brought to Ciechanów in 1358 by Duke Siemowit III. They experienced the most turbulent times during the Reformation. From the 17th century, the Augustinians’ pastoral presence was growing in the towns. The monastery – characterised by mild observance – was usually inhabited by four to seven monks.[6]
In 1526, together with all Mazovia, Ciechanów was incorporated directly to theKingdom of Poland. It was aroyal city of Poland, the seat of theLand of Ciechanów, a separate administrative unit within theMasovian Voivodeship in theGreater Poland Province.[7]
The town was handed over toBona Sforza, as her dowry. Ciechanów prospered until theSwedish invasion of Poland (1655–1660), when the town was burned and ransacked.
After theSecond Partition of Poland (1793), Ciechanów briefly became seat of a newly createdvoivodeship. In 1795, it was annexed by theKingdom of Prussia, and reduced to the status of a provincial town inPrzasnysz county. In 1806, during theNapoleonic Wars, Ciechanów was ransacked and destroyed. In 1807 it became part of the short-lived PolishDuchy of Warsaw. Since 1815, the town belonged toRussian-controlledCongress Poland. Its residents actively supported Polish rebellions. As part ofanti-Polish repressions, the Augustinian monastery was dissolved in 1864.[6] In the late 19th century, Ciechanów emerged as a local trade and industry center. In 1864, a brewery was opened, in 1867 it became seat of a county, in 1877 a rail station of theVistula River Railroad was completed, and in 1882 a sugar refinery was opened. The period of prosperity was short, as duringWorld War I, Ciechanów was almost completely destroyed. FollowingWorld War I, in 1918, Poland regained independence and control of the town.
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During thePolish–Soviet War, in 1920, the town was briefly occupied by the Soviet Russians, who resorted to rape and looting of stores, houses and schools.[8] The one remaining Catholic priest was harassed by the occupiers, however, thanks to the intercession of the local population, he avoided deportation or death.[9] 150 Polish soldiers were hid from the Russians by the local Jews in the synagogue.[10] Some local socialists andintelligentsia joined the occupation structures for diversionary purposes, and when the Polish army reached the city again on August 15, 1920, they immediately disarmed several hundred Soviets.[11]
In theSecond Polish Republic, Ciechanów remained seat of a county inWarsaw Voivodeship. In 1938, its population was 15,000, and the town was a military garrison, home to the 11th Uhlan Regiment of MarshallEdward Smigly-Rydz.
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Ciechanów was captured by theWehrmacht on the night of September 3/4, 1939. The town was annexed byNazi Germany and was known asZichenau inGerman. It was the capital ofRegierungsbezirk Zichenau, a new subdivision of theProvince of East Prussia. The vast majority of the Polish and Jewish population was seen as racially inferior and Germany planned its eventual annihilation.[12] TheEinsatzgruppe V entered the city on September 10, 1939, and carried out first mass arrests among local Polishintelligentsia.[13] Residents were imprisoned inGestapo jails established in municipal buildings and the Town Hall.[13] The Germans carried out mass searches of Polish and Jewish homes, offices and organizations, as well as synagogues, which were desecrated and looted.[14] Several hundred Poles were transported from the jail in Ciechanów and murdered in large massacres in the nearby village ofOścisłowo as part ofIntelligenzaktion.[15] Local disabled people were also murdered in Ościsłowo on February 20, 1940.[16] Local teachers were arrested in October and November 1939, and deported to theSoldau concentration camp, where they were murdered in December 1939, and some were also murdered in theMauthausen concentration camp.[17] The occupiers operated threeforced labour camps for Poles and Jews.[18]
Poles were also subjected toexpulsions. Around 600 people were expelled in December 1939, further expulsions were carried out in subsequent years.[19] In Ciechanów, the Germans also organized a transit camp for Poles deported forforced labor to the areas ofKlaipėda,Tilsit (Sovetsk) andKönigsberg (Kaliningrad),[20] and a forced labor "education" camp.[21]
BeforeWorld War II, Ciechanów was home to a largeJewish community of 1,800, but during theNazi German occupation, in November 1942, the majority of the Jewish community were transported to the Red Forest (Czerwony Bór) northeast of town and murdered in a mass shooting.[22] During the war many Polish Jews and resistance fighters were executed by the Germans in the castle.
Prisoners of one of the forced labour camps were massacred by the Germans before their retreat.[18] On January 17, 1945, Ciechanów was captured by theRed Army, and was restored to Poland after the war.
Detailed data as of 31 December 2021:[1]
| Description | All | Women | Men | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit | person | percentage | person | percentage | person | percentage |
| Population | 43495 | 100 | 22757 | 52.3% | 20738 | 47.7% |
| Population density | 1337.9 | 700.0 | 637.9 | |||
Historical population | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Source:[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
TheBrowar Ciechan brewery is located in the town.
Through the town are leading two national roads, numbered50 and 60; and three voivodship roads, numbered 615, 616, 617. Just 25 km (16 mi) away to the West, there is the national road number 7, which is part of theE77European route.
The Ciechanów railway station is on theWarsaw - Gdańsk railway; however, the Warsaw - Gdańsk - Gdynia express train, colloquially referred as'Pendolino', does not stop here. Other trains offer connections to Warsaw,Olsztyn,Gdańsk,Gdynia,Kołobrzeg,Kraków andŁódź.
Ciechanów is home tohandball clubJurand Ciechanów [pl], which competes in the I liga (Polish second tier), and tofootball clubMKS Ciechanów [pl], which competes in the lower divisions.
Meudon, France[24][25]
Haldensleben, Germany[24]
Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine[24]
Brezno, Slovakia[24]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
Seat:Ciechanów (urban gmina) | ||
| Urban-rural gmina |  | |
| Rural gminas | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
