Mazovia Mazowsze | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms | |
 Three historical Mazovian voivodeships in comparison with contemporary Polish voivodeships | |
| Country |  Poland |
| Largest city | Warsaw |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Primary airports | Warsaw Chopin Airport Warsaw Modlin Airport |
| Highways |      |
Mazovia orMasovia (Polish:Mazowsze[maˈzɔfʂɛ]ⓘ) is a historical region in mid-north-easternPoland. It spans theNorth European Plain, roughly betweenŁódź andBiałystok, withWarsaw being the largest city andPłock being the capital of the region.[1] Throughout the centuries, Mazovia developed a separate sub-culture featuring diverse folk songs, architecture, dress and traditions different from those of otherPoles.
Historical Mazovia existed from theMiddle Ages until thepartitions of Poland and consisted of threevoivodeships with the capitals inWarsaw,Płock andRawa. The main city of the region wasPłock,[2] which was even capital of Poland from 1079 to 1138; however, inEarly Modern Times Płock lost its importance to Warsaw, which became the capital of Poland. From 1138, Mazovia was governed by a separate branch of thePiast dynasty[citation needed] and when the last ruler of the independentDuchy of Mazovia died, it was fully incorporated to thePolish Crown in 1526. During thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth over 20% of Mazovian population was categorized as pettynobility. Between 1816 and 1844, the Mazovian Governorate was established, which encompassed the south of the region along withŁęczyca Land and south-easternKuyavia. The former inhabitants of Mazovia are theMasurians, who since theLate Middle Ages settled in neighboring southernPrussia, a region later calledMasuria, where they converted toProtestantism in theReformation era, thus leavingCatholicism, to which their relatives from Mazovia still adhered.
The borders of contemporaryMazovian Voivodeship (province), which was created in 1999, do not exactly reflect the original size of Mazovia, as they do not include the historically Mazovian cities ofŁomża andŁowicz, but include the historically Lesser Polish cities ofRadom andSiedlce.
Mazovia has a landscape without hills (in contrast toLesser Poland) and without lakes (in contrast toGreater Poland). It is spread over theMazovian Lowland, on both sides of theVistula river and its confluence withNarew andBug. Forests (mainly coniferous) cover one-fifth of the region, with the largeKampinos Forest,Puszcza Biała andPuszcza Zielona.
In the north Mazovia borders on theMasurian subregion of formerPrussia, in the east onPodlachia, in the south onLesser Poland and in the west onGreater Poland (subregions ofŁęczyca Land,Kujawy andDobrzyń Land). The area of Mazovia is 33,500 km2. It has population of 5 million (3 million of them inhabit themetropolis ofWarsaw).
 | It has been suggested that this section besplit out into another article titledHistory of Mazovia. (Discuss)(November 2023) |
Inhabited by the variousLechitic West Slavic tribes,Vistula Veneti[3][4] and with other people who had settled here such as theWielbark people.[5]
The historical region of Mazovia (Mazowsze) in the beginning encompassed only the territories on the right bank of Vistula nearPłock and had strong connections withGreater Poland (throughWłocławek andKruszwica). In the period of the rule of the first Polish monarchs of thePiast dynasty, Płock was one of their seats, and on the Cathedral Hill (Wzgórze Tumskie) they raisedpalatium. In the period 1037–1047 it was the capital of the independent Mazovian state ofMasław. Between 1079 and 1138 this city wasde facto thecapital of Poland. Since 1075 it has been the seat of theDiocese of Płock encompassing northern Mazovia; the south formed the archdeaconate ofCzersk belonging toPoznań, and theDuchy of Łowicz was part of theArchdiocese of Gniezno (this division remained as long as until thePartitions of Poland).
During the 9th century Mazovia was perhaps inhabited by the tribe ofMazovians, and it was incorporated into the Polish state in the second half of 10th century under the Piast rulerMieszko I. As a result of the fragmentation of Poland after the death of Polish monarchBolesław III Wrymouth, in 1138 theDuchy of Mazovia was established, and during the 12th and 13th centuries it joined temporarily various adjacent lands and endured invasions ofPrussians,Yotvingians, andRuthenians. To protect its northern sectionConrad I of Mazovia called in theTeutonic Knights in 1226 and granted them theChełmno Land as a fief.
After the reunification of the Polish state byWładysław I in the early 14th century, Mazovia became its fief in 1351. In the second half of 15th century western Mazovia and in 1526/1529 the main part (with its capital in Warsaw) was incorporated into the Polish state. In the 15th century the eastern part of the region (Łomża) was settled, mainly by theyeomanry (drobnaszlachta). Mazovia was considered underdeveloped in comparison withGreater Poland andLesser Poland, with the lowest urban population.
In theEarly Modern Times Mazovia was known for exporting grain, timber, and fur. It was also distinct because there was noreformation here. Mazovia was divided into three voivodeships, each of them divided into lands (Polish:ziemie,Latin:terrae), each of them divided into counties (Polish:powiaty,Latin:districtus) and all three voivodeships formed part of the largerGreater Poland Province. The Polish-LithuanianUnion of Lublin (1569) established Mazovia as the central region of thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, withWarsaw rising to prominence as the seat of the state legislature (sejm). In 1596 KingSigismund III Vasa moved the Polish capital fromKraków toWarsaw. During the 17th and 18th centuries Swedish, Transylvanian, Saxon, and Russian invasions wreaked havoc on the region.
In 1793 western Mazovia, and two years later the rest of the region were annexed by theKingdom of Prussia in theSecond andThird Partitions of Poland, while the south-eastern portion was annexed byAustria. In 1807 it became part of theDuchy of Warsaw. In 1815 the region was incorporated into theCongress Kingdom of Poland, which was dependent onRussia. In the 19th century Mazovia was the site of large Polish uprisings (November Uprising andJanuary Uprising) against Russian rule. In that era pre-partition Mazovia was divided amongWarsaw,Płock andAugustów (the last one replaced later byŁomża).
Since 1918 Mazovia has been a part of the resurrected Poland, being roughly equivalent to theWarsaw Voivodeship. In 1920, Mazovia wasinvaded by Soviet Russia, but Poland secured its freedom in the victoriousBattle of Warsaw.
During the joint German-Sovietinvasion of Poland, which startedWorld War II in September 1939, Mazovia was invaded by the German Army, and theEinsatzgruppen IV and V followed to commit variouscrimes against Poles.[6] The largest massacres were committed inZambrów,Śladów andZakroczym, in which over 200, over 300 and around 600 Polishprisoners of war and civilians were murdered, respectively.[7][8] On 25–29 September, the Germans handed over north-eastern Mazovia withŁomża andZambrów to the Soviet Union in accordance with theMolotov–Ribbentrop Pact.[9]
UnderGerman occupation, the population was subjected to mass arrests, executions,expulsions and deportations toforced labour,concentration camps andNazi ghettos, whereas under Soviet occupation the population was subjected to mass arrests, executions, deportation toforced labour inSiberia,Central Asia and theFar North. Numerous sites werelooted. ThePalmiry massacres carried out by Nazi Germany in the village ofPalmiry near Warsaw, were one of the largest massacres of Poles committed during theIntelligenzaktion andAB-Aktion, whereas many Poles from north-eastern Mazovia were among the victims of the Soviet-perpetratedKatyn massacre. Despite such circumstances, thePolish resistance was organized and active in the region. Following theOperation Barbarossa in 1941, Germany also occupied north-eastern Mazovia.
TheWarsaw Ghetto was the largestGerman-established Jewish ghetto in occupied Europe, and other sizeable ghettos in the region were located inOtwock,Płońsk,Łomża andPłock, with the surviving Jews eventually deported by the occupiers to theTreblinka,Auschwitz and otherextermination camps duringthe Holocaust.
In the winter of 1942–1943, the Germans buried some 300kidnapped Polish children from another region of occupied Poland in theŁąck forests, after the children froze to death in afreight train.[10] Since 1943, theSicherheitspolizei also carried out deportations of Poles including teenage boys from Płock and Łomża to theStutthof concentration camp.[11]
Germany operated severalprisoner-of-war camps, including Oflag 73, Stalag 319, Stalag 324, Stalag 333 and Stalag 368 with several subcamps, for Polish,Italian, Soviet and Romanian POWs in the region.[12]
The population of Warsaw decreased sharply as a result of executions, the extermination of the city's Jews, the deaths of some 200,000 inhabitants during theWarsaw Uprising of 1944, and the deportation of the city's left-bank population following the uprising. Some 40,000–50,000 Poles were murdered in theWola massacre alone, one of the largest massacres of Poles. Shortly after the uprising,Adolf Hitler ordered German troops todestroy the city.
In 1944–1945, the region was occupied by the SovietRed Army, and gradually restored to Poland, although with a Soviet-installed communist regime, which then stayed in power until theFall of Communism in the 1980s.
The rebuilding of the Polish capital was the main task of the postwar period.[13]
ThePolish resistance remained active, with one of the last Polish anti-communist partisans,Stanisław Marchewka [pl], killed by the communists inJeziorko in 1957.[14] Particularly large anti-communist protest occurred in the region in1976.
During and following theKorean War, in 1951–1959, Poland admitted 200 North Korean orphans inGołotczyzna andOtwock in Mazovia.[15]
Those timesWarsaw Voivodeship was still roughly similar to historical Mazovia and used to be informally called so, but in 1975 it was divided into several little voivodeships. However, in 1999Mazovian Voivodeship was created as one of16 administrative regions of Poland.
The Mazovian language probably existed as a separate dialect until the 20th century.[16][17][18][19][20] TheethnonymMazur has given the name for a phonetic phenomenon known asmazurzenie (although it is common in theLesser Polish dialect as well).
There is no specific regional cuisine of Mazovia. Formerly, dairy foods dominated the peasant cuisine. Nobles used poultry, geese, chickens and ducks. The most separate Mazovian culinary regions areKurpie andŁowicz, where traditional dishes survive to the present day. In Kurpie, traditional dishes are prepared with ingredients collected in the forest: berries, honey and mushrooms. There are severaltraditional Polish dishes likeflaki (tripes),kluski (noodles and dumplings), which are prepared in different way than in other parts of Poland.[21][22]
Mazovian Voivodeship is ranked decidedly first in Poland according to theGross Domestic Product.[23] This is thanks to Warsaw, which is a financial centre ofEast-Central Europe.[24][25] The majority of state enterprises are headquartered in thismetropolis. It is a hub for both rail and vehicular traffic, with access throughout Poland and across Europe.Warsaw Chopin Airport is the nation's busiest. There are many branches of industry and services well developed in this city. The other economical center isPłock, where large petrochemical plantsPKN Orlen operate. The rest of Mazovia belongs to the poorest parts of Poland. In agriculture the most typical Mazovian crops are potatoes andrye, but the most popular (as in the whole of Poland) is wheat. Others arebarley,sugar beets,fruits (with their biggest Polishbasin in the south of the region), and vegetables. Pigs are commonly bred, often also cows and chickens.
Kampinos National Park is one of Poland's largest national parks and is popular with tourists making day trips from Warsaw to hike among the park's primeval forests, sand dunes, and marshland. The main cultural centre of the region, and, alongsideKraków, in all of Poland, is Warsaw, which is home to dozens of theatres, the National Philharmonic, the National Opera House, the National Library, the National Museum,Centrum Nauki Kopernik,Warsaw Rising Museum,Temple of Divine Providence, and theSanctuary of Blessed Jerzy Popiełuszko. Warsaw has many magnificent historic buildings and monuments, including those in the Old Town and the New Town, both of which were almost completely demolished during World War II but were meticulously restored and were designated UNESCO World Heritage sites in 1980. Several important edifices has been built at the adjacent streetKrakowskie Przedmieście. There are also royal palaces and gardens ofŁazienki andWilanów. The most recognizable building from post-war period isPałac Kultury i Nauki.
Masovia also boasts 11Historic Monuments of Poland:
Historical monuments elsewhere include the manor house inŻelazowa Wola where composerFrédéric Chopin was born and his museum is located nowadays. Płock, once the seat of the Mazovian princes, andŁowicz, the residence of the archbishops ofGniezno, are noted for theircathedrals. There are alsopalaces and parks inNieborów and Arkadia, theModlin Fortress,castles inCzersk,Pułtusk,Ciechanów,Opinogóra,Rawa Mazowiecka,Sochaczew andLiw, as well as churches inNiepokalanów,Góra Kalwaria,Warka,Skierniewice,Czerwińsk,Wyszogród,Zakroczym,Szreńsk,Przasnysz,Ostrołęka,Łomża,Szczuczyn,Wizna,Brok,Zuzela,Rostkowo, andBoguszyce. Interestingfolklore is found in the subregion ofKurpie; anotherskansen has been established inSierpc.[27]
Successful sports teams in Masovia includeassociation football teamsLegia Warsaw,Polonia Warsaw andWisła Płock,basketball teamsPolonia Warsaw,Legia Warsaw andZnicz Pruszków, andhandball teamsWisła Płock andKS Warszawianka.
The following table lists the cities in Mazovia with a population greater than 20,000 (2015):
| City | Population (2015)[28] | Voivodeship in 1750 | Voivodeship in 2016 | Additional information | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  Warsaw | 1 724 404 | Masovian Voivodeship |  Masovian Voivodeship | Capital of Poland, formerroyal city of Poland. |
| 2. |  Płock | 122 815 |  Płock Voivodeship | Masovian Voivodeship | Historical capital of Masovia, former capital of Poland, former royal city of Poland. |
| 3. |  Łomża | 62 711 | Masovian Voivodeship |  Podlaskie Voivodeship | Former royal city of Poland. |
| 4. |  Pruszków | 59 570 | Masovian Voivodeship | Masovian Voivodeship | Part of theWarsaw metropolitan area. |
| 5. |  Legionowo | 54 231 | Masovian Voivodeship | Masovian Voivodeship | Part of the Warsaw metropolitan area. |
| 6. |  Ostrołęka | 52 917 | Masovian Voivodeship | Masovian Voivodeship | Former royal city of Poland. |
| 7. |  Skierniewice | 48 634 |  Rawa Voivodeship |  Łódź Voivodeship | Formerprivate bishop town of Poland. |
| 8. |  Otwock | 45 044 | Masovian Voivodeship | Masovian Voivodeship | Part of the Warsaw metropolitan area. |
| 9. |  Piaseczno | 44 869 | Masovian Voivodeship | Masovian Voivodeship | Former royal city of Poland, part of the Warsaw metropolitan area. |
| 10. |  Ciechanów | 44 797 | Masovian Voivodeship | Masovian Voivodeship | Former royal city of Poland. |
| 11. |  Żyrardów | 41 096 | Rawa Voivodeship | Masovian Voivodeship | |
| 12. |  Mińsk Mazowiecki | 39 880 | Masovian Voivodeship | Masovian Voivodeship | Part of the Warsaw metropolitan area. |
| 13. |  Wołomin | 37 505 | Masovian Voivodeship | Masovian Voivodeship | Part of the Warsaw metropolitan area. |
| 14. |  Sochaczew | 37 480 | Rawa Voivodeship | Masovian Voivodeship | Former royal city of Poland. |
| 15. |  Ząbki | 31 884 | Masovian Voivodeship | Masovian Voivodeship | Part of the Warsaw metropolitan area. |
| 16. |  Mława | 30 880 | Płock Voivodeship | Masovian Voivodeship | Former royal city of Poland. |
| 17. |  Grodzisk Mazowiecki | 29 907 | Rawa Voivodeship | Masovian Voivodeship | Formerprivate town of the Mokronoski family, part of the Warsaw metropolitan area. |
| 18. |  Łowicz | 29 420 | Rawa Voivodeship | Łódź Voivodeship | Temporaryde facto capital of Poland in years 1572–1573, former private bishop town. |
| 19. |  Marki | 29 032 | Masovian Voivodeship | Masovian Voivodeship | Part of the Warsaw metropolitan area. |
| 20. |  Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki | 28 287 | Masovian Voivodeship | Masovian Voivodeship | Formerprivate town, part of the Warsaw metropolitan area. |
| 21. |  Wyszków | 27 222 | Masovian Voivodeship | Masovian Voivodeship | Former private bishop town of Poland. |
| 22. |  Piastów | 22 826 | Masovian Voivodeship | Masovian Voivodeship | Part of the Warsaw metropolitan area. |
| 23. |  Ostrów Mazowiecka | 22 796 | Masovian Voivodeship | Masovian Voivodeship | Former royal city of Poland. |
| 24. |  Płońsk | 22 494 | Płock Voivodeship | Masovian Voivodeship | Former royal city of Poland. |
| 25. |  Zambrów | 22 451 | Masovian Voivodeship | Podlaskie Voivodeship | Former royal city of Poland. |
| 26. |  Grajewo | 22 246 | Masovian Voivodeship | Podlaskie Voivodeship | Northernmost and easternmost town of Mazovia. It borders the regions ofPodlachia andMasuria. |
| 27. |  Kobyłka | 20 855 | Masovian Voivodeship | Masovian Voivodeship | Part of the Warsaw metropolitan area. |
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