Kock
Encyclopedia
Kock is a town in eastern Poland
, about 45 km north of Lublin
and 120 km south-east of Warsaw
. It lies in Lublin Voivodeship
, in Lubartów County
. It is the capital of the Kock Commune.
As of 2004, its population numbered 3,509.
In the 17th century, a Jewish community was established in the town. In Yiddish
, the community is known as Kotzk or Kotsk. In the 19th century, it became an important center of Hasidism
as the longtime home of Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk
, the Kotzker rebbe who established the Kotsk dynasty
. Most of the Jews were killed by the Nazis in the Holocaust
during the occupation of Poland (1939–1945), and a Jewish community has not been reestablished since the war.
Kock is famous for several battles that were fought there, in 1809
, and in 1939
the final battle of the Invasion of Poland took place there.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, about 45 km north of Lublin
Lublin
Lublin is the ninth largest city in Poland. It is the capital of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 350,392 . Lublin is also the largest Polish city east of the Vistula river...
and 120 km south-east of Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. It lies in Lublin Voivodeship
Lublin Voivodeship
- Administrative division :Lublin Voivodeship is divided into 24 counties : 4 city counties and 20 land counties. These are further divided into 213 gminas....
, in Lubartów County
Lubartów County
Lubartów County is a unit of territorial administration and local government in Lublin Voivodeship, eastern Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its administrative seat and largest town is Lubartów, which lies north of...
. It is the capital of the Kock Commune.
As of 2004, its population numbered 3,509.
History
Kock has been recognized as an established community since the 12th century. It received its city charter in 1417.In the 17th century, a Jewish community was established in the town. In Yiddish
Yiddish language
Yiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world. It developed as a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages...
, the community is known as Kotzk or Kotsk. In the 19th century, it became an important center of Hasidism
Hasidic Judaism
Hasidic Judaism or Hasidism, from the Hebrew —Ḥasidut in Sephardi, Chasidus in Ashkenazi, meaning "piety" , is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that promotes spirituality and joy through the popularisation and internalisation of Jewish mysticism as the fundamental aspects of the Jewish faith...
as the longtime home of Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk
Menachem Mendel of Kotzk
Menachem Mendel Morgensztern of Kotzk, better known as the Kotzker Rebbe was a Hasidic rabbi and leader.-Life:Born to a non-Hasidic family in Goraj near Lublin, Poland, he became attracted to Hasidim in his youth. He was known for having acquired impressive Talmudic and Kabbalistic knowledge at a...
, the Kotzker rebbe who established the Kotsk dynasty
Kotsk (Hasidic dynasty)
Kotsk is the name of a Hasidic dynasty founded by Rebbe Menachem Mendel Morgenstern, known as the Kotzker Rebbe.Kotsk is the Yiddish name of Kock, a town in present-day Poland....
. Most of the Jews were killed by the Nazis in the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
during the occupation of Poland (1939–1945), and a Jewish community has not been reestablished since the war.
Kock is famous for several battles that were fought there, in 1809
Battle of Kock (1809)
The Battle of Kock was fought in 1809 during the Napoleonic Wars, near the village of Kock in Poland.The battle saw the death of Polish Army colonel Berek Joselewicz, fighting against Austria for the freedom of Poland....
, and in 1939
Battle of Kock (1939)
The Battle of Kock, was the final battle in the Invasion of Poland at the beginning of World War II. It took place between 2–5 October 1939, near the town of Kock, in Poland....
the final battle of the Invasion of Poland took place there.