Konskie
Encyclopedia
Końskie AUD is a town in central Poland
with 20,328 inhabitants (2008), situated in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship
(since 1999), previously in Kielce Voivodeship
(1975–1998). Most of the town labour force was employed in the local foundry (Koneckie Zakłady Odlewnicze) in the late 80s and early 90s. Since 1997 the town has developed into a major trade centre for small business.
, founded a parish and built a church dedicated to St. Nicholas in years 1220-1224. The church was torn down in the 15th century and a new Gothic
one was built in its place in the years 1492-1520. Some elements of the older Romanesque church were saved in the new one (e.g. the Romanesque
tympanum, pictured). Końskie received city rights from King August III Sas on December 30, 1748.
during World War II
, with battles fought by the Armia Krajowa
under Major Henryk Dobrzański
("Hubal") in the nearby forests which the German army feared to enter. The town was taken over by the partisans for a few hours on the night of September 1, 1943, with a number of Gestapo
agents assassinated. The Nazis retaliated by executing civilians including Jews.
to Treblinka II and gassed to death. Approximately 600 Jews were murdered by the Nazis on the way to the camp. In the subsequent January 1943 "Aktion" in the Konskie Ghetto, remaining Jews were ferreted out from attics and other hiding places and murdered.
The Koinsk Organization of Israel ("Ha'Arayah She'Li: Sefer Ha'Zikaron Le'Yehudei Konskiyah, Hebrew, 2001) commemorates the tragic death of the Jews of Konskie every year at The Diaspora Museum close to the 25th of the Jewish month of Cheshvan.
with:
Šaľa, Slovakia, and Mohyliv-Podilskyi
, Ukraine
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...
with 20,328 inhabitants (2008), situated in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship
Swietokrzyskie Voivodeship
Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, or Świętokrzyskie Province , is one of the 16 voivodeships into which Poland is presently divided. It is situated in central Poland, in the historical province of Lesser Poland, and takes its name from the Świętokrzyskie mountain range...
(since 1999), previously in Kielce Voivodeship
Kielce Voivodeship
Kielce Voivodeship is a former unit of administrative division and local government in Poland.-1921-1938:Kielce Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in years 1921-1939. Back then, it covered a large chunk of central part of the country, including such...
(1975–1998). Most of the town labour force was employed in the local foundry (Koneckie Zakłady Odlewnicze) in the late 80s and early 90s. Since 1997 the town has developed into a major trade centre for small business.
History
The oldest settlement which is now Końskie dates back to the 11th century. The burial ground from this period was discovered in the north part of the town in 1925. Końskie was mentioned in historical sources in 1124 for the first time, with Prandota of Prandocin (the progenitor of Odrowąż family) recorded as the owner of the settlement. For the next few centuries the settlement was owned by the Odrowąż family. Iwo Odrowąż, the bishop of KrakówKraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
, founded a parish and built a church dedicated to St. Nicholas in years 1220-1224. The church was torn down in the 15th century and a new Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
one was built in its place in the years 1492-1520. Some elements of the older Romanesque church were saved in the new one (e.g. the Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
tympanum, pictured). Końskie received city rights from King August III Sas on December 30, 1748.
World War II
Końskie was the centre of Polish underground resistancePolish resistance movement in World War II
The Polish resistance movement in World War II, with the Home Army at its forefront, was the largest underground resistance in all of Nazi-occupied Europe, covering both German and Soviet zones of occupation. The Polish defence against the Nazi occupation was an important part of the European...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, with battles fought by the Armia Krajowa
Armia Krajowa
The Armia Krajowa , or Home Army, was the dominant Polish resistance movement in World War II German-occupied Poland. It was formed in February 1942 from the Związek Walki Zbrojnej . Over the next two years, it absorbed most other Polish underground forces...
under Major Henryk Dobrzański
Henryk Dobrzanski
Major Henryk Dobrzański aka "Hubal" was a Polish soldier, sportsman and partisan. He was the first guerrilla commander of the Second World War in Europe.-Early life and career:...
("Hubal") in the nearby forests which the German army feared to enter. The town was taken over by the partisans for a few hours on the night of September 1, 1943, with a number of Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
agents assassinated. The Nazis retaliated by executing civilians including Jews.
Jewish history of Końskie
The first mention to the Jewish community in Końskie dates back to the 16th century. The pre World War II Jewish population of Końskie (known as Koinsk during the Russian occupation or Kinsk in Yiddish – קינצק / קינסק among the Jews) comprised 60.6% of the total population of the town or about 6,500 persons in September 1939. After the Nazi German invasion of Poland, a Ghetto was established in 1940 and closed off in the spring of 1941. The complete eradication of the Jewish population of Końskie took place on November 3–9, 1942, when all men, women and children were loaded onto Holocaust trainsHolocaust trains
The Holocaust trains were railway transports run by German Nazis and their collaborators to forcibly deport interned Jews and other victims of the Holocaust to the German Nazi concentration and extermination camps....
to Treblinka II and gassed to death. Approximately 600 Jews were murdered by the Nazis on the way to the camp. In the subsequent January 1943 "Aktion" in the Konskie Ghetto, remaining Jews were ferreted out from attics and other hiding places and murdered.
The Koinsk Organization of Israel ("Ha'Arayah She'Li: Sefer Ha'Zikaron Le'Yehudei Konskiyah, Hebrew, 2001) commemorates the tragic death of the Jews of Konskie every year at The Diaspora Museum close to the 25th of the Jewish month of Cheshvan.
Notable buildings and landmarks
- ClassicisticClassicismClassicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for classical antiquity, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. The art of classicism typically seeks to be formal and restrained: of the Discobolus Sir Kenneth Clark observed, "if we object to his restraint...
Park Palace complex founded by Jan Małachowski of the Nałęcz coat-of-arms in the 17th century (based on PillnitzPillnitzPillnitz is a city quarter in the east of Dresden, Germany. The quarter is situated in the east of Dresden. It can be reached by bus, ship, walking along the river or by bicycle...
complex) includes- Egyptian orangeryOrangeryAn orangery was a building in the grounds of fashionable residences from the 17th to the 19th centuries and given a classicising architectural form. The orangery was similar to a greenhouse or conservatory...
(Egipcjanka) - Greek Temple (now theatre)
- GloriettaGloriettaGlorietta is a large shopping mall in the Ayala Center in Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines. The mall is owned by the Zobel de Ayala family and its holding company, Ayala Corporation...
- GazeboGazeboA gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal, that may be built, in parks, gardens, and spacious public areas. Gazebos are freestanding or attached to a garden wall, roofed, and open on all sides; they provide shade, shelter, ornamental features in a landscape, and a place to rest...
(Altanka) - Two Palace wings (now residence of the municipal council)
- Community building turned into a pig slaughterhouse by the SS, with Jewish gravestones from the Konskie Jewish cemetery
- Egyptian orangery
- Spire, built by the SS with Jewish gravestones
- Cemetery for the German soldiers killed in World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, respected along with the Polish one - Home of Jankiel Pelta at ul. Pilsudskiego 42 (38 Maja-ego 3 till the change of address after WWII)
- Late Gothic church of Saint Nicholas, 1492, with the Romanesque tympanumTympanum (architecture)In architecture, a tympanum is the semi-circular or triangular decorative wall surface over an entrance, bounded by a lintel and arch. It often contains sculpture or other imagery or ornaments. Most architectural styles include this element....
from the 13th century. The parish is led by Pralat Zapart - Końskie SynagogueKonskie SynagogueKońskie Synagogue located in the Polish city of Końskie was built in around 1684. It was of the first large synagogues of its kind built in Poland at the invitation of the King of Poland. A large, Wooden synagogue noted for its architectural style, it was burned to the ground by the German...
built 1684, burned in 1939. Its embers and metal remnants remain in Konskie
Famous people born in Końskie
- Jacek Małachowski
- Stanisław Małachowski
- Andrzej SzejnaAndrzej SzejnaAndrzej Jan Szejna is a Polish politician and Member of the European Parliament for the Lesser Poland Voivodeship & Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship with the Democratic Left Alliance-Labor Union, part of the Socialist Group and is vice-chair of the European Parliament's Committee on Legal Affairs.Szejna...
- Yoav Weingarten, Rabbi of Końskie till his death in 1922, author of Helkat Yoav ,
- Rabbi Meir Weingarten, last rabbi of Konskie, appointed in 1922 and murdered in Treblinka,
Twin towns — Sister cities
Końskie is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with:
Šaľa, Slovakia, and Mohyliv-Podilskyi
Mohyliv-Podilskyi
Mohyliv-Podilskyi is a city in the Mohyliv-Podilskyi Raion of the Vinnytsia Oblast , Ukraine. It is located at , on the border with Bessarabia, Moldova.-History:The first mention of the town dates from 1595...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...