Krasnik
Encyclopedia
Kraśnik ' is a town in eastern Poland
with 37,989 inhabitants (2003), situated in the Lublin Voivodeship
. It is the seat of Kraśnik County
.
Until the 19th century it belonged to the Zamoyski family. The town is centered on a hill, and expanded onto the flat land to the north and east. A busy highway still runs through the center of town, cutting diagonally through the town square
itself.
The Kraśnik town museum, formerly housed in an old convent
building near the Parish church
, has been scheduled to move into a larger and newer building nearby.
From 1815 until 1915 the town was in the Russian Empire
(Congress Poland
).
In August 1914, the town and surrounding area were a focal point of Battle of Krasnik
, an opening battle of the World War I
struggle between Russia
and Central Powers
over control of Galicia. During the war the town gained its first railway connection, as a line was built through it by the Russians to deliver supplies to the front.
In 1938 the town was selected as the location for an ammunition factory, one of the enterprises built as part of the Central Industrial Region. The factory was not finished by the time war broke out in 1939, and during the German occupation it was used to manufacture aircraft parts and other purposes. After the war, in 1948, the factory was started up again, this time to produce ball bearings (the first factory to do that in Poland).
As with much of the Lublin area, Kraśnik was a major center of Judaism
, with 5,000 Jews (almost 50% of the population) prior to World War II
. Historical accounts place Jews in the area in 1531, but the official right to settle there was granted to Jews in 1584. In 1654, Jewish residence was officially limited to the area near the synagogue, but in practice this was not rigidly enforced. During the war, Kraśnik was the site of the Budzyn
labor camp, where the prisoners worked for the Hermann Göring Werke on aircraft production. This camp, with around 3,000 Jews, became a subcamp of Majdanek
; 300 workers who remained until July 1944 survived. Virtually all left the area, and there are few if any Jews currently resident in the town.
Kraśnik is the site of the second SOS Children's Village in Poland, established in 1991.
Kraśnik is also the site of the Tsubaki - Hoover Polska Limited Liability Company, a subsidiary
of Tsubaki Nakashima, which manufactures ball and roller bearings.
with:
Hajdúböszörmény
, Ruiselede
, Lippstadt
, Żółkiew, Korosten
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 37,989 inhabitants (2003), situated in the 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....
. It is the seat of Kraśnik County
Krasnik County
Kraśnik 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 Kraśnik, which lies south-west...
.
History
First settled in the 13th century, it received its city charter in 1377.Until the 19th century it belonged to the Zamoyski family. The town is centered on a hill, and expanded onto the flat land to the north and east. A busy highway still runs through the center of town, cutting diagonally through the town square
Town square
A town square is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town used for community gatherings. Other names for town square are civic center, city square, urban square, market square, public square, and town green.Most town squares are hardscapes suitable for open markets,...
itself.
The Kraśnik town museum, formerly housed in an old convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
building near the Parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
, has been scheduled to move into a larger and newer building nearby.
From 1815 until 1915 the town was in the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
(Congress Poland
Congress Poland
The Kingdom of Poland , informally known as Congress Poland , created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna, was a personal union of the Russian parcel of Poland with the Russian Empire...
).
In August 1914, the town and surrounding area were a focal point of Battle of Krasnik
Battle of Krasnik
The Battle of Kraśnik started on August 23, 1914 in the province of Galicia and the adjacent areas across the border in the Russian Empire, in northern Austria , and ended two days later. The Austro-Hungarian First Army defeated the Russian Fourth Army. It was the first victory by Austria-Hungary...
, an opening battle of the World War I
Eastern Front (World War I)
The Eastern Front was a theatre of war during World War I in Central and, primarily, Eastern Europe. The term is in contrast to the Western Front. Despite the geographical separation, the events in the two theatres strongly influenced each other...
struggle between Russia
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
and Central Powers
Central Powers
The Central Powers were one of the two warring factions in World War I , composed of the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulgaria...
over control of Galicia. During the war the town gained its first railway connection, as a line was built through it by the Russians to deliver supplies to the front.
In 1938 the town was selected as the location for an ammunition factory, one of the enterprises built as part of the Central Industrial Region. The factory was not finished by the time war broke out in 1939, and during the German occupation it was used to manufacture aircraft parts and other purposes. After the war, in 1948, the factory was started up again, this time to produce ball bearings (the first factory to do that in Poland).
As with much of the Lublin area, Kraśnik was a major center of Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, with 5,000 Jews (almost 50% of the population) prior to 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...
. Historical accounts place Jews in the area in 1531, but the official right to settle there was granted to Jews in 1584. In 1654, Jewish residence was officially limited to the area near the synagogue, but in practice this was not rigidly enforced. During the war, Kraśnik was the site of the Budzyn
Budzyn, Opole Lubelskie County
Budzyń is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Chodel, within Opole Lubelskie County, Lublin Voivodeship, in eastern Poland. It lies approximately west of Chodel, east of Opole Lubelskie, and south-west of the regional capital Lublin....
labor camp, where the prisoners worked for the Hermann Göring Werke on aircraft production. This camp, with around 3,000 Jews, became a subcamp of Majdanek
Majdanek
Majdanek was a German Nazi concentration camp on the outskirts of Lublin, Poland, established during the German Nazi occupation of Poland. The camp operated from October 1, 1941 until July 22, 1944, when it was captured nearly intact by the advancing Soviet Red Army...
; 300 workers who remained until July 1944 survived. Virtually all left the area, and there are few if any Jews currently resident in the town.
Kraśnik is the site of the second SOS Children's Village in Poland, established in 1991.
Kraśnik is also the site of the Tsubaki - Hoover Polska Limited Liability Company, a subsidiary
Subsidiary
A subsidiary company, subsidiary, or daughter company is a company that is completely or partly owned and wholly controlled by another company that owns more than half of the subsidiary's stock. The subsidiary can be a company, corporation, or limited liability company. In some cases it is a...
of Tsubaki Nakashima, which manufactures ball and roller bearings.
Local attractions
- The ruin of the 17th century Zamoyski castle (built from wood; there is only a little known about it),
- The 18th century baroqueBaroqueThe Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
former Hospital Church of the Holy Spirit (1758–1761) and hospital, - The Lateran Canons, containing St Mary's Ascension church (ca 1469) with paintings by T. DolabellaTommaso DolabellaTommaso Dolabella was a Baroque painter from Venice, who settled in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth at the royal court of King Sigismund III Vasa. He was later supported by Sigismund's son, Władysław IV Waza. In Warsaw he opened a workshop for artists.-External links:*...
, gravestones of the Teczynski family, and the monastery (15th-18th centuries), - An unusual double synagogueSynagogueA synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
from the 17th century, partially renovated but now in disrepair http://www.forward.com/issues/2004/04.01.16/living5.html.
Twin towns — Sister cities
Kraśnik 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:
Hajdúböszörmény
Hajdúböszörmény
Hajdúböszörmény is a city in North Eastern Hungary with a population of approximately 30,000 people. It has a unique circular plan to the streets that is supposed to have originated as a defense from invasion or attack...
, Ruiselede
Ruiselede
Ruiselede is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. This town only comprises the town of Ruiselede proper. On January 1, 2006 Ruiselede had a total population of 5,113. The total area is 30.20 km² which gives a population density of 169 inhabitants per km².Ruiselede was...
, Lippstadt
Lippstadt
Lippstadt is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the largest town within the district of Soest.-Geography:Lippstadt is situated in the Lippe valley, roughly 70 kilometres east of Dortmund and roughly 30 kilometres west of Paderborn...
, Żółkiew, Korosten
Korosten
Korosten is a historic city and a large railway node in the Zhytomyr Oblast of northern Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Korosten Raion , the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast, and is located on the Uzh River.The city was founded over a...
External links
- Official home page
- Satellite photo from June, 2001
- Places in Lubelskie Kraśnik page, with pictures
- Compilation of Jewish family names appearing one or more times in the vital records of Kraśnik
- A list of those from the town of Kraśnik who perished in the Holocaust, taken from Sefer Krasnik (Book of Krasnik)
- Adam Mickiewicz Institute page on Jewish history in Kraśnik
