Wegrów
Encyclopedia
Węgrów ' is a town in eastern Poland
with 12,561 inhabitants (31 December 2003). Situated in the Masovian Voivodeship
(since 1999), it is the capital of Węgrów County
.
First mentioned in historical records in 1414, it received its city
charter in 1441. Between 16th and 18th centuries it was an important centre for Reformation
movements in Poland.
After the Partitions of Poland
it became part of Austria
in 1795, then
part of the Duchy of Warsaw
in 1809, then part of the Congress Poland
ruled by Russia
in 1815. It became part of Poland again when the country regained its independence in 1918.
Throughout most of its history, the town had a thriving Jewish community, present at least since the 16th century. It numbered about 6,000 in 1939. The community was exterminated during the Holocaust
by the Nazis
.
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 12,561 inhabitants (31 December 2003). Situated in the Masovian Voivodeship
Masovian Voivodeship
-Administrative division:Masovian Voivodeship is divided into 42 counties : 5 city counties and 37 "land counties"...
(since 1999), it is the capital of Węgrów County
Wegrów County
Węgrów County is a unit of territorial administration and local government in Masovian Voivodeship, east-central 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 Węgrów, which lies east...
.
First mentioned in historical records in 1414, it received its city
charter in 1441. Between 16th and 18th centuries it was an important centre for Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
movements in Poland.
After the Partitions of Poland
Partitions of Poland
The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland for 123 years...
it became part of Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
in 1795, then
part of the Duchy of Warsaw
Duchy of Warsaw
The Duchy of Warsaw was a Polish state established by Napoleon I in 1807 from the Polish lands ceded by the Kingdom of Prussia under the terms of the Treaties of Tilsit. The duchy was held in personal union by one of Napoleon's allies, King Frederick Augustus I of Saxony...
in 1809, then part of the 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...
ruled by Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
in 1815. It became part of Poland again when the country regained its independence in 1918.
Throughout most of its history, the town had a thriving Jewish community, present at least since the 16th century. It numbered about 6,000 in 1939. The community was exterminated during 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...
by the Nazis
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
.
People
- Krzysztof FilipekKrzysztof FilipekKrzysztof Filipek is a Polish politician.Filipek was born in Węgrów. He was elected to Sejm on September 25, 2005, getting 16515 votes in 18 Siedlce district, candidating from Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland list....
- Piotr z GoniądzaPiotr z GoniadzaPiotr of Goniądz was a Polish political and religious writer, thinker and one of the spiritual leaders of the Polish Brethren.-Life:Little is known of his early life. He was born to a peasant family some time between 1525 and 1530 in the town of Goniądz...
- Stanislav KosiorStanislav KosiorStanislav Vikentyevich Kosior, sometimes spelled Kossior was one of three Kosior brothers, Polish-born Soviet politicians. He was General Secretary of the Ukrainian Communist Party, deputy prime minister of the USSR, and a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union...
- Pan TwardowskiPan TwardowskiPan Twardowski , in Polish folklore and literature, is a sorcerer who entered a pact with the devil, similar to the figure of Faust in German literature. Like Faust, Pan Twardowski sold his soul in exchange for special powers – such as summoning up the spirit of Polish King Sigismund...
- Michał Kurc