Grajewo

Grajewo

ul. Piłsudskiego in Grajewo

Coat of arms
Grajewo
Coordinates: 53°39′N 22°27′E / 53.650°N 22.450°E / 53.650; 22.450
Country  Poland
Voivodeship Podlaskie
County Grajewo County
Gmina Grajewo (urban gmina)
Established 15th century
Town rights 1540
Government
 • Mayor Adam Kiełczewski
Area
 • Total 18.93 km2 (7.31 sq mi)
Population (2006)
 • Total 22,651
 • Density 1,200/km2 (3,100/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 19-200
Area code(s) +48 86
Car plates BGR
Website http://www.grajewo.pl

Grajewo [ɡraˈjɛvɔ], is a town in north-eastern Poland with 23,302 inhabitants (2006). It is situated in the Podlaskie Voivodeship (since 1999); previously, it was in Łomża Voivodeship (1975–1998). It is the capital of Grajewo County.[1]

History

Neo-Gothic Church of the Holy Trinity

The first settlements in the region of modern Grajewo already existed in the early 15th century. The first documented mention is from the year 1426. In 1540 the town obtained municipal rights from Polish King Sigismund I the Old.

Around 1800 the town had 23 houses and 218 inhabitants. In 1815 it became part of Russian Congress Poland. In the second half of the 19th century, trade and handicrafts developed. Due to the participation of the population in the January Uprising against Russia, the town lost its municipal rights in 1870. With the establishment of a rail link between the German city of Lyck and the then-Russian-controlled city of Białystok, the town’s development was accelerated.

A Jewish community existed in Grajewo from the late 18th century. At times, Jews formed a majority of the town population. In 1808, 197 Jews live in the town, 39% of the total population. In 1827 they made up a majority, with 57% of the population. In 1857 the percentage rose to 76% and in 1897 over 4,000 Jews lived in the town. Following the First World War, the Jewish population fell sharply. In 1921, 2,834 Jews lived in the town, 39% of the population.[2]

World wars

During the First World War a large part of the town was destroyed. Following the war, the town became part of the Polish Republic and was granted municipal rights again on July 4, 1919. Between the world wars, Grajewo was the seat of a district office and had around 9,500 inhabitants.

In the night of September 6-7, 1939, the town was occupied by the Germans. On September 21, the Germans turned the town over to the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union lost the town to the Germans in June 1941. In August, 1941 a Grajewo Ghetto was established in which between 1,600 and 2,000 Jews were imprisoned. Most of them were deported to the extermination camps in Treblinka and Auschwitz in December 1942 and January 1943. The Red Army marched into Grajewo again on January 23, 1945. The war cost the lives of around 5,000 people in Grajewo and about 30% of the town was destroyed.

Points of interest

Sports

Notable people from Grajewo

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Grajewo.

Notes and references

  1. ↑ Grajewo: Official website. General information. (Polish, with Google translate).
  2. ↑ Grajewo Memorial Book Yizkor Project (Yiddish & English).

Coordinates: 53°39′N 22°27′E / 53.650°N 22.450°E / 53.650; 22.450

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, August 11, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.