Mińsk Mazowiecki () "''Masovian Minsk''") is a town in eastern Poland with 40,999 inhabitants (2020). It is situated in the

Masovian Voivodeship The Masovian Voivodeship, also known as the Mazovia Province ( pl, województwo mazowieckie ) is a voivodeship (province) in east-central Poland, with its capital located in the city of Warsaw, which also serves as the capital of the country. Th ...

(since 1999) and is a part of the Warsaw Agglomeration. It is the capital of

Mińsk County __NOTOC__ Mińsk County ( pl, powiat miński) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Masovian Voivodeship, east-central Poland. It was (re)created on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government re ...

. Located 20 kilometers from the city limits of Warsaw and 38 kilometers from Warsaw's center.

Name

The source of town name - Mińsk - is the Mienia River, which in turn derives from the verb '''mienić''', which means 'to shine'. The postnominal adjective '''Mazowiecki shows the historical connection to

Mazovia Mazovia or Masovia ( pl, Mazowsze) is a historical region in mid-north-eastern Poland. It spans the North European Plain, roughly between Łódź and Białystok, with Warsaw being the unofficial capital and largest city. Throughout the centurie ...

and distinguishes Mińsk Mazowiecki from the Belarusian capital of

Minsk Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...

Location

Mińsk Mazowiecki is located geographically in South Podlasie, historically in East

and administratively in the eastern part of

, east from

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

's Center and from Warsaw's border.

Timeline of history

*XIV century – first mentions of a settlement with commercial function *1421, 29 May – Mińsk was granted

town privileges Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the traditio ...

Janusz I of Warsaw Janusz I of Warsaw (pl: ''Janusz I warszawski''), also known as Janusz I the Old (pl: ''Janusz I Starszy'') (c. 1347/52 – 8 December 1429), was a Polish prince member of the House of Piast in the Masovian branch, from 1373/74 Duke of Warsaw an ...

*1422 – first wooden church was built (not preserved) *1549 – a second town Sendomierz, later merged with Mińsk, was located on the other side of Srebrna River *1629 – the present church opened *1695 – Sendomierz joined to Mińsk *XVIII century – gradual decline of Mińsk connected with gradual decline of the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi- confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Poland and Lithuania ru ...

*1795–1809 – under Austrian rule as a result of the

Third Partition of Poland The Third Partition of Poland (1795) was the last in a series of the Partitions of Poland–Lithuania and the land of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth among Prussia, the Habsburg monarchy, and the Russian Empire which effectively ended Polis ...

*1809–1815 – in the

Duchy of Warsaw The Duchy of Warsaw ( pl, Księstwo Warszawskie, french: Duché de Varsovie, german: Herzogtum Warschau), also known as the Grand Duchy of Warsaw and Napoleonic Poland, was a French client state established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1807, during ...

*1815–1916 – in the Congress Poland *1866 – Mińsk county established, first train arrival ( Warsaw–Terespol Railway) *1867 – name of the town changed to Nowomińsk (''Novominsk'') *1870 – Dernałowicz Family became the last owners of the city (up to the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

) *1886 – first bookstore in east

*XX century – found of famous manufacture *1912 (or 1910) – start of Maria Grochowska's School, today this is ''Polska Macierz Szkolnas High School *1914 – old church opened after reconstruction *1915 – present hospital opened *1915 to 1918, 11 November – German occupation during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

*1916 – name's change (Novominsk > Mińsk Mazowiecki) *1920 – briefly occupied by Russians before the Battle of Warsaw during the Polish-Bolshevik War *1920–1939 – great development **1937 – first electric train arrived *1939–1944 – second German occupation (

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

) **1939, 12 September – German entry **1939, 13 September – battle for Mińsk Mazowiecki (led by gen.

Władysław Anders ) , birth_name = Władysław Albert Anders , birth_date = , birth_place = Krośniewice-Błonie, Warsaw Governorate, Congress Poland, Russian Empire , death_date = , death_place = London, England, United Kingdom , serviceyear ...

) **1942, 21 July – liquidation of Mińsk Mazowiecki ghetto. Most of the Jewish residents were murdered at the Treblinka death camp (one of the first episodes of

The Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...

) **1944, 30 July – liberation by Armia Krajowa (prelude to

Warsaw Uprising The Warsaw Uprising ( pl, powstanie warszawskie; german: Warschauer Aufstand) was a major World War II operation by the Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from German occupation. It occurred in the summer of 1944, and it was led ...

) *1944, 30–31 July – Soviet liberation *1945, 2–3 March – Soviet killed Mińsk's elite (with Mayor Hipolit Konopka) *1952 – trains manufacture *1957 – military garrison *1979 – new train station *1985 – Solidarity events *1990 – first Mayor elected in free elections (since elections before Second World War): Zbigniew Grzesiak *1999 – Mińsk County established

Jewish history

In 1768, the restrictions on permanent residence for Jewish people in Mińsk had been lifted. From the 19th century to the 1930s, it became very popular. Before the

, there were thousands of Jews living in Mińsk, and they had a general synagogue and smaller temples. The Novominsk hasidic dynasty was founded here in the late 19th century by Rabbi Yaakov Perlow, a descendant of the Baal Shem Tov. Soon after the war began, the

Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

created the Mińsk Ghetto. It was liquidated on 21 July 1942. Most of the Jews were murdered in

Treblinka extermination camp Treblinka () was an extermination camp, built and operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland during World War II. It was in a forest north-east of Warsaw, south of the village of Treblinka in what is now the Masovian Voivodeship. The camp ...

sent in

Holocaust trains Holocaust trains were railway transports run by the '' Deutsche Reichsbahn'' national railway system under the control of Nazi Germany and its allies, for the purpose of forcible deportation of the Jews, as well as other victims of the Holocau ...

by the thousands. The remaining Jewish population were murdered in Mińsk on 10 January 1943 (500 people) and 5 June (the last 150 people).

Monuments

*layout of medieval settlement and later city *Palace of Doria Dernałowicz Family – built probably in the 17th century (in place of 16th century residence), converted to

classicism Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for a classical period, classical antiquity in the Western tradition, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. In its purest form, classicism is an aesthet ...

**park *Church of the Nativity of The Blessed Virgin Mary – built in the 17th century, converted to neo-baroque in the early 20th century **internal furnishing **cemetery *county hall (former), 19th century,

*county hall, 19th century *post office, 19th century,

empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

*church of Mariavite Church, 1911 *residential areas, 19th and early 20th century *Jewish cemetery *some school buildings (early 20th century)

Economy

Trade: *

hypermarket A hypermarket (sometimes called a hyperstore, supercentre or superstore) is a big-box store combining a supermarket and a department store. The result is an expansive retail facility carrying a wide range of products under one roof, including ...

Carrefour Carrefour () is a French multinational retail and wholesaling corporation headquartered in Massy, France. The eighth-largest retailer in the world by revenue, it operates a chain of hypermarkets, groceries stores and convenience stores, whic ...

*supermarkets (about 10) *many other shops *market *developers Service: *10 banks *fast-foods, pubs and restaurants *3 hotels *construction industry *car service *satellite communication Industry: * ZNTK "Mińsk Mazowiecki" (since 2008 a subsidiary

PESA SA Pesa (Pojazdy Szynowe Pesa Bydgoszcz) is a Polish company manufacturing railway vehicles based in Bydgoszcz. The name 'Pesa' derives from the initials PS which stand for ''Pojazdy Szynowe,'' 'railway vehicles' in Polish. Pesa is a successor ...

) – maintenance and repair of railway rolling stock * Fabryka Urządzeń Dźwigowych – production of cranes and other heavy machinery * cotton products * yachts * shoes * foil

Population

Education

*''Józef Majka'' College of Social Science (catholic) *''Stanisław Staszic'' Lifelong Learning Center *University of Third Age *''Polska Macierz Szkolna'' Gymnasium and High School *Salesian Elementary, Gymnasium and High School (catholic) *''Kazimierz Wielki'' Professional High School *''Powstańcy Warszawy'' Professional High School *High School of Economy *''Maria Skłodowska-Curie'' High School *3 public gymnasiums *4 public elementary schools *over 10 preschools (6 public) *special school (for kids with problems) *clinic of psychological and pedagogical help

Bureaus

*Regional Bureau of Environmental Protection Inspection *Point of Conscription *Above Forester Bureau (Nadleśnictwo Mińsk) *County, city and commune bureaus

Safety

*Police Departament of

– 2 building in Mińsk, dozens of cars (including sport cars and off-road cars) *Fire Departament of Mińsk County – quite new fire engines (well equipped after big fire in industry area a few years ago) *Public Hospital of Mińsk County

Culture and sports

Culture: *House of Culture *School of Art *2 libraries *2 museums *Cinema *Magazines (2 public and 3 commercial are published in Mińsk) Sport: *Miejski Ośrodek Sportu i Rekreacji (public sport and recreation departament) **2 stadiums **Ice rink **Other *Mazovia-ZNTK **Football team in local amateur league **Other sports *other clubs

Religions

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

(4 parishes and other structures) * Mariavite Church (1 parish) *

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...

(1 congregation) *

Mennonite Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Radi ...

(1 congregation)

Public transport

*Train station **Regular service (39 trains in one way daily) to

**Direct connections with many cities in Poland, and with Moscow *2 regular bus services to Warsaw

Lands

Overall: *Residential: 30% *Industrial: 6% *Communication (roads, railroads etc.): 15% *Agricultural: 29% *Parks: 5% *Other: 15%

Historical parts of city

Cities: *Mińsk – old town *Sendomierz (found 1549, joined 1695) Estates built as part of Mińsk: * – New Town – Garden Town (found 1936) *Concrete estates built in

socialist realism Socialist realism is a style of idealized realistic art that was developed in the Soviet Union and was the official style in that country between 1932 and 1988, as well as in other socialist countries after World War II. Socialist realism is c ...

(about 1945–1990) without names *Modern estates without names Villages: *Over railroad part of city (''all existed in 1839 and earlier'') **Kędzierak (joined partly in 1954 and fully in 1984) **Stankowizna (''joined in 19th or 20th century'') **Anielina (''joined in similar time as Kędzierak'') *Other **Górki (joined in the 18th century) **Goździk (joined during First War War) **Kolonia Stasinów (joined in 1936) **Pohulanka (joined partly in 1936) **Sewerynów (''joined in similar time as Kędzierak'')

Military

*Military police *

23rd Air Base The 23rd Air Base ( pl, 23 Baza Lotnicza) is a Polish Air Force base, located 6 km east of Mińsk Mazowiecki. It was officially constituted on 1 January 2001, replacing the disbanded 1st Aviation Regiment "Warszawa". The main unit based ther ...

with MIG-29 aircraft

Twin towns – sister cities

Mińsk Mazowiecki is twinned with: *

Borodianka Borodianka ( uk, Бородянка, ) is an urban-type settlement in Bucha Raion of Kyiv Oblast (province) of Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Borodianka settlement hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: . According to the 2 ...

, Ukraine *

Krnov Krnov (; german: Jägerndorf, pl, Karniów or ''Krnów'') is a town in Bruntál District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 23,000 inhabitants. Administrative parts The town is made up of town parts of Pod Bezr ...

, Czech Republic * Lacey, United States *

Pefki Pefki ( el, Πεύκη, , meaning "pine", before 1959: Μαγκουφάνα - ''Magkoufana'', ) is a suburb in the northeastern part of the Athens agglomeration, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lykovr ...

, Greece * Saint-Égrève, France *

Telšiai Telšiai (; Samogitian: ''Telšē'') is a city in Lithuania with about 21,499 inhabitants. It is the capital of Telšiai County and Samogitia region, and it is located on the shores of Lake Mastis. Telšiai is one of the oldest cities in Lithua ...

, Lithuania

Notable people

Julian Grobelny Julian Grobelny (16 February 1893 – 5 December 1944) was an activist in the Polish Socialist Party (PPS) from 1915, in the lead-up to Poland's return to independence. During the interwar period he was a social activist. After the German-Soviet ...

Righteous Among the Nations Righteous Among the Nations ( he, חֲסִידֵי אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם, ; "righteous (plural) of the world's nations") is an honorific used by the State of Israel to describe non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to sa ...

Louis B. Mayer Louis Burt Mayer (; born Lazar Meir; July 12, 1882 or 1884 or 1885 – October 29, 1957) was a Canadian-American film producer and co-founder of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios (MGM) in 1924. Under Mayer's management, MGM became the film industr ...

, Hollywood film producer and studio executive * Czesław Mroczek, poseł *

Teresa Wargocka Teresa (also Theresa, Therese; french: Thérèse) is a feminine given name. It originates in the Iberian Peninsula in late antiquity. Its derivation is uncertain, it may be derived from Greek θερίζω (''therízō'') "to harvest or rea ...

, poseł *

Moshe Carmel Moshe Carmel ( he, משה כרמל, 17 January 1911 – 14 August 2003) was an Israeli soldier and politician who served as Transportation Minister of Israel, Minister of Transportation for eight years. Background Born in Mińsk Mazowiecki in ...

, politician in Israel *

Stefan Żeromski Stefan Żeromski ( ; 14 October 1864 – 20 November 1925) was a Polish novelist and dramatist belonging to the Young Poland movement at the turn of the 20th century. He was called the "conscience of Polish literature". He also wrote under ...

, writer *Jan Himilsbach, actor and author *Leyb Rokhman,

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ve ...

writer in Israel *Hanna Dunowska, actor *

Victor Prus Victor Marius Prus (Mińsk Mazowiecki (Poland), 24 April 1917 – Montreal, 21 January 2017) was a Polish-born Canadian architect. He designed several major buildings in Quebec which won many prizes, such as the Grand Théâtre de Québec in Queb ...

, architect in Canada * Yeshurun Keshet Israeli poet, essayist, translator and literary critic *Jacques Kalisz, architect in France * Stanislav Redens, secret police officer in the Soviet Union *Hermann Birnbach, subject of a ''Stolperstein'' in Nordhausen * Marek Piotrowski, World Champion in Kickboxing * Rafał Jackiewicz, boxer

References

Books

*585 lat Mińska Mazowieckiego, red. Janusz Kuligowski, Mińsk Mazowiecki, 2006,

External links

* Co słychać? – weekly magazine, ISSN 1425-6185 * Web page of City Hal
Minsk Maz.pl
(English) * Web page of County Hal
Powiat Minski.pl
* Web page

Jewish cemetery

Jewish cemetery

Historical placards
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Minsk Mazowiecki Cities and towns in Masovian Voivodeship Mińsk County Masovian Voivodeship (1526–1795) Warsaw Governorate Warsaw Voivodeship (1919–1939) Holocaust locations in Poland