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Pionki is a town in
Radom County __NOTOC__ Radom County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) 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. ...
,
Masovian Voivodeship Masovian Voivodeship or Mazowieckie Province (, ) and any variation thereof, is a Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship (province) in east-central Poland, containing Poland's capital Warsaw. Masovian Voivodeship has an area of and had a 2019 po ...
, central
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
with 18,846 inhabitants (2016). Surrounded by the ''
Kozienice Kozienice (; ''Kozhnits'') is a town in eastern Poland with 21,500 inhabitants (1995). Located four miles from the Vistula, it is the capital of Kozienice County. Even though Kozienice is part of Lesser Poland, it is situated in the Masovian Voi ...
'' Wilderness, Pionki is located in northern part of historic province of
Lesser Poland Lesser Poland, often known by its Polish name ''Małopolska'' (; ), is a historical region situated in southern and south-eastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Kraków. Throughout centuries, Lesser Poland developed a separate cult ...
, from
Radom Radom is a city in east-central Poland, located approximately south of the capital, Warsaw. It is situated on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Voivodeship. Radom is the fifteenth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest in its province w ...
, and from
Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
.


History

The mills of Pionki and Zagożdżon were first mentioned in medieval documents in 1391. Both settlements were royal villages, administratively located in the Radom County in the
Sandomierz Voivodeship Sandomierz Voivodeship (, ) was a unit of administration and local government in Poland from the 14th century to the partitions of Poland in 1772–1795. It was part of the Lesser Poland region and the Lesser Poland Province. Originally Sandomier ...
in the Lesser Poland Province of the Kingdom of Poland. Until 1932, the settlement was a village named Zagożdżon. Its development was closely associated with ''Chemical Plant
Pronit Pronit (Zakłady Tworzyw Sztucznych Pronit-Pionki (ZTS Pronit)) is a Polish factory of plastic materials near the town of Pionki, Radom County. Among its specialties, it includes the factory of vinyl record plates, and thus is mostly known as the ...
'' (''Zakłady Tworzyw Sztucznych ZTS Pronit''), founded in 1923 as ''State Manufacturer of Gunpowder and Explosives'' (''Państwowa Wytwórnia Prochu i Materiałów Kruszących PWPiMK''). Originally, it was an arms factory, which manufactured explosives, and its location was deliberate - next to the village of Zagożdżon, among the forests and swamps of the Kozienice Wilderness, away from main population centers, and along the strategic rail line Radom-
Dęblin Dęblin is a town at the Confluence (geography), confluence of Vistula and Wieprz rivers, in Lublin Voivodeship, Poland. Dęblin is the part of the agglomeration with adjacent towns of Ryki and Puławy, which together have over 100,000 inhabitan ...
. After
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the ''Chemical Plant Pronit'' began manufacturing glue,
plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic polymers, synthetic or Semisynthesis, semisynthetic materials composed primarily of Polymer, polymers. Their defining characteristic, Plasticity (physics), plasticity, allows them to be Injection moulding ...
, as well as
gramophone record A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English) or a vinyl record (for later varieties only) is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The g ...
s. In the interbellum period, Pionki prospered due to government contracts, as demand for explosives of its chemical plant was high. In 1925, a new rail station was opened, three years later - a post office. In 1929,
overhead power line An overhead power line is a structure used in electric power transmission and distribution to transmit electrical energy along large distances. It consists of one or more conductors (commonly multiples of three) suspended by towers or poles. ...
joined Pionki with
Skarżysko-Kamienna Skarżysko-Kamienna () is a city in northern Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship in south-central Poland by Kamienna (river), Kamienna river, to the north of Świętokrzyskie Mountains; one of the voivodship's major cities. Prior to 1928, it bore the name ...
, and a vocational high school was opened. Later on, a new police station was opened, and in 1937, the construction of a hospital was initiated. During the joint German-Soviet
invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...
, which started
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, in 1939, Pionki was bombed by the
Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...
and afterwards the Germans
occupied ' ( Norwegian: ') is a Norwegian political thriller TV series that premiered on TV2 on 5 October 2015. Based on an original idea by Jo Nesbø, the series is co-created with Karianne Lund and Erik Skjoldbjærg. Season 2 premiered on 10 October ...
the town. In addition to the other destruction, the Germans brutalized the
Poles Pole or poles may refer to: People *Poles (people), another term for Polish people, from the country of Poland * Pole (surname), including a list of people with the name * Pole (musician) (Stefan Betke, born 1967), German electronic music artist ...
and the small
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
population of around 200. As part of the ''
AB-Aktion The ''AB-Aktion'' ( , ) was the second stage of the Nazi German campaign of violence in Poland early in World War II, taking place between March and September 1940. As with the previous ''Intelligenzaktion'', during the 1939 invasion of Poland, i ...
'', in June 1940, the Germans carried out mass arrests of Poles, who were afterwards imprisoned and tortured in
Skarżysko-Kamienna Skarżysko-Kamienna () is a city in northern Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship in south-central Poland by Kamienna (river), Kamienna river, to the north of Świętokrzyskie Mountains; one of the voivodship's major cities. Prior to 1928, it bore the name ...
and then murdered in a forest near Skarżysko-Kamienna. Many Jews were conscripted for
slave labor Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...
including the most dangerous jobs at a local gunpowder faculty. In late 1941, a ghetto was established and Jews from surrounding towns brought there, resulting in a population of around 700 and such severe overcrowding that some people lived in the street. Some local Poles were helpful in providing food for the impoverished residents. In August 1942, some of the healthier workers were sent to live at a work camp while the rest were sent to the Zwolen ghetto and then, in late September, to the
Treblinka extermination camp Treblinka () was the second-deadliest extermination camp to be 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 Mas ...
. They were immediately murdered there by gassing. The number of Pionki Jewish survivors was small, but at least eight. In April 1944, the Germans executed 10 Polish resistance members in Pionki. In 1919–1939, and after the war, until 1975, Pionki belonged to the
Kielce Voivodeship Kielce Voivodeship () is a former unit of administrative division and the local government in Poland. It was originally formed during Poland's return to independence in the aftermath of World War One, and recreated within the new Polish borders af ...
. In 1975–1998, it administratively belonged to the
Radom Voivodeship Radom Voivodeship () was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in the years 1975–1998, superseded by Masovian Voivodeship. Its capital city was Radom. Major cities and towns (population in 1995) * Radom (232,300) ...
. In 1957–1991, the largest
vinyl record A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English) or a vinyl record (for later varieties only) is an analog signal, analog sound Recording medium, storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, ...
pressing plant in Poland was located in Pionki.


Sports

The town is home to a sports club Proch Pionki, established in 1926.


Notable people

Punk rock band
The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV from 16 October 1984 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, "Woodentop (The Bill), Woodentop" (part of the ''Storyb ...
comes from Pionki. Polish musician
Andrzej Piaseczny Andrzej Tomasz Piaseczny (Polish: ; born 6 January 1971 in Pionki) more commonly known as Piasek, is a Polish singer-songwriter, actor, and television personality. Former :pl:Mafia (zespół muzyczny), Mafia singer, Member of the Phonographic Ac ...
was born there.


Twin towns

Pionki are twinned with: *
Breaza Breaza () is a town in Prahova County, Muntenia, Romania. The town center consists of at least two former villages, ''Podu Vadului'' and ''Breaza de Sus'', which were later merged. Today, ten villages are administratively part of the town: Breaza ...
*
Vyshneve Vyshneve () may refer to several places in Ukraine: * Vyshneve (city), city in Kyiv Oblast *, a village in Chernihiv Oblast * Vyshneve, Crimea, a village * Vyshneve, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, urban-type settlement in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast *Vyshneve, P ...


Gallery

Upper Pond in Pionki, 2019.07.25 (01).jpg, Upper Pond (''Staw Górny'') Pionki Kosciol sw Barbary.jpg, Saint Barbara church Izba Czarnej Płyty, Pionki 2018.07.05 (02).jpg, Memorial to the former vinyl record pressing plant 7 Radomska Street in Pionki, 2019.02.21 (04).jpg, Pedagogical Library


References


External links


Jewish Community in Pionki
on Virtual Shtetl {{Authority control Cities and towns in Masovian Voivodeship Radom County Holocaust locations in Poland