Powsin is a neighbourhood, and an area of the City Information System, in

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 ...

, Poland, within the district of

Mokotów Mokotów () is a district of Warsaw, the capital city of Poland. It is densely populated, and hosts many companies and foreign embassies. Only a small part of the district is lightly industrialised (''Służewiec Przemysłowy''), while the majori ...

. It is a residential area with single-family housing. Powiat was founded in the 13th century as a farm community. Throughout the centuries there also developed settlements of Kępa Latoszkowa, Latoszki, Lisy, and

Zamość Zamość (; ; ) is a historical city in southeastern Poland. It is situated in the southern part of Lublin Voivodeship, about from Lublin, from Warsaw. In 2021, the population of Zamość was 62,021. Zamość was founded in 1580 by Jan Zamoyski ...

. In the 18th century, there was constructed the St. Elizabeth Church. The area was incorporated into Warsaw in 1951.

History

The oldest known records of Powsin, then known as ''Powsino'' date to 13th century. It was a farming community owned by Bogusza Miecławic of the clan of Doliwa, the

voivode Voivode ( ), also spelled voivod, voievod or voevod and also known as vaivode ( ), voivoda, vojvoda, vaivada or wojewoda, is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe in use since the Early Mid ...

Łęczyca Łęczyca (; in full the Royal Town of Łęczyca, ; ; ) is a town of inhabitants in central Poland. Situated in the Łódź Voivodeship, it is the county seat of the Łęczyca County. Łęczyca is a capital of the historical Łęczyca Land. Or ...

. In 1258, he gave its ownership to the St. John the Baptist Archcathedral in

Wrocław Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...

, which was later approved by duke Siemowit I, ruler of the

Duchy of Masovia The Duchy of Masovia was a District duchy, district principality and a fiefdom of the Kingdom of Poland (1025–1385), Kingdom of Poland, existing during the Middle Ages. The state was centered in Mazovia in the northeastern Kingdom of Poland, a ...

. In 1283, bishop Albertus gave the settlement to Mokołaj Ciołek, the

castellan A castellan, or constable, was the governor of a castle in medieval Europe. Its surrounding territory was referred to as the castellany. The word stems from . A castellan was almost always male, but could occasionally be female, as when, in 1 ...

Wizna Wizna is a village in Łomża County of Podlaskie Voivodeship, in north-eastern Poland, situated on the Narew River. Wizna is known for the battle of Wizna which took place in its vicinity during the 1939 Invasion of Poland at the start of World ...

, in exchange for Szawłowice near

Gniezno Gniezno (; ; ) is a city in central-western Poland, about east of Poznań. Its population in 2021 was 66,769, making it the sixth-largest city in the Greater Poland Voivodeship. The city is the administrative seat of Gniezno County (''powiat'') ...

. In 1398, Elżbieta Ciołkowska, widow after Andrzej Ciołek, castellan of

Czersk Czersk (; ; formerly , (1942-5): ) is a town in northern Poland in Chojnice County, Pomeranian Voivodeship. As of December 2021, the town has a population of 9,844. Today the center of the city of Czersk in is the Village Square. The infrastructu ...

, founded in Powsin the construction the St. Andrew the Apostle and St. Elizabeth. In 1410, it became a seat of a new

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

. The wooden building most likely was burned down during the Northen War in the 1650s.Aleksander Gieysztor: "Na południe od Warszawy przed połową XVII w.", ''Dzieje Mokotowa'', Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, 1972, pp. 19–22. (in Polish) In the 15th century, in the area was also founded the village of Lisy, and in the 16th century, Latoszki.Barbara Petrozolin-Skowrońska (editor): ''Encyklopedia Warszawy''. Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, Warszawa, 1994, p. 427. ISBN 83-01-08836-2. (in Polish)Barbara Czopek-Kopciuch, Kazimierz Rymut (editors): ''Nazwy miejscowe Polski: L-Mą''. Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Instytutu Jezyka Polskiego PAN, 2011. (in Polish) The descendants of the Ciołek family adopted surname Powsiński, and owned the village intol 1677, when it was sold to king

John III Sobieski John III Sobieski ( (); (); () 17 August 1629 – 17 June 1696) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1674 until his death in 1696. Born into Polish nobility, Sobieski was educated at the Jagiellonian University and toured Eur ...

, ruler of the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...

, whom incorporated it into the Wilanów Estate.Barbara Petrozolin-Skowrońska (editor): ''Encyklopedia Warszawy'', Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, Warszawa, 1994, p. 331. ISBN 83-01-08836-2. (in Polish) It was later bought by Elżbieta Helena Sieniawska in 1720s, whom in 1725, founded the construction of the St. Elizabeth Church. Between 1803 and 1815, its

parson A parson is an ordained Christian person responsible for a small area, typically a parish. The term was formerly often used for some Anglican clergy and, more rarely, for ordained ministers in some other churches. It is no longer a formal term d ...

was

Jan Paweł Woronicz Jan Paweł Woronicz (1757 – 1829) was a Polish clergyman, orator, and poet. He lived through major periods such as the Partitions of Poland and Napoleonic Wars, and his work included themes from these events. At the time of his death, he was c ...

, who would later become the

primate of Poland This is a list of archbishops of the Archdiocese of Gniezno, who are simultaneously primates of Poland since 1418.Kępa Latoszkowa.Barbara Petrozolin-Skowrońska (editor): ''Encyklopedia Warszawy'', Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, Warszawa, 1994, p. 331. ISBN 83-01-08836-2. (in Polish) By the 19th century, there was also present

. Following the abolition of serfdom in 1864, Powsin and surrounding it were incorporated into the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Wilanów Wilanów () is a dzielnica, district of the city of Warsaw, Poland. It is home to historic Wilanów Palace, the "Polish Palace of Versailles, Versailles," and second home to various List of Polish rulers, Polish kings. Wilanów is home to many v ...

. In 1896, in Powsiny was opened a

narrow-gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curv ...

railway station of the Wilanów Railway, at the line connecting

and

Piaseczno Piaseczno () is a town in east-central Poland with 47,660 inhabitants. It is situated in the Masovian Voivodeship, within the Warsaw metropolitan area, just south of Warsaw, approximately south of its center. It is a residential area and a suburb ...

, and later extended to Klarysew. On 16 July 1939, a two trains collided with each other in Powsin, resulting in deaths of 10 people, and over 200 being injured. In 1938, the Polski Country Club bought a 50-hectare-area to the east of Powsiny, from count Adam Branicki to build a

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, tee box, a #Fairway and rough, fairway, the #Fairway and rough, rough and other hazard (golf), hazards, and ...

. In the 1940s, during the

occupation of Poland Occupation commonly refers to: *Occupation (human activity), or job, one's role in society, often a regular activity performed for payment *Occupation (protest), political demonstration by holding public or symbolic spaces *Military occupation, th ...

in the

Second World War 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 ...

, it was turned into farmland. In 1947, the land was donated to the city of

, to establish a recreational area, which became the Powsin Culture Park. Currently, it is part of the City Information System area of Skarpa Powsińska. On 26 September 1943, during the

, the

Polish Underground State The Polish Underground State (, also known as the Polish Secret State) was a single political and military entity formed by the union of resistance organizations in occupied Poland that were loyal to the Government of the Republic of Poland ...

carried out in Kępa Latoszkowa a portion of the Operation Wilanów, targeting

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

settlers in the village. As a result, four building were burned down, and twelve people assassinated, including three officers of the Blue Police, as well as the family and coworkers of August Friedrich Boraun, the local leader of the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...

. In 1945, in Przyczółkowa Street was opened the Powsin Warsaw Insurgents Cemetery, the oldest necropolis dedicated to the veterans of the

Warsaw Uprising The Warsaw Uprising (; ), sometimes referred to as the August Uprising (), or the Battle of Warsaw, was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance movement in World War II, Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from ...

. On 15 May 1951, the Powsiny and surrounding it area were incorporated into Warsaw, becoming part of the district of

. In 1994, the area became part of new district of

, with a small portion to the west of Opieńki Street becoming part of

Ursynów Ursynów () is a district of the city of Warsaw, Poland. It has an area of 43.79 km2 (16.88 sq mi), and in 2023, it was inhabited by 149,775 people, making it the 5th most populous and 3rd largest district of the city. Located in its western ...

, now forming the neighbourhood of Skarpa Powsińska.A. Gawryszewski:
Ludność Warszawy w XX wieku
'. Warsaw: Instytut Geografii i Przestrzennego Zagospodarowania PAN im. Stanisława Leszczyckiego, 2009, pp. 45–47. ISBN 978-83-61590-96-5. (in Polish) In 1974, to the east of Powsiny was established the Polish Academy of Sciences Botanical Garden and Powsin Centre for Biological Diversity Conservation, with an area of 40 ha. It was developed between 1978 and 1990. It also incorporated the Janówek Villa, and its gardens, dating to 1913.Piotr Bielawski, ''Ogród botaniczny w Powsinie – plan ogrodu z przewodnikiem''. Warsaw: Agencja REGRAF, . (in Polish) Currently, it is part of the City Information System area of Skarpa Powsińska. In 2006, Wilanów was subdivided into eight areas of the City Information System, a municipal standardized system of street signage, with Powsin becoming one of them.

Overview

The area features low-rise single-family housing and farmlands, with neighbourhoods of Powsin, Kępa Latoszkowa, Latoszki, Lisy, and

. At 31 Przyczółkowa Street stands the

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

St. Elizabeth Church, dating to the 18th century. Within the neighbourhood are also located two small necropoli. Nearby are also placed the Powsin Cemetery and the Warsaw Insurgents Cemetery. The area includes lakes Lisy, Pod Morgami, Struga, and Torfowiska, as well as ditches Latoszka, Natolin, and Powsin.Zdzisław Biernacki: "IV. Geomorfologia i wody powierzchniowe",
Wisła w Warszawie
'. Warsaw:Warsaw City Hall, Dom Wydawniczy ELIPSA, 2000, p. 58. ISBN 83-907333-7-4. (in Polish)

References

{{Authority control Neighbourhoods of Wilanów Populated places established in the 13th century Former villages in Poland