Rudnik nad Sanem (until 1997 ''Rudnik'', yi, רודניק ''Ridnik'') is a town in Nisko County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, Poland, with a population of 6,765 (02.06.2009). The town is located next to the river San, hence the "nad Sanem" (on the San) part of the name, which was appended to the official name in 1997. It is south-west of

Ulanów Ulanów is a town in Nisko County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, Poland, with 1,491 inhabitants (02.06.2009). It has grammar schools and high schools along with 2 churches. One of the churches was set on fire in 2004, and was closed for repai ...

and north-east of Rzeszów. Rudnik prides itself as the Polish Capital of

Wicker Wicker is the oldest furniture making method known to history, dating as far back as 5,000 years ago. It was first documented in ancient Egypt using pliable plant material, but in modern times it is made from any pliable, easily woven material. ...

Location and name

Rudnik belongs to the historic province of Lesser Poland, and since its foundation until the

Partitions of Poland The Partitions of Poland were three partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that took place toward the end of the 18th century and ended the existence of the state, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland and Lithuania for 12 ...

, the town was part of the Sandomierz Voivodeship. It lies on the main railroad line which goes from

Lublin Lublin is the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the center of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin is the largest Polish city east of t ...

to Przeworsk, and along National Road Nr. 77. The town is located on the left bank of the San. Rudnik took its name from the river Rudna (Rudnik). The river's surroundings were very wet and marshy, the colour was rusty red. This was due to the

riverbed A stream bed or streambed is the bottom of a stream or river (bathymetry) or the physical confine of the normal water flow (channel). The lateral confines or channel margins are known as the stream banks or river banks, during all but flood st ...

containing layers of

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the fo ...

. It has to be noted that even today observers will notice the reddish tint in the water. The surrounding forests contain layers of iron ore rich turf, mined for hundreds of years by people who lived in the vicinity.

History

The settlement of Rudnik was probably founded in the 14th century, after Red Ruthenia had been annexed by the Kingdom of Poland. It developed due to the location along the San riverway, and received town charter in 1552, due to efforts of a local nobleman, Krzysztof Gnojenski. The town was established in the location of the village of Kopki. Rudnik for centuries remained in private hands; it belonged to the Gnojenski, the Lipnicki and the Ulinski families. In the 17th century the town had a parish church together with a school, while its artisans competed with those from nearby Ulanów. During the

Swedish invasion of Poland The Deluge ( pl, potop szwedzki, lt, švedų tvanas) was a series of mid-17th-century military campaigns in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. In a wider sense it applies to the period between the Khmelnytsky Uprising of 1648 and the Truce ...

, in early 1656, a cavalry unit of Stefan Czarniecki smashed here a Swedish unit, which guarded King Charles X Gustav. The King himself narrowly escaped capture by the Poles. Following the

, Rudnik was annexed by the Habsburg Empire, as part of the province of

Galicia Galicia may refer to: Geographic regions * Galicia (Spain), a region and autonomous community of northwestern Spain ** Gallaecia, a Roman province ** The post-Roman Kingdom of the Suebi, also called the Kingdom of Gallaecia ** The medieval King ...

. Due to proximity of the Austrian – Russian border, Rudnik became an important crossing point for Polish rebels, fighting in the

January Uprising The January Uprising ( pl, powstanie styczniowe; lt, 1863 metų sukilimas; ua, Січневе повстання; russian: Польское восстание; ) was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at ...

. The town frequently burned, as most of its houses were made of timber. Rudnik was almost completely destroyed during World War I, when Austrian and Russian armies fought in the town and its area for six weeks.

Jews of Rudnik

Until World War II the population of the town was predominantly Jewish. Notable personalities who lived in Rudnik include Rabbis Chaim Halberstam who served as its town rabbi from 1796, Boruch Halberstam (1860–1867), and Tsvi Hersh Halberstam (1867–1906). The last Rabbi of Rudnik, Rabbi Benjamin Halberstam, established a synagogue on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, where he served as Rabbi until his demise.

Sights

* a palace of the

Tarnowski family The House of Tarnowski (plural: Tarnowscy) is the name of a Polish noble and aristocratic family (see: Szlachta). Because Polish adjectives have different forms for the genders, Tarnowska is the form for a female family member. History The Ta ...

(19th century), *

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

monument of St. John of Nepomuk, * World War I cemetery, * Holy Trinity church (1927–1928)

Notable people

* Lidia Bogaczowna, film and theatre actress, * * Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam – Jewish Orthodox

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as '' semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form o ...

and the founding '' rebbe'' of the Sanz-Klausenberg

Hasidic Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of contem ...

dynasty, * Julian Krzewicki, major of the Home Army, arrested by the Communist government in the 1950s.

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Rudnik nad Sanem, is

twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...

with:

References

Notes

External links

Official town webpage

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rudnik Nad Sanem Cities and towns in Podkarpackie Voivodeship Nisko County Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria Lwów Voivodeship Shtetls