Rudnik nad Sanem (until 1997 ''Rudnik'', ''Ridnik'') is a town in Nisko County,

Subcarpathian Voivodeship Subcarpathian Voivodeship is a Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship, or province, in the southeastern corner of Poland. Its administrative capital and largest city is Rzeszów. Along with the Marshal, it is governed by the Subcarpathian Regional As ...

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 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 and north-east of

Rzeszów Rzeszów ( , ) is the largest city in southeastern Poland. It is located on both sides of the Wisłok River in the heartland of the Sandomierz Basin. Rzeszów is the capital of the Subcarpathian Voivodeship and the county seat, seat of Rzeszów C ...

. Rudnik prides itself as the Polish Capital of

Wicker Wicker is a method of weaving used to make products such as furniture and baskets, as well as a descriptor to classify such products. It is the oldest furniture making method known to history, dating as far back as . Wicker was first documented ...

Location and name

Rudnik belongs to the 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 ...

, and since its foundation until the

Partitions of Poland The Partitions of Poland were three partition (politics), partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that took place between 1772 and 1795, toward the end of the 18th century. They ended the existence of the state, resulting in the eli ...

, the town was part of 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 ...

. It lies on the main railroad line which goes from

Lublin Lublin is List of cities and towns in Poland, the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the centre of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin i ...

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 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 f ...

. 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 the former Czerwień Cities/

Red Ruthenia Red Ruthenia, also called Red Rus or Red Russia, is a term used since the Middle Ages for the south-western principalities of Kievan Rus', namely the Principality of Peremyshl and the Duchy of Belz, Principality of Belz. It is closely related to ...

were reintegranted with the

Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland (; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a monarchy in Central Europe during the Middle Ages, medieval period from 1025 until 1385. Background The West Slavs, West Slavic tribe of Polans (western), Polans who lived in what i ...

. It developed due to the location along the San riverway, and received town charter in 1552, due to efforts of a local

nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

, 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 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 of Andrusovo in 1667, comprising the Pol ...

, in early 1656, a cavalry unit of

Stefan Czarniecki Stefan Czarniecki (Polish: of the Łodzia coat of arms, 1599 – 16 February 1665) was a Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Polish szlachta, nobleman, general and military commander. In his career, he rose from a petty nobleman to a magnate hol ...

smashed here a Swedish unit, which guarded King

Charles X Gustav Charles X Gustav, also Carl X Gustav (; 8 November 1622 – 13 February 1660), was King of Sweden from 1654 until his death. He was the son of John Casimir, Count Palatine of Kleeburg, John Casimir, Count Palatine of Palatinate-Kleeburg, Zweib ...

. The King himself narrowly escaped capture by the Poles. Following the

, Rudnik was annexed by the Habsburg Empire, and made part of the province of Galicia. 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 was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at putting an end to Russian occupation of part of Poland and regaining independence. It began on 22 January 1863 and continued until the last i ...

. The town frequently burned, as most of its houses were made of timber. Rudnik was almost completely destroyed during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, when Austrian and Russian armies fought in the town and its area for six weeks. In 1918, Poland regained independence and control of the town. In the

interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...

, it was administratively located in the Nisko County in the

Lwów Voivodeship Lwów Voivodeship () was an administrative unit of interwar Poland (1918–1939). Because of the Nazi invasion of Poland in accordance with the secret Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, it became occupied by both the Wehrmacht and the Red Army in Septem ...

. According to the 1921 census, it had a population of 2,959, 73.1% Polish and 26.6%

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 ...

. Following the 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 September 1939, the town was occupied by Germany from 1939 to 1944.

Jews of Rudnik

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 Poland, Polish Nobility, noble and aristocratic family (''szlachta''). Because Polish adjectives have different forms for the genders, Tarnowska is the form for a female family member. ...

(19th century), *

work Centre *

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

monument of St.

John of Nepomuk John of Nepomuk (or John Nepomucene) (; ; ) ( 1345 – 20 March 1393) was a saint of Bohemia (a western part of what is now the Czech Republic) who was drowned in the Vltava river at the behest of King Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia. Later accounts st ...

, * World War I cemetery * Holy Trinity church (1927–1928) * World War II memorials

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 of t ...

and the founding ''

rebbe A Rebbe () or Admor () is the spiritual leader in the Hasidic movement, and the personalities of its dynasties.Heilman, Samuel"The Rebbe and the Resurgence of Orthodox Judaism."''Religion and Spirituality (Audio)''. UCTV, 20 Oct 2011. web. ...

'' of the Sanz-Klausenberg

Hasidic Hasidism () or Hasidic Judaism is a religious movement within Judaism that arose in the 18th century as a spiritual revival movement in contemporary Western Ukraine before spreading rapidly throughout Eastern Europe. Today, most of those aff ...

dynasty, * Julian Krzewicki, major of the

Home Army The Home Army (, ; abbreviated AK) was the dominant resistance movement in German-occupied Poland during World War II. The Home Army was formed in February 1942 from the earlier Związek Walki Zbrojnej (Armed Resistance) established in the ...

, arrested by the Communist government in the 1950s.

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Rudnik nad Sanem, is twinned with:

References

Notes

External links

Official town webpage
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Subcarpathian Voivodeship Nisko County Populated riverside places in Poland Historic Jewish communities in Poland