Skierniewice () is a city in 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 45,184 inhabitants (2023), situated in the

Łódź Voivodeship Łódź Voivodeship ( ) is a Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship (province) of Poland. The province is named after its capital and largest city, Łódź, pronounced . Łódź Voivodeship is bordered by six other voivodeships: Masovian Voivodeship ...

. It is the capital of Skierniewice County. Through the town runs the small river Łupia, also called Skierniewka. Located in the historic region of

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

, Skierniewice dates back to the

medieval period In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

. It prospered as a local trade center with annual fairs and engaged in domestic and international trade. In the 17th and 18th centuries it hosted the residence of the Primates of Poland, and was home of leading

Polish Enlightenment The ideas of the Age of Enlightenment in Poland were developed later than in Western Europe, as the Polish bourgeoisie was weaker, and szlachta (nobility) culture (Sarmatism) together with the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth political system (Gol ...

poet

Ignacy Krasicki Ignacy Błażej Franciszek Krasicki (3 February 173514 March 1801), from 1766 Prince-Bishop of Warmia (in German, ''Ermland'') and from 1795 Archbishop of Gniezno (thus, Primate of Poland), was Poland's leading Polish Enlightenment, Enlightenment ...

. Skierniewice is known as the "Polish Capital of

Horticultural Horticulture (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and mo ...

Sciences" with local tradition of horticultural studies dating back to 1922. It hosts the annual Skierniewice Festival of Flowers, Fruits and Vegetables. It is a railway junction, located on the main railway line almost exactly halfway between the two largest cities of central Poland,

Łódź Łódź is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located south-west of Warsaw. Łódź has a population of 655,279, making it the country's List of cities and towns in Polan ...

and

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

Early history

The oldest known mention of Skierniewice comes from 1359, although it had existed earlier. A palace of the archbishops of Gniezno already existed in the village at that time. Skierniewice gained municipal rights in 1457 and was vested with various privileges in 1456–1458. Administratively it was part of the Rawa Voivodeship of the Greater Poland Province 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 ...

. Skierniewice was located on a

trade route A trade route is a logistical network identified as a series of pathways and stoppages used for the commercial transport of cargo. The term can also be used to refer to trade over land or water. Allowing goods to reach distant markets, a singl ...

connecting major Polish cities

Toruń Toruń is a city on the Vistula River in north-central Poland and a World Heritage Sites of Poland, UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its population was 196,935 as of December 2021. Previously, it was the capital of the Toruń Voivodeship (1975–199 ...

and

Lwów Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

. Local merchants also participated in trade with

Gdańsk Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...

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

Podolia Podolia or Podillia is a historic region in Eastern Europe located in the west-central and southwestern parts of Ukraine and northeastern Moldova (i.e. northern Transnistria). Podolia is bordered by the Dniester River and Boh River. It features ...

, as well as German states. One yearly

fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Fairs showcase a wide range of go ...

took place since 1457, in 1527 King

Sigismund I the Old Sigismund I the Old (, ; 1 January 1467 – 1 April 1548) was List of Polish monarchs, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1506 until his death in 1548. Sigismund I was a member of the Jagiellonian dynasty, the son of Casimir IV of P ...

established a second fair, and in 1641 the

Sejm The Sejm (), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (), is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Poland. The Sejm has been the highest governing body of the Third Polish Republic since the Polish People' ...

established two more fairs. The town suffered in the 18th-century as a result of 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 ...

and epidemics, and in 1793 it was annexed by

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

in the

Second Partition of Poland The 1793 Second Partition of Poland was the second of partitions of Poland, three partitions (or partial annexations) that ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth by 1795. The second partition (politics), partition occurred i ...

Late modern period

Regained by

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 ...

as part of the short-lived

Duchy of Warsaw The Duchy of Warsaw (; ; ), also known as the Grand Duchy of Warsaw and Napoleonic Poland, was a First French Empire, French client state established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1807, during the Napoleonic Wars. It initially comprised the ethnical ...

in 1806, in 1815 it became part of so-called

Congress Poland Congress Poland or Congress Kingdom of Poland, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland, was a polity created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna as a semi-autonomous Polish state, a successor to Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw. It was established w ...

and fell to the

Russian Partition The Russian Partition (), sometimes called Russian Poland, constituted the former territories of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that were annexed by the Russian Empire in the course of late-18th-century Partitions of Poland. The Russian ac ...

. In 1845 the Warsaw-Vienna Railway was opened, which passed through Skierniewice. Subjected to anti-Polish and

Russification Russification (), Russianisation or Russianization, is a form of cultural assimilation in which non-Russians adopt Russian culture and Russian language either voluntarily or as a result of a deliberate state policy. Russification was at times ...

policies, many inhabitants took part in the unsuccessful Polish

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 ...

in 1863 and in 1905–1906 Polish protests took place in the town. On September 15, 1884 it was the setting for the meeting of the Three Emperors' League. 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 ...

it was occupied by

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, and after the war, in 1918, it became part of the re-established Polish state. According to the 1921 census, the town's population was 74.6% Polish and 25.3%

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 ...

. In 1922, the Department of Vegetable Cultivation of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences was established in Skierniewice, starting the local tradition of

horticultural Horticulture (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and mo ...

studies. In 1926, the Department of Pomology was founded.

World War II

During the

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 marked the beginning of

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 Germans raided the town, bombing the railway station, as well as houses, the hospital and a church during a church service. Around 150 people were killed, and another 200 were wounded, 100 buildings were destroyed. Captured by the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

on September 10, 1939, the next day German troops carried out an execution of 60 Poles in the town (see ''

Nazi crimes against the Polish nation War crime, Crimes against the Polish nation committed by Nazi Germany and Axis powers, Axis collaborationist forces during the invasion of Poland, along with Schutzmannschaft#Police battalions, auxiliary battalions during the subsequent occu ...

''). On September 11–12,

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

visited the town. During the occupation, the Germans established a transit camp for Polish prisoners of war, later deported to

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

, and a

ghetto A ghetto is a part of a city in which members of a minority group are concentrated, especially as a result of political, social, legal, religious, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished than other ...

for 6,900 Jews, later deported to the

Warsaw Ghetto The Warsaw Ghetto (, officially , ; ) was the largest of the Nazi ghettos during World War II and the Holocaust. It was established in November 1940 by the Nazi Germany, German authorities within the new General Government territory of Occupat ...

and

Nazi concentration camps From 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany operated more than a thousand concentration camps (), including subcamp (SS), subcamps on its own territory and in parts of German-occupied Europe. The first camps were established in March 1933 immediately af ...

. The Germans executed over 200 people in the town, however, the Polish underground resistance movement still operated there. Resistance activities included sabotage actions, secret Polish education and the assassination of a German

V-2 rocket The V2 (), with the technical name ''Aggregat (rocket family), Aggregat-4'' (A4), was the world's first long-range missile guidance, guided ballistic missile. The missile, powered by a liquid-propellant rocket engine, was developed during the S ...

expert. In 1941, expelled Poles from Kwiatkowo and Linne, were deported to Skierniewice. In May 1944, the Stalag 319

prisoner-of-war camp A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured as Prisoner of war, prisoners of war by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, inte ...

for Allied POWs of various nationalities was relocated from

Chełm Chełm (; ; ) is a city in eastern Poland in the Lublin Voivodeship with 60,231 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is located to the south-east of Lublin, north of Zamość and south of Biała Podlaska, some from the border with Ukraine. The ...

to Skierniewice, and then eventually dissolved in August 1944. Afterwards the Dulag 142 transit camp was based in the city, and about 3,000 Poles captured during 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 ...

passed through it. The head of the Department of Pomology, Professor Włodzimierz Gorjaczkowski, was murdered by the Germans in Warsaw in 1944. After the Warsaw Uprising, many Polish professors from Warsaw found refuge in Skierniewice. Before evacuation, the Germans looted the library and some of the equipment of the institutions of horticultural sciences. On January 17, 1945, Skierniewice was captured by Soviet forces. On January 18, a general meeting of 13 Warsaw University of Life Sciences professors was held in Skierniewice, at which the situation of the university was discussed and a rector was elected.

Post-war period

The new Institute of Pomology, Institute of Cultivation, Fertilization and Soil Science and Institute of Olericulture were founded in the city in 1951, 1957 and 1964, respectively, and then merged into the Institute of Horticulture in 2010.

Sights

Among the historic sights of Skierniewice are: * former Episcopal Palace complex with the ''Park Miejski'' ("Municipal Park") ** Palace Gate, housing the Association for the Tradition of the 26th Skierniewice Infantry Division of the Polish Army () * churches of Saint James and Saint Stanislaus * Market Square (''Rynek'') with the Town Hall (''Ratusz'') * Chamber of the History of Skierniewice () at the former house of

Konstancja Gładkowska Konstancja Gładkowska (1810–1889) was a Polish soprano. Frédéric Chopin at age 19, while studying at the Warsaw School of Music (now the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw), fell in love with Gładkowska. She admired many early work ...

, teenage love of

Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period who wrote primarily for Piano solo, solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown ...

* Skierniewice railway station * Roundhouse Skierniewice * other historic buildings and structures, including the Kozłowski Villa, now housing the Wedding Palace, and the County Office 1. Instytut Ogrodnictwa w Skierniewicach.jpg, Episcopal Palace Skierniewice zespol palacowy kuchnia.jpg, Kitchen building of the Episcopal Palace complex Park Miejski w Skierniewicach.jpg, Park Miejski Skierniewice ul Senatorska 1.jpg, One of the streets of the town centre with historic townhouses and the Saint James church Skierniewice dom sejmikowy.jpg, County office Skierniewice is also next to Bolimów Landscape Park, a large park that attracts tourists for hiking, camping, and kayaking.https://parkilodzkie.pl/bpk

Education

* Wyższa Szkoła Ekonomiczno-Humanistyczna * State Higher Vocational School in Skierniewice

Sports

and football clubs are based in Skierniewice.

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Skierniewice is twinned with:

Notable people

Notable people connected with the Skierniewice region: *

(1735–1801), Roman Catholic archbishop and a writer * Jan Kozietulski (1781–1821), military commander of the armed forces of the

(1810–1849), composer and pianist *

(1810–1889), Polish soprano, teenage love of Frédéric Chopin * Władysław Reymont (1867–1925), novelist,

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...

Winner for Literature * Edward Okuń (1872–1945), Polish Art Nouveau painter and freemason * Stanisław Witkowski (1883–1957), officer, engineer and military industry organiser in the

Polish Army The Land Forces () are the Army, land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 110,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military histor ...

* Aleksander Narbut-Łuczyński (1890–1977), Polish lawyer and military officer * Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine (1895–1903), German princess *

Szczepan Pieniążek Szczepan Aleksander Pieniążek (1913–2008) was a Polish pomologist, professor of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences, and a vice-president of the Polish Academy of Sciences. He was a pioneer in Polish horticulture, which was in need of ...

(1913–2008), pomologist * Itshak Holtz (1925–2018), Jewish genre artist *

Aleksandra Śląska Aleksandra Śląska (4 November 1925 – 18 September 1989) was a Polish film actress. She appeared in 18 films between 1948 and 1983. Born in Katowice, Upper Silesia, she left for Warsaw after World War II. She was buried in the Powązki Cemet ...

(1925–1989), film actress * Lech Mackiewicz (born 1960) film director, actor and playwright * Tamara Arciuch (born 1975), actress * Monika Mularczyk (born 1980), football referee * Grzegorz Gajewski (born 1985), chess grandmaster

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{Authority control Cities and towns in Łódź Voivodeship City counties of Poland Populated riverside places in Poland Sites of Nazi war crimes during the Invasion of Poland Sites of World War II massacres of Poles Holocaust locations in Poland