Misplaced Pages

#945054

54-602: Puszcza Biała ( Polish pronunciation: [ˈpuʂt͡ʂa ˈbjawa] , White Wilderness ) is the name given to the forest that extends in Poland from Pułtusk to Ostrów Mazowiecka . It is part of the Mazovian lowlands and consists of small trees, mostly pine. The White Wilderness (Puszcza Biała) is usually associated with the Green Wilderness ( Puszcza Zielona ), and together the two forests are often referred to as

108-691: A meteorite fell in Pułtusk . It was one of the biggest to fall in Europe. Large chunks (9 kg (20 lb) each) were acquired by the British Museum , which has them on display in London . Although, the first Jews settled in the town in the 15th century, the Jewish community only started to flourish in the 19th century after a large influx of Jews. At the start of the 19th century, about 120 Jews lived in

162-461: A privileges of organizing nine grand fairs a year and two small markets a week. The city also gained much profit from exporting wood and grain to Gdańsk , as well as from mead and beer production. In around 1405, the Mayor's House, today known as the "Polonia House" or "Polonia Castle", was constructed. In 1449 a Gothic church was added to the city's facilities. In the 16th century the castle

216-673: A new ship-of-the-line of the French navy was named Pulstuck , to commemorate this battle. This ship of 74 guns of the Téméraire- class was built in Antwerp. Only after the Danish crew of the ship remarked about the spelling of the name, this was corrected to Pultusk, with an icy comment from the emperor that "the French people didn't know their victories." After the fall of the French empire

270-530: A result of the fragmentation of Poland after the death of Polish monarch Bolesław III Wrymouth , in 1138 the Duchy of Mazovia was established, and during the 12th and 13th centuries it joined temporarily various adjacent lands and endured invasions of Prussians , Yotvingians , and Ruthenians . To protect its northern section Conrad I of Mazovia called in the Teutonic Knights in 1226 and granted them

324-552: Is Pałac Kultury i Nauki . Masovia also boasts 11 Historic Monuments of Poland : Historical monuments elsewhere include the manor house in Żelazowa Wola where composer Frédéric Chopin was born and his museum is located nowadays. Płock, once the seat of the Mazovian princes, and Łowicz , the residence of the archbishops of Gniezno , are noted for their cathedrals . There are also palaces and parks in Nieborów and Arkadia,

378-460: Is Płock , where large petrochemical plants PKN Orlen operate. The rest of Mazovia belongs to the poorest parts of Poland. In agriculture the most typical Mazovian crops are potatoes and rye , but the most popular (as in the whole of Poland) is wheat. Others are barley , sugar beets , fruits (with their biggest Polish basin in the south of the region), and vegetables. Pigs are commonly bred, often also cows and chickens. Kampinos National Park

432-550: Is a historical region in mid-north-eastern Poland . It spans the North European Plain , roughly between Łódź and Białystok , with Warsaw being the unofficial capital and largest city. Throughout the centuries, Mazovia developed a separate sub-culture featuring diverse folk songs, architecture, dress and traditions different from those of other Poles . Historical Mazovia existed from the Middle Ages until

486-579: Is no specific regional cuisine of Mazovia. Formerly, dairy foods dominated the peasant cuisine. Nobles used poultry, geese, chickens and ducks. The most separate Mazovian culinary regions are Kurpie and Łowicz , where traditional dishes survive to the present day. In Kurpie, traditional dishes are prepared with ingredients collected in the forest: berries, honey and mushrooms. There are several traditional Polish dishes like flaki (tripes), kluski (noodles and dumplings), which are prepared in different way than in other parts of Poland. Mazovian Voivodeship

540-768: Is one of Poland's largest national parks and is popular with tourists making day trips from Warsaw to hike among the park's primeval forests, sand dunes, and marshland. The main cultural centre of the region, and, alongside Kraków , in all of Poland, is Warsaw, which is home to dozens of theatres, the National Philharmonic, the National Opera House, the National Library, the National Museum, Centrum Nauki Kopernik , Muzeum Powstania Warszawskiego , Temple of Divine Providence , and

594-617: Is ranked decidedly first in Poland according to the Gross Domestic Product . This is thanks to Warsaw, which is a financial centre of East-Central Europe . The majority of state enterprises are headquartered in this metropolis . It is a hub for both rail and vehicular traffic, with access throughout Poland and across Europe. Warsaw Chopin Airport is the nation's busiest. There are many branches of industry and services well developed in this city. The other economical center

SECTION 10

#1732797783946

648-593: The Chełmno Land as a fief. After the reunification of the Polish state by Władysław I in the early 14th century, Mazovia became its fief in 1351. In the second half of 15th century western Mazovia and in 1526/1529 the main part (with its capital in Warsaw) was incorporated into the Polish state. In the 15th century the eastern part of the region ( Łomża ) was settled, mainly by the yeomanry ( drobna szlachta ). Mazovia

702-659: The Far North . Numerous sites were looted . The Palmiry massacres carried out by Nazi Germany in the village of Palmiry near Warsaw, were one of the largest massacres of Poles committed during the Intelligenzaktion and AB-Aktion , whereas many Poles from north-eastern Mazovia were among the victims of the Soviet-perpetrated Katyn massacre . Despite such circumstances, the Polish resistance

756-621: The Masurians , who since the Late Middle Ages settled in neighboring southern Prussia , a region later called Masuria , where they converted to Protestantism in the Reformation era, thus leaving Catholicism , to which their relatives from Mazovia still adhered. The borders of contemporary Mazovian Voivodeship (province), which was created in 1999, do not exactly reflect the original size of Mazovia, as they do not include

810-1043: The Modlin Fortress , castles in Czersk , Pułtusk , Ciechanów , Opinogóra , Rawa Mazowiecka , Sochaczew and Liw , as well as churches in Niepokalanów , Góra Kalwaria , Warka , Skierniewice , Czerwińsk , Wyszogród , Zakroczym , Szreńsk , Przasnysz , Ostrołęka , Łomża , Szczuczyn , Wizna , Brok , Zuzela , Rostkowo , and Boguszyce . Interesting folklore is found in the subregion of Kurpie ; another skansen has been established in Sierpc . Successful sports teams in Masovia include association football teams Legia Warsaw , Polonia Warsaw and Wisła Płock , basketball teams Polonia Warsaw , Legia Warsaw and Znicz Pruszków , and handball teams Wisła Płock and KS Warszawianka . The following table lists

864-694: The Sanctuary of Blessed Jerzy Popiełuszko . Warsaw has many magnificent historic buildings and monuments, including those in the Old Town and the New Town, both of which were almost completely demolished during World War II but were meticulously restored and were designated UNESCO World Heritage sites in 1980. Several important edifices has been built at the adjacent street Krakowskie Przedmieście . There are also royal palaces and gardens of Łazienki and Wilanów . The most interesting building from post-war period

918-700: The Soviet Red Army were killed. As a result of the battle, approximately 85% of the city was destroyed. On September 7, 1939, the city became under the control of Nazi Germany . On September 27, the Germans deported most of the Jews to concentration camps. Some eventually made their way to the Soviet border but many died in the camps. In the 21st century, descendants of Pułtusk Jewry are found mainly in Israel ,

972-773: The United States , Canada , and Argentina . In 1950, a rail line connecting Pułtusk with Nasielsk Railway Station was built. In 1975, the Science Center of the Mazovian Center for Scientific Research was opened in the town. In 1993, Pułtusk hosted the first ever biennial meeting of the World International Advisory Committee of UNESCO 's Memory of the World Programme to discuss and inscribe items onto

1026-648: The Wehrmacht and incorporated into Nazi Germany . Already on September 12–13, 1939, the Einsatzgruppe V entered the town to commit atrocities against the population . Nazi Germany operated a police prison, court prison and forced labour camp in the town. The German police carried out executions of Poles in the local prison in November and December 1939. During the German occupation , approximately 50% of

1080-468: The metropolis of Warsaw ). Inhabited by the various Lechitic West Slavic tribes, Vistula Veneti and with other people who had settled here such as the Wielbark people. The historical region of Mazovia ( Mazowsze ) in the beginning encompassed only the territories on the right bank of Vistula near Płock and had strong connections with Greater Poland (through Włocławek and Kruszwica ). In

1134-570: The partitions of Poland and consisted of three voivodeships with the capitals in Warsaw , Płock and Rawa . The main city of the region was Płock , which was even capital of Poland from 1079 to 1138; however, in Early Modern Times Płock lost its importance to Warsaw, which became the capital of Poland. From 1138, Mazovia was governed by a separate branch of the Piast dynasty and when

SECTION 20

#1732797783946

1188-612: The 11th century onwards, the town belonged to the bishops of Płock . Due to a ford on the river located nearby, Pułtusk became an important centre of trade and commerce. It received its civic charter in 1257, modelled after that of Chełmno ( Kulm Law ). In 1440 an academy was founded in the town, and it became one of the most influential schools of higher education in the Polish Kingdom. Among its professors were Jakub Wujek and Piotr Skarga . By 1595 there were more than 600 students, and their number reached 900 by 1696. The town

1242-656: The Germans handed over north-eastern Mazovia with Łomża and Zambrów to the Soviet Union in accordance with the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact . Under German occupation , the population was subjected to mass arrests, executions, expulsions and deportations to forced labour , concentration camps and Nazi ghettos , whereas under Soviet occupation the population was subjected to mass arrests, executions, deportation to forced labour in Siberia , Central Asia and

1296-756: The Holocaust . In the winter of 1942–1943, the Germans buried some 300 kidnapped Polish children from another region of occupied Poland in the Łąck forests, after the children froze to death in a freight train . Since 1943, the Sicherheitspolizei also carried out deportations of Poles including teenage boys from Płock and Łomża to the Stutthof concentration camp . Germany operated several prisoner-of-war camps , including Oflag 73, Stalag 319, Stalag 324, Stalag 333 and Stalag 368 with several subcamps, for Polish, Italian , Soviet and Romanian POWs in

1350-545: The Kurpie Forest ( Puszcza Kurpiowska ) because the two forests were populated by inhabitants who, over the centuries of isolation, developed a unique culture of their own, called Kurpie . Pu%C5%82tusk Pułtusk is one of the oldest townships in Poland, having received city rights from Duke Siemowit I of Masovia in 1257. Throughout the 15th and 17th centuries, the settlement was a significant economic centre of Masovia . The favourable geographical placement of

1404-541: The Register. Currently Pułtusk is one of the most picturesque towns of Masovia . Located on the Narew river, it is one of the most popular weekend places for residents of Warsaw. Points of interest include: The local football club is Nadnarwianka Pułtusk . It competes in the lower leagues. Pułtusk is twinned with: Masovia Mazovia or Masovia ( Polish : Mazowsze [maˈzɔfʂɛ] )

1458-568: The Russians captured the town, and then they massacred captured Polish soldiers. On August 17, the Polish 9th Infantry Division recaptured the town. In the interbellum the Polish 13th Infantry Regiment was stationed in Pułtusk. In 1931 the town had some 16,800 inhabitants. As a result of the German invasion of Poland , which started World War II in September 1939, Pułtusk was occupied by

1512-635: The Swedish army, which looted and destroyed it. After the Partitions of Poland , the town was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia . The Polish forces of General Antoni Madaliński stationed in Pułtusk in 1794 declined to obey Prussian orders and started their march towards Kraków . This marked the start of the Kościuszko Uprising . Prussian rule lasted only a few years. Another Battle of Pułtusk

1566-531: The city's inhabitants, mostly Jews, were expelled or deported, some to Nazi concentration camps . In 1941-1945 it was renamed in German as Ostenburg , to erase traces of Polish origin. On December 17, 1942, the Gestapo carried out a public execution of four members of the Home Army , the leading Polish resistance organization . In the battle for Pułtusk during later World War II , over 16,000 soldiers of

1620-461: The city. Others lived in shtetls outside the city. Throughout the 19th century, though, the Jewish population increased rapidly to nearly 7,000 in the mid-19th century as a result of Russian discriminatory policies and the expulsion of Jews from Russia to Russian-controlled Congress Poland (see Pale of Settlement ). The great fire in 1875 destroyed most of the city. It was depicted by Nobel Laureate Henryk Sienkiewicz in his novel Quo Vadis as

1674-523: The great fire of Rome . By the year 1900, around 6,000 Jews lived in Pułtusk. Many had migrated to nearby Warsaw before and after World War I . Others emigrated to the United States . Following the war, the Jewish population rose to about 7,500 and accounted for roughly half of the total population of the town. During the First World War Pultusk was the scene of another battle on 13 July 1915 when German forces attempted to cross

Puszcza Biała - Misplaced Pages Continue

1728-548: The historically Mazovian cities of Łomża and Łowicz , but include the historically Lesser Polish cities of Radom and Siedlce . Mazovia has a landscape without hills (in contrast to Lesser Poland ) and without lakes (in contrast to Greater Poland ). It is spread over the Mazovian Lowland , on both sides of the Vistula river and its confluence with Narew and Bug . Forests (mainly coniferous) cover one-fifth of

1782-516: The larger Greater Poland Province . The Polish- Lithuanian Union of Lublin (1569) established Mazovia as the central region of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth , with Warsaw rising to prominence as the seat of the state legislature ( sejm ). In 1596 King Sigismund III Vasa moved the Polish capital from Kraków to Warsaw . During the 17th and 18th centuries Swedish, Transylvanian, Saxon, and Russian invasions wreaked havoc on

1836-706: The last Polish anti-communist partisans, Stanisław Marchewka  [ pl ] , killed by the communists in Jeziorko in 1957. Particularly large anti-communist protest occurred in the region in 1976 . During and following the Korean War , in 1951–1959, Poland admitted 200 North Korean orphans in Gołotczyzna and Otwock in Mazovia. Those times Warsaw Voivodeship was still roughly similar to historical Mazovia and used to be informally called so, but in 1975 it

1890-560: The last ruler of the independent Duchy of Mazovia died, it was fully incorporated to the Polish Crown in 1526. During the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth over 20% of Mazovian population was categorized as petty nobility . Between 1816 and 1844, the Mazovian Governorate was established, which encompassed the south of the region along with Łęczyca Land and south-eastern Kuyavia . The former inhabitants of Mazovia are

1944-405: The most important defensive forts in northern Masovia against the attacks of Old Prussians and Lithuanians . According to a legend, the town initially was known as Tusk ; however, after a flood that destroyed half of the city, it was renamed as Pułtusk ( Pół- or puł- being a Polish prefix for a half). Most historians believe that it was named after a small river known as Pełta . From

1998-543: The period of the rule of the first Polish monarchs of the Piast dynasty , Płock was one of their seats, and on the Cathedral Hill (Wzgórze Tumskie) they raised palatium . In the period 1037–1047 it was the capital of the independent, Mazovian state of Masław . Between 1079 and 1138 this city was de facto the capital of Poland . Since 1075 it has been the seat of the Diocese of Płock encompassing northern Mazovia;

2052-484: The region, with the large Kampinos Forest , Puszcza Biała and Puszcza Zielona . In the north Mazovia borders on the Masurian subregion of former Prussia , in the east on Podlachia , in the south on Lesser Poland and in the west on Greater Poland (subregions of Łęczyca Land , Kujawy and Dobrzyń Land ). The area of Mazovia is 33,500 km . It has population of 5 million (3 million of them inhabit

2106-514: The region. The population of Warsaw decreased sharply as a result of executions, the extermination of the city's Jews, the deaths of some 200,000 inhabitants during the Warsaw Uprising of 1944, and the deportation of the city's left-bank population following the uprising. Some 40,000–50,000 Poles were murdered in the Wola massacre alone, one of the largest massacres of Poles. Shortly after

2160-533: The region. In 1793 western Mazovia, and two years later the rest of the region were annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia in the Second and Third Partitions of Poland, while the south-eastern portion was annexed by Austria . In 1807 it became part of the Duchy of Warsaw . In 1815 the region was incorporated into the Congress Kingdom of Poland , which was dependent on Russia . In the 19th century Mazovia

2214-521: The river Narew at Pułtusk. The 40th Infantry Division and the 50th Infantry Division of the imperial Russian Army successfully prevented them. The town was reintegrated with Poland, when the country regained independence following World War I in 1918. During the Polish-Soviet War , it was fiercely defended by Poles on August 9–10, 1920, at the eve of the Battle of Warsaw . On August 13,

Puszcza Biała - Misplaced Pages Continue

2268-469: The ship was transferred to the new Dutch navy and named Waterloo (I) . During the November Uprising , the town changed hands several times. In 1831 Russian forces were carrying a cholera epidemic when they entered the town, resulting in high fatalities. Pułtusk inhabitants took part also in the January Uprising . Afterwards the town was utterly destroyed and Russian officials sent many prominent citizens to Siberia and internal exile. On 30 January 1868

2322-409: The south formed the archdeaconate of Czersk belonging to Poznań , and the Duchy of Łowicz was part of the Archdiocese of Gniezno (this division remained as long as until the Partitions of Poland ). During the 9th century Mazovia was perhaps inhabited by the tribe of Mazovians , and it was incorporated into the Polish state in the second half of 10th century under the Piast ruler Mieszko I . As

2376-408: The town on the Narew, along which goods were transported to the port of Gdańsk on the Baltic Sea , contributed to the town's importance. Pułtusk was also the site of notable events, such as the Napoleon's 1806 battle , and the world's largest meteorite shower to date in 1868, among others. The town has existed since at least the 10th century. In the Middle Ages , the Castle in Pułtusk was one of

2430-474: The town was visited by many notable individuals, such as King Sigismund III Vasa , and poets Jan Kochanowski and Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski . On 21 April 1703 during the Great Northern War , a decisive battle was fought in Pułtusk , where the Swedish army under Charles XII defeated and captured a large part of the Saxon army under Graf von Steinau . Although the town and the castle were initially conquered by Polish forces, they were later recaptured by

2484-431: The uprising, Adolf Hitler ordered German troops to destroy the city . In 1944–1945, the region was occupied by the Soviet Red Army , and gradually restored to Poland, although with a Soviet-installed communist regime, which then stayed in power until the Fall of Communism in the 1980s. The rebuilding of the Polish capital was the main task of the postwar period. The Polish resistance remained active, with one of

2538-476: The victorious Battle of Warsaw . During the joint German-Soviet invasion of Poland , which started World War II in September 1939, Mazovia was invaded by the German Army, and the Einsatzgruppen IV and V followed to commit various crimes against Poles . The largest massacres were committed in Zambrów , Śladów and Zakroczym , in which over 200, over 300 and around 600 Polish prisoners of war and civilians were murdered, respectively. On 25–29 September,

2592-516: Was considered underdeveloped in comparison with Greater Poland and Lesser Poland , with the lowest urban population. In the Early Modern Times Mazovia was known for exporting grain, timber, and fur. It was also distinct because there was no reformation here. Mazovia was divided into three voivodeships, each of them divided into lands ( Polish : ziemie , Latin : terrae ), each of them divided into counties ( Polish : powiaty , Latin : districtus ) and all three voivodeships formed part of

2646-402: Was destroyed by Lithuanians in 1262 and 1324. In the 14th century, Pułtusk became the official seat of Płock bishops. The town was again burnt by Lithuanians in 1368, but following the Union of Krewo between Poland and Lithuania , the Lithuanian raids were stopped, and the town quickly recovered. By the 15th century Pułtusk's merchants were among the richest in Poland. The town was granted

2700-400: Was divided into several little voivodeships. However, in 1999 Mazovian Voivodeship was created as one of 16 administrative regions of Poland . The Mazovian language probably existed as a separate dialect until the 20th century. The ethnonym Mazur has given the name for a phonetic phenomenon known as mazurzenie (although it is common in the Lesser Polish dialect as well). There

2754-425: Was fought on 26 December 1806, between forces of Imperial Russia and Imperial France . The battle became so famous that its name is inscribed on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris . After the fall of Warsaw in 1809, Pułtusk became the temporary capital of the Duchy of Warsaw . After the fall of Napoléon Bonaparte , the town became part of so-called Congress Poland within the Russian Partition of Poland. In 1811

SECTION 50

#1732797783946

2808-453: Was organized and active in the region. Following the Operation Barbarossa in 1941, Germany also occupied north-eastern Mazovia. The Warsaw Ghetto was the largest German-established Jewish ghetto in occupied Europe, and other sizeable ghettos in the region were located in Otwock , Płońsk , Łomża and Płock , with the surviving Jews eventually deported by the occupiers to the Treblinka , Auschwitz and other extermination camps during

2862-414: Was rebuilt by several renowned Italian architects, including Giovanni Battista of Venice and Bartolommeo Berrecci , and Giovanni Cini of Siena . Pułtusk was located in the Masovian Voivodeship in the Greater Poland Province of the Polish Crown . In 1530 the first Masovian printing house was opened. In 1566 one of the first public theatres in Poland was established in Pułtusk. In the 16th century

2916-433: Was the site of large Polish uprisings ( November Uprising and January Uprising ) against Russian rule. In that era pre-partition Mazovia was divided among Warsaw , Płock and Augustów (the last one replaced later by Łomża ). Since 1918 Mazovia has been a part of the resurrected Poland, being roughly equivalent to the Warsaw Voivodeship . In 1920, Mazovia was invaded by Soviet Russia , but Poland secured its freedom in

#945054