Mińsk Mazowiecki


Mińsk Mazowiecki "Masovian Minsk" is a town in central Poland with 40,211 inhabitants. It is situated in the Masovian Voivodeship, previously in Siedlce Voivodeship. It is the capital of Mińsk County.

Name

The source of town name - Mińsk - is the Mienia River, which in turn derives from the verb 'mienić', which means 'to shine'. The postnominal adjective 'Mazowiecki' shows the historical connection to Mazovia and distinguishes Mińsk Mazowiecki from the Belarusian capital of Minsk.

Location

Mińsk Mazowiecki is located geographically in South Podlasie, historically in East Mazovia and administratively in the eastern part of Masovian Voivodeship, east from Warsaw's Center.

Timeline of history

  • XIV century – first mentions of a settlement with commercial function
  • 1421, 29th May – Mińsk was granted town privileges by Janusz I of Warsaw
  • 1422 – first wooden church was built
  • 1549 – a second town Sendomierz, later merged with Mińsk, was located on the other side of Srebrna River
  • 1629 – the present church opened
  • 1695 – Sendomierz joined to Mińsk
  • XVIII century – gradual decline of Mińsk connected with gradual decline of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
  • 1795–1809 – under Austrian rule as a result of the Third Partition of Poland
  • 1809–1815 – in the Duchy of Warsaw
  • 1815–1916 – in the Congress Poland
  • 1866 – Mińsk county established, first train arrival
  • 1867 – name of the town changed to Nowomińsk
  • 1870 – Dernałowicz Family became the last owners of the city
  • 1886 – first bookstore in east Mazovia
  • XX century – found of famous manufacture
  • 1912 – start of Maria Grochowska's School, today this is Polska Macierz Szkolna's High School
  • 1914 – old church opened after reconstruction
  • 1915 – present hospital opened
  • 1915 to 1918, 11 November – German occupation during World War I
  • 1916 – name's change
  • 1920 – briefly occupied by Russians before the Battle of Warsaw during the Polish-Bolshevik War
  • 1920–1939 – great development
  • *1937 – first electric train arrived
  • 1939–1944 – second German occupation
  • *1939, 12 September – German entry
  • *1939, 13 September – battle for Mińsk Mazowiecki
  • *1942, 21 July – liquidation of Mińsk Mazowiecki ghetto. Most of the Jewish residents were sent to the Treblinka death camp
  • *1944, 30 July – liberation by Armia Krajowa
  • 1944, 30–31 July – Soviet liberation
  • 1945, 2–3 March – Soviet killed Mińsk's elite
  • 1952 – trains manufacture
  • 1957 – military garrison
  • 1979 – new train station
  • 1985 – Solidarity events
  • 1990 – first Mayor elected in free elections : Zbigniew Grzesiak
  • 1999 – Mińsk County established

    Jewish history

In 1768 the restrictions on permanent residence for Jewish people in Mińsk had been lifted. From the 19th century to the 1930s it became very popular. Before the Second World War, there were thousands of Jews living in Mińsk and they had a general synagogue and smaller temples.
Soon after the war began, the Germans created the Mińsk Ghetto. It was liquidated on 21 July 1942. Most of the Jews were killed in Treblinka extermination camp sent in Holocaust trains by the thousands. The remaining Jewish population were killed in Mińsk on 10 January 1943 and 5 June.

Monuments

Trade:
  • hypermarket Carrefour
  • supermarkets
  • many other shops
  • market
  • developers
Service:
  • 10 banks
  • fast-foods, pubs and restaurants
  • 3 hotels
  • construction industry
  • car service
  • satellite communication
Industry:
  • ZNTK "Mińsk Mazowiecki" — maintenance and repair of railway rolling stock
  • Fabryka Urządzeń Dźwigowych – production of cranes and other heavy machinery
  • cotton products
  • yachts
  • shoes
  • foil

    Population

Education

  • Józef Majka College of Social Science
  • Stanisław Staszic Lifelong Learning Center
  • University of Third Age
  • Polska Macierz Szkolna Gymnasium and High School
  • Salesian Elementary, Gymnasium and High School
  • Kazimierz Wielki Professional High School
  • Powstańcy Warszawy Professional High School
  • High School of Economy
  • Maria Skłodowska-Curie High School
  • 3 public gymnasiums
  • 4 public elementary schools
  • over 10 preschools
  • special school
  • clinic of psychological and pedagogical help

    Bureaus

  • Regional Bureau of Environmental Protection Inspection
  • Point of Conscription
  • Above Forester Bureau
  • County, city and commune bureaus

    Safety

  • Police Departament of Mińsk County – 2 building in Mińsk, dozens of cars
  • Fire Departament of Mińsk County – quite new fire engines
  • Public Hospital of Mińsk County

    Culture and sports

Culture:
  • House of Culture
  • School of Art
  • 2 libraries
  • 2 museums
  • Cinema
  • Magazines
Sport:
  • Miejski Ośrodek Sportu i Rekreacji
  • *2 stadiums
  • *Ice rink
  • *Other
  • Mazovia-ZNTK
  • *Football team in local amateur league
  • *Other sports
  • other clubs

    Religions

  • Roman Catholic Church
  • Mariavite Church
  • Baptist
  • Mennonite

    Public transport

  • Train station
  • *Regular service to Warsaw
  • *Direct connections with many cities in Poland, and with Moscow
  • 2 regular bus services to Warsaw

    Lands

Overall:
  • Residential: 30%
  • Industrial: 6%
  • Communication : 15%
  • Agricultural: 29%
  • Parks: 5%
  • Other: 15%

    Historical parts of city

Cities:
  • Mińsk – old town
  • Sendomierz
Estates built as part of Mińsk:
  • Nowe Miasto – Miasto Ogród – New Town – Garden Town
  • Concrete estates built in socialist realism without names
  • Modern estates without names
Villages:
  • Over railroad part of city
  • *Kędzierak
  • *Stankowizna
  • *Anielina
  • Other
  • *Górki
  • *Goździk
  • *Kolonia Stasinów
  • *Pohulanka
  • *Sewerynów

    Military

  • Military police
  • 23rd Air Base with MIG-29 aircraft

    International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Mińsk Mazowiecki is twinned with: