Legionowo is a city in
Masovia ( pl, Mazowsze), east-central
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
.
Location
Legionowo is located to the north-east of the center of
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...
and only to the south of
Zegrze Reservoir
The Zegrze Reservoir (or Zegrze Lake, in Polish officially ''Jezioro Zegrzyńskie'', unofficially ''Zalew Zegrzyński'') is a man-made reservoir in Poland, located just north of Warsaw, on the lower course of the Narew river. It is formed by ...
( or ), near the Warsaw-
Gdańsk
Gdańsk ( , also ; ; csb, Gduńsk;Stefan Ramułt, ''Słownik języka pomorskiego, czyli kaszubskiego'', Kraków 1893, Gdańsk 2003, ISBN 83-87408-64-6. , Johann Georg Theodor Grässe, ''Orbis latinus oder Verzeichniss der lateinischen Benen ...
railroad and Warsaw-
Suwałki
Suwałki ( lt, Suvalkai; yi, סואוואַלק) is a city in northeastern Poland with a population of 69,206 (2021). It is the capital of Suwałki County and one of the most important centers of commerce in the Podlaskie Voivodeship. Suwałki ...
road.
Situated in the
Masovian Voivodeship
The Masovian Voivodeship, also known as the Mazovia Province ( pl, województwo mazowieckie ) is a voivodeship (province) in east-central Poland, with its capital located in the city of Warsaw, which also serves as the capital of the country. Th ...
(, created in 1999 as a result of Local Government Reorganization Act), previously in
Warsaw Voivodeship ( or , 1975–1998) and old Masovian Voivodeship (before 1975). Currently this is the capital of
Legionowo County (, which is one of 38 land counties () in Masovian Voivodeship.
Adjoining counties
(from north, clockwise):
Pułtusk County,
Wyszków County,
Wołomin County,
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...
,
Warsaw West County,
Nowy Dwór County.
Education
There are four high schools in the town of which three are public and one is private faith-based.
Higher education is only currently represented by a police training academy. Between 2001 and 2006 a private ''Economic-Technical College'' ( pl, Wyższa Szkoła Ekonomiczno-Techniczna) was present in the town.
History
* Legionowo's history dates back to 1877, when Jabłonna Nowa (New Jabłonna) rail station was built. The name comes from
Jabłonna, the nearby village, where in 1774-1779 Bishop Michał Poniatowski (brother of
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
's last king,
Stanisław Poniatowski) built his palace Jabłonna Palace ( pl, Pałac w Jabłonnie) - now owned by the
Polish Academy of Sciences
The Polish Academy of Sciences ( pl, Polska Akademia Nauk, PAN) is a Polish state-sponsored institution of higher learning. Headquartered in Warsaw, it is responsible for spearheading the development of science across the country by a society o ...
.
* In 1892, the Russian army barracks (''koszary carskie'') were built near the railroad station () and a local garrison of the Russian army was stationed there, as a part of Warsaw Stronghold Region (), until the beginning of World War I, when this region was occupied by the German troops.
* In 1912, Legionowo is given a city rights ().
* In 1919, Jabłonna Nowa was renamed as Legionowo to honour
Polish Legions (''Legiony Polskie'').
* Ca. 1920 Institute of Aerology (currently Aerology Centre within Institute of Meteorology and Water Administration, ) was opened.
* During the Battle for Warsaw () in August 1920, from barracks in Legionowo, General
Żeligowski led the 10th Infantry Division () to
Radzymin, which helped to save Warsaw from the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...
.
* In 1922, the Aviotex balloon and parachute factory, which also produced tents and other camping equipment (e.g. sleeping bags), opened in Legionowo.
* After 1925, Legionowo became a summer resort for inhabitants of Warsaw, as by that time, it was a wooded and unpolluted area.
* Between World War I and World War II, narrow-gauge railroad line connected Legionowo with Warsaw, going through
Jabłonna.
* In 1930, Legionowo became a commune ().
* During World War II, a ward of Stalag 368 (german: Stammlager, a prison camp for lower officers and soldiers) in
Beniaminowo and a ghetto were located in Legionowo.
* During World War II, in 1944, Legionowo took part in
Warsaw uprising
The Warsaw Uprising ( pl, powstanie warszawskie; german: Warschauer Aufstand) was a major World War II operation by the Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from German occupation. It occurred in the summer of 1944, and it was led ...
, as so-called District 7: Collar (). During the first week of August 1944, Legionowo was a place of regular fights between German troops and Polish rebels. After a week or so, Germans put down the uprising and several Poles were executed in one of the military shelters near the railroad line.
* After World War II, there was a brick factory (), now non-existent.
* In the 1950s, the standard-gauge railroad line was electrified.
* In the late 1960s, a narrow-gauge railroad line was closed and in the early 1970s, the tracks were removed. The terminus and depot buildings remain, currently in private use.
* In the 1960s, the first 4-storey blocks of flats were built. In the 1970s and 1980s, three large groups of flats (4-storey and 11-storey) were built.
* In 1977, a tinware factory "Bistyp" was opened.
* In the early 1980s, a house factory was built near Legionowo, which made prefabricated elements for blocks of flats built in the region. The factory is now closed.
* In August 1990, the Police Training Centre (), one of two such institutions in Poland, was opened.
* After the big flood in southern parts of Poland in 1997, the Aerology Institute was equipped with
Doppler meteorological
radar
Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, Marine radar, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor v ...
, able to scan about a fifth of Poland's area for storm and rain clouds. It is now part of SMOK (The Hydrological and Meteorological Monitoring Forecasting and Protection System, Polish: ''System Monitoringu i Osłony Kraju'').
* In 2012, Legionowo hosted the Greek football team during the
Euro 2012
The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th European Championship for men's national football teams organised by UEFA. The final tournament, held between 8 June and 1 ...
football competition.
Railway station
One of the things to be found in Legionowo is the Legionowo railway station. As of 2011, it is served by
Koleje Mazowieckie
Masovian Railways, in Polish Koleje Mazowieckie, is a regional rail operator in the Masovian Voivodeship of Poland.
History
The company was founded in 2004 as a joint venture of the Masovian Voivodeship, with 51% shares, and the, then governmen ...
, who run the KM9 services from
Warszawa Zachodnia or
Warszawa Wola to
Działdowo,
Szybka Kolej Miejska, who run the S9 services from
Warszawa Gdańska to
Wieliszew
Wieliszew is a village in Legionowo County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland, in the bifurcation of the Vistula and Narew Rivers. It is the seat of the gmina (''commune'' or ''municipality'' as administrative district) called Gmina W ...
and by
Tanie Linie Kolejowe by their cross-country services to
Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula, Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland un ...
,
Kołobrzeg
Kołobrzeg ( ; csb, Kòlbrzég; german: Kolberg, ), ; csb, Kòlbrzég , is a port city in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in north-western Poland with about 47,000 inhabitants (). Kołobrzeg is located on the Parsęta River on the south coast ...
,
Olsztyn
Olsztyn ( , ; german: Allenstein ; Old Prussian: ''Alnāsteini''
* Latin: ''Allenstenium'', ''Holstin'') is a city on the Łyna River in northern Poland. It is the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, and is a city with county rights. ...
,
Bielsko-Biała
Bielsko-Biała (; cs, Bílsko-Bělá, german: Bielitz-Biala, szl, Bjylsko-Bjoło) is a city in southern Poland, with a population of approximately 168,319 as of December 2021, making it the 22nd largest city in Poland, and an area of . It is a ...
,
Gdynia
Gdynia ( ; ; german: Gdingen (currently), (1939–1945); csb, Gdiniô, , , ) is a city in northern Poland and a seaport on the Baltic Sea coast. With a population of 243,918, it is the 12th-largest city in Poland and the second-largest in th ...
and also to
Warszawa Zachodnia.
A major redevelopment of the station has been made between 2014 and 2016 with a large amount of the funding coming from Swiss Contribution. It included a transport hub, a
multi-storey car park
A multistorey car park ( British and Singapore English) or parking garage (American English), also called a multistory, parking building, parking structure, parkade (mainly Canadian), parking ramp, parking deck or indoor parking, is a bui ...
, shops and more.
Sport
The
Legionovia Legionowo association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
team is based at the
local municipal stadium and play in the
fourth division.
A
club of the same name is also one of the top professional women's
volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...
clubs, playing in the
highest division.
The
local arena hosts all the town's indoor sports clubs as well as music, MMA, boxing and other events.
Notable people
*
Ola Jordan (born 1982), Ballroom Dancer
*
Wojciech Lemański (born 1960), a suspended Roman Catholic priest
International relations
Twin towns — Sister cities
Legionowo is
twinned with:
*
Kovel
Kovel (, ; pl, Kowel; yi, קאוולע / קאוולי ) is a city in Volyn Oblast (province), in northwestern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Kovel Raion (district). Population:
Kovel gives its name to one of the oldest ru ...
, Ukraine
*
Sevlievo
Sevlievo ( bg, Севлиево ) is a town in north-central Bulgaria, part of Gabrovo Province. Sevlievo is known as one of the wealthiest towns in Bulgaria owing to the well developed local economy, high employment rate and major foreign inve ...
, Bulgaria
*
Jiujiang
Jiujiang (), formerly transliterated Kiukiang or Kew Keang, is a prefecture-level city located on the southern shores of the Yangtze River in northwest Jiangxi Province, People's Republic of China. It is the second-largest prefecture-level cit ...
, China
*
Carnikava, Latvia
*
Borjomi
Borjomi ( ka, ბორჯომი) is a resort town in south-central Georgia, 160 km from Tbilisi, with a population of 11,122 (2021). It is one of the municipalities of the Samtskhe–Javakheti region and is situated in the northwestern ...
, Georgia
Former twin towns:
*
Rzhev
Rzhev ( rus, Ржев, p=ˈrʐɛf) is a town in Tver Oblast, Russia, located southwest of Staritsa and from Tver, on the highway and railway connecting Moscow and Riga. It is the uppermost town situated on the Volga River. Population:
Histo ...
, Russia (terminated due to the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. A ...
)
Sightseeing
* Russian army barracks, made of red Russian bricks (larger than standard Polish ones)
* Wooden summer resort houses, nowadays some of them located in the centre of Legionowo
* St. Joseph's Church (, ) built in 1945
* Holy Spirit Church () built in years 1979–1985 in place of an old wooden one.
References
External links
Jewish Community in Legionowoon Virtual Shtetl
{{Authority control
Cities and towns in Masovian Voivodeship
Legionowo County