A private town is a town owned by a private person or a family.

History of Private Towns in Poland

In the

history of Poland The history of Poland spans over a thousand years, from medieval tribes, Christianization and monarchy; through Poland's Golden Age, expansionism and becoming one of the largest European powers; to its collapse and partitions, two world wars ...

, private towns (''miasta prywatne'') were towns within the lands owned by

magnates The magnate term, from the late Latin ''magnas'', a great man, itself from Latin ''magnus'', "great", means a man from the higher nobility, a man who belongs to the high office-holders, or a man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or ot ...

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

s, etc. Amongst the most well-known former private magnate towns are

Białystok Białystok is the largest city in northeastern Poland and the capital of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is the tenth-largest city in Poland, second in terms of population density, and thirteenth in area. Białystok is located in the Białystok Up ...

Zamość Zamość (; yi, זאמאשטש, Zamoshtsh; la, Zamoscia) is a historical city in southeastern Poland. It is situated in the southern part of Lublin Voivodeship, about from Lublin, from Warsaw. In 2021, the population of Zamość was 62,021. ...

Rzeszów Rzeszów ( , ; la, Resovia; yi, ריישא ''Raisha'')) 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 has been the capital of the Subcarpathian ...

Puławy Puławy (, also written Pulawy) is a city in eastern Poland, in Lesser Poland's Lublin Voivodeship, at the confluence of the Vistula and Kurówka Rivers. Puławy is the capital of Puławy County. The city's 2019 population was estimated at 47,417 ...

Tarnów Tarnów () is a city in southeastern Poland with 105,922 inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of 269,000 inhabitants. The city is situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship since 1999. From 1975 to 1998, it was the capital of the Tarn� ...

Siedlce Siedlce [] ( yi, שעדליץ ) is a city in eastern Poland with 77,354 inhabitants (). Situated in the Masovian Voivodeship (since 1999), previously the city was the capital of a separate Siedlce Voivodeship (1975–1998). The city is situated b ...

Biała Podlaska Biała Podlaska ( la, Alba Ducalis) is a city in eastern Poland with 56,498 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is situated in the Lublin Voivodeship (since 1999), having previously been the capital of Biała Podlaska Voivodeship (1975–1998). ...

Ivano-Frankivsk Ivano-Frankivsk ( uk, Іва́но-Франкі́вськ, translit=Iváno-Frankívśk ), formerly Stanyslaviv ( pl, Stanisławów ; german: Stanislau), is a city located in Western Ukraine. It is the administrative centre of Ivano-Frankivsk O ...

(Polish: ''Stanisławów''),

Ternopil Ternópil ( uk, Тернопіль, Ternopil' ; pl, Tarnopol; yi, טאַרנאָפּל, Tarnopl, or ; he, טארנופול (טַרְנוֹפּוֹל), Tarnopol; german: Tarnopol) is a city in the west of Ukraine. Administratively, Ternopi ...

(Polish: ''Tarnopol'') and

Uman Uman ( uk, Умань, ; pl, Humań; yi, אומאַן) is a city located in Cherkasy Oblast in central Ukraine, to the east of Vinnytsia. Located in the historical region of the eastern Podolia, the city rests on the banks of the Umanka River ...

(Polish: ''Humań''). Magnate palaces and castles can be often found in former private magnate towns. Examples include the Branicki Palace in Białystok, the Czartoryski Palace in Puławy, the Zamoyski Palace in Zamość, the Lubomirski Castle in Rzeszów, the Radziwiłł Palace in Biała Podlaska, the Ogiński Palace in Siedlce, the Potocki Palaces in

Międzyrzec Podlaski Międzyrzec Podlaski ( la, Meserici, german: Meseritz) is a city in Biała Podlaska County, Lublin Voivodeship, Poland, with the population of 17,162 inhabitants . The total area of the city is . Międzyrzec is located near the Krzna river, not f ...

Tulchyn Tulchyn (, translit. ''Tul’chyn'', old name ''Nesterwar'' (from Hungarian ''Nester'' - Dniester and ''war'' -town), Latin Tulcinum, pl, Tulczyn, yi, טולטשין, ro, Tulcin) is a town in Vinnytsia Oblast (province) of western Ukraine, f ...

and

Vysokaye Vysokaje ( be, Высокае; uk, Високе, ''Vysoke''; pl, Wysokie, Wysokie Litewskie; russian: Высокое) is a town in Brest Region, Belarus. The westernmost point of Belarus is located a few kilometers to the southwest from Vysokaje ...

, the Wiśniowiecki Palace in

Vyshnivets Vyshnivets ( uk, Вишнівець, translit. ''Vyshnivets’''; pl, Wiśniowiec) is an urban-type settlement in Kremenets Raion (district) of the Ternopil Oblast (province) of western Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Vyshnivets settlem ...

, the Zbaraski Castle in

Zbarazh Zbarazh ( uk, Збараж, pl, Zbaraż, yi, זבאריזש, Zbarizh) is a city in Ternopil Raion of Ternopil Oblast (province) of western Ukraine. It is located in the historic region of Galicia. Zbarazh hosts the administration of Zbarazh urb ...

. The most known former private bishop towns include

Łódź Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of canti ...

Kielce Kielce (, yi, קעלץ, Keltz) is a city in southern Poland, and the capital of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. In 2021, it had 192,468 inhabitants. The city is in the middle of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains (Holy Cross Mountains), on the bank ...

Łowicz Łowicz is a town in central Poland with 27,896 inhabitants (2020). It is situated in the Łódź Voivodeship (since 1999); previously, it was in Skierniewice Voivodeship (1975–1998). Together with a nearby station of Bednary, Łowicz is a ma ...

Pabianice Pabianice is a city in central Poland with 63,023 inhabitants (2021). Situated in the Łódź Voivodeship, it is the capital of Pabianice County. It lies about southwest of Łódź and belongs to the metropolitan area of that city. It is the ...

and

Skierniewice Skierniewice is a city in central Poland with 47,031 inhabitants (2021), situated in the Łódź Voivodeship (since 1999), previously capital of Skierniewice Voivodeship (1975–1998). It is the capital of Skierniewice County. The town is situat ...

Private magnate towns

Former Polish private magnate towns by population as of 2015: File:Pałac Branickich 3.JPG, Branicki Palace,

File:Тернопіль, Старий замок, вул. Замкова 12.jpg, Tarnowski Castle,

File:Rzeszów, zamek, 1600, 1903-1906 danz 007.jpg, Lubomirski Castle,

File:"Змія".jpg,

Sofiyivsky Park Sofiyivsky Park ( uk, Софіївський парк; pl, Zofiówka) is an arboretum (type of botanical garden) and a scientific-researching institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NASU Department of Biology). The park is locat ...

Private clergy towns

Former Polish private clergy towns by population as of 2015: Olsztyn zamek 07

World Heritage Sites

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

s in former private towns of Poland: File:Zamosc ratusz 01.jpg, Old City of Zamość File:Kalwaria Zebrzydowska 014.jpg, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska park File:Belarus Nesvizh Castle 7257 2050.jpg,

Nesvizh Castle Niasviž Castle or Nesvizh Castle ( be, Нясьвіскі замак, Niasvižski zamak, russian: Несвижский замок, pl, zamek w Nieświeżu, lt, Nesvyžiaus pilis) is a residential castle of the Radziwiłł family in Niasviž, ...

File:Belarus Mir Mir Castle Complex 8101 2085.jpg,

Mir Castle Complex The Mir Castle Complex ( be, Мірскі замак, romanized: ''Mirski zamak'', russian: Мирский замок) is historic fortified castle and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Belarus. It is located in the town of Mir, in the Kareličy ...

References

{{reflist Types of towns

History of Private Towns in Poland

Private magnate towns

Private clergy towns

World Heritage Sites

See also

References