Wola (, ) is a
district in western
Warsaw,
Poland, formerly the village of Wielka Wola, incorporated into Warsaw in 1916. An industrial area with traditions reaching back to the early 19th century, it underwent a transformation into an office (commercial) and residential district. Several museums are located in Wola, notably the
Warsaw Uprising Museum.
History
First mentioned in the 14th century, it became the site of the
elections, from 1573 to 1764, of Polish kings by the
szlachta
The ''szlachta'' (Polish: endonym, Lithuanian: šlėkta) were the noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth who, as a class, had the dominating position in the ...
(nobility) of the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Wola district later became famous for the Polish Army's defence of Warsaw in 1794 during the
Kościuszko Uprising
The Kościuszko Uprising, also known as the Polish Uprising of 1794 and the Second Polish War, was an uprising against the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia led by Tadeusz Kościuszko in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Pr ...
and in 1831 during the
November Uprising
The November Uprising (1830–31), also known as the Polish–Russian War 1830–31 or the Cadet Revolution,
was an armed rebellion in the heartland of partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. The uprising began on 29 November 1830 in W ...
, when
Józef Sowiński and
Józef Bem defended the city against
Tsarist forces.
During the
Warsaw Uprising (August–October 1944), fierce battles raged in Wola. Around 8 August, Wola was the scene of
the largest single massacre by German forces in Poland, of 40,000 to 50,000 civilians. The area was held by Polish fighters belonging to the
''Armia Krajowa''.
Neighbourhoods
Wola is divided into the neighbourhoods (
osiedle) of
Czyste,
Koło,
Mirów,
Młynów, Nowolipki, Odolany,
Powązki and Ulrychów neighbourhoods, which in many cases correspond to old villages or settlements.
See also
*
Electio Viritim Monument
The Electio Viritim Monument is located in Warsaw, Wola
Wola (, ) is a district in western Warsaw, Poland, formerly the village of Wielka Wola, incorporated into Warsaw in 1916. An industrial area with traditions reaching back to the early 19th ...
References
External links
*
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