Janów Lubelski is a town in southeastern
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
. It has 11,938 inhabitants (2006). Situated in the
Lublin Voivodship, Janów Lubelski belongs to
Lesser Poland
Lesser Poland, often known by its Polish name ''Małopolska'' (; ), is a historical region situated in southern and south-eastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Kraków. Throughout centuries, Lesser Poland developed a separate cult ...
, and is located in southeastern corner of this historic Polish province. It is the capital of
Janów Lubelski County
Janów may refer to:
* Janów, Chełm County in Lublin Voivodeship (east Poland)
* Janów, Lublin County in Lublin Voivodeship (east Poland)
* Janów, Podlaskie Voivodeship (north-east Poland)
* Janów, Gmina Bełchatów in Łódź Voivodeship ...
. It has a large hospital (Samodzielny Publiczny Zespół Zakładów Opieki Zdrowotnej). It also has several tourist attractions, including buildings and churches from the 17th and 18th centuries. Janów Lubelski is home to the
Open-air museum of the Forest Railway in Janów Lubelski
The town lies on the edge of
Roztocze, on the Białka river, and its area is 14.80 square kilometers. South of Janów there is the extensive
Solska Forest. The town is located at the intersection of two national roads: the 19th (
Rzeszów
Rzeszów ( , ) 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 is the capital of the Subcarpathian Voivodeship and the county seat, seat of Rzeszów C ...
–
Lublin
Lublin is List of cities and towns in Poland, the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the centre of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin i ...
–
Białystok
Białystok is the largest city in northeastern Poland and the capital of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is the List of cities and towns in Poland, tenth-largest city in Poland, second in terms of population density, and thirteenth in area.
Biał ...
–
Grodno
Grodno, or Hrodna, is a city in western Belarus. It is one of the oldest cities in Belarus. The city is located on the Neman, Neman River, from Minsk, about from the Belarus–Poland border, border with Poland, and from the Belarus–Lithua ...
), and the 74th (
Hrubieszów
Hrubieszów (; ; , or ) is a town in southeastern Poland, with a population of around 18,212 (2016). It is the capital of Hrubieszów County within the Lublin Voivodeship.
Throughout history, the town's culture and architecture was strongly shaped ...
–
Zamość
Zamość (; ; ) 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.
Zamość was founded in 1580 by Jan Zamoyski ...
–
Kraśnik
Kraśnik is a town in southeastern Poland with 35,602 inhabitants (2012), situated in the Lublin Voivodeship, historic Lesser Poland. It is the seat of Kraśnik County. The town of Kraśnik as it is known today was created in 1975, after the mer ...
–
Kielce
Kielce (; ) is a city in south-central 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 banks of the Silnic ...
–
Piotrków Trybunalski
Piotrków Trybunalski (; also known by #Etymology, alternative names), often simplified to Piotrków, is a city in central Poland with 71,252 inhabitants (2021). It is the capital of Piotrków County and the second-largest city in the Łódź Voi ...
). The distance to Lublin is 70 kilometers, and to Rzeszów, 90 kilometers.
History
The history of Janów Lubelski dates back to the 12th century, when first human settlements appeared in
Sandomierz Forest. Over time, the number of villages grew, and a busy merchant road was constructed from
Zamość
Zamość (; ; ) 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.
Zamość was founded in 1580 by Jan Zamoyski ...
to
Sandomierz
Sandomierz (pronounced: ; , ) is a historic town in south-eastern Poland with 23,863 inhabitants (), situated on the Vistula River near its confluence with the San, in the Sandomierz Basin. It has been part of Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship (Holy ...
. In the first half of the 17th century, local noblewoman
Katarzyna Zamoyska (see:
Zamoyski family
The House of Zamoyski (plural: Zamoyscy) is an important Polish noble (''szlachta'') family belonging to the category of Polish magnates. They used the Jelita coat of arms. The surname "Zamoyski" literally means "of/from Zamość" and refle ...
) decided to found a town along the road. On July 21, 1640, King
Władysław IV Vasa
Władysław IV Vasa or Ladislaus IV (9 June 1595 – 20 May 1648) was King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania and claimant of the thrones of Monarchy of Sweden, Sweden and List of Russian monarchs, Russia. Born into the House of Vasa as a prince ...
issued a royal privilege, agreeing to found the town of Biała with
Magdeburg Rights
Magdeburg rights (, , ; also called Magdeburg Law) were a set of town privileges first developed by Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor (936–973) and based on the Flemish Law, which regulated the degree of internal autonomy within cities and villages gr ...
. The coat of arms of the new town presented Saint Mary, and to build houses, the area located southwest of the Biała river was chosen. The name Janów appeared a few years later. It comes from the first name ''Jan'' (''John''), and commemorates
Jan Zamoyski
Jan Sariusz Zamoyski (; 19 March 1542 – 3 June 1605) was a Polish nobleman, magnate, statesman and the 1st '' ordynat'' of Zamość. He served as the Royal Secretary from 1565, Deputy Chancellor from 1576, Grand Chancellor of the Crown f ...
, the son of Katarzyna Zamoyska. In a similar fashion, the towns of Klemensów (now a district of
Szczebrzeszyn) and
Tomaszów Lubelski
Tomaszów Lubelski is a town in south-eastern Poland with 19,365 inhabitants (2017). Situated in the Lublin Voivodeship, near Roztocze National Park, it is the capital of Tomaszów Lubelski County.
History
The town was founded at the end of the ...
were named.
In 1648 Janów was captured and burned by the
Cossacks
The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic languages, East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borde ...
of
Bohdan Khmelnytsky
Zynoviy Bohdan Mykhailovych Khmelnytsky of the Abdank coat of arms (Ruthenian language, Ruthenian: Ѕѣнові Богданъ Хмелнiцкiи; modern , Polish language, Polish: ; 15956 August 1657) was a Ruthenian nobility, Ruthenian noble ...
. Four years later, the population was decimated by diseases. As a result, Jan Zamoyski, who wanted to rebuild Janów, allowed the first
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
settlers in the town (1652). In 1653,
Tatars
Tatars ( )[Tatar]
in the Collins English Dictionary are a group of Turkic peoples across Eas ...
loyal to Poland came to Janów and decided to settle here as well. In 1660,
Dominicans
Dominicans () also known as Quisqueyans () are an ethnic group, ethno-nationality, national people, a people of shared ancestry and culture, who have ancestral roots in the Dominican Republic.
The Dominican ethnic group was born out of a fusio ...
were invited to Janów, to a church and a monastery which had been funded by the Zamoyski family. The boundaries of the town were soon extended, and in the late 17th century, Janów had ca. 1,000 residents, with several artisans. After the
Third Partition of Poland
The Third Partition of Poland (1795) was the last in a series of the Partitions of Poland–Lithuania and the land of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth among Prussia, the Habsburg monarchy, and the Russian Empire which effectively ended Polis ...
(1795), Janów was annexed by
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
. In 1807 it was regained by Poles and included within the short-lived Polish
Duchy of Warsaw
The Duchy of Warsaw (; ; ), also known as the Grand Duchy of Warsaw and Napoleonic Poland, was a First French Empire, French client state established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1807, during the Napoleonic Wars. It initially comprised the ethnical ...
, and after its dissolution, in 1815, it was transferred to
Russian-controlled Congress Poland
Congress Poland or Congress Kingdom of Poland, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland, was a polity created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna as a semi-autonomous Polish state, a successor to Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw. It was established w ...
. At that time it had some 2,000 residents, and in 1804, a great fire destroyed 71 houses. The number of residents declined, so the Zamoyski family decided to bring cloth makers from
Silesia
Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...
, who settled in a district called Sukiennia. After 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 Russian Partition, the heartland of Partitions of Poland, partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. ...
, the border between Austria and the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
was closed, which resulted in the collapse of cloth-making enterprises.
In the early 19th century, Russian authorities created ''Zamość County'', with the capital in
Zamość
Zamość (; ; ) 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.
Zamość was founded in 1580 by Jan Zamoyski ...
. Soon afterwards, however,
Grand Duke Constantine Pavlovich of Russia
Konstantin Pavlovich (; ) was a grand duke of Russia and the second son of Emperor Paul I and Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg. He was the heir-presumptive for most of his elder brother Alexander I's reign, but had secretly renounced his c ...
demanded that Zamość should remain a militarized city (see
Zamość Fortress
Zamość Fortress () is a set of fortifications constructed together with the city of Zamość (southeastern Poland). It was built between 1579 and 1618, and the construction was initiated by Chancellor and Hetman Jan Zamoyski. It was one of the ...
), and civilian authorities (police, courts, criminal prison) moved between 1817 and 1827 to Janów. Due to this fact, the town quickly grew; the so-called ''New Town'' was founded, and in 1820, a municipal park was opened. In 1834 Janów was divided into three parts: ''Stare Miasto'' (''Old Town''), ''Nowe Miasto'' (''New Town''), and ''Przedmieście Zaolszynie'' (''The Suburb of Zaolszynie''). In 1841, an
Eastern Orthodox church
The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...
was built for Russian troops stationed in Janów, and by the mid-19th century, the population grew to 3,500. In 1860, Janów had 2 hotels, a pharmacy, 4 inns, a school, a number of cloth-making enterprises, and 12 public houses. Main streets and the market square were paved; there was a hospital (1867) and a tannery. After the
January Uprising
The January Uprising was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at putting an end to Russian occupation of part of Poland and regaining independence. It began on 22 January 1863 and continued until the last i ...
, many residents of the town and the county were sent to
katorga
Katorga (, ; from medieval and modern ; and Ottoman Turkish: , ) was a system of penal labor in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union (see Katorga labor in the Soviet Union).
Prisoners were sent to remote penal colonies in vast uninhabited a ...
in
Siberia
Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...
, and the Dominican monastery was appropriated by Russian authorities.
At the beginning of the 20th century Janów had 8,000 inhabitants. During
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, the town was the area of heavy fighting, and in 1922, after Poland had regained independence, almost half of houses burned in a fire. Janów began to grow after 1925, when additional streets were paved, 7 bridges were built, and a middle school was completed. In 1934 it had two saw mills, a mill, a brewery, and a slaughterhouse. A local power plant provided electricity, there were 339 artisans, a hospital, a senior citizen center and several civic organizations, such as
Riflemen's Association.
During the joint German-Soviet
invasion of Poland
The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...
, which started
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, in September 1939, Janów was three times bombed by the
Luftwaffe
The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...
, which killed 350 people and destroyed 85% of the town. The town was afterwards
occupied by Germany. At least 17
Poles
Pole or poles may refer to:
People
*Poles (people), another term for Polish people, from the country of Poland
* Pole (surname), including a list of people with the name
* Pole (musician) (Stefan Betke, born 1967), German electronic music artist
...
from the county were murdered by the Russians in the large
Katyn massacre
The Katyn massacre was a series of mass killings under Communist regimes, mass executions of nearly 22,000 Polish people, Polish military officer, military and police officers, border guards, and intelligentsia prisoners of war carried out by t ...
in April–May 1940, while in June 1940, the Germans carried out mass arrests of local Poles during the ''
AB-Aktion''.
Arrested Poles were imprisoned in Lublin, and then often deported to the
Sachsenhausen and
Auschwitz
Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It consisted of Auschw ...
concentration camps, while some were murdered during large massacres of Poles committed in
Rury, Lublin.
[ A ]forced labour
Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, or violence, including death or other forms of ...
camp was opened in 1940, and the town's Jewish population was persecuted by the occupiers. Several Jewish partisan groups operated in the Janów forests for the duration of the war. Despite this, only around 20 Jews from the town survived the Holocaust
The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
out of 3,500 to 5,000 Jews who lived in the town before the war.
Soviet and Polish troops captured Janów on July 26, 1944, and afterwards the town was restored to Poland, although with a Soviet-installed communist regime, which remained in power until the Fall of Communism
The revolutions of 1989, also known as the Fall of Communism, were a revolutionary wave of liberal democracy movements that resulted in the collapse of most Marxist–Leninist governments in the Eastern Bloc and other parts of the world. Th ...
in the 1980s. In April 1945, units of the Home Army
The Home Army (, ; abbreviated AK) was the dominant resistance movement in German-occupied Poland during World War II. The Home Army was formed in February 1942 from the earlier Związek Walki Zbrojnej (Armed Resistance) established in the ...
attacked the local prison, freeing resistance fighters from Warsaw
Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
, who were kept there. Near Janów, the Battle of Porytowe Wzgórze took place.
In 1956 Janów County was re-created, and in the 1960s the town grew, due to several new factories built there. The number of inhabitants grew, new districts were created, a new hospital was opened, as well as kindergartens, post office, and a municipal stadium.
From 1975 to 1998, Janów belonged to Tarnobrzeg Voivodeship
The Tarnobrzeg Voivodeship () was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in years 1975-1998, superseded in parts by Podkarpackie Voivodeship, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship and Lublin Voivodeship. ...
.
Janow Podlaski. Widok ogolny 1933-1939 (69711731) (cropped).jpg, Janów Podlaski, 1933-1939
Janow Lubelski. Starostwo. 1932 (69711561) (cropped).jpg, County Administration, 1932
Pomnik Tadeusza Kosciuszki w Janowie Lubelskim 1880 (92032983) (cropped).jpg, Tadeusz Kościuszko monument, 1880
Sights and culture
Janów is home to two local museums and the Baroque
The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
Saint Mary of Rosary Sanctuary, located in the former Dominican monastery (1694–1769). The world's oldest monument dedicated to Tadeusz Kościuszko
Andrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura Kościuszko (; 4 or 12 February 174615 October 1817) was a Polish Military engineering, military engineer, statesman, and military leader who then became a national hero in Poland, the United States, Lithuania, and ...
, dating back to 1818, is located in the town. The town is surrounded by forests.
Cuisine
Janów Lubelski with its surroundings is known for its traditional food
Traditional foods are foods and Dish (food), dishes that are passed on through generations or which have been consumed for many generations. Traditional foods and dishes are traditional in nature, and may have a historic precedent in a national ...
s and drinks, often based on honey
Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several species of bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of pl ...
, buckwheat
Buckwheat (''Fagopyrum esculentum'') or common buckwheat is a flowering plant in the knotweed family Polygonaceae cultivated for its grain-like seeds and as a cover crop. Buckwheat originated around the 6th millennium BCE in the region of what ...
, cereals
A cereal is a grass cultivated for its edible grain. Cereals are the world's largest crops, and are therefore staple foods. They include rice, wheat, rye, oats, barley, millet, and maize (Corn). Edible grains from other plant families, suc ...
and potato
The potato () is a starchy tuberous vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are underground stem tubers of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'', a perennial in the nightshade famil ...
es, traditionally grown and produced in the region. Among those foods and drinks are ''gryczak janowski'', buckwheat honey and honey nalewka
Nalewka (), plural nalewki, is a traditional alcoholic beverage from Poland. Similar to medicinal tinctures, it is usually 40% to 45% alcohol by volume, though some can be as strong as 75%. Nalewka is created by macerating and / or infusing variou ...
, all of which are protected traditional regional foods, as designated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland.
''Gryczak janowski'' is a traditional local cake made of buckwheat and millet
Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most millets belong to the tribe Paniceae.
Millets are important crops in the Semi-arid climate, ...
kasza with cheese
Cheese is a type of dairy product produced in a range of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk (usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats or sheep). During prod ...
and smetana. It is served hot or cold, and is considered a dish of high nutritional, medicinal and dietetic values.
Buckwheat honey is popular throughout the Lublin Region, including Janów Lubelski. Rich in magnesium
Magnesium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray metal having a low density, low melting point and high chemical reactivity. Like the other alkaline earth metals (group 2 ...
, iron
Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's o ...
, vitamin C
Vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid and ascorbate) is a water-soluble vitamin found in citrus and other fruits, berries and vegetables. It is also a generic prescription medication and in some countries is sold as a non-prescription di ...
and protein
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...
, it is used to treat a wide range of diseases.
''Janowska nalewka miodowa'' (honey nalewka of Janów) is a local type of nalewka
Nalewka (), plural nalewki, is a traditional alcoholic beverage from Poland. Similar to medicinal tinctures, it is usually 40% to 45% alcohol by volume, though some can be as strong as 75%. Nalewka is created by macerating and / or infusing variou ...
, a traditional Polish alcoholic drink
Drinks containing alcohol (drug), alcohol are typically divided into three classes—beers, wines, and Distilled beverage, spirits—with alcohol content typically between 3% and 50%. Drinks with less than 0.5% are sometimes considered Non-al ...
. It is of 50% alcohol by volume
Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as alc/vol or ABV) is a common measure of the amount of Alcohol (drug), alcohol contained in a given alcoholic beverage. It is defined as the volume the ethanol in the liquid would take if separated from the rest ...
.[''W krainie lubelskich produktów tradycyjnych'', p. 111]
Economy
The '' Browar Janów Lubelski'' brewery is located in the town.
References
{{Authority control
Cities and towns in Lublin Voivodeship
Janów Lubelski County
Holocaust locations in Poland