Płońsk County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (

powiat A ''powiat'' (; ) is the second-level unit of local government and administration in Poland, equivalent to a county, district or prefecture (Local administrative unit, LAU-1 ormerly Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics, NUTS-4 ...

) in

Masovian Voivodeship Masovian Voivodeship or Mazowieckie Province (, ) and any variation thereof, is a Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship (province) in east-central Poland, containing Poland's capital Warsaw. Masovian Voivodeship has an area of and had a 2019 po ...

in east-central Poland. It came into being on 1 January 1999, as a result of the

Polish local government reforms The administrative division of Poland since 1999 has been based on three levels of subdivision. The territory of Poland is divided into ''voivodeships'' (provinces); these are further divided into ''powiats'' (counties or districts), and these i ...

passed in 1998. Its administrative seat and largest town is Płońsk, which lies north-west of

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 ...

. The county covers an area of , and consists of two urban and ten rural gminas. It is bordered by eight other counties of the Masovian voivodeship. As of 2019, the county had a population of 87,183 inhabitants, of which about 26,514 reside in the two urban areas of Płońsk and Raciąż.

Etymology

In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, the region was given by various names such as Plonz, Plonsko, Ploń, and Ploniska. There are two theories as to the origin of the name. As per the first theory, the name was derived from the Polish word "płona" or "płonia", meaning fast-flowing parts of a river. Another version states that the name came from the Slavic god Płon.

History

Early archeological evidence points to the region being inhabited at least since the 6th century CE. The St. Michael church and the former monastery of the Trzewiczkowe Carmelites, were founded in the early 15th century by the Mazovian prince, Siemowit IV and his wife Aleksandra, sister of king Władysław Jagiełło. Siemowit established Plonsk as a city in the region, which was later confirmed by king Sigismund I. The region underwent further economic development in the 16th century. However, in the 17th century, the population in the region declined as a result of the Swedish Deluge. The region was occupied by 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 ...

later. After the

First World War 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 ...

, it became part of Poland, and Plonsk became the seat of the Plonsk district. The county is the birthplace of Ben Gurion, the founder of Israel. During the

Second World War 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 ...

, the region was captured by

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

, and the region was segregated to separate the

Jews 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 ...

from the ethnic Poles.

Geography

Płońsk County is a

located in

in east-central Poland. It came into being on 1 January 1999, as a result of the

passed in 1998. Its administrative seat and largest town is Płońsk, which lies north-west of

. The county covers an area of . It is bordered by Mława County and

Ciechanów County Ciechanów County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Masovian Voivodeship, east-central Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its a ...

to the north,

Pułtusk County __NOTOC__ Pułtusk County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Masovian Voivodeship, east-central Poland. It came into being on 1 January 1999 as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998 ...

to the east, Nowy Dwór County to the south-east,

Sochaczew County __NOTOC__ Sochaczew County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Masovian Voivodeship, east-central Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1 ...

to the south, Płock County and Sierpc County to the west, and Żuromin County to the north-west. The Płonka river, which is the tributary of the

Vistula The Vistula (; ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest in Europe, at in length. Its drainage basin, extending into three other countries apart from Poland, covers , of which is in Poland. The Vistula rises at Barania Góra i ...

river, passes through the region.

Administrative division

The county is subdivided into 12

gmina The gmina (Polish: , plural ''gminy'' ) is the basic unit of the administrative division of Poland, similar to a municipality. , there were 2,479 gminy throughout the country, encompassing over 43,000 villages. 940 gminy include cities and tow ...

s. These include the two urban areas of Płońsk and Raciąż and ten rural areas.

Demographics

As of 2019, the county had a population of 87,183 inhabitants, of which about 26,514 reside in the two urban areas of Płońsk and Raciąż. The county had a mixed ethnicity of ethnic

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 ...

and

. Jewish settlements formed in the region in the 15th century. In the 17th century, during the reign of king Michael I, they were allowed special privileges to build houses and a

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

. This resulted in a large influx of Jews into the county. In the early 19th century, the county was dominated by Jewish population and it had one of the largest percentage of Jewish population in the country. In the subsequent years, the Jewish population reduced due to emigration.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Plonsk County Land counties of Masovian Voivodeship