Local history
Information about the town – Polska / podlaskie
The earliest traces of settlement in Bielski region found in the towns of Haćki and Hryniewicze Duże date back to 2nd century B.C.E. Nevertheless, it was the town of Bielsk Podlaski that became the center of the region. It was there, on the castle hill that ruins of a 10th or 11th century castle were founded. According to researchers, Bielsk Podlaski was already a developed town at that time.
Bielsk Podlaski is first mentioned in documents dated 1253 (Halicko-Wołyński Chronicles). Morover Bielsk Podlaski was documented as the battlefield during the conflict between the Russian princes and Jaćwingowie tribes in 1264. After 1320 the town became a part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
After Władysław Jagiełło ascended to the Polish throne the situation of Bielsk Podlaski improved. The town was located next to the busy road leading from Cracow to Gniezno and Vilnius.
In the 16th century Bielsk Podlaski saw a lot of development. The local noblemen, especially the Siecheniewicz family, used the harbor in Narwia to trade wood and leather products with the town of Gdańsk. At the same time the number of the inhabitants increased reaching 4,000 or 5,000 in the end of the 16th century. Bielsk Podlaski suffered in 1564 during the Sejm Litewski (with the participation of the King Zygmunt August) as the wooden castle burnt in a fire. After a few years the town became a part of the Polish Kingdom. At that time with its 550 or more houses it was considered to be the biggest town in Podlasie District. However, in 1591 the town suffered major damages in another big fire.
The wars in the years 1655–1660 brought an economic disaster and mass killings. Only a few dozen of houses with their inhabitants were left. Trade was almost non-existent. In the beginning of the 18th century other wars and epidemics suppressed any attempts to bring the town back to life. In the years 1779–1781 a special royal committee (Boni Ordninis) inspected the town and its bordering areas in detail in order to prevent any local economic or social problems. Their report shows the existence of 269 households and 97 craftsmen, most of whom were tanners and furriers.
In 1807 Bielsk Podlaski came under Russian rule. In 1897 the population numbered 8,400 people. The town had its own school, a couple of parish schools, a few synagogues, one Roman Catholic and four Orthodox parishes.
During the First World War, in 1915, the majority of the inhabitants left Bielsk Podlaski and emigrated.
In 1930 the population numbered only 6,352, while in 1939 already 8,200. 40 percent of inhabitants were Jews who worked in trade and as craftsmen. During the war, until September 6th 1939 the public institutions were still working. After one week the German troops marched in and on September 23rd the Russian military started occupying the town. The Germans organized a ghetto (between Mickiewicza, Kazimierzowska, Jagiellońska and Kopernika Streets) in the occupied town. It functioned until the beginning of 1943.
Today Bielsk Podlaski has over 25,000 inhabitants.
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