Local history
Information about the town – Polska / świętokrzyskie
Chmielnik is situated on the so-called Skalbmierski route – at the crossroads of the former trade routes leading from Sandomierz via Szydłów to Chęciny and Małogoszcz, and from Krakow via Skalbmierz, Pierzchnica, Daleszyce, Bodznetyn to Iłża and Radom. The first written mention of the town comes from the description of the battle between Polish knights and Tatars on 12 March 1214. The next mentions, coming from 1295 and 1296, concerned Lithuanian invasions of the local lands[1.1].
Until mid-15th century Chmielnik was owned by the Little Poland branch of the Odrowąż family. In 1532, as a result of the division of the patrimony, Chmielnik became the property of Jana Oleśnicki, who was related to King Zygmunt August. On 9 March 1551, Chmielnik was granted a town charter by the King[1.2]. The town was established to the east of the existing village. It was given the right to hold three fairs and markets on Thursdays. It was also exempted from taxes for the period of 12 years.
The location on important communication routes and numerous privileges contributed to the town’s fast economic growth. In 1618 the town had a population of 250, and in 1673 – 412.
Jan Olesnicki supported the Reformation. In 1552, he handed Chmielnik’s church over to the Protestant church. In 1556 Jan Oleśnicki’s sons, Samuel and Nicholas, built a Protestant church and a grammar school. In 1607 Jan Oleśnicki returned the church to Catholics. In the early 17th century Chmielnik became the property of the Gołuchowski family, who cared about the development of the local centre of Calvinism. Chmielnik became the place of almost permanent residence of Cracow seniors and the place of Calvinist synods, which were held in the years 1644-76.
The Swedish Deluge disrupted the period of development of Chmielnik and the Calvinist church. Pursuant to the the Lublin Tribunal’s decision of 6 – 9 August 1691, the activity of the church was suspended. The local Calvinists joined the Sieczków Calvinist church[1.3].
In the 18th century Chmielnik’s biggest building investment was the erection of a Catholic church of the Immaculate Conception of Holy Virgin Mary. The construction works were finished in 1783.
In the second half of the 18th century Chmielnik had a population of nearly 1400, including 782 Jews.
Following the Third Partition of Poland, incorporated into the province of New Galicia, Chmielnik became part of the Austrian partition. In the years 1809-1815 it was part of the Duchy of Warsaw, and following the Congress of Vienna until 1919 – the Duchy of Poland.
The first map of Chmielnik was made by Szymon Radecki in 1789. The report “Historical and topographic-statistic description” commissioned by the Radom Governorate and written by Franciszek Gnoiński, Mayor of Chmielnik, dates from 1820.
In 1830 Dezydery Jan Chłapowski, the town’s next owner, sold Chmielnik and its vicinity to General Kazimierz Tański, his friend and relative. Tański, who was the cavalier of the Legion of Honour, took part in all important Napoleonic battles. He is one of Chmielnik’s most prominent citizens. The town belonged to Tański’s heirs until 1919[1.4]
In 1849, Chmielnik had a population of nearly 3000. The growth of population was due to the migrations of the Jewish people from the Russian Empire.
Upon 1 June 1869 a lot of towns lost their civic rights. There were seven towns left in the Kielce Governorate: Kielce, Chęciny, Miechów, Olkusz, Pińczów, Działoszyce and Chmielnik. The above contributed to the growth of the economic significance of Chmielnik. The numerous plants operating in Chmielnik included: Elijah Strauch’s Agricultural Machines Company, six tanneries, four cloth factories, a soap factory, a brewery and a slaughterhouse. The trade in horses, cattle, pigs, as well as hardware and confectionery, flourished. The number of participants in the Thursday markets would sometimes approximate 9000. Chmielnik fairs were among the biggest in the Stopnica County.[1.5]
The first post office station was established in 1816. The first telegraph line was opened to public in 1899. In 1879, a fire station was established by the Kielce Governorate.
During World War I Chmielnik was destroyed as a result of army march-pasts and numerous skirmishes. Since 1915, the town was part of the Austrian partition. The Austrians built a narrow-gauge railway, connecting Chmielnik with Jędrzejow, Pińczów, Raków and Bogoryja.
In the early 20th century there were four elementary schools in Chmielnik: two one-class schools for boys, one one-class school for girls and one two-class school for both sexes. In 1919 school education was made compulsory for all children under fourteen. There were two elementary schools in Chmielnik at that time: School of the School Education Association No.1, and School No.2, established in 1919. Another school was built in 1938. Although fully-equipped, it was not opened to public due to the outbreak of World War II.
In the Interwar Period, an important role was played by municipal libraries. The Municipal Library was established in 1937. Although it was burnt down in the fire of the Town Hall in the same year, it was quickly restored.
In the pre-war period Chmielnik had a population of 8050. The farms in Chmielnik were cultivated mainly by Poles. All sorts of craftsmanship developed in Chmielnik: shoemaking, tailoring, hat making, furriery and carpentry. Craft guilds were formed. Chmielnik’s largest industrial plants included: limestone mines in Celiny and Ptasznik, a gypsum factory in Sędziejowice, the Soap and Candle Factory, a brewery, an oil mill, as well as carbonated water and fruit wine production plants. There were about 40 goose farms and slaughterhouses. The Polish traders were members of the District Consumers’ Association. Trade unions flourished before World War II.
Chmielnik’s development was disrupted by the outbreak of World war II. On 31 August 1939 the town was fully mobilized. Already on the second day of the war refugees from Silesia and Western Lands arrived in Chmielnik.
On 4 September the 3rd Light Division, part of German Wehrmacht’s XV Light Corps, commanded by Adolf von Kuntzen, entered Chmielnik. Upon the establishment of the General Government, Chmielnik and the former Stopnica county became part of the Busko County in the Kraków District.
Chmielnik’s inhabitants began forming partisan units. There were units of Armia Krajowa [the Home Army], Narodowe Siły Zbrojne [the National Armed Forces] and Bataliony Chłopskie [the Peasants’ Battalions]. With 100 members, the Armia Krajowa unit was the most numerous underground military force in Chmielnik. Apart from sabotage and armed struggle, there were also other forms of struggle with the German occupier, such as the community service and the secret teaching.
Chmielnik was liberated on 13 January 1945 by the troops of 152nd Armoured Brigade and 253rd Infantry Division commanded by Colonel Piotr Żywalin.
Chmielink was largely destroyed by World War II. Its population decreased from 8300 in 1939 to 2500 in January 1945. The number, however, grew very quickly, and by December 1945 it was 4027, 98% of which were Poles.
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[1.1] Rogala S., Chmielnik-miasto i gmina [Chmielnik-the town and the commune], Kielce 2006, p. 25.
[1.2] Baranowski J., Synagoga w Chmielniku [Synagogue in Chmielnik], „Biuletyn ŻIH”, 1960, no. 36, p. 95 n.
[1.3] Rogala S., Chmielnik - miasto i gmina [Chmielnik – the town and the commune], Kielce 2006, p. 32.
[1.4] Baranowski J., Synagoga..., p. 97.
[1.5] Rogala S., Chmielnik…, p. 45 n.
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