Chmielnik
Encyclopedia
Chmielnik ' is a town in Kielce County
, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship
, Poland
. It has a population of 4,005 (2006). Town's name is derived from hop
.
with Mongols and Tartars fought in the area in 1241. The Mongols and Tartars were opposed near the settlement by Polish knights from the provinces of Sandomierz
and Kraków
. In the town there is a monument dedicated to this battle. At the beginning the settlement was a property of the dukes of Sandomierz
, but in the 13th century became owned by the Odrowąż family. The oldest monument in the town is the Church of Holy Trinity together with a church graveyard from around 1356. Later on it belonged to the Oleśnicki's family who made efforts to grant it the town charter. In 1541 Chmielnik was granted a town charter by the Polish king Zygmunt II August
, hereby formally becoming a town.
In 1580 the king Stefan Batory
granted the town a privilege of organizing more fairs. At the beginning of the 17th century the ownership of the town is transferred to the Gołuchowski's family.
In the 16th and 17th centuries the town was a major centre for Polish Protestants (Calvinists and the Polish Brethren). On the basis of privilege granted by Krzysztof Gołuchowski in the second part of the 17th century the town was populated by Sephardi Jews
expelled from Spain. They built a synagogue in 1638 and took over houses and shops of the Polish Brethren expelled from the town in 1658.
In 1787 it became a property of the Chłapowscy family.
After the partitions of Poland the town was taken by the Austrian Empire
. In the years 1809–1815 it was in the Duchy of Warsaw
, later in the Congress Poland
. In 1829 Dezydery, the last of the Chłapowski family, sold the town to Kazimierz Tański. It was in the hands of this family until 1945.
After capturing the town in 1939 the Germans slowly discriminated against the Jewish population, which swelled during the war as Jews fleeing from other towns fled to the town. Over several months Germans transported Jews to concentration camps, mainly Treblinka, where they were exterminated. Just after the war, only four Jewish residents residing in the town had survived. The remaining Holocaust survivors emigrated, mostly to Israel
, Canada
and the United States
.
Kielce County
Kielce County is a unit of territorial administration and local government in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, south-central Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its administrative seat is the city of Kielce, although the...
, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship
Swietokrzyskie Voivodeship
Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, or Świętokrzyskie Province , is one of the 16 voivodeships into which Poland is presently divided. It is situated in central Poland, in the historical province of Lesser Poland, and takes its name from the Świętokrzyskie mountain range...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. It has a population of 4,005 (2006). Town's name is derived from hop
Hop (plant)
Humulus, Hop, is a small genus of flowering plants native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The female flowers of H. lupulus are known as hops, and are used as a culinary flavoring and stabilizer, especially in the brewing of beer...
.
History
The name of Chmielnik was first mentioned in connection with the Battle of ChmielnikBattle of Chmielnik
The Battle of Chmielnik occurred on 18 March 1241 during the Mongol invasion of Poland. It ended in the total defeat of the Polish armies of Sandomierz and Kraków provinces. The Mongols were able to move unimpeded, and plunder the abandoned city of Kraków....
with Mongols and Tartars fought in the area in 1241. The Mongols and Tartars were opposed near the settlement by Polish knights from the provinces of Sandomierz
Sandomierz
Sandomierz is a city in south-eastern Poland with 25,714 inhabitants . Situated in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship , previously in Tarnobrzeg Voivodeship . It is the capital of Sandomierz County . Sandomierz is known for its Old Town, a major tourist attraction...
and Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
. In the town there is a monument dedicated to this battle. At the beginning the settlement was a property of the dukes of Sandomierz
Sandomierz
Sandomierz is a city in south-eastern Poland with 25,714 inhabitants . Situated in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship , previously in Tarnobrzeg Voivodeship . It is the capital of Sandomierz County . Sandomierz is known for its Old Town, a major tourist attraction...
, but in the 13th century became owned by the Odrowąż family. The oldest monument in the town is the Church of Holy Trinity together with a church graveyard from around 1356. Later on it belonged to the Oleśnicki's family who made efforts to grant it the town charter. In 1541 Chmielnik was granted a town charter by the Polish king Zygmunt II August
Sigismund II Augustus
Sigismund II Augustus I was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, the only son of Sigismund I the Old, whom Sigismund II succeeded in 1548...
, hereby formally becoming a town.
In 1580 the king Stefan Batory
Stefan Batory
Stephen Báthory was a Hungarian noble Prince of Transylvania , then King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania . He was a member of the Somlyó branch of the noble Hungarian Báthory family...
granted the town a privilege of organizing more fairs. At the beginning of the 17th century the ownership of the town is transferred to the Gołuchowski's family.
In the 16th and 17th centuries the town was a major centre for Polish Protestants (Calvinists and the Polish Brethren). On the basis of privilege granted by Krzysztof Gołuchowski in the second part of the 17th century the town was populated by Sephardi Jews
Sephardi Jews
Sephardi Jews is a general term referring to the descendants of the Jews who lived in the Iberian Peninsula before their expulsion in the Spanish Inquisition. It can also refer to those who use a Sephardic style of liturgy or would otherwise define themselves in terms of the Jewish customs and...
expelled from Spain. They built a synagogue in 1638 and took over houses and shops of the Polish Brethren expelled from the town in 1658.
In 1787 it became a property of the Chłapowscy family.
After the partitions of Poland the town was taken by the Austrian Empire
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
. In the years 1809–1815 it was in the Duchy of Warsaw
Duchy of Warsaw
The Duchy of Warsaw was a Polish state established by Napoleon I in 1807 from the Polish lands ceded by the Kingdom of Prussia under the terms of the Treaties of Tilsit. The duchy was held in personal union by one of Napoleon's allies, King Frederick Augustus I of Saxony...
, later in the Congress Poland
Congress Poland
The Kingdom of Poland , informally known as Congress Poland , created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna, was a personal union of the Russian parcel of Poland with the Russian Empire...
. In 1829 Dezydery, the last of the Chłapowski family, sold the town to Kazimierz Tański. It was in the hands of this family until 1945.
After capturing the town in 1939 the Germans slowly discriminated against the Jewish population, which swelled during the war as Jews fleeing from other towns fled to the town. Over several months Germans transported Jews to concentration camps, mainly Treblinka, where they were exterminated. Just after the war, only four Jewish residents residing in the town had survived. The remaining Holocaust survivors emigrated, mostly to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.