Deblin
Encyclopedia
Dęblin ' is a town, population 19,500 (as of 2003), at the confluence
of Vistula
and Wieprz rivers, in Lublin Voivodeship
, Poland
. Dęblin is the part of the agglomeration with adjacent towns of Ryki
and Puławy, which altogether has over 100 000 inhabitants.
Since 1927 it has been the home of the chief Polish Air Force Academy
, and as such is one of the most important places associated with aviation in Poland. The town is also a key railroad junction, located along the major Lublin
- Warsaw line, with two additional connections stemming from Dęblin – one westwards to Radom
, and another one to Łuków.
The village was owned by a series of Polish noble families until 1836 when it was taken over by the government of the Congress Poland
.
It in turn, in 1840, granted the village to field marshal Ivan Paskievich, who played a prominent role in the suppression of the November Uprising
. From then on until the end of Russian rule in this part of Poland in 1915 Dęblin was often referred to by its new Russian name of Ivangorod.
In the years after the November Uprising the military significance of the Dęblin site, at the confluence of two important rivers, was noted. In the years 1838-1845 the Ivangorod fortress was constructed, sited to protect a crossing across the river Vistula. After 1859 the fortress was further expanded. In the early 1880s a railway line connecting Lublin
with Silesia
was built, with a bridge over the Vistula passing near the fortress, further enhancing its importance.
In 1854 the core of the present-day town, at its founding named the Irena colony, was established. It kept its name until 1953 when it was incorporated into the town of Dęblin.
The fortress played a role in World War I
. In October, 1914 a significant battle
was fought in its vicinity, in which the Russian armies repelled a combined German and Austro-Hungarian offensive. After that battle the defences of the fortress were further improved, and it became even more important as an anchor of the Russian position on the Vistula. However, reverses elsewhere along the front forced the Russians to abandon Ivangorod in August, 1915.
In 1920, the Dęblin area was the starting point for a Polish offensive that decided the fate of the Battle of Warsaw
and the entire Polish-Soviet War
. In the years 1918-1939, as part of independent Poland, Dęblin continued to have large military significance. The Dęblin fortress was garrisoned by the 15th Infantry Regiment of the Polish Army.
In 1927 the famous Polish Air Force
academy was officially moved to Dęblin, after its founding in Grudziądz
in 1925. (some pilot training has been conducted in Dęblin since 1920). It continues to function today.
During the Invasion of Poland
, Dęblin was captured by the German army on September 15, 1939. Under the German occupation, its Jewish population perished during the Holocaust. A large number of Soviet POWs (as well as those of other nations) died in camps established nearby. The town was liberated by the Red Army
on 25–26 July 1944.
In the postwar years the city was rebuilt and expanded. It received its city charter in 1954.
In the Chicago
suburb of Oak Lawn, Illinois
, which has a high concentration of Polish Americans, one of the streets bears the name of Deblin Lane.
Confluence (geography)
In geography, a confluence is the meeting of two or more bodies of water. It usually refers to the point where two streams flow together, merging into a single stream...
of Vistula
Vistula
The Vistula is the longest and the most important river in Poland, at 1,047 km in length. The watershed area of the Vistula is , of which lies within Poland ....
and Wieprz rivers, in Lublin Voivodeship
Lublin Voivodeship
- Administrative division :Lublin Voivodeship is divided into 24 counties : 4 city counties and 20 land counties. These are further divided into 213 gminas....
, 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...
. Dęblin is the part of the agglomeration with adjacent towns of Ryki
Ryki
Ryki is a town in eastern Poland on the main road between Warsaw and Lublin. It has 9,767 inhabitants .Situated in the Lublin Voivodeship . It is the capital of Ryki County.- History :...
and Puławy, which altogether has over 100 000 inhabitants.
Since 1927 it has been the home of the chief Polish Air Force Academy
Polish Air Force Academy
The Polish Air Force Academy is located in Deblin, eastern Poland. The Air Force Academy is an accredited university for the undergraduate education of officers for the Polish Air Force...
, and as such is one of the most important places associated with aviation in Poland. The town is also a key railroad junction, located along the major Lublin
Lublin
Lublin is the ninth largest city in Poland. It is the capital of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 350,392 . Lublin is also the largest Polish city east of the Vistula river...
- Warsaw line, with two additional connections stemming from Dęblin – one westwards to Radom
Radom
Radom is a city in central Poland with 223,397 inhabitants . It is located on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Voivodeship , having previously been the capital of Radom Voivodeship ; 100 km south of Poland's capital, Warsaw.It is home to the biennial Radom Air Show, the largest and...
, and another one to Łuków.
History
Dęblin was first mentioned as a village in historical documents dating from 1397.The village was owned by a series of Polish noble families until 1836 when it was taken over by the government of 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...
.
It in turn, in 1840, granted the village to field marshal Ivan Paskievich, who played a prominent role in the suppression of the November Uprising
November Uprising
The November Uprising , Polish–Russian War 1830–31 also known as the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in the heartland of partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. The uprising began on 29 November 1830 in Warsaw when the young Polish officers from the local Army of the Congress...
. From then on until the end of Russian rule in this part of Poland in 1915 Dęblin was often referred to by its new Russian name of Ivangorod.
In the years after the November Uprising the military significance of the Dęblin site, at the confluence of two important rivers, was noted. In the years 1838-1845 the Ivangorod fortress was constructed, sited to protect a crossing across the river Vistula. After 1859 the fortress was further expanded. In the early 1880s a railway line connecting Lublin
Lublin
Lublin is the ninth largest city in Poland. It is the capital of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 350,392 . Lublin is also the largest Polish city east of the Vistula river...
with Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
was built, with a bridge over the Vistula passing near the fortress, further enhancing its importance.
In 1854 the core of the present-day town, at its founding named the Irena colony, was established. It kept its name until 1953 when it was incorporated into the town of Dęblin.
The fortress played a role in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. In October, 1914 a significant battle
Battle of the Vistula River
The Battle of the Vistula River, also known as the Battle of Warsaw, was a Russian victory against the German Empire on the Eastern Front during the First World War.-Background:...
was fought in its vicinity, in which the Russian armies repelled a combined German and Austro-Hungarian offensive. After that battle the defences of the fortress were further improved, and it became even more important as an anchor of the Russian position on the Vistula. However, reverses elsewhere along the front forced the Russians to abandon Ivangorod in August, 1915.
In 1920, the Dęblin area was the starting point for a Polish offensive that decided the fate of the Battle of Warsaw
Battle of Warsaw (1920)
The Battle of Warsaw sometimes referred to as the Miracle at the Vistula, was the decisive battle of the Polish–Soviet War. That war began soon after the end of World War I in 1918 and lasted until the Treaty of Riga resulted in the end of the hostilities between Poland and Russia in 1921.The...
and the entire Polish-Soviet War
Polish-Soviet War
The Polish–Soviet War was an armed conflict between Soviet Russia and Soviet Ukraine and the Second Polish Republic and the Ukrainian People's Republic—four states in post–World War I Europe...
. In the years 1918-1939, as part of independent Poland, Dęblin continued to have large military significance. The Dęblin fortress was garrisoned by the 15th Infantry Regiment of the Polish Army.
In 1927 the famous Polish Air Force
Polish Air Force
The Polish Air Force is the military Air Force wing of the Polish Armed Forces. Until July 2004 it was officially known as Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej...
academy was officially moved to Dęblin, after its founding in Grudziądz
Grudziadz
Grudziądz is a city in northern Poland on the Vistula River, with 96 042 inhabitants . Situated in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship , the city was previously in the Toruń Voivodeship .- History :-Early history:...
in 1925. (some pilot training has been conducted in Dęblin since 1920). It continues to function today.
During the Invasion of Poland
Invasion of Poland (1939)
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
, Dęblin was captured by the German army on September 15, 1939. Under the German occupation, its Jewish population perished during the Holocaust. A large number of Soviet POWs (as well as those of other nations) died in camps established nearby. The town was liberated by the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
on 25–26 July 1944.
In the postwar years the city was rebuilt and expanded. It received its city charter in 1954.
In the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
suburb of Oak Lawn, Illinois
Oak Lawn, Illinois
Oak Lawn is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 55,245 at the 2000 census.Oak Lawn is a suburb of the city of Chicago, located southwest of the city...
, which has a high concentration of Polish Americans, one of the streets bears the name of Deblin Lane.
External links
- Official town webpage
- Companionship of Deblin's Friends
- Plan of Dęblin fortress - circa 1880
- Soviet POW grave in KZ Deblin
