Kurów facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kurów
|
||
|---|---|---|
|
Village
|
||
.jpg)
Old Commune Hall
|
||
|
||
 Kurów
Location in Lublin Voivodeship
Kurów
Location in Poland
|
||
| Established | probably 12th century | |
| City rights | 1442–1870 | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 11.33 km2 (4.37 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 157 m (515 ft) | |
| Population
(30.06.2015)
|
||
| • Total | 2,817 | |
| • Density | 249/km2 (640/sq mi) | |
Kurów is a village in south-eastern Poland, located in the historic province of Lesser Poland, between Puławy and Lublin, on the Kurówka River. It is capital of Gmina Kurów, within Lublin Voivodeship. The village has 2,817 inhabitants (as of 2015[update]).
History
The earliest historical mention of Kurów comes from a document issued in 1185, which mentions a church dedicated to Saint Giles already existing in the place. Sometime between 1431 and 1442 the village was granted city rights based on the Magdeburg Law.
As a private town, it was the centre for the trade in food from the surrounding area. Several fur and leather factories were also located here. In the 16th century, Kurów was one of the centres of Calvinism, since many of the Polish Brethren settled there. By 1660, most of the inhabitants had converted to Arianism. At that time, Kurów was one of the most important urban centers of Lublin Voivodeship, one of three voivodeships of historic Lesser Poland.
After 1660, the town shares its history with the rest of the region. In 1795, after the third partition of Poland, Kurów was annexed by Austria. In 1809, it became part of the Duchy of Warsaw. In 1815, Kurów became part of the Kingdom of Poland. During the November Uprising, in February 1831, the minor Battle of Kurów took place, when the Polish forces under general Józef Dwernicki defeated a Russian army.
In 1870, a few years after the January Uprising, the town finally lost its city charter, which has not yet been regained. Since 1918, Kurów was once more part of Poland.
On September 9, 1939, during the Polish Defensive War, which is the name in Poland for the start of World War II, the town was heavily bombed by the German Luftwaffe. Among the targets destroyed was a civilian hospital (marked with red crosses), where many victims perished.
During World War II, Germany set up two slave labour camps in the town. In 1942, a minor ghetto was established. However, most of the Poles imprisoned in Kurów escaped and joined the Polish Home Army units operating from the nearby forests.
Jews in Kurów
Almost 2,000 Jews lived in Kurów when the Second World War began. The Jewish population of Kurów came to end with the war and the slaughter that ensued. The Germans bombed the synagogue, from the air, they machine gunned the people fleeing the bombing.
Many of the Jews ran to the forests and attempted to take shelter there but the Polish partisans killed them for any reason; for their shoes, for their weapons or just because they were Jews. Many times though the Polish population helped the Jews, even risking their own lives. Thanks to Mieczysław Kutnik, Adam Turczyk or Wacław Mańko several Jews survived the war.
A greater portion of the Jewish population were transported to Sobibor where they were murdered outright. Just a few of the Kurów Jews managed to survive the selections of the first days in that camp and those Jews were able to help organize and execute the revolt in Sobibor which resulted in the destruction of the camp by the Germans themselves. A number of Jewish Kurovites were decorated by the Russians for their valor as partisans during the war.
Many former Jewish residents of Kurów emigrated to America, Israel, Argentina, France before World War II and other points elsewhere, wherever they could find refuge. There was a Kurów burial society in New York.
Notable people
.jpg)
- Wojciech Jaruzelski – general, former Polish president (born 1923 in Kurów, died 2014 in Warsaw)
- Czesław Janczarski – poet, writer of fairy tales for children (born 1911 in Hruszwica, died 1971 in Warsaw)
- Klemens Kurowski – Polish nobleman and senator, owner of Kurów (born around 1340, died before 1405)
- Grzegorz Piramowicz – priest in Kurów, writer, philosopher (born 1735 in Lvov, died 1801 in Międzyrzec Podlaski)
- Ignacy Potocki – nobleman, owner of Kurów (born 1750, died 1809 in Wien)
Images for kids
-
St. Michael's Church
See also
In Spanish: Kurów para niños
