At that time a synagogue was erected and near it 3 Bathei Midrash (study houses). During the 17th century their number increased constantly. There is no doubt that by the second half of the 16th century Jews lived in Ciechanowiec. Near Ciechanowiec there is indeed a small village called Kuzari and in the town itself there was a street named The Kuzari Street. Historians saw in these signs the proof that Jews had settled in Ciechanowiec at the origin of the town. According to one theory, the Kuzary Jews founded it. The Jewish community in Ciechanowiec has been regarded as one of the most ancient Jewish settlements in Poland. During World War I, under the government of the Germans, the two parts of the city were united. The economy of the new city was based mostly on agricultural products and only by the second half of the 19th Century were industrial plants startedfor example, a flour mill, a potash incinerator, a beer brewery, and a soap shop, etc. The textile industry was developed and buttons factories were also built. In the 19th century, the old city had an important economic role. In the first partition of Poland, in 1772, the old city was included in Russia and the new city was transferred to the government of Prussia afterwards it was annexed to the Warsaw Princedom and included in the kingdom of Poland. In the year of 1786, a hospital was founded in Ciechanowiec, which served the population of the whole region.Ĭiechanowiec became famous for its botanic garden founded by nature researcher Krzystof Kloka. In addition, the number of inhabitants decreased to 700 in both parts of the town. The number of houses decreased t to 120 in the old city and only 35 in the new city. Ciechanowiec was conquered by the Swedes, but it did not recover, even after it was liberated by the Polish army, until the 18th century. In the Swedish war, at the middle of the 17th century, both parts of the town were severely damaged. In the old city there were 275 houses, while in the new city there were only 58 houses. At that time artisan associations had been founded. By the end of the 16th century there were already some industrial plants and a large number of artisan workshops, primarily tailors, cobblers and furriers. Also from an economic point of view, the old city was much stronger than its neighbor. The area of the old city was much bigger than the new city. Every part of the town belonged to other owners and was included also in other provinces. The separation between the two parts of the town was kept until World War I. The part to the right of the river was called Nowe Miasto (the new city) and part to the left was called Stare Miasto (the old city). By the end of the 16th century, the town was also divided administratively and each part became a separate administrative body. The river Nirzec crosses Ciechanowiec and divides it into two parts. In 1592 Ciechanowiec was transferred to the ownership of the Radziwil nobles. Urban privileges were granted to Ciechanowiec in 1429 in 1520, a central station for customs was founded which controlled the merchandise transported to Russia through the town.

In the 15th century, Ciechanowiec was the property of the noble family of Kiszko and its descendants, who called themselves ∼iechanowski. In 1366 Ciechanowiec moved under Lithuania patronage and after the unification of Poland and Lithuania (in 1385) it returned to the patronage of Poland. The settlement was destroyed by the Tatars in 1240. It is assumed that Ciechanowiec was founded in the 10th century. Our mission is to produce a translation of the original work and we cannot verify the accuracy of statements or alter facts cited.Ĭiechanowiec, Poland (District: Wysokie Mazowiecki Province: Bialystok) Written by Shmuel Levin (until WWII) and Abraham Kalvan (the Holocaust) JewishGen is not responsible for inaccuracies or omissions in the original work and cannot rewrite or edit the text to correct inaccuracies and/or omissions. The reader may wish to refer to the original material makes no representations regarding the accuracy of Sold or bartered without JewishGen, Inc.'s permission. Mission of disseminating information about the Holocaust and This material is made available by JewishGen, Inc.Īnd the Yizkor Book Project for the purpose of This is a translation from: Pinkas Hakehillot Polin:Įncyclopedia of Jewish Communities, Poland, Volume IV, pages 392-395,

To put this material on the JewishGen web site. Our sincere appreciation to Yad Vashem for permission Translation of ∼iechanowiec chapter from Ciechanowiec, Poland ∼iechanowiec - Encyclopedia of Jewish

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