Augustów

Early modern period

A settlement in the area was first mentioned in 1496.^{[citation needed]} Augustów was established around 1540 by Bona Sforza and granted Magdeburg rights in 1557 by Sigismund II Augustus,^[12] after whom it was also named.^[13] It was laid out in a very regular manner, with a spacious market-place.^[9] In 1564, Sigismund II Augustus granted Augustów the adjacent settlements of Biernatki, Żarnowo and Turów, which became new suburbs.^[14]

Until 1569 Augustów belonged to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania within the Polish–Lithuanian union. In 1569, along with Podlachia, it was returned to the Kingdom of Poland by the Privilege of restoration of Podlasie land to the Polish Crown,^[15][16][17] while its cemetery was left in the Grand Duchy,^{[citation needed]} both within the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth as a result of the Union of Lublin. Augustów was a royal town,^[18] located in the Podlaskie Voivodeship in the Lesser Poland Province. Fishing, brewing, tavern keeping and trade were the main occupations of the inhabitants.^[14] Tatar invaders destroyed Augustów in 1656, and the second half of the 17th century saw the town afflicted by plague.^{[citation needed]} The Crown's 4th National Cavalry Brigade was stationed in Augustów in 1790.^[19]

Late modern period

In 1795 Prussia annexed Augustów in the Third Partition of Poland.^{[citation needed]} In 1807, it became part of the Polish Duchy of Warsaw, followed by incorporation into the Russian-controlled Kingdom of Poland in 1815.

Augustów was designated the capital of the newly established Augustów Voivodeship, although, due to a lack of sufficient office space, the capital was established in Łomża, and then moved to Suwałki. A few years later, as part of plans to make Augustów the provincial capital, a project was drawn up for a major expansion of the town, with a new urban layout adjacent to the old town, the centre of which was to be the Nowy Rynek (New Market Square) with administrative buildings.^[20] The final design was drawn up in 1830 by Henryk Marconi, one of the leading Polish architects of the early 19th century.^[20] The plan to move the provincial capital to Augustów was abandoned following the outbreak and fall of the November Uprising.^[21]

It was made a county seat in 1842. The local populace took part in the large Polish January Uprising of 1863–1864 against Russia. With a population around 9,400 (c. 1875), it carried a large trade in cattle and horses, and manufactured linen and huckaback.^[8] Its canal connects the Vistula and Neman rivers and the railway reached the town in 1899, when its population was around 12,800.^[9]

During World War I, the Russian Army successfully counterattacked the German Army in the Battle of Augustów, in the lead-up to the better-known Battle of the Vistula River.

In the aftermath of World War I, it was a site of fighting during the Battle of Augustów in 1920. Augustów was once again briefly ruled by Lithuania on August 8–28, 1920, for the first time since the 16th century. It was eventually restored to Poland, and formed part of the Białystok Voivodeship.

In 1921, the Polish 1st Krechowce Uhlan Regiment, which previously fought in the First World War and the Polish–Soviet War, was relocated from Hrubieszów to Augustów.^[22] In 1921, Marshal Józef Piłsudski conducted an inspection at the garrison in Augustów.^[22] The 1st Krechowce Uhlan Regiment was considered elite and enjoyed outstanding renown in Poland.^[23] In 1925, the 10th anniversary of the regiment was celebrated in Augustów with the participation of the then Minister of Military Affairs, Władysław Sikorski, who later became Prime Minister of Poland in exile during World War II.^[24] Augustów was visited by Presidents of Poland Stanisław Wojciechowski (in 1923) and Ignacy Mościcki (in 1929 and 1932).^[25][26]

World War II

Following the joint German-Soviet invasion of Poland, which started World War II in September 1939, Augustów was occupied by the Soviet Union until 1941. Many inhabitants were sent to exile in Kazakhstan, from where some were able to return after 6 years. Around a dozen Poles who were either born or lived and worked in Augustów were murdered by the Russians in the Katyn massacre in 1940.^{[27][28][29][30]}

On June 22, 1941, just before the Germans captured the town, the Soviets murdered around 30–34 Polish prisoners in Augustów as part of the NKVD prisoner massacres.^[31] The Nazi German forces occupied Augustów until 1944, and operated a forced labour camp in the town.^[32]

World War II brought the destruction of about 70% of the town and death or departure of most of its residents, amongst them a community of several thousand Jews who were imprisoned in the ghetto situated between the canal and the river. The Germans executed practically all of them before they left.

Post-war period

In July 1945, the Soviets conducted the nearby Augustów roundup – a special operation against former Armia Krajowa anticommunist fighters.^[33] They are presumed to have been executed and buried in an unknown location in present-day Russia or Belarus.^[34] Polish Institute of National Remembrance has declared the 1945 Augustów roundup "the largest crime committed by the Soviets on Polish lands after World War II".^[33]

After the war, the recreational base of the city was further expanded. In 1946, the city had 7.2 thousand inhabitants. In 1954, several rural settlements were excluded from the city area, but in 1973, the city expanded to include several villages, forests and six lakes.^[35] In the years 1975–1998, the city was located in the Suwałki Voivodeship.

In 1999, the city became part of newly created Podlaskie Voivodeship, and the seat of the Augustów district and the Augustów urban gmina.

Rail transport

Railway line 40 (Sokółka–Suwałki) passes through the town. Augustów has a railway station.

Road transport

National roads 8 (Kudowa-Zdrój–Budzisko), 16 (Dolna Grupa–Ogrodniki and 61 (Warsaw–Augustów), as well as voivodeship roads 664 (Augustów–Lipszczany) and 672 (Augustów–Suwałki) pass through the town.

Augustów ring road controversy

The construction of the Augustów bypass called Via Baltica, through the wetlands of the Rospuda Valley, attracted great controversy in 2007. The work was halted after the European Commission applied for an immediate injunction.^[39]

Twin towns – sister cities

Augustów is twinned with:^[50]

Former twin towns

• Grodno, Belarus (2008–2022)
• Slonim, Belarus (2013–2022)

On 7 March 2022, partnership with Belarusian cities was terminated due to Belarus's involvement in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.^[51]