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19-03-2023

01-09-2004

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History of Zamosc (and vicinity)
Important dates and war experiences


  • 1517 - Mikołaj and Feliks Zamoyski purchased from Jan Ostrowski a settlement named Skokowka with a small castle, situated on the flood plains of Labunka and Topornica rivers (formerly called Kalinowka and Wieprzec) and the sorrounding villages.

  • 1542 - 19 III - Jan Zamoyski - the future founder of the town of Zamosc was born in Skokowka.

  • 1580 - 110 IV - Jan Zamoyski, then the Crown Chancellor issued a location act establishing a town called New Zamosc (to be differentiated from Old Zamosc - a nearby settlement which belonged to another line of the Family). (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zamo%C5%9B%C4%87).

  • 1648 - 6-24 XI - a siege of Zamosc by the Cossack and Tatar armies under Bohdan Chmielnicki. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohdan_Chmielnicki).

  • 1649 - King Jan Kazimierz stopped in Zamosc on his way to relieve the besieged Zbaraz.

  • 1656 - 26 II - 1 III - successful defence of the fortress (...) during a siege of Zamosc by the Swedish army led by the King Karol X Gustaw. (http://www.allempires.com/empires/polish_lit_full/polish_lit2.htm; http://copernicus.subdomain.de/Charles_X_of_Sweden).

  • Beginning of the XVIII c.  During the Northern Wars, Zamosc was pressed hard for contributions, twice occupied by the Swedish (1704) and Saxon (1715-16) Armies; also, Russian detachments attempted to conquer it by deceit(1706). (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Northern_War).

  • 1772 - at the time of the I-st Partitioning of Poland, Zamosc was occupied by Austria and incorporated into the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria. (http://www.polishroots.org/genpoland/polhistory.htm; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partitions_of_Poland).

  • 1809 - Zamosc was declared a "National Fortress" and manned by the Austrian military who requisitioned all churches, which formerly belonged to the religous orders. The only ones left open were the Collegiate Church, an Orthodox Church and a Synagogue. During several following years, Zamosc was the site of the Central Interim Military Government. On May 20, the town was liberated by the Polish Army of Prince Jozef Poniatowski (who was associated with Napoleon), under the command of Gen. Pelletier. Three-fourths of the suburbs were burnt during the siege.  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duchy_of_Warsaw; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B3zef_Poniatowski).

  • 1813 - defence of Zamosc against an 8-month long siege by the Russian Army; defence was led by General Maurycy Hauke and was followed by a surrender on November 25. 

  • 1815 - after the Vienna Congress, Zamosc was incorporated into the "Congress Kingdom" (Kingdom of Poland - under the Russian control). (http://www.polishroots.org/genpoland/kpol.htm; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congress_Poland).

  • 1817-31 - Zamosc is converted (by the Russians) into a strong fortress of strategic importance near the border with Austria. At the same time, the fortress served as a main military prison of the Kingdom.

  • 1831 - during the November 1830 Uprising, the Zamosc fortress under the command of Gen. Jan Krysinski, was a base for successful military operations of the Polish Insurgent Forces in the south-eastern region of the country and it was the site of administration authorities for the Lublin Voivodship. Zamosc finally surrendered on November 21, 1831, as the last site of resistance in the country. The suburbs were destroyed during the fighting.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_Uprising#Poland_before_the_uprising).

  • 1833 - all permanent structures were demolished within a 1200 meter wide perimeter around the fortifications. Permits were being issued only for the construction of wooden structures in the more distant suburbs.

  • 1831-66 - Zamosc remains a strong fortress, constantly modernized, manned by the Russian Army.

  • 1856 - Cholera epidemics - about 2000 people died.

  • 1865 - After suppression of the January Uprising (1863-1864), its last leader and commandant - Fr Stanislaw Brzoska was jailed in the fortress (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_Uprising).

  • 1866 - Liquidation of the fortress as outdated; partial demolition of the fortifications. 

  • 1939 - 1 IX - on the first day of World War II, Zamosc had 28.100 inhabitants. 3-13 IX - several German bombing raids, primarily of the strategic objects; over 200 people were killed. 19-20 IX - an attempt to re-take Zamosc by the Polish infantry regiment under the command of Lt. Col. Stanisław Gumowski was not successful. After temporary withdrawal of the German forces, Zamosc was occupied for a short period of time, from 27 IX to 5 X by the Soviet Army.  8 X - German military returned. XII - beginning of extermination of the Jews: appointment of the Judenrat, registration of the Jewish population and establishment of a Ghetto.

  • 1940 - first transports of Jews arrive from cities of Western Poland (which were incorporated into the German Reich).   VI - first mass arrests of Polish intelligentsia and social activists in the course of an action under the cryptonim A-B and incarcerating them in the Rotunda. Rotunda served initially as a transitional camp, changed in 1943 to an extermination camp.

  • 1941 - after the start of German-Soviet war, Germans organized in Zamosc the POW camps for the Soviet soldiers.

  • 1942 - XI - liquidation of the Jewish Ghetto located in Nowa Osada. 27 IX - first transport of displaced families, expelled from the Zamosc region, to a camp at the Okrzei street; this was an action associated with the creation of a German Settlement District.

  • 1943 - Rotunda became an extermination camp; the Nazis started a cover-up by burning bodies at the stakes. 

  • 1944 - mass shooting executions in Rotunda connected with the German action "Sturmwind" directed against the partisan groups. 25 VII - Zamość was liberated by the detachments of the 3rd Soviet Guard Army of the 1st Ukrainian Front; the city also welcomed enthusiastically Polish partisan detachments of the Home Army (AK).

  • 1973 - change of the city borders - included were parts of villages: Sitaniec, Płoskie, Wólka Infułacka.

  • 1992 - erection of the Zamosc-Lubaczow Diocese.


Source: http://www.roztocze.pl/turystyka/index.php?i=daty