Krasnosielc

Krasnosielc [krasˈnɔɕelt͡s] is a village in Maków County (Masovian Voivodeship), on the river Orzyc, in east-central Poland. It is the seat of the administrative district (gmina) called Gmina Krasnosielc.[1] It lies approximately 18 kilometres (11 mi) north of Maków Mazowiecki and 90 km (56 mi) north of Warsaw. Previous names include Sielc, Siedlec and in Yiddish: Silc‎. The village has a population of 1,300.

Krasnosielc
Village
Saint John Kanty Church
Coat of arms
Krasnosielc
Coordinates: 53°1′N 21°10′E
Country Poland
VoivodeshipMasovian
CountyMaków
GminaKrasnosielc
Population
1,300
Websitewww.gminakrasnosielc.pl

History

Until the mid-19th century the town lay within the estate of Krasiński family. Jews, who had begun to settle there in the mid-18th century, made up 60% of its population by 1841. The Jewish district was defined by a legal document according to which Jews were obliged to pay rent to count Józef Krasiński. A Jewish kahal was established in Krasnosielc in 1844 following an official complaint about improprieties of the kahal in Przasnysz. Krasnosielc lost its municipal status in 1869, soon after its last Polish owner Karol Krasiński died childless. In 1883 a synagogue was built. The town changed hands several times before Poland regained its independence in 1918.[2]

The Jewish community of Krasnosielc ceased to exist in early September 1939. Following the German invasion of Poland, SS units of Panzer Division Kempf forced the Jews into the synagogue and massacred them there. A day later, the remainder (mostly men) were machine-gunned at the same location.[3] The anti-Jewish massacre became widely publicized in Berlin as the first of its kind on Polish soil. The perpetrators received sentences of a few years, and their superiors were replaced.[2]

Notable inhabitants

References
  1. "Central Statistical Office (GUS) - TERYT (National Register of Territorial Land Apportionment Journal)" (in Polish). 2008-06-01.
  2. Katarzyna Olzacka, History of Krasnosielc at www.kirkuty.xip.pl
  3. David Shachar, "Research of the Massacre at Krasnosielc and Provision of a Memorial to the Victims" with Notes by the author.


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