Czyżew [ˈt͡ʂɨʐɛf] is a town in Wysokie Mazowieckie County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, in north-eastern Poland.[2] It is the seat of the Gmina Czyżew administrative district. As of December 2021, the town had a population of 2,621.[1]

Czyżew
Town
Church of Saints Peter and Paul
Church of Saints Peter and Paul
Flag of Czyżew
Coat of arms of Czyżew
Czyżew is located in Poland
Czyżew
Czyżew
Coordinates: 52°47′45″N 22°19′45″E / 52.79583°N 22.32917°E / 52.79583; 22.32917
Country Poland
Voivodeship Podlaskie
CountyWysokie Mazowieckie
GminaCzyżew
Town rights1713-1870, 2011
Government
  MayorFranciszek Kuczewski
Area
  Total
5.23 km2 (2.02 sq mi)
Population
 (31 December 2021[1])
  Total
2,621
  Density501/km2 (1,300/sq mi)
Postal code
18-220
Area code+48 86
Car platesBWM
National roads

History

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Monument to Poles deported by the Soviets from the local railway station to Siberia during World War II

About 1,600 Jews lived in the town prior to World War II, making up 85% of its population. The town was occupied by Nazi Germany in September 1939, and shortly thereafter given to the Soviets as part of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. During this time, many Jewish refugees fled from areas under German control and resettled in Czyżew. A local Polish policeman was murdered by the Russians in the Katyn massacre in 1940.[3][4] The Germans reoccupied Czyżew in June 1941, and most of the town's Jews were executed by firing squad in a nearby forest. One or two hundred professionals deemed relevant to the war effort were housed in a ghetto for forced labor, with the ghetto's residents later being transported to Zambrów and murdered.[5]

Czyżew previously held town rights from 1738 to 1870; it became a town again on 1 January 2011. The town was re-formed from three villages: Czyżew-Osada ("settlement"), Czyżew-Złote Jabłko ("golden apple") and Czyżew-Stacja ("station"). On the same date the district was renamed from Gmina Czyżew-Osada to Gmina Czyżew.

Transport

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Czyżew lies on national road 63 which connects it to Zambrów and Siedlce.

The town has a station on the important Polish railway line no. 6, connecting Zielonka in the Warsaw metropolitan area with Białystok and Kuźnica.

References

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  1. 1 2 "Local Data Bank". Statistics Poland. Retrieved 2022-07-28. Data for territorial unit 2013034.
  2. "Główny Urząd Statystyczny" [Central Statistical Office] (in Polish). To search: Select "Miejscowości (SIMC)" tab, select "fragment (min. 3 znaki)" (minimum 3 characters), enter town name in the field below, click "WYSZUKAJ" (Search).
  3. Jakubowski, Grzegorz, ed. (2006). Miednoje. Księga Cmentarna Polskiego Cmentarza Wojennego (PDF) (in Polish). Vol. 1. Warszawa: Rada Ochrony Pamięci Miejsc Walk i Męczeństwa. p. 518. ISBN 83-89474-06-9.
  4. Gurianov, Aleksandr, ed. (2019). Убиты в Калинине, захоронены в Медном. Книга памяти польских военнопленных – узников Осташковского лагеря НКВД, расстрелянных по решению Политбюро ЦК ВКП(б) от 5 марта 1940 года (PDF) (in Russian). Vol. 1. Moscow: Общество «Мемориал». p. 667. ISBN 978-5-6041921-4-6.
  5. Yad Vashem. "צ'יז'בו (Czyżewo)" המכון הבין-לאומי לחקר השואה [The Encyclopedia of the Ghettos]. Yad Vashem.