Belchatow, Lodz (Poland): history of the town
Belchatów The first recorded mention of Belchatów dates from 1391. The Belchats were the founders and first owners of the town. In 1405 they changed the family name into Be³chacki; hence the name Belchatów probably. With time Be³chatów underwent development. The town changed hands and received new buildings. In 1617 the Kaczkowski family founded o church and wooden monastery, later on given to the Franciscan order. Soon afterwards, in 1670, Stanis³aw Rych³owski, the then owner of these buildings, demonstrated his generosity by paying for the construction of a new brick-built church and monastery as well as a palace surrounded by a park. The palace was probably designed by Lodovico Coci, an Italian architect. Belchatów owes its most rapid growth to the Rychlowski family. In 1737 the town gained the right to stage fairs and markets; six years later Be³chatów was given a town charter. That period saw the emergence of the first factories, which gave rise to the local textile industry. Following the second partition of Poland, the town found itself under Prussian control. This resulted in an influx of settlers, who contributed much to the regions further economic growth. New factories were established then; as a consequence, as early as 1820 Be³chatów ranked among industrial centres. Jewish people constituted more than a half of the population at that time. In 1870, after the fall of the January Uprising, Be³chatów lost its municipal status as a punishment for the towns active support to the insurgents; Belchatów became the property of German Reinhold Spiller and then the Hellwig family. Nevertheless, the town continued to develop as an important social and economic centre in the region. In the early 20th century Belchatów received new factories, a power plant, library, courthouse, bank and new houses. The Voluntary Fire Brigade played a significant role in the consolidation of Polish society and in the maintenance of patriotic traditions. The institutions members contributed greatly to the introduction of Polish as the language of instruction in schools in 1905. During World War I, Be³chatów citizens took an active part in the struggle for Polands independence. A plaque commemorating those who had been killed was put up in 1938. In 1925, when Poland was free again, Belchatów regained its municipal status. Another stage in the towns dynamic growth ended with the outbreak of World War II. The vicinity of Be³chatów bore witness to heavy defensive fighting, since Borowa Góra had the task of stopping a Nazi assault on Warsaw. During the occupation Be³chatów was declared a Jewish town, since the Jews constituted nearly 50% of its population. The Nazis established a ghetto, where the Jews were brutally repressed, beaten and murdered. The ghetto was closed in August 1942; the towns citizens have put up a commemorative plaque dedicated to the martyrdom of 5,000 Jews from Belchatów. The town was liberated on 19 January 1945 by the soviet army: On that day Belchatów saw the entry if the 63rd Armoured Brigade commanded by Colonel Fronciszew, which was part of the 10th Armoured Corps. Following the end of World War II, Belchatów and its 3,500 citizens began the slow restoration of their former position. This process was considerably by the decision to make Belchatów the capital of a new administrative unit from January 1956. Reference: [HB1] http://www.euroatlas.pl/startpage/start.asp?lang=e