Pułtusk () is a town in Poland, by the river Narew. Located north of Warsaw in the Masovian Voivodeship, it has a population of 19,224 as of 2023. Known for its historic architecture and Europe's longest paved marketplace ( in length), it is a popular weekend destination for the residents of Warsaw. The college became a significant institution of higher education in Masovia and boosted the growth and prosperity of Pułtusk. New manors, grand houses and streets were built, and the college itself was significantly expanded in 1583.

thumb|[[Battle of Pułtusk (1703)]]

The town suffered from epidemics in 1572, 1602, 1613, 1622 and 1656, and fires in 1613 and 1646. During the Deluge, Pułtusk was occupied by Swedish forces in 1656. On 21 April 1703 during the Great Northern War, a decisive battle was fought in Pułtusk, where the Swedish army under Charles XII defeated and captured a large part of the Saxon army under Graf von Steinau. Although the town and the castle were initially conquered by Polish forces, they were later recaptured by the Swedish army, which looted and destroyed it.

After the Partitions of Poland, the town was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia. The Polish forces of General Antoni Madaliński stationed in Pułtusk in 1794 declined to obey Prussian orders and started their march towards Kraków. This marked the start of the Kościuszko Uprising. Prussian rule lasted only a few years.

Under the partitions

thumb|left|[[Battle of Pułtusk (1806)]]

Another Battle of Pułtusk was fought on 26 December 1806, between forces of Imperial Russia and Imperial France. The battle became so famous that its name is inscribed on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. After the fall of Warsaw in 1809, Pułtusk became the temporary capital of the Duchy of Warsaw. After the fall of Napoléon Bonaparte, the town became part of so-called Congress Poland within the Russian Partition of Poland.

In 1811 a new ship-of-the-line of the French navy was named Pultusk, to commemorate this battle. This ship of 74 guns of the Téméraire-class was built in Antwerp. Only after the Danish crew of the ship remarked about the spelling of the name, this was corrected to Pultusk, with an icy comment from the emperor that "the French people didn't know their victories." After the fall of the French empire the ship was transferred to the new Dutch navy and named Waterloo (I).

thumb|[[Pultusk (meteorite)|Pultusk meteorite]]

In 1830, the Benedictines were expelled by a Tsarist decree, and the college buildings were taken over for administrative purposes.

Interbellum and World War II

The town was reintegrated with Poland, when the country regained independence following World War I in 1918. During the Polish-Soviet War, it was fiercely defended by Poles on 9–10 August 1920, at the eve of the Battle of Warsaw. On 13 August the Russians captured the town, and then they massacred captured Polish soldiers.

As a result of the German invasion of Poland, which started World War II, Pułtusk was occupied by the Wehrmacht on 7 September 1939, and incorporated into Nazi Germany. Already on 12–13 September 1939, the Einsatzgruppe V entered the town to commit atrocities against the population. Nazi Germany operated a police prison, court prison and forced labour camp in the town. The German police carried out executions of Poles in the local prison in November and December 1939. During the German occupation, approximately 50% of the city's inhabitants, mostly Jews, were expelled or deported, some to Nazi concentration camps. In 1941-1945 it was renamed in German as Ostenburg, to erase traces of Polish origin. On 17 December 1942 the Gestapo carried out a public execution of four members of the Home Army, the leading Polish resistance organization. In the battle for Pułtusk during later World War II, over 16,000 soldiers of the Soviet Red Army were killed. As a result of the battle, approximately 85% of the city was destroyed.

thumb|right|250px|The Pułtusk Town Hall is standing in the central part of the longest paved [[market square in Europe. The adjacent brick Gothic tower was erected in the 15th century]]

On 27 September the Germans deported most of the Jews to concentration camps. Some eventually made their way to the Soviet border but many died in the camps. In the 21st century, descendants of Pułtusk Jewry are found mainly in Israel, the United States, Canada, and Argentina.

Modern times

In 1950, a rail line connecting Pułtusk with Nasielsk Railway Station was built.

In 1975, the Science Center of the Mazovian Center for Scientific Research was opened in the town.

In 1993, Pułtusk hosted the first ever biennial meeting of the World International Advisory Committee of UNESCO's Memory of the World Programme to discuss and inscribe items onto the Register.

Points of interest

Currently Pułtusk is one of the most picturesque towns of Masovia. Located on the Narew river, it is one of the most popular weekend places for residents of Warsaw. Points of interest include:

  • Collegiate Church of Annunciation
  • Small Gothic church with unique Renaissance stuccos
  • The Old Town market (reputedly the longest market square in Europe)
  • Town Hall with 15th century Tower (it now houses a Regional Museum)
  • Polonia Castle (now operated as a hotel named Dom Polonii)
  • Ogródek Jordanowski, one of the first children's playgrounds in Poland
  • Monument to murdered Jewish residents of Pułtusk. The population of Pułtusk included approximately 9,000 Jews in 1939 before the Holocaust in Poland
  • Soviet military cemetery

Education

  • Pułtusk Academy of Humanities

Sports

The local football club is Nadnarwianka Pułtusk. It competes in the lower leagues.

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Pułtusk is twinned with:

  • Ganderkesee, Germany
  • Montmorency, France
  • New Britain, United States
  • Senica, Slovakia
  • Szerencs, Hungary

Notes and references

  • Municipal Website (Polish)
  • Pultusk Academy of Humanities
  • Pultusk student's radio ATENA
  • Photos of Pułtusk – Part 1
  • Photos of Pułtusk – Part 2
  • Jewish Community in Pułtusk, at Virtual Shtetl