Sokółka is a town in northeastern Poland, seat of the Sokółka County in Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is a busy rail junction located on the international Warsaw–Białystok–Grodno line, with additional connections which go to Suwałki and the Lithuanian border.
History
thumb|left|180px|Monument commemorating the 400th anniversary of receiving town rights
The settlement was founded as a royal village located on the route connecting Knyszyn and Grodno. Sokółka was granted town rights by King Sigismund III Vasa in 1609. He was one of the main organizers of the January Uprising in the territory between Białystok and Grodno.
In 1873 Sokolka was the birthplace of Alexander Bogdanov, polymath and revolutionary, who was a serious rival to Lenin for leadership of the Bolshevik Party in its early years.
Following World War I, in 1918, Poland regained independence and control of the town.
In the course of the Soviet invasion of Poland at the start of World War II, Sokółka was captured by the Red Army on 21 September 1939, and then occupied by the Soviet Union under which it was annexed into the Byelorussian SSR on 14 November 1939. It was administered as a part of the Belastok Region of the Byelorussian SSR. Several Poles from Sokółka, including the town's mayor, were murdered by the NKVD in the large Katyn massacre in April–May 1940. Sokółka was under German occupation from June 1941 until 24 July 1944. It was administered as a part of the Bialystok District of Nazi Germany. The Germans established the Sokółka Ghetto for the imprisonment of Polish Jews. The ghetto served as staging point for deportations to death camps during the Holocaust similar to most Jewish ghettos across the occupied country. The Jews of all surrounding villages and towns including Krynki, Janów, Czyżew, and Zaręby Kościelne were kept there. In total, 8,000–9,000 people were murdered. The main synagogue was destroyed. The Jewish community was not restored.
thumb|Town hall
On 24 July 1944, troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front of the Red Army dislodged the German occupying forces from the town.
thumb|center|560px|[[Tadeusz Kościuszko|Kościuszko square in Sokółka with the town hall to the left and Saint Alexander Nevsky Orthodox Church to the right]]
Eucharistic miracle
On October 12, 2008, an Eucharistic miracle took place in the Saint Anthony of Padua Church in Sokółka. During Sunday mass, a consecrated Host fell on the floor and developed a red stain after spending a week in a container with water. The red substance was later scientifically proven to be human blood and heart muscle tissue.
Transport
Sokółka is located on the S19 highway, parts of which (including the local part) are still under construction (as of 2021). There is also a train station in the town.
Sports
thumb|Stadium OSiR in Sokółka
The local football club is Sokół Sokółka. It competes in the lower leagues.
Notable people
- Marcin Białobłocki (born 1983), cyclist
- Alexander Bogdanov (1873-1928), Soviet revolutionary, physician, philosopher, writer
- Leonard Drożdżewicz (born 1960), notary, columnist, publisher and social activist
- Jan Pawłowski (born 1992), footballer
- Diana Sokołowska (born 1996), swimmer, Olympic participant
Twin towns—sister cities
Sokółka is twinned with:
- Rochlitz, Germany
- Šalčininkai, Lithuania