Grajewo

Grajewo (ɡraˈjɛvɔ) is a town in north-eastern Poland with 21,499 inhabitants (2016). It is the capital of Grajewo County within the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is located within the historic region of Masovia, near the border with Podlachia and Masuria. At one time, the area was inhabited by the Yotvingians. The first settlements in the region of modern Grajewo already existed in the early 15th century. The first documented mention is from the year 1426. In the late 15th century the village was a small center of trade and crafts. In 1540 the town obtained municipal rights from Polish King Sigismund I the Old. In 1656, during the Deluge (Polish-Swedish war), the Battle of Prostki took place nearby. The town's population decreased dramatically as a result of the war. In 1692 the town came into possession of the Wilczewski family, hailing from Wilczewo. In 1794 battles of the Polish Kościuszko Uprising were fought near Grajewo. In 1777, the town had 258 inhabitants, and in 1800 it had 218 inhabitants. During the retreat after the French invasion of Russia, Napoleon stopped in the town in December 1812. After the Partitions of Poland by the neighbouring empires, in 1815 Grajewo became part of the Russian Congress Poland. In 1831 victorious battles of the November Uprising took place near Grajewo. In the second half of the 19th century, trade and handicrafts developed. After the massacres of Polish protesters committed by the Russians in Warsaw in 1861, Polish demonstrations and clashes with Russian soldiers took place in Grajewo. During the January Uprising, on March 12, 1864, a clash between Polish insurgents and Russian troops took place near the town, won by Poles. Due to the participation of the population in the January Uprising, the town lost its municipal rights in 1870. With the establishment of a rail link between the then-German-controlled city of Ełk and the then-Russian-controlled city of Białystok, the town's development was accelerated. A Jewish community existed in Grajewo from the late 18th century.