Happy TravellerWelcome to Hrubieszów, a town located in southeastern Poland, with a population of around 18,212 (2016). It is the capital of Hrubieszów County within the Lublin Voivodeship. Throughout history, the town’s culture and architecture were strongly shaped by its Polish Roman Catholic, Greek Catholic, and Jewish inhabitants. Almost all of the Jewish community of the town, however, were murdered in the Holocaust. Hrubieszów is also the birthplace of Polish writer, novelist, and author of popular books Bolesław Prus, and entrepreneur and Holocaust survivor Henry Orenstein.
Hrubieszów has a rich history that dates back to the early Middle Ages when a defensive gord existed on the Huczwa river island. It was first mentioned in 1254, as a hunting settlement located among forests. In 1366, the area, along with Hrubieszów, then called Rubieszów, was eventually recaptured by King Casimir III the Great, and reintegrated with the Kingdom of Poland. Some time in the late 14th century, a wooden castle was built here, as a residence of a local governor. Probably in 1400 Rubieszów received a town charter from Polish king Władysław II Jagiełło, who visited it in 1411, 1413 and 1430. A castle and church were later added. King Casimir IV Jagiellon ordered the construction of a route from Lublin to Lwów passing through Rubieszów. The town was destroyed several times by Crimean Tatars, who raided this area in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries, and by the rebellious Cossacks. After the First Partition of Poland in 1772, Hrubieszów was annexed by Austria. In 1800, Stanisław Staszic founded the Hrubieszów Agricultural Society, the first cooperative organization in Europe, which existed until 1945. The name of the town was changed in 1802 from Rubieszów to Hrubieszów. Following the Austro-Polish War of 1809, the town became part of the short-lived Polish Duchy of Warsaw, then in 1815 it became part of Russian-controlled Congress Poland, within the Lublin Governorate. In 1909, its population was 15,000. In the final weeks of World War I, in November 1918, a newly formed Polish unit from Chełm liberated the town. It was integrated with reborn Poland, within which it was administratively part of the Lublin Voivodeship. During the joint German-Soviet invasion of Poland, which started World War II, the German army entered the town on 15 September 1939. Ten days later the Germans withdrew and the Soviet army occupied the town, but after a fortnight returned it to the Germans, in accordance with a new Soviet-German agreement. During the German occupation, the region witnessed the Zamość Uprising. Many inhabitants, including almost all of the 7,000 Jewish residents, were murdered in the Holocaust. In 1944, the German occupation ended, and the town was restored to Poland, although with a Soviet-installed communist regime, which stayed in power until the Fall of Communism in the 1980s. After World War II, what remained of the town’s Ukrainian population was expelled to the Soviet Union. In May 1946, the town was the site of the largest joint action by the partisans of the Polish anti-communist Freedom and Independence movement and those of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army.
Hrubieszów is a town with a rich cultural heritage. The town’s culture and architecture were strongly shaped by its Polish Roman Catholic, Greek Catholic, and Jewish inhabitants. Almost all of the Jewish community of the town, however, were murdered in the Holocaust. The town boasts a number of monuments, including the birthplace of writer Bolesław Prus, an outdoor sculpture of Bolesław Prus, Saint Nicholas Catholic Church (17th-century), Orthodox church with 13 cupolas (1875), Madonna of Ceaseless Help Catholic Church (1903-5), Du Château manor complex, housing a regional museum, Madonna of Sokal Catholic Church, and Jewish cemeteries (Old and New).
Hrubieszów is also a great destination for sports enthusiasts. Unia Hrubieszów sports club is based in Hrubieszów, with football, athletics, and weightlifting sections.
Hrubieszów is easily accessible by road and rail. National road 74 runs through the town, continuing to the road border crossing with Ukraine at Zosin-Ustyluh located about 20 km to the east. In 2015 the road was rerouted to a newly built bypass avoiding the town center. A wide gauge Hrubieszów–Sławków Południowy LHS railway runs through the town. A normal gauge railway runs parallel to it, which carries two pairs of PKP Intercity trains, first through southern Poland to Jelenia Góra and second through northern-central Poland to Piła. Lublin Airport is the closest international airport, located about 120 km away by road.
In conclusion, Hrubieszów is a town with a rich history, cultural heritage, and sports scene. It is a great destination for travelers who want to explore the hidden gems of southeastern Poland and learn about the town’s fascinating past.
