Krynki

Town

Saint Anne Church in Krynki

Coat of arms

Krynki

Coordinates: 53°15′56″N 23°46′20″E / 53.26556°N 23.77222°E

Poland

Population

2,709

Krynki pronounced [ˈkrɨŋkʲi] (Belarusian: Крынкі Krynki) is a town in northeastern Poland, located in Podlaskie Voivodeship along the border with Belarus. Krynki is famous for its history and its old buildings. It lies approximately 24 kilometres (15 mi) south-east of Sokółka and 45 km (28 mi) east of the regional capital Białystok.

Krynki received town privileges in 1569. Throughout history, it was an important textile, leather and pottery center. In 1914, the town's population was 10,000 people, about 80 percent of them Jewish. The remainder was made up of Christian Poles and ethnic Belarusians. Krynki used to be a multicultural town prior to World War II, and before the Holocaust in occupied Poland. Today, the majority of Krynki's citizens are Catholic, but there is a Belarusian minority still present. Krynki lost city rights in 1950 in Stalinist Poland due to significant loss of population, but regained them in 2009.

Jews began living in Krynki in the 17th century when the Polish king Władysław IV Vasa invited them to town to boost trade and manufacturing. From that moment, the Jewish population continued to grow and their culture flourished.

A notable part of Krynki's history was the Jewish labour movement of 1905. In that year, Jakow Pat led Jewish workers and created the independent Republic of Krynki in defiance of the Russian imperial rule. After World War I Poland returned to independence and democracy. The Jews began emigrating to Palestine and the United States for greater economic benefit.

...
Wikipedia