Mielnik
| Mielnik | ||
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120-year-old pine tree at the entrance to Mielnik
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 Mielnik
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| Coordinates: 52°20′N 23°3′E / 52.333°N 23.050°E | ||
| Country |
 Poland
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| Voivodeship | Podlaskie | |
| County | Siemiatycze | |
| Gmina | Mielnik | |
| Population | 980 | |
Mielnik [ˈmʲɛlɲik] (Ukrainian: Мельник, Mel’nyk) is a village in Siemiatycze County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, in north-eastern Poland, close to the border with Belarus. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Mielnik. It lies approximately 17 kilometres (11 mi) south-east of Siemiatycze and 88 km (55 mi) south of the regional capital Białystok.
The village has a population of 980.
Mielnik has a long and rich history. The area of the town was in c. 1018 captured by warriors of Boleslaw Chrobry, and remained in Polish hands until c. 1050, when Kazimierz Odnowiciel handed it to Grand Prince of Kiev, Yaroslav the Wise, for his help in getting rid of Mieclaw. Since Mielnik was located near the settlement of the Yotvingians, its area was subject to frequent raids.
In 1323-1324, Mielnik and nearby Drohiczyn were captured by Lithuanian Duke Gediminas, and remained part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania until 1569, except for the period 1391 - 1408, when it was governed by Mazoviad Duke Janusz I of Warsaw, and 1430 - 1444, when it was ruled by Duke Boleslaw IV of Warsaw. In 1420, Duke Vytautas (Witold) founded here a Roman Catholic church, which was located in the complex of the Mielnik Castle. On September 22, 1440, Mielnik received Chelmno town charter from Duke Boleslaw IV. Four years later, the town was purchased by King Casimir IV Jagiellon.
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Wikipedia