Płońsk

Płońsk
St Michael's Church
Flag Coat of arms
Płońsk
Coordinates: 52°38′N 20°23′E / 52.633°N 20.383°E / 52.633; 20.383
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Masovian
County	Płońsk County
Gmina	Płońsk (urban gmina)
Established	11th century
Town rights	1400
Government
• Mayor	Andrzej Józef Pietrasik
Area
• Total	11.6 km2 (4.5 sq mi)
Population (2010-06-30)
• Total	22,500
• Density	1,900/km2 (5,000/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	09-100
Area code(s)	+48 023
Car plates	WPN
Website	http://www.plonsk.pl

Płońsk [pwɔɲsk] (Yiddish: פּלאָנסק [Plonsk]‎) is a town in north-central Poland with 22,500 inhabitants (2010). It is situated in the Masovian Voivodeship (since 1999) at the river Płonka; previously, it was in Ciechanów Voivodeship (1975–98).

Płońsk gained city rights from the prince Siemowit IV of Masovia some time between 1399 and 1412. In the early twentieth century, the population of 10,000 was equally divided between Poles and Jews. The Jews lived mostly within the city, whilst the Poles were more scattered and tended to live in the countryside. Many of the Jewish residents of Plonsk immigrated to pre-state Israel for Zionist reasons, spurred on by the idea of building a Jewish homeland. In September 1940, Jews from the town and the surrounding areas were imprisoned in a ghetto in harsh conditions. Some of them suffering a typhus epidemic. In total, 12 000 Jews were prisoners and from October 1942, they were sent to Auschwitz extermination camp. A resident who returned to the city in 1962 found that the major synagogue, three Jewish schools and the Jewish cemetery had been destroyed and demolished.

The church and the old monastery of Calced Carmelites were founded before 1417 by the prince Siemowit IV of Masovia and his wife Aleksandra, Jogaila's sister.

The Memoriał Andrzeja Trochanowskiego one-day cycling race is based in Płońsk. The race takes place annually on May 1. It is home to a yearly open theatre festival (held in the summer).