Pruszków

Flag

Coat of arms

Motto: Kolej na Pruszków!
It's Pruszków's turn!

Pruszków

Coordinates: 52°10′N 20°48′E / 52.167°N 20.800°E

Country

Poland

Pruszków (urban gmina)

Established

16th century

Town rights

1916

Government

• Mayor

Jan Starzyński

Area

• Total

19.15 km² (7.39 sq mi)

Population (2014)

• Total

60,068

• Density

3,100/km² (8,100/sq mi)

Time zone

CET (UTC+1)

• Summer (DST)

CEST (UTC+2)

Postal code

05-800, 05-802, 05-803,
05-804

Area code(s)

+48 22

Car plates

WPR

Website

http://www.pruszkow.pl/

Pruszków [ˈpruʂkuf] (English: Pruscow) is a city in central Poland, situated in the Masovian Voivodeship since 1999. It was previously in Warszawa Voivodeship (1975–1998). Pruszków is the capital of Pruszków County, located along the western edge of the Warsaw urban area. The town's population has grown significantly, from 16,000 in the early part of the 20th century to 60,068 in the 2014 census by the Central Statistical Office of Poland. According to the 2004 census, Pruszków had a population of 54,893.

Pruszków was incorporated as a town in 1916 following World War I, although a village has existed there since the 16th century. The development of the town was aided by the construction of the Warsaw-Vienna Railway in the 19th Century and the construction of the Elektryczna Kolej Dojazdowa (now Warszawska Kolej Dojazdowa), Poland’s first electrified commuter train line, in 1927. A large psychiatric hospital opened in the outlying village of Tworki in 1891 and is still operating to this day. During the World War I, a battle between German and Russian forces took place in Pruszków on 12–18 October 1914 (part of Battle of the Vistula River). Despite the initial success of the German forces on the 12th of October, they were push-backed out of town after successful Russian counter-attack on 14th. An intense artillery fire by both sides caused severe damages to many buildings in Pruszków including train station, power plant, and two churches. In August 1915 Pruszków was taken by the German forces without a fight.

The city had a large Jewish population before the Nazi–Soviet Invasion of Poland. In 1940, the German occupation authorities established a Jewish ghetto in Pruszków, in order to confine its Jewish population for the purpose of persecution and exploitation. The ghetto was liquidated on January 31, 1941, when all its 1,400–3,000 inhabitants were transported in cattle trucks to Warsaw Ghetto, the largest ghetto in all of Nazi occupied Europe with over 400,000 Jews crammed into an area of 1.3 square miles (3.4 km²). From there, most victims were sent to Treblinka extermination camp.

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Wikipedia