Czersk, Masovian Voivodeship
Czersk | ||
|---|---|---|
Settlement | ||
 Market Square | ||
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Country  Poland | ||
| Voivodeship | Masovian | |
| County | Piaseczno | |
| Gmina | Góra Kalwaria | |
| granting city rights | 1350 | |
| deprivation of city rights | 1870 | |
| Population (approx.) | 590 | |
Czersk (Polish pronunciation: [t͡ʂɛrsk] ⓘ) is a settlement in the administrative district of Gmina Góra Kalwaria, within Piaseczno County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland.[1] It lies approximately 2 kilometres (1 mi) south-east of Góra Kalwaria, 19 km (12 mi) south-east of Piaseczno, and 33 km (21 mi) south-east of Warsaw. The village also lies on the Czersk Lake (size: 9 hectares), which is an oxbow lake of the Vistula.
Czersk was an important settlement in the past and is one of the oldest
Name
Czersk was first mentioned in the Laurentian Codex, in which under the date 1142, it is spelled as Чьрньскъ (Čьrnьsk, Cz(i)rn(i)sk). In Polish-language sources, it was spelled Cirnsk (1236-1237), Cyrnsko (1242), Czyersko (1456), and later, Czyrnsk or Czyrnsko. These forms were later simplified into Czyrsko, which in late Middle Ages changed into Czersk. The name probably comes from the Czarna river, a tributary to the Vistula River.
History
First Slavic gord was established on a local hill in the 11th century, in a location of a 7th-century settlement, near a Vistula river ford. In the 12th century, Czersk became the seat of a castellan, and in 1252, of a Roman Catholic archdeacon, subjected to the Bishop of Poznań, which turned the town into an important political center of Mazovia. In the same year, Czersk was named a capital of a Mazovian duchy.
Officially, Czersk received town charter in 1350, but long before that time, it had an urban character, with a mid-13th century market square. In 1388, Duke of Mazovia
During the reign of King Czersk Sigismund I the Old, Czersk became one of favourite places of his wife, Queen Bona Sforza. She spent a lot of time here, and on her initiative, Czersk returned as one of main centers of the region. A brewery was opened, trade flourished, local produce was very popular across Mazovia. The town prospered until the Swedish invasion of Poland, when, after the Battle of Warka (1656), Czersk, together with the castle, was completely destroyed by the retreating Swedish units. The town never recovered from the destruction; in 1762-1766 Crown Marshall Franciszek Bieliński tried to rebuild the castle, but his project was not completed due to Partitions of Poland.
In 1815, Czersk became part of Russian-controlled Congress Poland, and in 1869, as a punishment for the January Uprising, Czersk was stripped of its town rights, becoming a village. Once one of the largest medieval towns of Poland, and second largest town of Mazovia (after Płock), Czersk now is a small village, with population less than 1,000. Czersk still has a medieval grid plan, with a large market square in the middle.
Czersk Castle
In the 11th century, during the reign of either
In 1350, the gord was partly destroyed in a Lithuanian raid, and in 1388, Duke of Mazovia
In 1526, Mazovia was incorporated into the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, and the Czersk Castle became a royal property. In 1547, it was administered by Queen Bona Sforza, who in 1549 built here a residence, called Wielki Dom. The castle was almost completely destroyed in 1656, during the Swedish invasion of Poland. In 1762–1766, the Starosta of Czersk and Crown Marshall tried to rebuild the complex, as he planned to place here archives and local court. His plans failed due to the Partitions of Poland, and the castle now is a permanent ruin. It is open to visitors, who admire the preserved walls and three towers. Inside the complex, there are foundations of St. Peter church.
References
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