Mielnik

Coordinates: 52°20′N 23°3′E / 52.333°N 23.050°E / 52.333; 23.050
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other places with the same name, see Mielnik (disambiguation).
Mielnik
Village
120-year-old pine tree at the entrance to Mielnik
120-year-old pine tree at the entrance to Mielnik
Country
 Poland
VoivodeshipPodlaskie
CountySiemiatycze
GminaMielnik
Population
980

Mielnik [ˈmʲɛlɲik] is a village in Siemiatycze County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, in north-eastern Poland, close to the border with Belarus.[1] 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.

Mielnik has a long and rich history. The area of the town was in c. 1018 captured by warriors 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

Janusz I of Warsaw, and 1430 - 1444, when it was ruled by Duke Bolesław IV of Warsaw. In 1420, Duke Vytautas 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 Bolesław IV. Four years later, the town was purchased by King Casimir IV Jagiellon
.

On 1 October 1501,

vogt of Mielnik, a nobleman named Mikolaj Rychlik, who resided in a manor house at Oslowo. On October 23 of the same year, the Union of Mielnik was signed by Alexander I and Lithuanian nobles. Four days later, Alexander changed Mielnik's town charter into Magdeburg rights. King Sigismund I the Old
visited Mielnik twice, in 1506 (while awaiting Polish crown), and 1513, when he stayed here for a month, ordering construction of a second Catholic church.

In the 16th century, Mielnik established its position as one of the most important towns of the province of

Land
of Mielnik was established.

Following the Union of Lublin (1569), Mielnik was annexed by the Kingdom of Poland. Its population was c. 1,500, and the town remained an important urban center of Podlasie.

George II Rakoczi
, who also destroyed the royal castle and the parish church. As a result, Mielnik lost 70% of population.

Following the Partitions of Poland, Mielnik was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia (1795), and in 1807, it was transferred to the Russian Empire, where it remained until World War I. In 1829, Russians destroyed local Catholic church, and in 1863, to commemorate suppression of the January Uprising, chapel of Alexander Nevsky was built. Mielnik returned to Poland in 1919, losing its town charter in 1934.

Demographics

1897 census

The most spoken languages in Mielnik according to the

Russian Imperial Census of 1897:[2]

Language Population Proportion
Jewish
 441 29.7%
Ukrainian 422 28.42%
Russian 324 21.81%
Polish 293 19.73%
Unknown 5 .34 %
Total 1,485 100.00%

People associated with Mielnik

References

  1. ^ "Central Statistical Office (GUS) – TERYT (National Register of Territorial Land Apportionment Journal)" (in Polish). 2008-06-01.
  2. ^ "Первая всеобщая перепись населения Российской Империи 1897 г. Распределение населения по родному языку и уездам 50 губерний Европейской России". Демоскоп Weekly. (in Russian)
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