Karczew

Karczew ([ˈkart͡ʂɛf]; Yiddish: קארטשעוו Kartshev) is a town in Otwock County, Masovian Voivodeship, Poland, the seat of the urban-rural administrational district of Gmina Karczew, with 10,271 inhabitants (2010).^[1]

Karczew
Polish Baroque Church of Saint Vitus built in 1732–1737 by Jakub Fontana
Flag Coat of arms
Karczew
Coordinates: 52°5′N 21°15′E
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Masovian
County	Otwock
Gmina	Karczew
Settlement status	1958
Town rights	1548-1869, 1959
Government
• Mayor	Michał Rudzki
Area
• Total	29.01 km2 (11.20 sq mi)
Population  (2010)
• Total	10,271
• Density	350/km2 (920/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	05-480
Area code	+48 22
Car plates	WOT
Website	http://www.karczew.pl

Karczew is a part of the Warsaw Agglomeration. It is situated on the right bank of Vistula River.

History

18th-century inscription above the entrance of the Saint Vitus church

Karczew was granted town rights by Polish King Sigismund I the Old in 1548. Administratively it was located in the Masovian Voivodeship in the Greater Poland Province of the Polish Crown.

During the invasion of Poland, which started World War II, Karczew was captured by German troops, who then carried out a massacre of 75 Poles at the local market square on September 11, 1939.^[2] Three Poles from Karczew were murdered by the Russians in the large Katyn massacre in 1940.^[3]

In 2014 ferries to Gassy started service. According to people working on this project, the main problem was the official "no-entry" car regulation, despite roads being in the vicinity. Without cars it was not economically feasible, and after this problem was solved by removing this rule, the ferries began service.^[4][5]

Sports

The local football team is Mazur Karczew [pl]. It competes in the lower leagues.