Raciąż

See also: Raciąż, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship

Raciąż [ˈrat͡ɕɔ̃ʂ] is a town in Płońsk County, Masovian Voivodeship, Poland, with 4,642 inhabitants (2010). Its history dates to 10th century.

Raciąż
Church of the Assumption
Coat of arms
Raciąż
Coordinates: 52°46′46″N 20°6′55″E
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Masovian
County	Płońsk
Gmina	Raciąż (urban gmina)
Established	10th century
Town rights	1425
Government
• Mayor	Mariusz Godlewski
Area
• Total	3.82 km2 (1.47 sq mi)
Population  (2010)[1]
• Total	4,642
• Density	1,200/km2 (3,100/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	09-140
Area code	+48 23
Vehicle registration	WPN
Website	http://www.miastoraciaz.pl/

History

Church of the Assumption in the 1910s

Raciąż was granted town rights in 1425 by Siemowit IV, Duke of Masovia. It was located on a trade route connecting Toruń with Brześć.^[2] From 1495, it was a county seat within the Płock Voivodeship in the Greater Poland Province of the Kingdom of Poland. The 1st Polish National Cavalry Brigade was stationed in the town.^[3]

Since the 17th century Scottish^[4] and Jewish populations had lived in Raciąż. Between 1857 and 1931, the Jewish population of the town varied between 35% and 45%, which was typical of small shtetls in the region.^[5] At the beginning of World War II, there were about 1,700 Jews in Raciąż. The German invaders rounded up most of the Jews and deported them to Warsaw and other larger towns in 1939. Some were sent to forced labor camps too. Almost all of Raciąż' Jews were murdered during the war, but about ten young survivors returned to town after the war. Most were murdered one night by unknown people, either nationalists or thugs. After that, the remainder left.^[6]

Demographics

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1890	4,708	—
1897	4,656	−1.1%
1910	4,663	+0.2%
1921	4,513	−3.2%
1931	4,789	+6.1%
1939	4,786	−0.1%
1950	3,504	−26.8%
1960	3,579	+2.1%
2010	4,642	+29.7%
Source: [7][1]

References

1. Stan i struktura ludności oraz ruch naturalny w przekroju terytorialnym w 2010 r. (PDF) (in Polish). Warszawa: Główny Urząd Statystyczny. 2011. p. 75. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2011.
2. Bartoszewicz, Henryk (1994). "Drogi handlowe ziemi dobrzyńskiej w XV–XVI w.". Miscellanea Historico-Archivistica (in Polish). Vol. IV. Warszawa: Naczelna Dyrekcja Archiwów Państwowych, Wydawnictwo DiG. p. 167. ISSN 0860-1054.
3. Gembarzewski, Bronisław (1925). Rodowody pułków polskich i oddziałów równorzędnych od r. 1717 do r. 1831 (in Polish). Warszawa: Towarzystwo Wiedzy Wojskowej. p. 7.
4. Feduszka, Jacek (2009). "Szkoci i Anglicy w Zamościu w XVI-XVIII wieku". Czasy Nowożytne (in Polish). Vol. 22. Zarząd Główny Polskiego Towarzystwa Historycznego. p. 53. ISSN 1428-8982.
5. Jewish Community in Raciąż on Virtual Shtetl]
6. Virtual Sztetl: Raciaz. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
7. Dokumentacja Geograficzna (in Polish). Vol. 3/4. Warszawa: Instytut Geografii Polskiej Akademii Nauk. 1967. p. 41.