Mława

Mława
Main Square
Flag Coat of arms
Mława
Coordinates: 53°7′N 20°22′E
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Masovian
County	Mława County
Gmina	Mława (urban gmina)
Established	15th century
Town rights	1429
Government
• Mayor	Sławomir Kowalewski
Area
• Total	35.5 km2 (13.7 sq mi)
Highest elevation	180 m (590 ft)
Lowest elevation	135 m (443 ft)
Population (2006)
• Total	29,702
• Density	840/km2 (2,200/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	06-500 to 06-501
Area code(s)	+48 023
Car plates	WML
Website	http://www.mlawa.um.gov.pl

Mława [ˈmwava] is a town in north-central Poland with 30,623 inhabitants (2004). It is the capital of Mława County.

The town is situated in the Masovian Voivodeship (since 1999), previously it was part of the Ciechanów Voivodeship (since 1975). During the Invasion of Poland of 1939 the large Battle of Mława was fought to the north of it.

History

First mention of Mława comes from July 2, 1426, when three princes of Mazovia - Siemowit V, Trojden II and Wladyslaw I came here to a session of a local court. It is not known if Mława had already been an urban center, as there are no sources which would prove it. Three years later, Mława was incorporated as a town and in 1521 during the Polish-Teutonic War, the town was captured and loooted by the Teutonic Knights. In 1659 the town was burned by the Swedish troops, and in 1795, following the Partitions of Poland, Mława became part of the Kingdom of Prussia.

After Napoleonic Wars, Mława was incorporated into the Russian Empire, where it remained until World War I. Since the town was located in proximity to the pre-1914 Russian-German border, Mlawa was area of heavy fighting, changing hands fourteen times. In the interbellum period, government of the Second Polish Republic constructed here several fortifications, and in the opening stages of World War II, the advancing German Wehrmacht faced strong resistance from the Polish Army at Mława.

In 1991, it was theatre of the Mława pogrom.

Industry

In Mława, there's a large LG factory which manufactures TV sets and monitors, selling them in the whole Europe.

Notable people related to Mława

In Mława Barbara Rogowska was born, famous Polish comedian actress and comic and Joseph Opatoshu, Yiddish novelist and short story writer.

Sport

Mława is home to MKS Mława, a men's football team, promoted to 2nd league in 2004/2005 season.

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Poland

Twin towns — Sister cities

Mława is twinned with:

• Moscufo, Italy
• Nasaud, Romania

See also

• Bolesław Prus' novel, Pharaoh, partly inspired by 19 August 1887 solar eclipse viewed at Mława.
• Mława pogrom
• Vistula River Railroad