Bieżuń

Bieżuń
Museum
Coat of arms
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Masovian
County	Żuromin
Gmina	Bieżuń
Town rights	1409-1869, 1994
Government
• Mayor	Ewa Łubińska
Area
• Total	12.07 km2 (4.66 sq mi)
Population  (2006)
• Total	1,874
• Density	160/km2 (400/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	09-320
Area code	+48 23
Car plates	WZU
Website	http://www.biezun.pl

Bieżuń [ˈbʲɛʐuɲ] is a town in Żuromin County, Masovian Voivodeship, Poland, with 1,903 inhabitants (2004) on the Wkra River. Jedrzej of Golczew, castellan of Płock, estaqblished the town at the end of the 14th century. Prince Siemowit IV, Duke of Masovia granted the city rights charter in 1406 and in 1869, during the Russia's occupation, the town lost its city rights until 1994. Prior to the Deluge (history) the town was famous and had a strong castle, but it was destroyed during that war. Polish Crown Kanclerz Andrzej Zamoyski was born at there and lived in the palace he built while working on his code of civil laws known as Zbiór praw sądowych During Zamojski's residency there, in 1767, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth king Stanisław August Poniatowski granted the renewal of the town charter under the Magdeburg rights. After the Third of Partitions of Poland town fell into the Prussia's domain, then during the War of the Fourth Coalition there was a small pitched battled between the Napoleonic troops and the Prussians know as battle of Bieżuń, it was a French victory and took place on December 21-23, 1806. Between 1807-15 it was part of Duchy of Warsaw, then under the Russian dominion until 1918.

References

• Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich, Tom I, page224-225.

External links

• Official town and commune webpage
• Jewish Community in Bieżuń on Virtual Shtetl