Sokółka

For other places with the same name, see Sokółka (disambiguation).

Sokółka
Neoclassical Church of St. Anthony
Flag Coat of arms
Sokółka
Coordinates: 53°24′N 23°30′E
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Podlaskie
County	Sokółka County
Gmina	Gmina Sokółka
Area
• Total	18.61 km2 (7.19 sq mi)
Population  (2012)
• Total	18 974
Postal code	16-100
Website	www.sokolka.pl

Sokółka (pronounced [sɔˈkuu̯ka]; Lithuanian: Sokulka, Sakalinė, Belarusian: Саку́лка) is a town in Podlaskie Voivodeship in northeastern Poland. It is a busy rail junction located on the international Warsaw–Białystok–Grodno line, with additional connections which go to Suwałki and the Lithuanian border. The area has a Tatar minority.

The town was in Białystok Voivodeship from 1975 to 1998.

History

Regional Museum

King Sigismund III Vasa confirmed the status of the town in 1609. The town's layout with its central square is attributed to architect Antoni Tyzenhauz. The Catholic church in a neoclassical style was erected there in 1848. Points of interest include St. Alexander Newski’s Orthodox Church from 1830.

During occupation of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, Sokółka was the location of Sokółka Ghetto for the imprisonment of Polish Jews. The Nazi ghetto served as staging point for deportations to death camps during the Holocaust in Poland similar to most Jewish ghettos across the country. The Jews of all surrounding villages and towns including Krynki, Janów, Czyżów, and Zaręby Kościelne were kept there. In total, 8,000–9,000 people were murdered. The main synagogue was destroyed. The Jewish community was not restored.

Kościuszko square in Sokółka with Saint Alexander Nevsky Orthodox church to the right

Twin towns—sister cities

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

Sokółka is twinned with:

• Rochlitz, Germany
• Šalčininkai, Lithuania