Bełżyce

Middle Ages

Presumably, in the early 13th century, a minor royal castle was in the area of the present city. The building was transferred to local magnates, who provided ability to settle a town according to Magdeburg Rights in 1349. In 1416 town settlement process began and next year king Władysław Jagiełło gave an official document, allowing Bełżyce to improve. First, town was populated by farmers, craftsmen, merchants and alcohol producers. A wooden church was built and a Catholic parish of St. Paul's conversion was created. Since 1432, while two new privileges were acquired, major growth has been noticeable – representatives of four religions lived here together. Catholics and Eastern Christians as farmers, Protestant craftsmen, and Jewish merchants.

Protestant domination

The 16th and 17th centuries were a period of Protestant influence in the area. Bełżyce became a Protestant, Polish Brethren centre of Lesser Poland. In 1558 a Catholic church was given away and transferred into a Protestant one by Andrzej Bzicki, the town mayor. The Protestant “regime” was so well developed that the mayor issued a directive to residents to take part in services under the punishment of fine or even imprisonment. In 1575, an intellectual religious exchange took place between Rabbi Jacob Nachman of Belzyce and Martin Czechowic of Lublin. The next two centuries were a period of permanent religious riot (with Catholic attempt to retake the church in about 1630), the Cossacks assaults while Khmelnytsky’s uprising (massacre of Jews), fires and plagues of cholera and typhoid fever. A new Catholic church was built in 1670 (the old one was given back in 1654) and 113 years later there are no more Protestants in the town, as their church burned in 1783.

Partition period

In 1796 while Partitions of Poland Bełżyce was acquired by Austrian Empire as well as whole West Galicia. Since 1810 it had been in borders of Duchy of Warsaw and since 1816 of Congress Poland. The 19th century was a period of changes, as a castle was transformed into a distillery. In 1860 the city occupied nearly 950 ha with about 150 buildings. After the January Uprising, Bełżyce lost its town rights for nearly 100 years. Two major fires affected the city – first, in 1866, which destroyed 25 buildings, second, in 1913. The whole town was almost destroyed; residents formed a fire brigade. In 1917, 3666 people populated the town, mostly Jewish.

20th century

The 20th century affected Bełżyce as well as the rest of the country. In 1939 the town was taken by the Nazi German Army. Between 1940 and 1943 there was a ghetto, collecting Jews from around country and abroad, Germany too. In total, 3500 people (60% of residents) died in the ghetto, another few thousand were transported to concentration camp Majdanek. At local cemetery there is a collective tomb of those who died those days.

The second half of the 20th century brought little improvements to Bełżyce city. In 1958 town rights were restored. In 1971 “Warmasz” (Warsaw Groceries Machines’ Factory) company opened their branch factory in Bełżyce, later substituted by a creamery equipment factory "Spomasz".

Historic sites