Przysucha

Not to be confused withPeshischa (Hasidic group).

Further information:Timeline of Treblinka

Przysucha
Dembiński manor
Coat of arms
Przysucha
Coordinates:51°22′N20°37′E
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Masovian
County	Przysucha
Gmina	Przysucha
Established	15th century
Town rights	1710
Government
• Mayor	Tadeusz Tomasik
Area
• Total	6.98 km2(2.69 sq mi)
Population (2006)
• Total	6,245
• Density	890/km2(2,300/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1(CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2(CEST)
Postal code	26-400
Area code	+48 48
Car plates	WPY
Website	przysucha.pl

Przysucha[pʂɨˈsuxa]is a town in south-centralPoland.Located in historicLesser Poland,it is part of theMasovian Voivodeship,about 100 km southwest ofWarsawand 40 km west ofRadom.It is the capital ofPrzysucha County,and the town 6,762 inhabitants (2004). Its name inYiddishisפּשיסכעorפשיסחאorפשיסכא(pronounced: Pshiskhe). In the past, it was home to a number ofHasidicRabbis,such asThe Holy JewandSimcha Bunim of Peshischa.

Przysucha is located on theRadomkariver, along national road nr. 12 (which in the future will makeExpressway S12). Rail station Przysucha is located in the village ofSkrzyńsko,on the line from Radom toŁódź.

History

First mention of Przesucha, as it was known then, comes from 1415. In the early 16th century, the village belonged to the Morsztyn family. Przysucha had apublic house,awatermill,and aforge,and it belonged to the parish of Skrzyńsko. On December 11, 1710, upon a royal privilege, issued by KingAugustus II the Strong,artisans were allowed to settle in the town, and a weekly market was established. Later on, two markets a week were permitted, and amanufactorywas opened in town, along the Radomka river.

German artisans fromSilesiaandSaxonyfounded in the early 18th century a settlement called Czermno, which today is part of Przysucha. In Przysucha itself, the number of Jews rapidly grew. At that time, the town was a major center ofHasidism.In 1777, Przysucha had 39 German, 85 Jewish, and 29 Polish houses. The town was divided into three parts - Germans lived in Czermno, Jews in Przysucha, and Poles - in Urszulin. Przysucha also was one of centers of early industry. In the late 18th century, it had ablast furnace,a sawmill, and a paper mill. Since its origins to 1795 Przysucha belonged toSandomierz Voivodeship.

After thePartitions of Poland,the period of prosperity ended. Przysucha remained a private town, and its industry was obsolete. In 1870, Tsarist authorities deprived Przysucha of its town rights.

The Przysucha Synagogue in 2007

Przysucha was a center of Chassidic Judaism. Seven important Hasidic rebbes are buried in the town's Jewish cemetery, established soon after Jews settled in the area in 1713. The Przysucha Synagogue was built between 1764 and 1777, and is the largest extant baroque synagogue in Poland.

Jews numbered 2,980 out of 4,850 residents in 1939. DuringWorld War II,Przysucha was bombed on September 6, 1939, when 70 houses were destroyed. Germans opened a ghetto with more than 5,000 Jews and murdered most of them at theTreblinka extermination camp.

Underground resistance was strong in Przysucha and the county. On September 6, 1944, German forces lost 140 soldiers, and 230 were wounded in a battle near the village of Stefanów. Soviet troops entered the town on January 17, 1945.

Since World War II

Immediately after the war, Przysucha had 1,500 inhabitants. In 1956 it became the seat of a county, and two years later it regained its town rights. During Communist times, several enterprises were opened there - clay mine, ceramics factory, fruit and vegetable processor.

Among points of interest are:

• classicistparish church (1780-1786),
• 19th century houses,
• Dembiński Manor House - currently a museum,
• Jewish cemetery,
• monument of Polish soldiers in a town square.

External links

• (in Polish)Przysucha local government webpage
• Przysucha on the map, via pilot.pl
• Jewish Community in Przysuchaon Virtual Shtetl