Chmielnik

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

Chmielnik
Coat of arms
Chmielnik
Coordinates: 50°36′42″N 20°44′59″E / 50.61167°N 20.74972°E / 50.61167; 20.74972Coordinates: 50°36′42″N 20°44′59″E / 50.61167°N 20.74972°E / 50.61167; 20.74972
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Świętokrzyskie
County	Kielce
Gmina	Chmielnik
Area
- Total	7.9 km2 (3.1 sq mi)
Elevation	240 m (787 ft)
Population (2006)
- Total	4,005
- Density	507/km2 (1,313/sq mi)
Postal code	26-020
Website	http://www.chmielnik.com

Chmielnik [ˈxmjɛlnik] is a town in Kielce County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, Poland. It has a population of 4,005 (2006). Town's name is derived from hop (Polish: chmiel).

History

The name of Chmielnik was first mentioned in connection with the Battle of Chmielnik with Mongols and Tartars fought in the area in 1241. The Mongols and Tartars were opposed near the settlement by Polish knights from the provinces of Sandomierz and Kraków. In the town there is a monument dedicated to this battle. At the beginning the settlement was a property of the dukes of Sandomierz, but in the 13th century became owned by the Odrowąż family. The oldest monument in the town is the Church of Holy Trinity together with a church graveyard from around 1356. Later on it belonged to the Oleśnicki's family who made efforts to grant it the town charter. In 1541 Chmielnik was granted a town charter by the Polish king Zygmunt II August, hereby formally becoming a town. In 1580 the king Stefan Batory granted the town a privilege of organizing more fairs. At the beginning of the 17th century the ownership of the town is transferred to the Gołuchowski's family. In the 16th and 17th centuries the town was a major centre for Polish Protestants (Calvinists and the Polish Brethren). On the basis of privilege granted by Krzysztof Gołuchowski in the second part of the 17th century the town was populated by Sephardi Jews expelled from Spain. They built a synagogue in 1638 and took over houses and shops of the Polish Brethren expelled from the town in 1658. In 1787 it became a property of the Chłapowscy family. After the partitions of Poland the town was taken by the Austrian Empire. In the years 1809–1815 it was in the Duchy of Warsaw, later in the Congress Poland. In 1829 Dezydery, the last of the Chłapowski family, sold the town to Kazimierz Tański. It was in the hands of this family until 1945.

After capturing the town in 1939 the Germans slowly discriminated against the Jewish population, which swelled during the war as Jews fleeing from other towns fled to the town. Over several months Germans transported Jews to concentration camps, mainly Treblinka, where they were exterminated. Just after the war, only four Jewish residents residing in the town had survived. The remaining Holocaust survivors emigrated, mostly to Israel, Canada and the United States.