Raków, Kielce County

Infobox Settlement
name = Raków
settlement_type = Village
total_type =


image_shield =


subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = POL
subdivision_type1 = Voivodeship
subdivision_name1 = Świętokrzyskie
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Kielce County
subdivision_type3 = Gmina
subdivision_name3 = Raków
latd = 50
latm = 40
lats = 25
latNS = N
longd = 21
longm = 2
longs = 44
longEW = E
pushpin_

pushpin_label_position = bottom
elevation_m =
population_total = 1213
website = http://www.rakow.pl/

Raków IPA-pl| [|'|r|a|k|u|f|] is a village in Kielce County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, in south-central Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Raków. It lies approximately convert|39|km|mi|0|abbr=on south-east of the regional capital Kielce.cite web |url=http://www.stat.gov.pl/broker/access/prefile/listPreFiles.jspa |title=Central Statistical Office (GUS) - TERYT (National Register of Territorial Land Apportionment Journal) |date=2008-06-01 |language=Polish] The village has a population of 1,213.

Raków was founded in 1569 by castellan Jan Sienieński of Żarnów as the centre of the Polish Brethren, a place of religious tolerance. The coat of arms, a cancer, derives from Jadwiga Gnoińska.

Until the 1630s, the town had grown to 15,000 inhabitants, with businesses centering around the Academy of the Socinians.

In 1639, during counterreformation, the Polish Sejm banned their faith. The inhabitants were expelled out of the country. Many buildings destroyed. Later destruction was brought by Cossacks and Hungarians in 1657. By 1700 the town had only 700 inhabitants left.

To counter Unitarianism, a Catholic Church dedicated to Holy Trinity was build there and Catholic people were brought in.

People

* Stanisław Lubieniecki took refuge in Netherlands and Hamburg
* Szymon Starowolski
* Jakub Zadzik

References