Brańsk

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title: "Brańsk" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["bielsk-county", "cities-and-towns-in-podlaskie-voivodeship", "populated-riverside-places-in-poland", "holocaust-locations-in-poland", "historic-jewish-communities-in-poland", "rus'-towns"] topic_path: "geography" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brańsk" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

Field	Value
name	Brańsk
image_skyline	Kościół Wniebowzięcia NMP w Brańsku 1.jpg
image_caption	Church of the Assumption of Mary in Brańsk
image_shield	POL Brańsk COA.svg
image_map	Bielsk County-Bransk(Town).png
pushpin_map	Poland
pushpin_label_position	bottom
subdivision_type	Country
subdivision_name
subdivision_type1	Voivodeship
subdivision_name1	Podlaskie
subdivision_type2	County
subdivision_name2	Bielsk
subdivision_type3	Gmina
subdivision_name3	Brańsk (urban gmina)
leader_title	Mayor
leader_name	Eugeniusz Tomasz Koczewski
established_title3	Town rights
established_date3	18 January 1493
area_total_km2	32.43
population_as_of	30 June 2021
population_total	3667
population_density_km2	auto
timezone	CET
utc_offset	+1
timezone_DST	CEST
utc_offset_DST	+2
coordinates
postal_code_type	Postal code
postal_code	17-120
area_code	+48 085
blank_name	Car plates
blank_info	BBI
blank_name_sec2	National roads
blank_info_sec2	[[File:DK66-PL.svg
blank1_name_sec2	Voivodeship roads
blank1_info_sec2	[[File:DW681-PL.svg
website	http://www.bransk.podlaskie.pl
::

Etymology

The name of the town comes from the river Bronka, a nearby tributary of the Nurzec River.

Geography

|21|29|0 |21|31|0 |28|40|0 |35|52|0 |45|63|0 |50|68|0 |54|70|0 |52|70|0 |46|61|0 |39|51|0 |32|39|0 |25|33|0 |float=right |clear=both |units=imperial |source=Weatherbase{{cite web | url =http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=57321&refer= |title =Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Brańsk, Poland | dateformat = mdy |access-date =July 2008

Location

Brańsk is located in the geographical region of Europe known as the Wysoczyzny Podlasko–Białoruskie (English: Podlaskie and Belarus Plateau) and the mesoregion known as the Bielsk Plain (Polish: Równina Bielska). The Nurzec River, a tributary of the Bug River, passes through Brańsk. The town covers an area of 32.43 km2.

It is located approximately:

140 km northeast of Warsaw, the capital of Poland
69 km southwest of Białystok, the capital of the Podlaskie Voivodeship
25 km west of Bielsk Podlaski, the seat of Bielsk County

Climate

The region has a continental climate characterized by high temperatures during summer and long and frosty winters. The average annual rainfall exceeds 550 mm. |metric_first=yes |single_line=yes |location = Brańsk |Jan_Hi_°F = 29 |Jan_Hi_°C = -3 |Feb_Hi_°F = 31 |Feb_Hi_°C = -3 |Mar_Hi_°F = 40 |Mar_Hi_°C = 4 |Apr_Hi_°F = 52 |Apr_Hi_°C = 11 |May_Hi_°F = 63 |May_Hi_°C = 17 |Jun_Hi_°F = 68 |Jun_Hi_°C = 20 |Jul_Hi_°F = 70 |Jul_Hi_°C = 21 |Aug_Hi_°F = 70 |Aug_Hi_°C = 21 |Sep_Hi_°F = 61 |Sep_Hi_°C = 16 |Oct_Hi_°F = 51 |Oct_Hi_°C = 11 |Nov_Hi_°F = 39 |Nov_Hi_°C = 4 |Dec_Hi_°F = 33 |Dec_Hi_°C = 1 |Year_Hi_°F = 51 |Year_Hi_°C = 11 |Jan_Lo_°F = 21 |Jan_Lo_°C = -6 |Feb_Lo_°F = 21 |Feb_Lo_°C = -6 |Mar_Lo_°F = 28 |Mar_Lo_°C = -2 |Apr_Lo_°F = 35 |Apr_Lo_°C = 2 |May_Lo_°F = 45 |May_Lo_°C = 7 |Jun_Lo_°F = 50 |Jun_Lo_°C = 10 |Jul_Lo_°F = 54 |Jul_Lo_°C = 12 |Aug_Lo_°F = 52 |Aug_Lo_°C = 11 |Sep_Lo_°F = 46 |Sep_Lo_°C = 8 |Oct_Lo_°F = 39 |Oct_Lo_°C = 4 |Nov_Lo_°F = 32 |Nov_Lo_°C = 0 |Dec_Lo_°F = 25 |Dec_Lo_°C = -4 |Year_Lo_°F = 37 |Year_Lo_°C = 3 |Jan_Precip_inch = |Jan_Precip_cm = |Jan_Precip_mm = |Feb_Precip_inch = |Feb_Precip_cm = |Feb_Precip_mm = |Mar_Precip_inch = |Mar_Precip_cm = |Mar_Precip_mm = |Apr_Precip_inch = |Apr_Precip_cm = |Apr_Precip_mm = |May_Precip_inch = |May_Precip_cm = |May_Precip_mm = |Jun_Precip_inch = |Jun_Precip_cm = |Jun_Precip_mm = |Jul_Precip_inch = |Jul_Precip_cm = |Jul_Precip_mm = |Aug_Precip_inch = |Aug_Precip_cm = |Aug_Precip_mm = |Sep_Precip_inch = |Sep_Precip_cm = |Sep_Precip_mm = |Oct_Precip_inch = |Oct_Precip_cm = |Oct_Precip_mm = |Nov_Precip_inch = |Nov_Precip_cm = |Nov_Precip_mm = |Dec_Precip_inch = |Dec_Precip_cm = |Dec_Precip_mm = |Year_Precip_inch = 21.7 |Year_Precip_cm = 55.0 |Year_Precip_mm = |source =Weatherbase{{cite web | url =http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=57321&refer= |title =Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Brańsk, Poland | dateformat = mdy |access-date =July 2008 |accessdate = 2008-07-05

History

Main article: Bielsk_County#History

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Bransk_500th_anniversary_of_granting_the_city_rights_monument_2016_P01.jpg" caption="Monument commemorating the 500th anniversary of receiving town rights"] ::

On 23–25 June 1264 the Battle of Brańsk was fought in the town's vicinity. Polish forced led by Duke Boleslaw V the Chaste defeated the forces of Yotvingia led by Komata (Kumata).

On 18 January 1493, Brańsk received a town charter based on Magdeburg rights from the Grand Duke of Lithuania, Alexander Jagiellon. It was the first town in Podlachia to receive such a charter. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/Bransk_AGE_1804.jpg" caption="Brańsk on a map from 1804"] ::

Brańsk was a royal town of Poland, administratively located in the Bielsk County in the Podlaskie Voivodeship in the Lesser Poland Province. The 3rd Polish National Cavalry Brigade was stationed in Brańsk before the Third Partition of Poland. In 1795, as a result of the Third Partition of Poland, Brańsk was annexed to the Kingdom of Prussia and administered as a part of the newly formed Białystok Department. In 1807, as a result of the Treaties of Tilsit, Brańsk was annexed to the Russian Empire and administered at first as a part of Belostok Oblast and from 1842 on as a part of Grodno Governorate. The town was reintegrated with Poland, after the country regained independence following World War I in 1918.

World War II

On 1 September 1939 Germany attacked Poland and started World War II. Within days of the war's beginning, Brańsk suffered German bombardment. On 17 September 1939 the Soviet Union attacked Poland from the east, and in partnership with Nazi Germany, partitioned Poland under the terms of the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact of August 23. Brańsk along with all areas of Poland east of the Bug River was then occupied by the Soviet Union. All Polish and Jewish businesses of substance were confiscated by the Communist State. Several Poles from Brańsk were murdered by the Russians in the large Katyn massacre in 1940. The Soviets remained in control of Brańsk until June 1941 when the Germans invaded their erstwhile Soviet allies.

The German Army occupied the town and ordered the Jewish community to build a ghetto surrounded by barbed wire, to which the Jewish population (some 65% of the town) was confined. On 8 November 1942 the Jews of Brańsk were ordered to report to the town center, forced to march to the nearby town of Bielsk, and then transported by train to Treblinka. Within weeks, the vast majority were murdered by gassing at the Treblinka extermination camp. Several local Jews were hidden and rescued by Poles (including the local parish priest) in Brańsk and nearby villages. Some hiding places in nearby villages were discovered by the Germans, who then murdered captured Jews. Their Polish rescuers were either also murdered or managed to hide from the Germans until the end of the German occupation.

On 1 August 1944 the town was captured by Soviet forces. On 4 August 1944 the Russians arrested 12 officers of the Polish underground Home Army in Brańsk, after they were deceitfully gathered for a supposed formal meeting with the command of the Soviet 65th Army. The town was soon restored to Poland.

In 1996, a PBS Frontline documentary titled Shtetl was released that documented the history of Brańsk's Jewish population before, during, and after Holocaust.

Demographics

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Population

According to the 1921 census, the town was inhabited by 3,739 people, among whom 1,474 were Roman Catholic, 100 Orthodox, and 2,165 Jewish. At the same time, 1,530 inhabitants declared Polish nationality, 2,165 Jewish, 32 Belarusian and 12 Russian. There were 493 residential buildings in the village.

Detailed data as of 30 June 2021: ::data[format=table] | ||colspan=2| Total ||colspan=2| Women ||colspan=2| Men | |---| | Unit | | Population | | Population Density (persons/km2) | ::

Municipal government

It is the seat of Gmina Brańsk, but is not part of Gmina Brańsk.

Executive branch

The chief executive of the government is the Mayor (Polish: Burmistrz).

Legislative branch

The legislative portion of the government is the Council (Polish: Rada) composed of the President (Polish: Przewodniczšcy), the Vice President (Polish: Wiceprzewodniczšcy) and thirteen councilors.

Neighbouring political subdivisions

Brańsk is bordered by Gminy Rudka and Brańsk.

Transport

Roads and highways

Brańsk is at the intersection of a National Road and a Voivodeship Road:

National Road - Zambrów - Brańsk - Bielsk Podlaski - Kleszczele - Czeremcha - Połowce Border Crossing (Belarus)
Voivodeship Road - Roszki-Wodźki - Łapy - Brańsk - Ciechanowiec

Streets

The major streets (Polish: Ulica) in Brańsk are:

Rynek
Armii Krajowej (National Road )
Bielska
Binduga
Boćkowska
Błonie
Jagiellońska
Jana Pawła II (Voivodeship Road )
Kapicy Milewskiego
Kasztanowa
Klonowa
Konopnickiej
Kościelna
Kościuszki (Voivodeship Road )
Mickiewicza
Piłsudskiego
Poniatowskiego
Senatorska
Sienkiewicza
Skłodowskiej-Curie
Szkolna
Słowackiego
Witosa
Wyszyńskiego
Ściegiennego

Public transport

Bus service

Regular bus service is provided by Państwowa Komunikacja Samochodowa (State Car Communication, PKS) via PKS Bielsk Podlaskie, PKS Białystok and PKS Siemiatycze

Rail service

The closest passenger train service is provided by Polskie Koleje Państwowe (Polish State Railways, PKP) SA from the following stations:

Szepietowo - express and local service to Warsaw and Białystok - 28 km northwest
Bielsk Podlaski - express and local service to Siedlce and Białystok - 25 km east

Economy

The land-use is as follows:

Agricultural use: 66%
Forest land: 27%
City: 2.34%

Major business

Financial:Banking - Bank Spóldzielczy w Brańsku, ul. Kosciuszki 2A, 17-120 Brańsk, Poland
Manufacturing:Plastics - Wald-Gold, ul. M. Konopnickiej 20, 17-120 Brańsk, Poland

Local attractions

Places of worship

| image1=Kościół Wniebowzięcia NMP w Brańsku 3.jpg | image2=Cerkiew św. Symeona Słupnika w Brańsku 3.jpg | image3=Kapliczka u zbiegu ulic Bielskiej, Boćkowskiej i Piłsudskiego w Brańsku 2.jpg | image4=Cmentarz rzymsko-katolicki w Brańsku 13.jpg | caption1=Church of the Assumption | caption2=Saint Simeon church | caption3=Blessed Virgin Mary shrine | caption4=Saint Scholastica cemetery chapel

Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Roman Catholic. The parish is serving Brańsk, Bronka, Brzeźnica, Glinnik, Jarmarkowszczyzna, Kalnica, Kiersnówek, Majerowizna, Oleksin, Otapy, Patoki, Popławy, Świrydy, Załuskie Koronne, Załuskie Kościelne. It is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Drohiczyn.
St. Simeon Stylites - Polish Orthodox. It is a mission church of the Church of the Apostles St. Peter and Paul in Malesze, part of the Polish Orthodox Diocese of Warsaw-Bielsk.

Nearby attractions

Our Lady of Hodyszewo Sanctuary (Sanktuarium Matki Bożej Pojedniania) in Hodyzewo - 12 km northwest
Ossoliński Palace in Rudka - 7 km west

Notable people

Jan Klemens Branicki – Polish nobleman
Cezary Kosiński – Polish actor
Ignatius Kapitsa-Milewski – archivist and author
Shimon Shkop – Jewish scholar and rabbi (1860–1939)
Moshe Rosen (Nezer HaKodesh) - Jewish scholar and rabbi (1870–1957)
Zofia Drzewiecka – Recipient of the Righteous among the Nations Medal
Waclawa and Pawel Sobolewski – posthumous recipients of the Righteous among the Nations Medal
Antoni Sobolewski – posthumous recipient of the Righteous among the Nations Medal
Aleksander Sobolewski – posthumous recipient of the Righteous among the Nations Medal

Miscellanea

The Righteous among the Nations Medal has been granted to 14 current and former residents of Brańsk by Yad Vashem.

References

"Local Data Bank". Statistics Poland.
. (2021). "Atlas historyczny Polski. Województwo podlaskie w drugiej połowie XVI wieku. Część I. Mapy, plany". *Instytut Historii [[Polish Academy of Sciences*.
Gembarzewski, Bronisław. (1925). "Rodowody pułków polskich i oddziałów równorzędnych od r. 1717 do r. 1831". Towarzystwo Wiedzy Wojskowej.
Janusz Bakunowicz. (May 2010). "Drzewka dla tych, co zginęli w Katyniu".
Eva Hoffman. ''Shtetl: The Life and Death of a Small Town and the World of Polish Jews''. Houghton Mifflin, 1997.
Zbigniew Romaniuk. ''The Story of Two Shtetls: Brańsk and Ejszyszki'', Part One. The Polish Educational Foundation in North America, 1998.
Datner, Szymon. (1968). "Las sprawiedliwych". Książka i Wiedza.
. (2014). "Rejestr faktów represji na obywatelach polskich za pomoc ludności żydowskiej w okresie II wojny światowej". *[[Institute of National Remembrance*.
Zwolski, Marcin. (2005). "Deportacje internowanych Polakow z wojewodztwa białostockiego 1944–1945". IPN.
"Shtetl".
. (1932). "Wiadomości Statystyczne Głównego Urzędu Statystycznego". *Główny Urząd Statystyczny*.
. (1967). "Dokumentacja Geograficzna". *Instytut Geografii [[Polish Academy of Sciences*.
. (2011). ["Stan i struktura ludności oraz ruch naturalny w przekroju terytorialnym w 2010 r."](https://stat.gov.pl/cps/rde/xbcr/gus/PUBL_l_ludnosc_stan_struktura_31_12_2010.pdf). *Główny Urząd Statystyczny*.
''Skorowidz miejscowości Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej: opracowany na podstawie wyników pierwszego powszechnego spisu ludności z dn. 30 września 1921 r. i innych źródeł urzędowych.'', t. T. 5, województwo białostockie, 1924, s. 14.
(2008-06-25). "Strona Urzędu Miasta Brańsk - Brańsk Government Website".
(2008-08-16). "Parafia Wniebowzięcia Nmp w Brańsku".
(2008-08-16). "Dekanat Bielsk Podlaski".
(2008-06-23). "''Another Pole added to Righteous among the Nations'' - Polskie Radio".

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