First mentioned in historical records in 1414, Węgrów received its city charter in 1441. Between 16th and 18th centuries it was an important centre for Reformation movements in Poland. It was a private town owned by various Polish nobles, including the Kiszka, Radziwiłł and Krasiński families, administratively located in the Podlaskie Voivodeship in the Lesser Poland Province of the Kingdom of Poland. The local Basilica of the Assumption houses the so-called Twardowski Mirror, a Renaissance mirror from the 16th century associated with the legend of Sir Twardowski.
After the Third Partition of Poland it was annexed by Austria in 1795. It was regained by Poles following the Austro–Polish War of 1809, and included within the short-lived Duchy of Warsaw. After the duchy's dissolution, in 1815, it passed to so-called Congress Poland in the Russian Partition of Poland. It was the site of four battles between Polish insurgents and Russian troops during the Polish November Uprising of 1830–1831.[2] During the January Uprising, on February 3, 1863, it was the site of the Battle of Węgrów, in which Polish insurgents defeated Russian troops and captured the town. From 1867 to 1912, Węgrów was part of Siedlce Governorate and from 1912 to 1915 of Łomża Governorate. It became part of independent Poland again when the country regained its independence in 1918. From 1919 to 1938, Węgrów was part of Lublin Voivodeship and from 1938 to 1939 of Warsaw Voivodeship. During the Polish–Soviet War, on August 19, 1920, it was the site of a battle between Poles and the retreating Russian 16th Army.[3]
Throughout most of its history, the town had a thriving Jewish community, present at least since the 16th century. It numbered about 6,000 in 1939. The entire community was exterminated during the Holocaust by the occupying forces of Nazi Germany, during which time the Nazis also created the Węgrów Ghetto.[4]
^Dmowski, Rafał (2015). "Powstanie listopadowe na południowym Podlasiu i wschodnim Mazowszu w historiografii". In Skoczek, Tadeusz (ed.). Powstanie listopadowe 1830–1831. Dzieje – historiografia – pamięć (in Polish). Warszawa: Muzeum Niepodległości w Warszawie. p. 266. ISBN978-83-62235-66-7.
^Grabowski, Jan (2018). "A Study in the Microhistory of the Holocaust: The Liquidierungsaktion in Węgrów Ghetto A Study in the Microhistory of the Holocaust: The Liquidierungsaktion in Węgrów Ghetto". In Skitolsky, Lissa; Glowacka, Dorota (eds.). New Approaches to an Integrated History of the Holocaust: Social History, Representation, Theory. Lessons and Legacies. Vol. XIII. Northwestern University Press. pp. 141–166. doi:10.2307/j.ctv4t7zgx.11ISBN978-0-8101-3768-4
^Wiadomości Statystyczne Głównego Urzędu Statystycznego (in Polish). Vol. X. Warszawa: Główny Urząd Statystyczny. 1932. p. 194.
