Ursynów the place where we live

the emblem of Ursynów:

HISTORY

The area of today’s district of Ursynów – the south part of Warsaw where our school is situated - has a long and interesting past.

The oldest evidence of human beings on this territory - flint tools, come from around six thousand year B.C. Next track is an urn, which was built in times of the culture which is dated about 1300 years B.C. It was found in Służew – north part of the district, and helped scientists to define period of first colonization on this area.

About 1065 Benedictines from Moglin near Kruszwica created a missionary centre in Służew. They were sent here by prince Konrad – the ruler of the region where Warsaw is situated. Konrad had given Służew - then a village to his knight Gotard as a form of payment and obligated him to protect this land.

St. Katrina Church was built in 1238 in Służew and it surviveed to our days recognized as the oldest in Warsaw. In those days near the Warsaw’s high bank of the Wisla river there was a trade track between France and Kijow.

Near the 17th century the Sobieski royal family bought Sluzew.

After Swedish invasion in the 17th century many brickyards were built in Ursynow. They were producing very demanded in those times strong bricks. This tradition survived to the 19th century.

In  those days many magnates built here their residences. Not far from St.Katrine Church:

- Stanislaw Kostka Potocki created Gucin – a beautiful garden with the monuments of famous Polish people; 

- his wife Aleksandra rebuilt it into Gucin–Gaj after his death. Unfortunately  it was destroyed during the World War II;

- the Potocki family also transformed Sobieski’s pheasantry into classicistic Natolin Palace.

Ursynów, which eventually gave its name to the whole of today's municipality, came into existence in the years 1775-1780 and was initially called Rozkosz (delight), a good name for a place where Stanisław Kostka Potocki and his wife Aleksandra had spent their honeymoon. Rozkosz was bought in 1822 by Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz, who wanted to change the name of the grange to "America" or "Washington" as a remembrance of his seven-year-long stay in the United States. He was dissuaded from doing that by his friends, who warned him that "the name of a free country would be perceived as dissent and conspiracy" by the invader (Poland was under partition at the time and the area belonged to Russia). Eventually, the decision was made to call it "Ursynów" from the owner's middle name: Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz.

Many outstanding people have been guests of Ursynów, including young Juliusz Słowacki famous polish poet. In one of the letters to his mother the poet described Niemcewicz and his house and garden, saying the latter was "full of great trees, resembling more a wild forest than a garden". Neither of them suspected that shortly after their meeting in Ursynów, following the outbreak of the November Uprising (1830)  both of them would be forced to leave their homeland, never to return. In 1906 Ursynów's was bought by next owner, the grandson of another famous Polish poet Zygmunt Krasiński.

Thus Adam Krasinski was the next Ursynow keeper. He eventually donated his 1200 hectare property and the palace to charity. Now Warsaw Agriculture Academy is located here.

Ursynów was economically very attractive, so Warsaw wanted to incorporate it. In 1934 on the edge of this area were built train tracks and international airport Okecie. In 1938 Służew and Służewiec were incorporated by the capital. After that the president of Warsaw Stefan Starzyński bought Kabacki Forest. The whole area of today’s Ursynow district was incorporated into Warsaw in 1951.

Although Ursynow is the youngest borough of Warsaw, it has a great tradition and history, which we will never forget.

Send mail to lon40@op.pl with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: 06.12.2003