Węgrów

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See also Węgrów (Lower Silesian Voivodeship), Węgrów County.

Coordinates: 52°24′N 22°01′E

Coat of arms of Węgrów

Węgrów is a town in eastern Poland with 12,561 inhabitants (31 December 2003).

Situated in the Mazovian Voivodeship (since 1999), it is the capital of Węgrów County.

First mentioned in historical records in 1414, it received its city charter in 1441. Between 16th and 18th centuries it was an important centre for Reformation movements in Poland.

After the Partitions of Poland it became part of Austria in 1795, then part of the Duchy of Warsaw in 1809, then part of the Congress Poland ruled by Russia in 1815. It became part of Poland again when the country regained its independence in 1918.

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 community was exterminated during the Holocaust by the Nazis.