Michałowo

Michałowo
Town
Town center with preserved old houses
Michałowo
Coordinates: 53°2′12″N 23°36′13″E / 53.03667°N 23.60361°E / 53.03667; 23.60361
Country Poland
VoivodeshipPodlaskie
CountyBiałystok
GminaMichałowo
Town rights2009
Population
 • Total
3,343
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
16-050
Vehicle registrationBIA
Websitehttp://www.michalowo.ug.gov.pl/

Michałowo [mʲixaˈwɔvɔ] (Belarusian: Міхалова) is a town in Białystok County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, in north-eastern Poland, close to the border with Belarus.[1] It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Michałowo.

The town has a population of 3,343.

History

As of 1860, there were four cloth factories in Michałowo, employing 650 workers, including 150 foreigners.[2]

Following the German-Soviet invasion of Poland, which started World War II in September 1939, Michałowo was occupied by the Soviet Union until 1941 and then by Germany until 1944.

From 1975 to 1998 it was part of Białystok Voivodeship.

Michałowo received its town rights on 1 January 2009.[3]

In November 2021, several NGOs came to Michałowo to provide humanitarian aid to migrants brought to the Belarusian border east of the town.[4]

References

  1. ^ "Główny Urząd Statystyczny" [Central Statistical Office] (in Polish). To search: Select "Miejscowości (SIMC)" tab, select "fragment (min. 3 znaki)" (minimum 3 characters), enter town name in the field below, click "WYSZUKAJ" (Search).
  2. ^ Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich (in Polish). Vol. VI. Warszawa. 1885. p. 309.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. ^ Ordinance of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Poland Archived 2009-03-03 at the Wayback Machine (in Polish)
  4. ^ Hill, Jenny (2021-11-15). "Belarus crisis: The locals helping families in Poland's no-go area". BBC. Archived from the original on 2021-11-16. In the town of Michalowo [sic], several shipping containers are stacked with bottles of water, food, blankets, nappies. Iwo Los - who represents Grupa Granizca [sic], an umbrella organisation of NGOs - is meeting with other volunteers here. They respond to calls for help, either directly from people in the woods, or from locals living there who spotted them.