Augustów

History

A settlement in the area was first mentioned in 1496. Augustów was established around 1540 by Bona Sforza and granted Magdeburg rights in 1557 by Sigismund II Augustus, after whom it was also named. It was laid out in a very regular manner, with a spacious market-place. Until 1569 Augustów belonged to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania within the Polish–Lithuanian union. In 1569, along with Podlachia, it was returned to the Kingdom of Poland by the Privilege of restoration of Podlasie land to the Polish Crown, while its cemetery was left in the Grand Duchy, both within the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth as a result of the Union of Lublin. Augustów was a royal town, located in the Podlaskie Voivodeship in the Lesser Poland Province. Fishing, brewing, tavern keeping and trade were the main occupations of the inhabitants. In 1795 Prussia annexed Augustów in the Third Partition of Poland. In 1807, it became part of the Polish Duchy of Warsaw, followed by incorporation into the Russian-controlled Kingdom of Poland in 1815. Augustów was designated the capital of the newly established Augustów Voivodeship, although, due to a lack of sufficient office space, the capital was established in Łomża, and then moved to Suwałki. A few years later, as part of plans to make Augustów the provincial capital, a project was drawn up for a major expansion of the town, with a new urban layout adjacent to the old town, the centre of which was to be the Nowy Rynek (New Market Square) with administrative buildings. The final design was drawn up in 1830 by Henryk Marconi, one of the leading Polish architects of the early 19th century. It was made a county seat in 1842. The local populace took part in the large Polish January Uprising of 1863–1864 against Russia. With a population around 9,400 (),…

Most-observed species

• Common Crane

  Grus grus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  94
• White Stork

  Ciconia ciconia (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  46
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  42
• Yellowhammer

  Emberiza citrinella Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  34
• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  34
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  32
• Barn Swallow

  Hirundo rustica Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  31
• Eurasian Hoopoe

  Upupa epops Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  30