Żyrardów

History

A textile factory founded by the Łubieński brothers opened in the village of Ruda Guzowska in 1833, after it was moved from Marymont. One of the directors of the factory was French inventor Philippe de Girard (from Lourmarin). The upheavals in Żyrardów were the largest protest in Poland up until the Łódź insurrection of the 1905 Revolution. They remain an essential element of Polish working class history, with various forms of media dedicated to them as well as street reenactments performed annually since 2004. In the 1921 census, 90.8% of the population declared Polish nationality, 7.5% Jewish, 1.2% German, 0.22% Czech. During the invasion of Poland at the start of World War II, with the onset of dawn on September 12, 1939, units of the 8th German Army launched an attack on Żyrardów. After several hours of fierce defence of the town, the Polish army had to leave their positions and start delaying actions towards Wiskitki, Guzów, Szymanów, and Paprotnia. In 1941, the Germans transported local Jews into the Warsaw Ghetto. The Polish resistance organized a unit of the Union of Armed Struggle and Home Army in Żyrardów, under the cryptonym "Żaba" ("frog"). In revenge for the activities of the Polish resistance, the occupiers carried out mass arrests and executions of city residents. The largest arrests of over 1,000 people took place in June and August 1943. The largest public execution was committed on 18 November 1943, with 24 victims. One person managed to escape. German occupation ended on 16 January 1945. From 1975 to 1998, Żyrardów was administratively located in the Skierniewice Voivodeship. The town museum is nowadays located in the former palace of owner of factory K. Dittrich. A sign near the entrance to the little city states that it was the only town in…

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  245
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  234
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  217
• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  195
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  188
• Common Crane

  Grus grus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  174
• Eurasian Jay

  Garrulus glandarius (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  170
• Common Buzzard

  Buteo buteo (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  165