Kunów

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Kunów is a small town in south-central Poland, in Ostrowiec County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. It lies on the Kamienna river, about 8 km northwest of Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, and has around 3,100 residents.

History
In the Middle Ages Kunów belonged to the Archbishops of Kraków. It was raided by the Mongols in 1241 and destroyed in 1247. King Casimir III the Great granted it town rights in 1365. It later belonged to Sandomierz Voivodeship. In the 15th century Cardinal Zbigniew Oleśnicki spent time there, and there was a wooden church of St. Władysław. In 1502 the town was burned by Crimean Tatars and temporarily lost its town privileges, regaining them in 1535. By 1578 Kunów had many artisans and was known for white and red marble used in palaces such as Łazienki in Warsaw. In 1616 it had 130 houses, a parish school and two churches, but after the Swedish invasion the number of houses and population fell. In 1705 a plague struck, and after the Partitions it was annexed by the Habsburg Empire, later becoming part of the Duchy of Warsaw and then Congress Poland under Russian control until 1915. The town burned in 1814 and 1818; by 1860 it had 145 houses and 1,121 inhabitants. Kunów was a center of the January Uprising. It lost its town rights in 1869 and became a village.

In the 20th century, Kunów was part of Kielce Voivodeship in the Second Polish Republic. The 1921 census recorded 2,249 people. It was occupied by Germany during World War II. After the war, the town developed with new infrastructure such as waterworks, a school, a library, a health center, and local government and post offices. Town rights were restored in 1990.

Sights and transport
The parish church of St. Władysław dates from the 17th century, with a bell tower built in 1896. The churchyard contains tombs of January Uprising veterans. Kunów lies on the European route E371 and has a railway station on the Skarżysko-Kamienna–Sandomierz line.