Town owned by a private person or family
Private towns [ a] in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth were privately owned towns within the lands owned by magnates , bishops , knights and princes , among others.
Zamość in the 17th century
Amongst the most well-known former private magnate towns are Białystok , Zamość , Rzeszów , Puławy , Tarnów , Siedlce , Biała Podlaska , Ivano-Frankivsk , Ternopil and Uman . Magnate palaces and castles can be often found in former private magnate towns. Examples include the Branicki Palace in Białystok; the Czartoryski Palace in Puławy; the Zamoyski Palace in Zamość; the Lubomirski Castle in Rzeszów; the Radziwiłł Palace in Biała Podlaska; the Ogiński Palace in Siedlce; the Potocki Palaces in Międzyrzec Podlaski , Tulchyn and Vysokaye ; the Wiśniowiecki Palace in Vyshnivets ; and the Zbaraski Castle in Zbarazh .
Also various other landmarks were often founded by the owners, including town halls, churches, monasteries, schools and theatres, some rather unique, like the Mannerist Kalwaria Zebrzydowska Park and Baroque fortified Berdychiv Carmelite Monastery .
Some of the most known former private bishop towns include Łódź , Kielce , Łowicz , Pabianice and Skierniewice .
List of private towns
City
Population (2015)[ 1] [ 2]
Former owners
Country
Administrative division
1.
Białystok
295,282
House of Branicki (Gryf)
Poland
Podlaskie Voivodeship
2.
Poltava (Połtawa )
294,962
House of Wiśniowiecki ,House of Koniecpolski
Ukraine
Poltava Oblast
3.
Rivne (Równe )
249,639
House of Ostrogski ,House of Lubomirski
Ukraine
Rivne Oblast
4.
Ivano-Frankivsk (Stanisławów )
228,575
House of Potocki
Ukraine
Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast
5.
Ternopil (Tarnopol )
217,773
House of Tarnowski , House of Ostrogski,House of Zamoyski
Ukraine
Ternopil Oblast
6.
Rzeszów
183,108
House of Lubomirski
Poland
Podkarpackie Voivodeship
7.
Tarnów
112,120
House of Tarnowski
Poland
Lesser Poland Voivodeship
8.
Maladzyechna (Mołodeczno )
94,686
House of Sapieha ,House of Gosiewski ,House of Ogiński
Belarus
Minsk Region
9.
Uman (Humań )
86,451
House of Potocki
Ukraine
Cherkasy Oblast
10.
Berdychiv (Berdyczów )
77,788
House of Tyszkiewicz , House of Zawisza,House of Radziwiłł
Ukraine
Zhytomyr Oblast
11.
Siedlce
76,347
House of Ogiński
Poland
Masovian Voivodeship
12.
Zhlobin (Żłobin )
75,700
House of Chodkiewicz
Bona Sforza
Belarus
Gomel Region
13.
Ostrów Wielkopolski
72,890
House of Przebendowski
Poland
Greater Poland Voivodeship
14.
Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski
72,277
House of Tarnowski
Poland
Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship
15.
Smila (Smiła )
68,618
House of Lubomirski
Ukraine
Cherkasy Oblast
16.
Chervonohrad (Krystynopol )
67,863
House of Potocki
Ukraine
Lviv Oblast
17.
Kalush (Kałusz )
67,631
House of Sieniawski
Ukraine
Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast
18.
Zamość
65,255
House of Zamoyski
Poland
Lublin Voivodeship
19.
Leszno
64,589
House of Leszczyński ,[ 3] House of Sułkowski
Poland
Greater Poland Voivodeship
20.
Zhodzina (Żodzino )
63,722
House of Radziwiłł
Belarus
Minsk Region
Private clergy towns
Former private clergy towns by population as of 2015:
City
Population (2015)
Former owners
Country (2023)
Administrative division (2023)
1.
Łódź
711,332
Diocese of Kujawy [ 4]
Poland
Łódź Voivodeship
2.
Kielce
199,870
Diocese of Kraków
Poland
Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship
3.
Olsztyn
174,675
Diocese of Warmia
Poland
Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship
4.
Włocławek
114,885
Diocese of Kujawy
Poland
Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship
5.
Suwałki
69,317
Camaldolese
Poland
Podlaskie Voivodeship
6.
Pabianice
67,688
Diocese of Kraków[ 5]
Poland
Łódź Voivodeship
7.
Skierniewice
48,634
Archdiocese of Gniezno
Poland
Łódź Voivodeship
8.
Fastiv (Fastów )
47,869
Diocese of Kyiv
Ukraine
Kyiv Oblast
9.
Marijampolė (Mariampol )
38,345
Marians
Lithuania
Marijampolė County
10.
Czeladź
32,940
Diocese of Kraków
Poland
Silesian Voivodeship
Gallery
Former noble residences in private towns
Szołdrski Palace,
Czempiń
Former clergy residences in former private clergy towns
Castle of the Archbishops of Gniezno,
Uniejów
Castle of the Bishops of Chełmno,
Lubawa
See also
Notes
References