Private town


A private town is a town owned by a private person or a family.

History of Poland

In the history of Poland, private towns were towns within the lands owned by magnates, bishops, knights, princes, etc.
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, the Zbaraski Castle in Zbarazh.
The most known former private bishop towns include Łódź, Kielce, Łowicz, Pabianice and Skierniewice.

Private magnate towns

Former Polish private magnate towns by population as of 2015:
CityPopulation Former ownersCountry Administrative division
1.Białystok295,282House of Branicki PolandPodlaskie Voivodeship
2.Poltava 294,962House of Wiśniowiecki,
House of Koniecpolski		UkrainePoltava Oblast
3.Rivne 249,639House of Ostrogski,
House of Lubomirski		UkraineRivne Oblast
4.Ivano-Frankivsk 228,575House of PotockiUkraineIvano-Frankivsk Oblast
5.Ternopil 217,773House of Tarnowski,
House of Ostrogski,
House of Zamoyski		UkraineTernopil Oblast
6.Rzeszów183,108House of LubomirskiPolandPodkarpackie Voivodeship
7.Tarnów112,120House of TarnowskiPolandLesser Poland Voivodeship
8.Maladzyechna 94,686House of Sapieha,
House of Gosiewski,
House of Ogiński		BelarusMinsk Region
9.Uman 86,451House of PotockiUkraineCherkasy Oblast
10.Berdychiv 77,788House of RadziwiłłUkraineZhytomyr Oblast
11.Siedlce76,347House of OgińskiPolandMasovian Voivodeship
12.Zhlobin 75,700BelarusGomel Region
13.Ostrów Wielkopolski72,890House of PrzebendowskiPolandGreater Poland Voivodeship
14.Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski72,277House of TarnowskiPolandŚwiętokrzyskie Voivodeship
15.Smila 68,618House of LubomirskiUkraineCherkasy Oblast
16.Chervonohrad 67,863House of PotockiUkraineLviv Oblast
17.Kalush 67,631House of SieniawskiUkraineIvano-Frankivsk Oblast
18.Zamość65,255House of ZamoyskiPolandLublin Voivodeship
19.Leszno64,589House of LeszczyńskiPolandGreater Poland Voivodeship
20.Zhodzina 63,722BelarusMinsk Region

Private clergy towns

Former Polish private clergy towns by population as of 2015:
CityPopulation
Former ownersCountry
Administrative division
1.Łódź711,332Diocese of KujawyPolandŁódź Voivodeship
2.Kielce199,870Diocese of KrakówPolandŚwiętokrzyskie Voivodeship
3.Olsztyn174,675Diocese of WarmiaPolandWarmian-Masurian Voivodeship
4.Włocławek114,885Diocese of KujawyPolandKuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship
5.Suwałki69,317CamaldolesePolandPodlaskie Voivodeship
6.Pabianice67,688Diocese of KrakówPolandŁódź Voivodeship
7.Skierniewice48,634Archdiocese of GnieznoPolandŁódź Voivodeship
8.Fastiv 47,869Diocese of KievUkraineKiev Oblast
9.Marijampolė 38,345MariansLithuaniaMarijampolė County
10.Czeladź32,940Diocese of KrakówPolandSilesian Voivodeship

World Heritage Sites

s in former private towns of Poland: