Send Gift Baskets to Plock, Poland

Pagan peoples long inhabited the area. It would have been a natural fortress to most people, but the 10th century saw a European man establishing his fortified stronghold high on the Vistula River’s bank. This town was strategically positioned as a favorite among traders and travelers long ago. The monastery established here helped bolster its intellectuals, sustaining the culture and arts for generations of people to come.

Prince Mieszko I and King Bolesław I the Brave founded Płock during the rule of the Piast monarchy. It’s still one of Poland’s critical metropolitan centers, despite it predating Christianity by about 1200 years. King Casimir the Great built Cathedral Hill, a fortress for protection as he took up residence. This would become Płock, the city’s namesake, in 1037. From 1640 to 1642, during the Swedish invasion of Poland, Płock was captured by the Swedes and became their second capital after Warsaw. Płock was the residence of many Mazovian princes. In 1075, a diocese seat was established here for the Roman Catholic church. The medieval period from 1079 to 1138 is when Płock was the capital of Poland, and it became known as Duże Książęce Miasto Płock. Poland was first divided into duchies in 1138, but it was during the 1260s that Poland became divided into smaller duchies. This fragmentation continued, and the Duchy of Masovia gained prominence in its territory as the capital over time. In 1180, Marshal Stanisław Małachowski was tasked with organizing the education system for the Polish Duchies held by the Kingdom of Poland. The school he founded was recognized by law in 1253 and is still in function today, making it one of Poland’s oldest educational establishments! Among its notable graduates are Paweł Włodkowic, a pioneer in religious freedom in Europe, and Jakub Sobieski, who liberated Vienna from the Ottomans.

In 1237, Poland granted town rights to Płock, which they renewed in 1255. King Casimir III the Great made Płock an essential city of Poland with privileges as a testament to its importance in trade and cultural life. Jewish settlers in the town started to arrive as early as the 14th century, after the Polish Kings extended rights, thwarting anti-Jewish conflagrations. The city continued to grow and prosper until it was a part of Poland around the 15th and 16th centuries.