Private towns[a] in Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth were privately owned towns within the lands owned by magnates, bishops, knights, princes, etc.

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, the Zbaraski Castle in Zbarazh.

Also various other landmarks were often founded by the owners, including town halls, churches, monasteries, schools, theatres, etc., 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

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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

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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
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See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Belarusian: прыватныя гарады, Lithuanian: privatūs miestai, Polish: prywatne miasta, Ukrainian: приватні міста.

References

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  1. ^ "Lista miast w Polsce (spis miast, mapa miast, liczba ludności, powierzchnia, wyszukiwarka)". Polska w liczbach.
  2. ^ "zb_chnnu2016pdf ZIP file".
  3. ^ Atlas historyczny Polski. Wielkopolska w drugiej połowie XVI wieku. Część II. Komentarz, indeksy (in Polish). Warszawa: Instytut Historii Polskiej Akademii Nauk. 2017. p. 254.
  4. ^ Atlas historyczny Polski. Województwo sieradzkie i województwo łęczyckie w drugiej połowie XVI wieku. Część II. Komentarz, indeksy (in Polish). Warszawa: Instytut Historii Polskiej Akademii Nauk. 1998. p. 67.
  5. ^ Atlas historyczny Polski. Województwo sieradzkie i województwo łęczyckie w drugiej połowie XVI wieku. Część II. Komentarz, indeksy (in Polish). Warszawa: Instytut Historii Polskiej Akademii Nauk. 1998. p. 68.