UrzÃÂdów is a town in Kraà Ânik County, Lublin Voivodeship, in eastern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina UrzÃÂdów. The town has a population of 1,060, and in 1405âÂÂ1869 it had a status of a town, regained in 2016.
UrzÃÂdów lies on the UrzÃÂdówka river, among the hills of the Lublin Upland.
In the past, it used to be one of major urban centers of eastern Lesser Poland, placed on a merchant road from Kraków to Lublin, and further on to Lithuania. The town was granted Magdeburg rights in 1405 by King Wà Âadysà Âaw Jagieà Âà Âo, replacing two villages â Zaborzyce and Skorczyce, which had existed in the location of UrzÃÂdów. In 1474 it became the seat of a county in Lublin Voivodeship, which in the same year was carved out of Sandomierz Voivodeship. UrzÃÂdów remained an important urban center of the area until the mid-17th century, when, after long-lasting conflicts with the Cossacks and the Swedes (see Deluge, Khmelnytsky Uprising) it was burned.
According to the 1921 census, the town had a population of 3,563, 92.1% Polish and 7.8% Jewish.
During the reign of King Augustus III (1733âÂÂ1763) people living in UrzÃÂdów repeatedly complained to him about being oppressed by the Jews. In 1791 they demanded that starost Kazimierz Rzewuski should expel the remaining Jews from the town. In 1781 there were as few as 11 Jews in UrzÃÂdów (0.5% of the entire population). It was not until after 1862 that UrzÃÂdów started to receive a steady influx of Jews. At the end of the 19th century the UrzÃÂdów kehilla was formed. Though small, the Jewish community was active in social and economic life of the town. In 1889 there were 3.017 residents in UrzÃÂdów, out of whom 242 (8%) were Jewish. In 1900 it was inhabited by 3,620 people, including 303 Jews (8.37%).
Before the outbreak of World War II about 40 Jewish families lived in UrzÃÂdów (i.e., about 300 people). During the war, on September 23, 1939, German occupation authorities ordered that Jewish children be banned from state schools. Since January 5, 1940 the Jews had to wear a band with the Star of David on their left arms. In October 1942 Jews from UrzÃÂdów were transported to the Kraà Ânik ghetto and Budzyà  forced labor camp, which were just stopovers on their trip to Beà Âà ¼ec gas chambers.
During the German occupation, 300 Jews from UrzÃÂdów were killed. The Jewish cemetery was plundered during World War II and afterwards. In 1993, local inhabitants arranged a matzevot-shaped plaque in memory of UrzÃÂdów Jews murdered by the Nazis from 1939-1944. In August 2012, it was discovered that the plaque was full of graffiti and the area is contaminated with broken bottles of alcohol and rubbish.
UrzÃÂdów is twinned with: