From the remotest
ages the Podlasie Nadbużańskie area has been a cultural borderland,
where influences of many religions, cultures and nationalities meet.
The early Middle Ages (600-1251 AD) was a
period of a dense town network construction by the Bug River and the
time of Mielnik and Drohiczyn development. The 15th-16th centuries
were the period of splendor of Podlasie Nadbużańskie. It was
followed by fast economic development, which was contributed by the
“royal trail” leading through these areas, connecting Cracow and
Vilnius. In 1520 the land was included in the newly established
Podlasie Voivodeship, whose capital - until the last partition - was
Drohiczyn. The factor that lead to provincialization of Drohiczyn and
Mielnik was development of Siemiatycze, a private town owned by Anna
Jabłońska from the House of Sapieha.
It was in
Siemiatycze that one of the biggest battles of the January Uprising
took place. As a result of post-uprising restrictions the process of
Russification intensified. Thanks to the town’s good transport
connections (Brest-Grajewo railway built in 1873), and routes (to
Białystok and Bug River route), Siemiatycze underwent economic boom
in the 19th century. The II World War, however, brought destruction.
Until 1941 (the German attack on the Soviet Union), the Bug River
constituted a demarcation line between the Third Reich and the Soviet
Union. The residents were afflicted by restrictions, which proved to
be particularly severe for the Jews. The post-war period was the time
of reconstruction and economic recovery. Siemiatycze, having gained
the status of a poviat town, became the administrative and economic
center of the lands located on the right side of the Bug River.
Drohiczyn obtained borough rights and became the seat of the
municipality. Siemiatycze remained a poviat until 1975. On 1 January
1999 Siemiatycze appeared on the administrative map of Poland as a
poviat town.
A crucial historical
event of the recent years was the visit paid John Paul II to
Drohiczyn on 10 June 1999. In the Ecumenical Service celebrated by
the Pope, Metropolitan Sawa, the superior of the Orthodox Church in
Poland, participated along with superiors of other churches
affiliated in the Ecumenical Council and representatives of the
Muslim community. The celebration hosted around 200 thousand of the
faithful.