Bukowsko and Nowotaniec was an estate which belonged to the Polish Crown. The earliest mention of our settlement
dates back to 25 June 1361 when King Kazimierz the Great bestowed two brothers, Peter and Paul Bal from Hungary, the Crown
land of Zboisko and Bukowsko reaching as far as Wisłok and Radoszyce, which belonged to St Peter’s parish in Bukowsko.
So this document is proof that Bukowsko had a church and a parish as early as 1361 and that Bukowsko’s vicar was provided
with income from the village of Wolica. In the 15th century Bukowsko had a local government headed by the sołtys and
later the vojt.

Historical records prove that in the years 1480-1485 the village was managed well and was quite prosperous
as it had a windmill and an inn. Then it was bought by Jan Felesztyński, who turned it into the Na Nędzach grange.
In 1624 the village was befallen by an attack of Tartar troops and incurred huge losses. The whole village, the manor and
the church were burnt down, and many people were taken into horrible Tartar captivity. Despite this huge damage and the following
one century long lethargy, some positive changes occurred as early as the early 18th century.
In 1710 the Church of the Holy Cross was rebuilt by Bukowsko’s owner, Count Jan Ossoliński. The
founders of the church and promoters of the establishment of a parish in Bukowsko also founded a presbytery and secured a
source of income for the vicar. The parish covered 35 villages in the neighbourhood. In 1748 Bukowsko already was a parish
and was even chartered, that is it received municipal rights, which is stated in the municipal records. It was a period for
prosperity for Bukowsko’s merchants; handicraft was also well developed at that time. The Jews dominated in Bukowsko’s
population from the beginning of its existence. Already in 1745, the number of Jews must have been very high as they had their
own synagogue in the upper part of the Market Square. In 1790 the Austrians, who owned this land by now, took a census which
showed that 18 Jewish and about 220 Catholic families were living in Bukowsko. The trade in cattle was the best developed
branch of the local economy, and the Bukowsko Fairs, which took place several days before Ash Wednesday and SS Peter’s
and Paul’s day, were famous in the neighbourhood.
On 6 September 1772 the manor in Bukowsko burnt down. The historical records of this fire also mention a brewery,
a town hall and fish ponds in the town. In the 19th century our town started to develop fast. At the end of that century,
it was at the height of its development and became one of the most populated and biggest centres of handicraft and trade in
Sanok County, next to Sanok and Rymanów. In 1883 a beautiful new Gothic church was built. A brick school was also built around
that time. The years 1902 and 1903 saw the construction of a two storey building of the court and a gaol. Bukowsko was also
the seat of lawyer’s offices (there were five lawyers in 1939).

After Poland regained independence in 1918, Bukowsko was a collective district with a District
Council headed by the wójt. The town was the seat of a district court with three judges, a notarial office, a police station,
a post office, a chemist and three doctors. During World War II Bukowsko was a transit point for many people who were in danger
in Poland (occupied by the Nazis) and were fleeing to Hungary. In 1920 the school was extended by three forms and became a
regular 7-form primary school, which was also attended by children from other villages. On 4 November 1940, the Germans made
a raid on the village and arrested many of its inhabitants. Altogether 56 people died in concentration camps, only three returned
after the war. The town was liberated by the Soviet Army on 16 July 1944, but not for long. On 4 April 1946 the town
was attacked by troops of the Ukrainian Insurrection Army (UPA), who looted it and murdered a lot of people. The war and postwar
damage resulted in Bukowsko becoming a village again.
Source : Urząd Gminy w Bukowsku Bukowsko 290 |
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