Pruszkow is a sizable town by the Utrata river, located on the west side of Warsaw. It is one of the most significant industrial centres in Masovia as well as a very important sport and recreation centre. Post-war Pruszkow lost its former value and was considered as Warsaw’s “bedroom” alone. Nowadays, the town begins to regain its former importance. Its perfect location and relatively low land and estate prices encourage investors to build their plants here. Therefore, Pruszkow is often visited by crowds of Polish and foreign businessmen.
Pruszkow is not a typical tourist resort. It is more often associated with industry and numerous production plants like Herbapol or L’Oréal than with tourism itself. Pruszkow is also an important sport and recreation centre. We may find here a sport hall Znicz, stadium and Olympic Cycling Track BGŻ Arena, which held Europe Championship 2008 and World Championship 2009. Moreover, there are two first division sport clubs, Local Sport Club Znicz (football) and Znicz Basket (men’s basketball).
Pruszkow cannot boast of many monuments, yet there are some worthy a visit places here. We especially recommend for you to see: the 19th century old manor with landscaped gardens, a Neo-Renaissance Sokol Palace from 1867, and an eclectic residence of faience products factory founding father from the second half of the 19th century. Worthy a visit is also the Museum of Ancient Mazovian Steel Works.
Nearby Proszkow lays Karolin, a village of Mazowsze folk group (Polish: Zespół Pieśni i Tańca “Mazowsze”).
Pruszkow is an important industrial centre. We find here plants of Herbapol, L’Oréal and many others. The town is a part of Warsaw agglomeration; due to such an excellent location we may easily get from Pruszkow to Poland’s capital. Masovian Railways (Polish: Koleje Mazowieckie), Warsaw Suburban Railway (Polish: Warszawska Kolej Dojazdowa) and S-Bahn (Polish: Szybka Kolej Miejska) allow for a quick (approximately 25-minute long) access to Warsaw city centre.
Pruszkow is quite big a town with its total area of 19.19 km2 and population of about 56 thousand inhabitants. However, the number of its dwellers gradually increases. Pruszkow’s perfect location 16 km from Warsaw makes it a very attractive place to live in for a lot of people.
First records about Pruszkow come from the 16th century. However, only in the 19th century, when Warsaw-Vienna Railway was built here, the town began to develop the most rapidly.
During the First World War, in October 1914, there was a battle of Pruszkow. Battles ended up with the great victory of Russian army, who managed to push Germans to Plock – Bzura – Rawka front line. That front line survived until 1915.
Proszkow obtained the town rights in 1916, and in 1944 Germans located their transit camps here. The Second World War killed millions of people. Nazis murdered almost the whole Jew population of Pruszkow (approximately 1500 Jews) and about a hundred soldiers of the Home Army.
On January 17, 1945 the town was liberated from German occupation and taken by the Red Army. Two months later, on March 26, NKVD arrested 16 agents of the Polish Underground State. They were transported to Moscow, where a famous political case took place.
After WW2 Pruszkow became one of the largest Masovian industrial centres. These days we find here: shaping machine factory, pencil factory and rolling stock repair factory among others.