Located near Plonsk in the area known as the Green Lungs of Poland, Zaluski is a typical Masovian village. It does have several assets that make it worth visiting, including its proximity to Warsaw (you may consider taking a tour to Warsaw), its setting among lovely forests as well as its clean air due to the lack of serious industry in the region.
Right in the middle of the village are two ponds that are used by local people for relaxing beside, bathing and fishing. Nearby, there are several historic monuments that certainly form attractive targets. On its western side, the community of Zaluski borders with Zdunowo, where a beautiful eclectic manor house nestles in a pleasant park.
Zaluski is situated in the north-western part of the Masovian Voivodship, 40 km north west of Warsaw, in the Plonsk Community. The international E77 (national route no. 7) road runs close by, ensuring a convenient drive from the capital of Poland. The larger towns of Plonsk and Zakroczym are located some 15 km away, and within the same short distance lies a developing airport in Modlin.
The region has a typical agricultural character, and for the most part its inhabitants grow vegetables and some soft fruits, such as strawberries and raspberries. The average rainfall and snowfall is the lowest in the country, at under 500 mm per annum.
It is most likely that the name ‘Zaluski’ is derived from the name of the family that owned the settlement in its infancy. The Zaluski family stemmed from the Rawit dynasty of Czech origin. ‘Zalusk’ in Czech means ‘willingness’, ‘desire for something’, or ‘fancy’. This explains why the name of the village sounds somewhat exotic in the contemporary Polish language.
Zaluski was mentioned in historic documents from the years 1405 and 1423. A document from 1576 states that at the time the families of Zaluski and Tabala lived there and together owned about 96 hectares of land. The most prominent figure of 16th century Zaluski was Jan of Zaluski, a judge and starost of Wyszogrod. Back then, the main route from Zakroczym ran through Zdunowo, only 1 km away from Zaluski.
The village did not escape the ravages of the Swedish Deluge that shook Poland in the 17th century. Later, in the second half of the 18th century, Zaluski became the property of the wealthier nobility and for the next 200 years remained united with the estate of Zdunowo.
Up to 1782 Zaluski was owned by Wladyslaw Zembrzuski, then up to 1791, by Tadeusz Czerski, Lieutenant of the Crown. Later on, it passed to Ludwik Felicjan Golonski of the Jastrzebiec family, who was a chamberlain for King Stanislaw August Poniatowski.
In the first 25 years of the 19th century the road from Zakroczym was extended to include a branch that passed via Zaluski. It is known that in 1827 the village consisted of 42 inhabitants and 7 houses, in 1885 there were 2 buildings of stone and 8 timber ones, and by 1895 Zaluski had 22 houses, 191 inhabitants and 588 arpents of land. Historic sources also mention an inn and the office of the municipality. By 1900 a distillery had been built in the village.
The year 1915 saw German and Russian soldiers marching through Zaluski and causing destruction to the manor house. The Russian troops halted the advancing Germans for a few days near the road, and traces of the Russian fortifications from that period can still be found today on the so-called ‘gorka’ (‘hill’ in Polish). As far as the Germans are concerned, they had their positions in Olszyny Stare, some 5 km to the west.
In 1930 Zaluski had 17 farms and a large orchard. The last squire of the village was Stanislaw Jaworski.