Poniatowa

Poniatowa is a town in southeastern Poland, in Opole Lubelskie County, in Lublin Voivodeship, with 10,500 inhabitants (2006). It belongs to the historic province of Lesser Poland.

==History== Exact date of establishment of Poniatowa is not known, however, it must have existed before the year 1382, because on September 2, 1382, the Starosta of Lublin issued a document co-signed by a man named Gotard, who was the owner of a village named Poniatowa. After King Casimir III the Great annexed Red Ruthenia into Poland (1340s), the region became populated with settlers from other parts of Lesser Poland. In the 15th century, some 178 new villages were founded in the Land of Lublin. They were owned by the noble families, who were supposed to answer royal call in case of an armed conflict (see Pospolite ruszenie). By the early 16th century, Poniatowa was under the authority of a Castellan from nearby Wąwolnica. It was administratively located in the Lublin Voivodeship in the Lesser Poland Province.