Warsaw. New Jerusalem gave rise to Aleja Jerozolimskie

One of the main arteries of the contemporary capital – Aleje Jerozolimskie – took its name from a small 18th -century Jewish estate. – It is a paradox that such a short housing estate gave the name of a modern alley, which still plays a leading role in the center of Warsaw – says historian Dr. Paweł Fijałkowski.

New Jerusalem was a small Jewish estate, which for a short time in the 18th century existed near Warsaw, probably in the area of ​​the present pl. Zawisza. A trace of it is Aleje Jerozolimskie, one of the main arteries of the contemporary capital – says historian Dr. Paweł Fijałkowski.

– Warsaw from the 16th century had the privilege of “de non tolerandis Judaeis” – about the intolerance of Jews – according to which Jews could not settle or run a business in the city and in a radius of two miles from him. However, this privilege was violated because the owners of private areas surrounding Warsaw or noble property owners in the city itself settled Jews – said historian Dr. Paweł Fijałkowski.

As he reported, the idea of ​​the Uprising near Warsaw New Jerusalem was a great assumption. The name reflected the hope that this will be an important place for Jews. – There was an element of mysticism in this. During this period, messianic moods were alive in the Jewish community. Usually, the housing estates established near Warsaw, having the status of jurydyk, gained names from the places where they were located, or from the founder's name – he explained.

Jewish estate just behind the embankment surrounding the city

The creation of the new Jerusalem became possible in the spring of 1775. – The partition Sejm met until April, which adopted, among others Tax Act. There was a provision saying that all Jews who settle as farmers in wasteland, also in the Mazowieckie Voivodeship, with the exception of the city of Warsaw, will be exempt from taxes – said the historian.

As he noted, he noted, it was entered in the Warsaw Grodzki books and published in a version forged by the Sejm Marshal Adam Poniński. – Small changes were introduced, as a result of which city privileges were to apply only in Warsaw. On July 25, 1775, the Non -Founding Council adopted a resolution allowing Jews to settle and trade throughout the Masovian Voivodeship to the Lubomirski Wał surrounding Warsaw. This decision was also contrary to the city's privileges, because this embankment did not constitute an administrative border – he said.

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– The marshal of the council was Prince August Sułkowski, for whom this resolution was very favorable. He decided to set up a Jewish estate just behind the embankment surrounding the city, where he had juridyka. Such initiatives were favored by the Grand Chancellor of Crown Andrzej Młodziejowski, who even tried to persuade the city authorities to agree to create such a housing. The authorities refused, but Prince Sułkowski decided to realize his ideas – emphasized the historian.

As he explained, the magnates wanted a legal Jewish housing estate to be built in the area of ​​Warsaw. – Both rich Jews and the poor lived in the city. These rich people were important to magnates as a lender, but not only. They were often buyers with great capital and economic contacts throughout Europe. And magnates were the owners of huge goods, in which a lot of raw materials were produced. And they took various economic initiatives together with Jewish merchants, capital owners – he pointed out.

A thousand ducats to build a housing estate

Prince Sułkowski acted in consultation with a group of Jews interested in the establishment of a town in his estate. – A commission of 30 ancient, mainly from Krakow and smaller cities of Little and Greater Poland was selected. They were to deal with gathering a thousand ducats to build a housing estate. On August 17, 1775, the prince signed the commitment that he would treat the collected amount as an advance on buildings for settlers that he was to build – said Dr. Fijałkowski.

There is no complete certainty where New Jerusalem was. – It was between the embankment surrounding the city and the land of the village of Wola, probably in areas belonging to Prince Sułkowski. He was the owner of a fairly large, long juridyka, stretching from the new world to the west and leaving the Lubomirski Wał. Probably a new Jerusalem was created on its western edges. It was probably the area of ​​today's Zawisza Square, perhaps the current Ochota station – he reported.

It was planned that the estate would be large, with wooden and stone houses, shops, workshops, synagogue, and cemetery. A commune was to be built with the elected board and rabbi at the forefront, approved by Prince Sułkowski. – It is difficult to estimate how many buildings and how many residents the estate counted, their number increased rapidly. In autumn, the Warsaw magistrate, in fear that Jewish traders will become a competition for bourgeois, filed a lawsuit, demanding their removal. Despite the efforts of Prince Sułkowski, the demolition of the new Jerusalem and the removal of Jewish settlers – said the historian.

In January 1776, the judgment of the Grand Marshal of the Crown Marshal Stanisław Lubomirski was carried out. – And in a rather drastic way. The houses were demolished, and the Marshal Soldiers did not only take the goods from Jews, which, according to the privileges of Warsaw, should be in special warehouses. The inhabitants of New Jerusalem were also robbed from private property – he said.

Second new Jerusalem

A few months later, the so -called Second New Jerusalem. – It was much smaller, probably only included a few houses and shops for rich Jews. Perhaps it did not reach the larger size because it has already developed intensively – in today's Teatralny Square, close to the Old and New Town. It was the magnate headquarters of Tomasz Adam Uruski rebuilt for commercial purposes – for rooms for rent: apartments, warehouses, shops, workshops. Mostly Jews rented them. An important shopping and service center was established in Pociejów. The city authorities fought this initiative, but to no avail – the historian pointed out.

– And the Jews, because they could rent rooms in Pociejów, were not interested in settling in New Jerusalem in much further. This is probably why it did not develop. It probably existed for the Kościuszko Uprising. This can be supplied because it did not play an important role – he pointed out.

He added that in the 1840s there was still a Jewish estate in the area of ​​today's Grójecka Street, which was also referred to as the new Jerusalem. – But it really had nothing to do with this first magnate initiative. It was a typical example of the so -called wandering name. Later, this area underwent intensive changes many times. Today we have wide streets, a railway line. Sometimes, standing at one of these long tram stops at Zawiszy Square, I think that he can exceed the original area of ​​the new Jerusalem with its surface – the historian noted.

“A trace of new Jerusalem”

A trace of the existence of the new Jerusalem remained in the urban tissue of the road called it, called the Jerusalem Road and the Jerusal Entry, i.e. the Jerusalem grates originally located at the outlet of Twarda Street towards the Krakow Route. – Later Jerusalem grates designed and erected in 1816–18 by Jakub Kubicki were at the outlet of the avenue called the new road or the New Yellow road (the new Jerusalem Road) built in the years 1816–1824 and the name of Jerusalem Avenue today – he noted.

Aleje Jerozolimskie were created several dozen years after the liquidation of New Jerusalem, but the memory of it continued. – This is a kind of paradox that such a short -existing housing estate gave the name of a beautiful, wide, nineteenth -century modern avenue, which still plays a leading role in the center of Warsaw – emphasized Dr. Fijałkowski.

– There are many important institutions with it, including the National Museum, where we can now see the exhibition “Roads to Jerusalem” – moreover, its part has just been devoted to Aleje Jerozolimski, i.e. this last trace of New Jerusalem. Since the Jewish Historical Institute cooperated with the museum at this exhibition, on April 22 we will organize a scientific seminar “The creation and fall of the New Jerusalem near Warsaw” to expand this thread – he added.