Józefów – where evil spirits are rampant

The town is situated on the Nepryszka River; once the area was part of Zamość Entail. It was named after the fifth Entailer Tomasz Józef Zamoyski, who founded it at the beginning of the 18th century. It used to be a well-known centre of crafts and trade, mainly on account of Jews, who came here in large numbers. They erected the first wooden synagogue in Józefów. In 1729 they built a paper factory upon the Sopot River and in the middle of the 18th century a copper plant. Józefów was also famous for sieve making  and quarrying. Millstones and brewing stones as well as grave and roadside crosses were made here. Near the town many quarries have been preserved; some of them are still used. During WWII Józefów was a centre of the resistance movement. It was from this place that the legendary Home Army leader Konrad Bartoszewski, pseudonym “Wir” came. The years of Nazi occupation were tragic ones for Józefów; in 1942 Nazis murdered almost all Jewish residents. One of the largest Jewish cemeteries as well as many other historical monuments have been preserved in the town. The local nature is also unique; the town is surrounded by an impenetrable forest called Puszcza Solska. Nearby, in a place called Hamernia, there are unique waterfalls on the Sopot River called Szumy [“Murmurs”]. In order to preserve their unique beauty, a nature reserve called “Czartowe Pole” [“Devil’s Field”] was set up. The waterfalls on the Sopot River and the waterfalls on the nearby Tanew River are considered to be one of the seven wonders of Poland.