Wizna

Wizna stands by an important crossing of the Narew, where a castle guarded the eastern frontier of Mazovia from at least the eleventh century. It became the seat of a castellany and, in 1379, the centre of the Land of Wizna. A Catholic parish was founded in 1390. The route from Lithuania toward Kraków passed through the town, which remained an important royal and administrative centre until nearby Łomża grew in prominence. In 1795 the Third Partition of Poland brought Wizna under Prussian rule.