Ostrów Mazowiecka 2022-12-16
The airport Ostrów Mazowiecka-Grądy.
Geographic coordinates: 52.837N 21.777E. Elevation 124 m above sea level.
The Ostrów Mazowiecka-Grądy landing site is located 11 km from the city to the west, at the National Road No. 60, towards the village of Różan.
Ostrow Mazowiecka.
Ostrów Mazowiecka is a town with the rights of a commune in the Mazowieckie Voivodship. The area of the city is 22.09 square kilometers and the population is 22,399 (2019). The city is located in the north-eastern part of the Mazowieckie Voivodeship, at the intersection of the National Road No. S8, which in the future will become part of the Via Baltica expressway.
History.
The city had city rights in 1434, on the Chełmno law, by Bolesław IV, the Duke of Mazovia. The document has been preserved to the present (2022). Until 1926, the town was called Ostrów. Ostrów was a royal town of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland. The city was founded on the so-called "raw root". That is, there was no previous settlement here. The town was ruled by family commissars and it was a castellan stronghold. The stronghold was a wooden fortification, typical of forested areas. With the development of the city, its rulers were elevated to the dignity of a duke. The city developed dynamically, thanks to its favorable location and the wise policy of the princes. In 1514, the town received from Anna Mazowiecka the privilege of 4 fairs a year and 1 market a week. Already in the 16th century, the city had about 3,000 inhabitants. In the times of the Ruthenian partition, the inhabitants of the city and the surrounding area took part in all national uprisings. In 1929, the city had 14,669 inhabitants. During the Second World War, the Germans and Muscovites destroyed 60% of the city's buildings. The surrounding forests were the sites of numerous camps and crimes against Poles.
After 1945, the city was rebuilt and began to develop again. A dairy plant, a mechanical plant, and an electronic components factory were established. There are many wood industry plants and furniture factories. Most of the inhabitants live in single-family housing. Ostrów Mazowiecka is home to numerous primary and secondary schools. During the Second Republic of Poland, there was an Infantry Cadet School here.
Recently, the Pilecki Family House Museum has been operating in the city, whose mission is to restore the memory of the achievements of Captain Witold Pilecki, his wife Maria - a native of Ostrow, and to commemorate the Pilecki family and their merits for Poland. The Pilecki Family House is the first state museum in Ostrów Mazowiecka. The official opening of the museum took place on November 2, 2022.
In Ostrów Mazowiecka there is also a private Museum of the Garrison and the Ostrów Land in Ostrów Mazowiecka, which was founded in 2013, on the initiative of Marzena and Zbigniew Banaszków. The museum is located in a restored granary, built in 1941 by the Germans for the needs of supplying the eastern front. The museum exhibits memorabilia of the Eastern Borderlands and the School of Infantry Cadets in Komorów as well as military units stationed in Ostrów Mazowiecka and the surrounding area, from the 19th century to the present day. It also has an exhibition about Captain Witold Pilecki and the defense of Grodno in 1939.
Ostrow Mazowiecka-Grądy airstrip.
In 1995, the Ostrów Mazowiecka-Grądy landing site was established to protect state forests using firefighting aircraft. The airport was built as a forest resort. The airport's function as a firefighting base lasted only three seasons. The base was liquidated, and the airport slowly fell into neglect.
In 2008, the airport was taken over by the Aviation Training Center "Targor Flight Club". The airport received the ICAO code - EPGY. The owner of the airport is Targor-Truck Sp. z o. o. In 2015, the local airline "Targor Travel" was established, which performs sightseeing flights in the vicinity of the airport and flexible flights. Tandem parachute jumps are performed. Flight training is conducted for various ratings. At the airport, it is possible to refuel aircraft with AVGAS 100LL aviation fuel. It is possible to park and hangar aircraft. The airport has a certified Part-145 aircraft maintenance team.
Landing data.
RWY with an asphalt surface, dimensions 804 m x 24.4 m. Elevation 124.21 m (408 ft). Radio frequency: 126.850 MHz. The heliport is open 7 days a week for 12 months of the year. The owner has equipment to maintain the runway in winter.
Written by Karol Placha Hetman