The first urban center of this part of Lesser Poland was located in
Sieciechów, whose parish church controlled areas both east and west of the
Vistula. In the 14th century, Sieciechów's significance diminished, and in the mid-15th century, the Stężyca County was created, as part of
Sandomierz Voivodeship. The royal village of Ryki (Riki), which belonged to the County of Stężyca, was first mentioned in 1424. In 1570, Ryki had a wooden church of St. Jacob the Apostle, as well as a parish school. In 1591 a hospital was founded, and the seat of a
starosta was established here. Ryki received its town charter in 1782 but lost it in 1810. Until the
Third Partition of Poland, Ryki remained in the Sandomierz Voivodeship in the
Lesser Poland Province. Then, between 1795 and 1809, it briefly belonged to
Austrian Empire’s province of
West Galicia. After the Polish victory in Austro-Polish War of 1809, the town became part of the
Duchy of Warsaw, later from 1815
Congress Poland, governed by the Russians. It was an important center of Chassidic movement, and in 1908, Jews made 94% of town's population. On 2 August 1919 Ryki was added to
Garwolin County, part of
Lublin Voivodeship. Garwolin County became part of
Warsaw Voivodeship on 1 April 1939. In September 1939, at the start of
World War II, German
Luftwaffe destroyed the centre of Ryki. During the
German occupation, the Jewish residents of the town—between 3,000 and 4,000 Jews—were murdered in the
Holocaust, either in
Treblinka extermination camp, or
Sobibor extermination camp. Some Jewish children, such as Shloime Judensznajder (now
Solly Irving), were
rescued by Polish families. Their descendants live currently in Poland, the UK and Israel. The town and its county was a major center of
Home Army, whose units liberated Ryki on 26 July 1944. After the war, Ryki belonged to
Warsaw Voivodeship, and in 1975, the town was moved again to Lublin Voivodeship. In 2000,
FM- and TV-mast Ryki was built. Ryki again officially became a town in 1957. Today Ryki is an important road junction. In the neighboring village of Moszczanka, two national roads cross – the 48th (
Kock –
Tomaszów Mazowiecki), and the 17th (Lublin – Warsaw). The town has a rail station, and bus connections with several locations. ==Transport==