According to the legend, the origin of Siedlce is owed to Queen Bona, who travelling with her knighthood, stopped to rest and decided that the area was a good place to settle. King Zygmunt Stary granted his wife's desire and ordered to village be establish a village in that place whitch was to be called Siedlce.

The oldest mentions of Siedlce appeared between 1418 and 1448. The Town's origin is connected with its owner Daniel Gniewosz who named himself Siedlecki after the town's name. Stanisław Siedlecki's ambition was to establish a town and he succeeded. On 15th January 1547 King Zygmunt Stary signed the location document based on the Magdeburg law. Townspeople received a number of privileges which were confirmed by Polish kings. The growth of the town, located almost in the middle of Poland, was interrupted by the 17^th-century wars, especially by the Chmielnicki uprising. Additionally Siedlce was plundered during the Swedish invasion, destroyed by plagues and diseases spread by the occupation of various armies.

At that time the ruined city was taken over by the Czartoryski family, who taking care of the town's development, reinstated former privileges and granted the citizens favourable new ones in 1693, 1727 and 1728.

The "Golden Period" in the history of Siedlce began in 1775 when Aleksandra Ogińska, Duke Fryderyk's daughter and the wife of a Great Lithuanian Hetman, took possession of the town. Duchess Aleksandra Ogińska ruled the city till 1798. It was a time of urban and economic development. Many buildings erected by Czartoryski family were rebuilt and extended by Duchess Aleksandra They are still the most eminent pieces of historical architecture in the city. Skilled crafts and trade developed, fostered by advantageous location on of Siedlce an important trade route.

It was a period of splendour in the cultural development of the city. Famous poets of the Enlightenment - Fransiszek Kniaźnin, Franciszek Karpiński and Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz, favoured the court of Duchess Ogińska. The painter Aleksander Orłowski, son of an innkeeper from the Duchess' estates, owed his fame to her patronage. Duchess Ogińska received her close relative King Stanisław August Poniatowski in Siedlce in 1783 and again in 1793. A sentimental park, currently called "Alexandria" in the Duchess' honour, was laid out in Siedlce. A part of the park with historic trees has survived and remains a town park.

The Duchess Ogińska died leaving no heirs and after her death, Siedlce together with adjoining estates was taken over by the Puławy line of the Czartoryski family. In 1804 Duke Adam Kazimierz Czartoryski gave Siedlce to Austrian government in exchange for other estates. Thus Siedlce ceased to be a private town in magnate estates, and became a government city. During the partition period in Poland the city was under Austrian and Russian rule.

The January Uprising was followed by one of the most stormy periods in the city's development. Since the creation of the Siedlce gubernya in 1867 the town again became the regional administrative and cultural centre. Very important thing for the town's growth was building a railway from Warsaw to Terespol in 1866-67 and other railways from Siedlce to Małkinia and Czeremcha in the following years. The town became an important communication junction.

The outbreak of the First World War resulted in significant changes. In August 1915 Russian authorities left Siedlce and the city found itself under German occupation. After Poland regained independence in 1918 Siedlce started to expand beyond its historic centre. In the inter-war period Siedlce was a capital of the district and administratively belonged to Lublin Province. It was the second town within the Province in terms of size.

Biological and material losses of Siedlce were huge during the Second World War. 50% of the town was destroyed and the Nazi's policy of extermination caused that population was reduced by over 1/3. Most of the Jews from Siedlce lost their lives in the nearby Treblinka concentration camp.

After the war Siedlce was rebuilt and became the capital of a district in the Province of Lublin, and since 1949 in the Province of Warsaw. At the beginning of the 1970s rapid economic development began and many industrial enterprises were established.

After an administrative reform in 1975 Siedlce became the capital of the province. Favourable combination of conditions - the existence of big companies, the establishment of the Province of Siedlce and the foundation of a higher-education system in 1969 resulted in the city's rapid growth and development. Approximately 77,000 people now inhabit the city. The last administrative reform in 1999 resulted in creation of the Mazovian Province which changed Siedlce's status from a provincial capital to an urban district.

HISTORY OF SIEDLCE

• 1448 - First mentions of Siedlce.
• 1547 - King of Poland Zygmunt Stary granted Siedlce civic rights.
• 1650 - Town was destroyed and burnt by the Tartars.
• 1692 - a great burn of the town when the documents confirming several town privilages were burnt
• 1775 - 1798 - Aleksandra Ogińska ruled Siedlce, which flourished in architectural, economic and cultural terms during this period.
• 1807 - Siedlce ceased to be a private town in magnate estates and became a government town. At this time the town was under Austrian occupation and became a seat of circular authorities.
• 1810 - 1815 - When the Warsaw Duchy was established Siedlce was a capital of department, which increased the town's development.
• 1825 - 1837 - Capital of the newly created Podlasie Province.
• 1831 - Battle in Iganie during the November Uprising.
• 1846 - Armed uprising under command of Pantaleon Potocki during the Three-Partitions Uprising.
• 1861 - During the January Uprising partisan fights lasted in the area of Siedlce for the longest time. The town and Podlasie area was a subject to intense Russification after the collapse of the Uprising.
• 1866-1867 - Building the railroad from Warsaw to Terespol had an impact on economic growth of the town and region.
• 1902 - Siedlce became famous for its students' protests against teaching religion in Russian.
• 1915 - The Russian authorities evacuated the city and the German occupation began.
• 1918 - Regained independence. Despite slow economic development the town became an important centre for education during the inter-war period. Administratively it belonged to the Province of Lublin and was the seat of district authorities.
• 1939-1945 - 50% of Siedlce was destroyed and the population decreased from 41,000 to 27,000.
• 1969 - Higher School of Agriculture and Pedagogy (University level) was established
• the 1970s - Fast economic development, on the field of heavy industry, electrical/machine building, textile and food processing companies.
• 1975 - 1998 - Capital of the Province of Siedlce; rapid growth of town in economy, culture and education.
• 1999 -Siedlce became an urban district in the newly created Mazovian Province.

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