Pultusk

Pultusk, a town of Russian Poland, in the government of Warsaw, 33 m. N. of the city of Warsaw, on the right bank of the Narew. Pop. (1897), 15,878. The town was almost entirely destroyed by fire in 1875. It is now well built, and had before the fire a palace (1319) which was formerly a residence of the bishops of Plock. The industries include woollen, linen and hosiery mills, copper works and potteries. In 1703 Charles XII. of Sweden defeated and captured the greater part of a Saxon army near this town, and in the same locality the French defeated the Russians in December 1806. The town was founded as early as 956.