Ustrzyki Dolne

Ustrzyki Dolne is a town located at an altitude of 480 m. a.s.l. , which has a population of about 9,100 inhabitants. The seat of the Bieszczady community. Through the city the Strwiąż River flows and gets to the Black Sea.

Ustrzyki was established in 1509. The village was at the confluence of two nameless creeks, and the inhabitants called it in the Old Polish Us, which means, the estuary, Rzyk, which means the river – hence the name of the village is Ustrzyki which means the estuary of the river. Ustrzyki received the city rights in 1727. Due to discovery and exploitation of oil fields and construction of the First Hungarian-Galician Iron Railway the city experienced the largest development in the 19^th century.

During the World War II, many residents with Jewish origins were placed in ghetto and then deported to a labor camp in Zasław or Bełżc. The synagogue has survived in Ustrzyki – although rebuilt and did not looks like a synagogue anymore (now the library is located there) and Jewish kirkut (cemetery). Since 1946 the city was within the borders of the Soviet Union and signing theagreement on 15^th of February 1951 on the correction of the State border resulted in return of Ustrzyki Dolne and other localities to Poland. The result of this correction was also the resettlement of residents called "Action H-T".

At present, because of most developed ski infrastructure in Podkarpackie Region, Ustrzyki is called the winter capital of Podkarpackie Region. There are two ski stations with aerial lift, a few smaller lifts and tracks for cross-country ski runs.