Okrutne

Okrutne is a small village situated in the administrative district of Gmina Młynarze, within Płock County, in the Masovian Voivodeship of east-central Poland. The settlement lies approximately 10 kilometres east of the town of Płock and about 90 kilometres north-west of Warsaw, placing it on the northeastern part of the Masovian Plains. The village is positioned near the banks of the Narewka River, which historically provided a water source for local agriculture and modest fishing activities.

The earliest recorded mention of Okrutne appears in a 16th‑century tax register of the Płock region, indicating that the village was established in the late medieval period. Over the centuries it remained a modest agrarian community, largely shaped by the changing administrative boundaries of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Prussian partition, and later the Second Polish Republic. In the post‑war era, the collectivisation policies of the Polish People’s Republic influenced the village’s agricultural practices, which later returned to private ownership after 1989.

The current population of Okrutne is estimated at around 200 residents, with most households engaged in small‑scale farming, cultivation of cereals and potatoes, and some animal husbandry. The village maintains a traditional Polish village structure, featuring a small church that serves as a focal point of local religious life, a community centre, and a primary school that caters to children from nearby settlements. Local cultural events often revolve around harvest festivals and seasonal celebrations tied to the regional agricultural calendar.