Dubienka was a village known from as early as the latter half of the 15th century. Situated near a river and a trade route, it continued to develop as a local trade centre. In 1588 it was granted city rights by the Polish king Sigismund III, as well as the privilege of holding markets and fairs. In the 16th and 17th centuries Dubienka developed as a trade and craft centre. It was famous for its flat-floored boats, and the local port played an important part in the distribution of wood and grain to Gdansk. In 1792 near Dubienka there took place one of battles of the Polish-Russian war. At the start of the 19th century Dubienka had c. 60 trade stalls; the residents occupied themselves with rafting, craft, farming, fishing and alcohol production. The establishment of a train route from Warsaw to Kowel caused the gradual falling of some craft branches into disuse. Among those was rafting. During the two world wars and the Polish-Bolshevik war the city suffered significant damage. In 1945 Dubienka lost its city rights.
Among the 357 houses that existed in Dubienka in 1860, 346 were made of wood and 11 were made of stone. Until World War II, the architecture of Dubienka was largely wooden, dominated by single-story buildings with living quarters located in attics, or two-story with low cellars. The houses had wide fronts with front-facing entryways, ridged gable and half-hip jerkin head roofs.
The town square area had unique houses known as "entrance" houses; these began to appear in other parts of the city from the 18th century onwards. This type of house had an entrance that could admit a horse-drawn cart, and gave the centre of Dubienka its unique character. A typical house outside the centre of the city was wooden, with a shingle-covered roof, and an entrance that split the building into living and utility quarters. Stone buildings began to appear when the financial situation of the residents started to improve.
Today one of the most interesting buildings in Dubienka is the house at No 1, I Armii Wojska Polskiego Street. It was built in 1926 by Icek Goldberg, who was a wood tradesman.
Archive photos of Dubienka
Modern photos of Dubienka