[citation needed] Augustów was established around 1540 by Bona Sforza and granted Magdeburg rights in 1557 by Sigismund II Augustus,[10] after whom it was also named.

In 1569 it became part of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland,[12] while its cemetery was left in the Grand Duchy,[citation needed] both countries formed the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth as a result of the Union of Lublin.

[citation needed] Following the joint German-Soviet invasion of Poland, which started World War II in September 1939, Augustów was occupied by the Soviet Union until 1941.

[16] World War II brought the destruction of about 70% of the town and death or departure of most of its residents, amongst them a community of several thousand Jews who were imprisoned in the ghetto situated between the canal and the river.

In 1945 the Soviets conducted the nearby Augustów roundup – a special operation against former Armia Krajowa anticommunist fighters.

The construction of the Augustów bypass called Via Baltica, through the wetlands of the Rospuda Valley, attracted great controversy in 2007.

Pope John Paul II has a memorial chair from the first and last time he visited the town right outside the club.

Among the popular traditional dishes of north-eastern Poland, including Augustów, are kartacze and potato babka.

Officially protected traditional foods from Augustów and its surroundings include the Augustów honey (miód augustowski) which comes in several variants,[28] and augustowska jagodzianka, a local yeast roll stuffed with blueberries and topped with streusel, a popular dessert.

[29] The main sports club of the town is Sparta Augustów [pl] with football and canoeing sections.

Augustów is twinned with:[30] On 7 March 2022, partnership with Belarusian cities was terminated due to Belarus's involvement in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.