Parczew (the former name: Parczów) is one of the oldest towns within the region of Lubelszczyzna. According to the chronicles by Jan Długosz, the settlement of that name was located here already in the 13th century. Its situation between two rivers the Konotopa and the Piwonia solved the problem of the town`s defence system. When Parczew was granted the municipal rights by King Władysław Jagiełło in 1401, the town started to develop.
The rise of Parczew in the Jagiellonian epoch was possible because of the town`s situation on the border between Poland and Lithuania, at the Cracow-Vilnius trade and transport rout. In 1413, during the congress in Horodło, Parczew was set as a place of Polish-Lithuanian meetings and Seyms and since then, it became an important centre of political life of the country. All kings of the Jagiellonian dynasty stayed here some of them more than once. A lot of Seyms took place in Parczew and numerous decision, important for Poland, were made here. For example, King Kazimierz Jagiellończyk was granted an election crown of Poland in 1446, during the Seym in Parczew. In 1453, just before the 13-Year War was started, the same king received a Teutonic envoy and envojs of Prussian citis here. The last Seym in Parczew was held in 1564 in King Zygmunt August time. The problem of the further Polish-Lithuanian Union was discussed. The resolution of the Trydent Council was accepted by the King and the Senate and, thanks to this, a religious war was avoided in Poland.
In the 15-16th centuries Parczew was a seat of a starosty. As a fortified town it had three gates called Lubelska, Chełmska and Łomaska. Next to the town there was a royal residence called the Castle. There was also a town-hall in the market squel. The town owned two baths, four mills and a few breweries. Parczew was given the rights to store salt, too. In the 16th century there were three Catholic churches, an Orthodox church 
, a synagogue and a school and a hospital. The Church of the Holy Virgin Assumption situated near the market squer was a parish church. The Parczew Parish belonged to the Cracow Diocese then, and it was a seat of a large deapory reaching to Lublin.
The development of Parczew was stopped along with the end of the Jagiellonian dynasty. The Cracow-Vilnius route was not used any longer. Neither kings nor rich tradesmen were travelling here. The decline of the town was also caused by wars, plunderings and fires. In 1728 only a little more than twenty people lived here.
In King Stanisław August time (the last Polish King) Parczew started to rise frome the rubble. The number of innhabitans increased, trade and crafts started to develop. But then the pertition of Poland took place and the town`s development was stopped once again. Only the Lublin-Łukowo railway line built in 1898 brought some enlivenment to the town.
Between two World Wars the development of Parcze was very slow. The number of inhabitants increased to 10 thousand people. On September 10, 1939 the town was raided by Nazi planes. At the end of September General Kleeberg`s military group Polesie stayed in Parczew and its neighbourhood. The soldiers from that group fought with the Red Army, coming from the east in Jabłonie and Milanów (the towns near Parczew) on September 29 and 30. Both Parczew and surrounding villages were raided by Soviet planes many times. On October 7 Parczew was seized by the Nazis.
Parczew was a centre of the resistance movement during the World War. The Parczew Woods were home for numerous partisans groups. Half of Parczew inhabitants were killed during the war, including about 5 thousand of Jews. The town was liberated by the Soviet Army and the regional group of the National Army on July 22,1944.
As early as September 1944 a comprehensive school was established in Parczew, and a few years later, a vocational school was started. The first post-war years were very difficult. Only at the beginning of 1995, when the Parczew administrative district was established, the town economy started to develop. Parczew was extended and some factories and public - utility objects were bulit. A building of new streets were bulit, the old ones were widened and were provided with new surface. New housing estates were completed.
The year 1989 was a beginning of self-government and market economy in Parczew. The democratically electd town autorities have to overcome a lot of difficulties to achieve new aims. Telecommunication system has been already improved. A new housing-estate will be completed soon. There are fewer and fewer old wooden houses in the town. Parczew has changed most during the period of the last ten years.