Bytom Odrzanski
Encyclopedia
Bytom Odrzański ' is a town on the Oder
river in western Poland
, in Nowa Sól County
of Lubusz Voivodeship
.
Archaeological findings from the Stone Age
and Bronze Age
around Bytom suggest a early settlement. A Slavic gród
is mentioned in 1005. During invasion of Poland by Henry V
, Polish ruler Bolesław III Wrymouth successfully defended the settlement in August 1109.The chronicles of Gallus Anonymus
dedicate a lengthy passage concerning the battle, and praising the strong defense of the settlement and bravery of its defenders. This battle and Gall's praise is mentioned today on the main site of the town
A medieval castellan
y is first mentioned in 1203 on a ford
crossing the Oder, held by the Silesian Piasts
. During inheritance conflict of Polish high duke Bolesław IV the Curly with the sons of his elder brother Władysław II the Exile and Emperor Frederick Barbarossa
the town was abandoned by Polish troops, due to its state of neglect, and burned down to prevent enemy from using its food supplies as well as having a place to rest The parish church was a filial of the Cistercian Abbatia Lubensis abbey
and first documented in 1175. The settlement itself was granted German town law
in 1263 and subsequently experienced arrival of immigrants during the Ostsiedlung
.
In 1475 Beuthen belonged to merchant Andreas Neumann (75%) and Georg von Glaubitz (25%). Johann von Rechenberg acquired both parts in 1524 and introduced the Protestant Reformation
to the town. In 1540 the first Protestant pastor was appointed. In 1561 Franz von Rechenberg sold Beuthen to Fabian von Schoenaich. Von Schoenaich fought on the Catholic side in the Schmalkaldic War
, but protected the Protestants in his domain. His cousin and successor Georg von Schoenaich made great contributions to the development of the town by the cultivation of the right bank of the Oder river, the planting of several fruits and grapes and the building of a new town hall (1602) and a bridge across the Oder. In 1618 a Protestant chapel was built, which was closed after the Thirty Years' War
by imperial order in 1653. The biggest achievement by Georg von Schoenaich however was the establishment of a humanist
Gymnasium academicum school in 1601. The school had 12 chairs, among them one for Protestant theology, for jurisprudence, medicine and - a novelty - morals. Between 1609 and 1613 a new school house was built. One of the gymnasiums students was Martin Opitz, who wrote his Aristarchus, sive De contemptu linguae Teutonicae there, which presented the German language as suitable for poetry. In 1628 the school however was already closed again by imperial order, since the gymnasium was considered Calvinistic
.
Beuthen was fortified in 1616 by fortress master Andreas Hindenberger. During the Thirty Years' War winter king Frederick V
allegedly stayed overnight on his flight from Bohemia. After the occupation of the town by Liechtenstein dragoons Beuthen was recatholized by force in 1628. The Stephans church and the hospital were taken from the Protestants in 1653. A fire in 1694 destroyed parts of the town and the town hall, which was rebuilt in 1696.
The town was raised to the status of a state country
by decree of Emperor Leopold I of Habsburg
in 1697. After Frederick II of Prussia
seized Silesia the Protestant school was opened again, and between 1744 and 1746 a Protestant church was built. Between 1766 and 1884 it was a garrison town. During the late 19th century brown coal mining became a important pillar of the local economy. The Prussian state railways
opened a connection to Beuthen in 1871.
In 1945 40% of the town were destroyed
. Beuthen, along with Former eastern territories of Germany, passed to Poland. The German inhabitants were expelled westwards and replaced by Poles. The town was renamed to Bytom Odrzański.
, Germany
Oder
The Oder is a river in Central Europe. It rises in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland, later forming of the border between Poland and Germany, part of the Oder-Neisse line...
river in western Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, in Nowa Sól County
Nowa Sól County
Nowa Sól County is a unit of territorial administration and local government in Lubusz Voivodeship, western Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its administrative seat and largest town is Nowa Sól, which lies ...
of Lubusz Voivodeship
Lubusz Voivodeship
- Administrative division :Lubusz Voivodeship is divided into 14 counties : 2 city counties and 12 land counties. These are further divided into 83 gminas....
.
History
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
and Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
around Bytom suggest a early settlement. A Slavic gród
Grod
Grod may refer to:* Caspar Maria Grod, Wilhelm Riphahn's co-worker from 1913 to 1931* Weilern Grod, a village in Brittnau, Switzerland* Grod, 520s–528 ruler after Utigur in Patria Onoguria. He was succeeded by his brother Mugel.-See also:...
is mentioned in 1005. During invasion of Poland by Henry V
Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry V was King of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor , the fourth and last ruler of the Salian dynasty. Henry's reign coincided with the final phase of the great Investiture Controversy, which had pitted pope against emperor...
, Polish ruler Bolesław III Wrymouth successfully defended the settlement in August 1109.The chronicles of Gallus Anonymus
Gallus Anonymus
Gallus Anonymus is the name traditionally given to the anonymous author of Gesta principum Polonorum , composed in Latin about 1115....
dedicate a lengthy passage concerning the battle, and praising the strong defense of the settlement and bravery of its defenders. This battle and Gall's praise is mentioned today on the main site of the town
A medieval castellan
Castellan
A castellan was the governor or captain of a castle. The word stems from the Latin Castellanus, derived from castellum "castle". Also known as a constable.-Duties:...
y is first mentioned in 1203 on a ford
Ford (crossing)
A ford is a shallow place with good footing where a river or stream may be crossed by wading or in a vehicle. A ford is mostly a natural phenomenon, in contrast to a low water crossing, which is an artificial bridge that allows crossing a river or stream when water is low.The names of many towns...
crossing the Oder, held by the Silesian Piasts
Silesian Piasts
The Silesian Piasts were the oldest line of the Piast dynasty beginning with Władysław II the Exile, son of Bolesław III Wrymouth, Duke of Poland...
. During inheritance conflict of Polish high duke Bolesław IV the Curly with the sons of his elder brother Władysław II the Exile and Emperor Frederick Barbarossa
Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick I Barbarossa was a German Holy Roman Emperor. He was elected King of Germany at Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March, crowned King of Italy in Pavia in 1155, and finally crowned Roman Emperor by Pope Adrian IV, on 18 June 1155, and two years later in 1157 the term...
the town was abandoned by Polish troops, due to its state of neglect, and burned down to prevent enemy from using its food supplies as well as having a place to rest The parish church was a filial of the Cistercian Abbatia Lubensis abbey
Abbatia Lubensis abbey
Lubiąż Abbey , also commonly known in English as Leubus Abbey, is a former Cistercian monastery in Lubiąż,, in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship of southwestern Poland, located about northwest of Wrocław...
and first documented in 1175. The settlement itself was granted German town law
German town law
German town law or German municipal concerns concerns town privileges used by many cities, towns, and villages throughout Central and Eastern Europe during the Middle Ages.- Town law in Germany :...
in 1263 and subsequently experienced arrival of immigrants during the Ostsiedlung
Ostsiedlung
Ostsiedlung , also called German eastward expansion, was the medieval eastward migration and settlement of Germans from modern day western and central Germany into less-populated regions and countries of eastern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The affected area roughly stretched from Slovenia...
.
In 1475 Beuthen belonged to merchant Andreas Neumann (75%) and Georg von Glaubitz (25%). Johann von Rechenberg acquired both parts in 1524 and introduced the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
to the town. In 1540 the first Protestant pastor was appointed. In 1561 Franz von Rechenberg sold Beuthen to Fabian von Schoenaich. Von Schoenaich fought on the Catholic side in the Schmalkaldic War
Schmalkaldic War
The Schmalkaldic War refers to the short period of violence from 1546 until 1547 between the forces of Emperor Charles I of Spain and V of the Holy Roman Empire, commanded by Don Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alba, and the Lutheran Schmalkaldic League within the domains of the Holy Roman...
, but protected the Protestants in his domain. His cousin and successor Georg von Schoenaich made great contributions to the development of the town by the cultivation of the right bank of the Oder river, the planting of several fruits and grapes and the building of a new town hall (1602) and a bridge across the Oder. In 1618 a Protestant chapel was built, which was closed after the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
by imperial order in 1653. The biggest achievement by Georg von Schoenaich however was the establishment of a humanist
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
Gymnasium academicum school in 1601. The school had 12 chairs, among them one for Protestant theology, for jurisprudence, medicine and - a novelty - morals. Between 1609 and 1613 a new school house was built. One of the gymnasiums students was Martin Opitz, who wrote his Aristarchus, sive De contemptu linguae Teutonicae there, which presented the German language as suitable for poetry. In 1628 the school however was already closed again by imperial order, since the gymnasium was considered Calvinistic
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
.
Beuthen was fortified in 1616 by fortress master Andreas Hindenberger. During the Thirty Years' War winter king Frederick V
Frederick V, Elector Palatine
Frederick V was Elector Palatine , and, as Frederick I , King of Bohemia ....
allegedly stayed overnight on his flight from Bohemia. After the occupation of the town by Liechtenstein dragoons Beuthen was recatholized by force in 1628. The Stephans church and the hospital were taken from the Protestants in 1653. A fire in 1694 destroyed parts of the town and the town hall, which was rebuilt in 1696.
The town was raised to the status of a state country
State country
State country was a unit of administrative and territorial division in the Bohemian crown lands of Silesia and Upper Lusatia, existing from 15th to 18th centuries. These estates were exempt from feudal tenure by privilege of the Bohemian kings...
by decree of Emperor Leopold I of Habsburg
Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
| style="float:right;" | Leopold I was a Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and King of Bohemia. A member of the Habsburg family, he was the second son of Emperor Ferdinand III and his first wife, Maria Anna of Spain. His maternal grandparents were Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria...
in 1697. After Frederick II of Prussia
Frederick II of Prussia
Frederick II was a King in Prussia and a King of Prussia from the Hohenzollern dynasty. In his role as a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire, he was also Elector of Brandenburg. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel...
seized Silesia the Protestant school was opened again, and between 1744 and 1746 a Protestant church was built. Between 1766 and 1884 it was a garrison town. During the late 19th century brown coal mining became a important pillar of the local economy. The Prussian state railways
Prussian state railways
The term Prussian state railways encompasses those railway organisations that were owned or managed by the State of Prussia...
opened a connection to Beuthen in 1871.
In 1945 40% of the town were destroyed
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Beuthen, along with Former eastern territories of Germany, passed to Poland. The German inhabitants were expelled westwards and replaced by Poles. The town was renamed to Bytom Odrzański.
Notable people
- Martin Opitz (1597–1639) attended the gymnasium at Bytom in 1617
- The journalist and writer Jochen KlepperJochen KlepperJochen Klepper was a German writer, poet and journalist.-Life:Klepper was born in Beuthen an der Oder , Silesia, the son of a Lutheran minister...
(1903–1942) was born here.
Twin town
Bytom Odrzański is twinned with: PößneckPößneck
Pößneck is a town in the Saale-Orla-Kreis district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated 19 km east of Rudolstadt, and 26 km south of Jena....
, Germany