Oksywie
Encyclopedia
Oksywie is a neighbourhood
of the city of Gdynia
, Pomeranian Voivodeship
, northern Poland
. Formerly a separate settlement, it is actually several centuries older than the city it is a part of currently.
en head.
, named after the burial places located just outside Oksywie. With time the area was settled by Slavs and became part of Pomerania
. Christianised relatively early, the settlement housed the first Catholic shrine erected in 1124 by Świętopełk, Duke of Pomerania. Throughout the ages, the settlement shared much of its history with the surrounding region and with the nearby town of Gdańsk
(German: Danzig), which developed into a regional capital.
After the World War I
, when Poland
regained the area after more than 100 years of partitions
, the town of Oksywie became the first base of the Polish Navy
. It served this role until the outbreak of World War II
. During the Polish Defensive War
of 1939, the area was the battlefield of the 9 days long battle of Kępa Oksywska
, in which the Polish forces under Col. Stanisław Dąbek defended the area between September 10 and September 19. During the last stages of the war, the area yet again became a battlefield, this time between March 28 and April 5, 1945, when the area of the Oksywie Heights became the last stand of the surrounded German forces in Pomerania.
Currently, the borough of Oksywie is notable as the seat of the Academy of the Polish Navy. It was also the namesake of ORP Oksywie.
Dzielnica
In the Polish system of local administration, a dzielnica is an administrative subdivision or quarter of a city or town. A dzielnica may have its own elected council , and those of Warsaw each have their own mayor...
of the city of Gdynia
Gdynia
Gdynia is a city in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland and an important seaport of Gdańsk Bay on the south coast of the Baltic Sea.Located in Kashubia in Eastern Pomerania, Gdynia is part of a conurbation with the spa town of Sopot, the city of Gdańsk and suburban communities, which together...
, Pomeranian Voivodeship
Pomeranian Voivodeship
Pomeranian Voivodeship, or Pomerania Province , is a voivodeship, or province, in north-central Poland. It comprises most of Pomerelia , as well as an area east of the Vistula River...
, northern 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...
. Formerly a separate settlement, it is actually several centuries older than the city it is a part of currently.
Etymology
Both the Polish and then German name of the town, as well as various other names for it used in the past (among them Oxsiua, Oxive, Okciua, Oxue, Oxivia, Oxiuia, Oxiwia, Oxiew and Oxivija) stem from a Scandinavian word oxihoved meaning oxOx
An ox , also known as a bullock in Australia, New Zealand and India, is a bovine trained as a draft animal. Oxen are commonly castrated adult male cattle; castration makes the animals more tractable...
en head.
History
In the pre-historic times the Oksywie Heights, overlooking the Bay of Gdańsk, was settled by the members of the Oksywie cultureOksywie culture
The Oksywie Culture, was an archaeological culture which existed in the area of modern day Eastern Pomerania around the lower Vistula river, from the 2nd century BC to the early 1st century AD....
, named after the burial places located just outside Oksywie. With time the area was settled by Slavs and became part of Pomerania
Pomerania
Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...
. Christianised relatively early, the settlement housed the first Catholic shrine erected in 1124 by Świętopełk, Duke of Pomerania. Throughout the ages, the settlement shared much of its history with the surrounding region and with the nearby town of Gdańsk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
(German: Danzig), which developed into a regional capital.
After the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, when 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...
regained the area after more than 100 years of partitions
Partitions of Poland
The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland for 123 years...
, the town of Oksywie became the first base of the Polish Navy
Polish Navy
The Marynarka Wojenna Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej - MW RP Polish Navy, is the branch of Republic of Poland Armed Forces responsible for naval operations...
. It served this role until the outbreak of World War II
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...
. During the Polish Defensive War
Invasion of Poland (1939)
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
of 1939, the area was the battlefield of the 9 days long battle of Kępa Oksywska
Battle of Kepa Oksywska
The Battle of Kępa Oksywska took place in the Oksywie Heights outside of the city of Gdynia between September 10 and September 19, 1939. The battle, fought by the Polish Army and the German Wehrmacht, was part of the Polish September Campaign during World War II...
, in which the Polish forces under Col. Stanisław Dąbek defended the area between September 10 and September 19. During the last stages of the war, the area yet again became a battlefield, this time between March 28 and April 5, 1945, when the area of the Oksywie Heights became the last stand of the surrounded German forces in Pomerania.
Currently, the borough of Oksywie is notable as the seat of the Academy of the Polish Navy. It was also the namesake of ORP Oksywie.