Pisz
Encyclopedia
Pisz p is a town
in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship
in Poland
, with a population of 19,328 in 2004. It is the seat of Pisz County
. Pisz is located at the junction of Lake Roś
and the Pisa River
.
. The local people of Mazury called the castle "Jańsbork", and this name remained until 1946.
ethnic group
of Old Prussians
. In 1345 the Teutonic Order began constructing a castle nearby at the southernmost point of the Johannisburger Heide, or Piska Forest, in the Masurian Lake District. The castle was named Johannisburg, after St. John the Baptist. The settlement nearby held a market as early as 1367, but it was not until 1645 that it received its town charter
. The official German name of the town was Johannisburg, while the Polish-speaking residents referred to it as Jańsbork. Its early growth owed much to the residents' skill in beekeeping
, and it was located on trade routes leading to Gdańsk
and to the Vistula
and Narew
Rivers. It became part of Ducal Prussia
in 1525 and Brandenburg-Prussia
in 1618.
In 1709/10 only 14 inhabitants survived the plague. The town began to develop extensively in the 19th century as part of the Kingdom of Prussia
. In 1818 it became the seat of the Landkreis Johannisburg in the province East Prussia
. The town's population in 1876 was approximately 3,000. A railway built connecting Allenstein (Olsztyn)
and Lyck (Ełk) ran through Johannisburg. Its water supply system and gas works were built in 1907 and its municipal slaughterhouse
in 1913. The town's industrial development focused on wood processing and metallurgy
. According to the 1900 Imperial German census, Johannisburg's population consisted of 70.2% Masurians.
As a result of the treaty of Versailles
, the Warmia and Masuria plebiscite was organized under the control of the League of Nations
, which resulted in 99.96% of votes to remain in East Prussia and 0.04% for Poland (14 total).
During World War II
, Johannisburg was 70% destroyed by fighting and occupation by the Soviet
Red Army
. At war's end in 1945, it was transferred from German to Polish control according to the Potsdam Agreement
and officially renamed Pisz in 1946. The name Pisz comes from the Old Prussian word pisa ("swamp"), owing to the muddy water from nearby Lake Roś
. The remaining German-speaking part of the town's populace was expelled
and replaced with Poles
.
Little of pre-war Johannisburg survived the warfare aside from its Gothic
town hall, but much of Pisz has been restored in recent decades. The town is a popular place to begin sailing on the Masurian lakes. Historical sites include the ruins of the Teutonic Knights' Johannisburg castle and the Church of St. John.
Pisz is a centre of tourism industry, with boat trips, canoeing and kayaking along the Krutynia River, as well as with popular yachting voyages on the Great Mazury Lakes known in Polish as Kraina Wielkich Jezior. On the shore of Nidzkie Lake there's the K. I. Gałczyński Museum in Leśniczówka Pranie. There is a museum in the 9th century granary displaying historical artifacts and an exquisite collection of antlers. There are horse and horse-drawn carriage trips. The town is surrounded by the largest forest
complex of the Masuria
region, known as Puszcza Piska
(Piska Primeval Forest) with eleven nature reserves.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship
Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship
Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, or Warmia-Masuria Province , is a voivodeship in northeastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Olsztyn...
in 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...
, with a population of 19,328 in 2004. It is the seat of Pisz County
Pisz County
Pisz County is a unit of territorial administration and local government in Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, northern 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 Pisz, which lies east...
. Pisz is located at the junction of Lake Roś
Lake Ros
Lake Roś is a lake in the Masurian Lake District of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship of Poland. This S-shaped glacial lake has an area of 18.9 km² and a depth of 31.8 meters. The Swięcek and Konopka rivers flow into the lake, while the Pisa River flows out of it. The largest town on the lake...
and the Pisa River
Pisa River
The Pisa is a river in north-eastern Poland with a length of 80.4 km. It belongs to the Masurian Lake District of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. The Pisa river flows from Lake Roś near the town of Pisz, and is a tributary of the Narew, connecting the Lakeland region with the Vistula...
.
Etymology
The name Pisz originates from the word "pisa", meaning "swamp" in the ancient Prussian language. Pisz received the name of the castle in 1645, when it became a city by the decree of Władysław IV VasaWładysław IV Vasa
Władysław IV Vasa was a Polish and Swedish prince from the House of Vasa. He reigned as King of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 8 November 1632 to his death in 1648....
. The local people of Mazury called the castle "Jańsbork", and this name remained until 1946.
History
The site of today's Pisz was originally inhabited by the indigenousIndigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
ethnic group
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
of Old Prussians
Old Prussians
The Old Prussians or Baltic Prussians were an ethnic group, autochthonous Baltic tribes that inhabited Prussia, the lands of the southeastern Baltic Sea in the area around the Vistula and Curonian Lagoons...
. In 1345 the Teutonic Order began constructing a castle nearby at the southernmost point of the Johannisburger Heide, or Piska Forest, in the Masurian Lake District. The castle was named Johannisburg, after St. John the Baptist. The settlement nearby held a market as early as 1367, but it was not until 1645 that it received its town charter
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 :...
. The official German name of the town was Johannisburg, while the Polish-speaking residents referred to it as Jańsbork. Its early growth owed much to the residents' skill in beekeeping
Beekeeping
Beekeeping is the maintenance of honey bee colonies, commonly in hives, by humans. A beekeeper keeps bees in order to collect honey and other products of the hive , to pollinate crops, or to produce bees for sale to other beekeepers...
, and it was located on trade routes leading to 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...
and to the Vistula
Vistula
The Vistula is the longest and the most important river in Poland, at 1,047 km in length. The watershed area of the Vistula is , of which lies within Poland ....
and Narew
Narew
The Narew River , in western Belarus and north-eastern Poland, is a left tributary of the Vistula river...
Rivers. It became part of Ducal Prussia
Ducal Prussia
The Duchy of Prussia or Ducal Prussia was a duchy in the eastern part of Prussia from 1525–1701. It was the first Protestant duchy with a dominant German-speaking population, as well as Polish and Lithuanian minorities...
in 1525 and Brandenburg-Prussia
Brandenburg-Prussia
Brandenburg-Prussia is the historiographic denomination for the Early Modern realm of the Brandenburgian Hohenzollerns between 1618 and 1701. Based in the Electorate of Brandenburg, the main branch of the Hohenzollern intermarried with the branch ruling the Duchy of Prussia, and secured succession...
in 1618.
In 1709/10 only 14 inhabitants survived the plague. The town began to develop extensively in the 19th century as part of the Kingdom of Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
. In 1818 it became the seat of the Landkreis Johannisburg in the province East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
. The town's population in 1876 was approximately 3,000. A railway built connecting Allenstein (Olsztyn)
Olsztyn
Olsztyn is a city in northeastern Poland, on the Łyna River. Olsztyn has been the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship since 1999. It was previously in the Olsztyn Voivodeship...
and Lyck (Ełk) ran through Johannisburg. Its water supply system and gas works were built in 1907 and its municipal slaughterhouse
Slaughterhouse
A slaughterhouse or abattoir is a facility where animals are killed for consumption as food products.Approximately 45-50% of the animal can be turned into edible products...
in 1913. The town's industrial development focused on wood processing and metallurgy
Metallurgy
Metallurgy is a domain of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. It is also the technology of metals: the way in which science is applied to their practical use...
. According to the 1900 Imperial German census, Johannisburg's population consisted of 70.2% Masurians.
As a result of the treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...
, the Warmia and Masuria plebiscite was organized under the control of the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
, which resulted in 99.96% of votes to remain in East Prussia and 0.04% for Poland (14 total).
During 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...
, Johannisburg was 70% destroyed by fighting and occupation by the Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
. At war's end in 1945, it was transferred from German to Polish control according to the Potsdam Agreement
Potsdam Agreement
The Potsdam Agreement was the Allied plan of tripartite military occupation and reconstruction of Germany—referring to the German Reich with its pre-war 1937 borders including the former eastern territories—and the entire European Theatre of War territory...
and officially renamed Pisz in 1946. The name Pisz comes from the Old Prussian word pisa ("swamp"), owing to the muddy water from nearby Lake Roś
Lake Ros
Lake Roś is a lake in the Masurian Lake District of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship of Poland. This S-shaped glacial lake has an area of 18.9 km² and a depth of 31.8 meters. The Swięcek and Konopka rivers flow into the lake, while the Pisa River flows out of it. The largest town on the lake...
. The remaining German-speaking part of the town's populace was expelled
Expulsion of Germans after World War II
The later stages of World War II, and the period after the end of that war, saw the forced migration of millions of German nationals and ethnic Germans from various European states and territories, mostly into the areas which would become post-war Germany and post-war Austria...
and replaced with Poles
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
.
Little of pre-war Johannisburg survived the warfare aside from its Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
town hall, but much of Pisz has been restored in recent decades. The town is a popular place to begin sailing on the Masurian lakes. Historical sites include the ruins of the Teutonic Knights' Johannisburg castle and the Church of St. John.
Economy
Due to natural resources comprising the reach forestry and shallow deposits of bog iron ore, the industrial traditions of Pisz are connected with wood processing (the sawmill) and metallurgy. There are iron works in Wądołek, as well as the industrial smithies in Wiartl and in Jaśkowo. The wood processing industry has a long tradition in Pisz. The core of the industry is its sawmill, supporting a broadbase plywood industry with a plant called Zakłady Przemysłu Sklejek.Pisz is a centre of tourism industry, with boat trips, canoeing and kayaking along the Krutynia River, as well as with popular yachting voyages on the Great Mazury Lakes known in Polish as Kraina Wielkich Jezior. On the shore of Nidzkie Lake there's the K. I. Gałczyński Museum in Leśniczówka Pranie. There is a museum in the 9th century granary displaying historical artifacts and an exquisite collection of antlers. There are horse and horse-drawn carriage trips. The town is surrounded by the largest forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
complex of the Masuria
Masuria
Masuria is an area in northeastern Poland famous for its 2,000 lakes. Geographically, Masuria is part of two adjacent lakeland districts, the Masurian Lake District and the Iława Lake District...
region, known as Puszcza Piska
Puszcza Piska
Puszcza Piska Forest or the Pisz Forest is the largest forest complex of the Masuria region in northern Poland, adjacent to the Masurian Landscape Park, and the Masurian Lowlands...
(Piska Primeval Forest) with eleven nature reserves.
Notable residents
- Georg Christoph Pisanski (born 1725), historian of Prussia
- Ludwig Yorck von Wartenburg (1759–1830) town commander
- Gustaw GizewiuszGustaw GizewiuszGustaw Herman Marcin Gizewiusz, or Gustav Gisevius was a Polish political figure, folklorist, and translator. He was married to a Mazur Polish woman, who encouraged him to become a political figure...
(1810–1848), activist - Ernst Rimmek (1890–1963), painter
- Marianne HoldMarianne HoldMarianne Hold was a German movie actress who became popular in the 1950s and 1960s for her numerous roles in romantic comedy films set in rural, especially Alpine, areas .- Biography :...
(1929–1994), actress - Marcin KaczmarekMarcin Kaczmarek (swimmer)Marcin Kaczmarek is a retired butterfly swimmer from Poland, who competed for his native country at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia....
(born 1977), Olympic butterfly swimmer