Skwierzyna
Encyclopedia
Skwierzyna s is a town of 10,339 inhabitants (2005) in Lubusz Voivodeship
in western Poland
, the administrative seat of the Gmina Skwierzyna
. It is located at the confluence of the Obra and Warta rivers, about 18 km (11.2 mi) north of Międzyrzecz
and 23 km (14.3 mi) south-east of the regional capital Gorzów Wielkopolski
. The town is situated in a particularly green part of Poland. Extensive forests and numerous lakes can be found in the vicinity.
upon the death of the Piast
duke Przemysł II of Greater Poland in 1296, renewed by the Polish king Władysław II Jagiełło
in 1406. The colonization of the area was largely implemented by the Cistercian monks of nearby Paradyż Abbey
, a filial monastery of Lehnin Abbey
in the Margraviate of Brandenburg
. With its predominantly German
citizens, the town for centuries belonged to the Polish Poznań Voivodeship
, situated near the western border of the Lands of the Polish Crown with the Brandenburgian Neumark
region.
In the course of the Third Partition of Poland
in 1793, Skwierzyna was annexed together with the whole region of Greater Poland
by the Kingdom of Prussia
and afterwards incorporated into the Kreis Birnbaum
of the Grand Duchy of Posen. From 1887 it was the administrative seat of Kreis Schwerin
within the Prussian Province of Posen
.
In 1919, according to the Treaty of Versailles
, this district was left in the small Posen-West Prussia
area of mostwestern Greater Poland which did not return to the recreated Polish state
.
At the end of World War II
the lands east of the Oder-Neisse line
fell to the Republic of Poland
, the German population was expelled
and replaced by Poles
who had been expelled or left the territories annexed by the Soviet Union in Ukraine
and Lithuania
.
with: Bryansk
, Russia
Bernau bei Berlin
, Germany
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....
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...
, the administrative seat of the Gmina Skwierzyna
Gmina Skwierzyna
Gmina Skwierzyna is an urban-rural gmina in Międzyrzecz County, Lubusz Voivodeship, in western Poland. Its seat is the town of Skwierzyna, which lies approximately north of Międzyrzecz and south-east of Gorzów Wielkopolski....
. It is located at the confluence of the Obra and Warta rivers, about 18 km (11.2 mi) north of Międzyrzecz
Miedzyrzecz
Międzyrzecz is a town in western Poland with 18,584 inhabitants . The capital of Międzyrzecz County, it was part of the Gorzów Wielkopolski Voivodeship from 1975–1998. Since the Local Government Reorganization Act of 1998, Międzyrzecz has been situated in the Lubusz Voivodeship...
and 23 km (14.3 mi) south-east of the regional capital Gorzów Wielkopolski
Gorzów Wielkopolski
Gorzów Wielkopolski is a city in western Poland, on the Warta river. It is the biggest city in the Lubusz Voivodeship with 125,149 inhabitants...
. The town is situated in a particularly green part of Poland. Extensive forests and numerous lakes can be found in the vicinity.
History
Skwierzyna already held town privilegesGerman 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 :...
upon the death of the Piast
Piast dynasty
The Piast dynasty was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. It began with the semi-legendary Piast Kołodziej . The first historical ruler was Duke Mieszko I . The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of king Casimir the Great...
duke Przemysł II of Greater Poland in 1296, renewed by the Polish king Władysław II Jagiełło
Jogaila
Jogaila, later 'He is known under a number of names: ; ; . See also: Jogaila : names and titles. was Grand Duke of Lithuania , king consort of Kingdom of Poland , and sole King of Poland . He ruled in Lithuania from 1377, at first with his uncle Kęstutis...
in 1406. The colonization of the area was largely implemented by the Cistercian monks of nearby Paradyż Abbey
Goscikowo
Gościkowo , formerly Paradyż , is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Świebodzin, within Świebodzin County, Lubusz Voivodeship, in western Poland...
, a filial monastery of Lehnin Abbey
Lehnin Abbey
Lehnin Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery in Lehnin in Brandenburg, Germany. Since 1911 it has accommodated the Luise-Henrietten-Stift, a Protestant women's community.-History:...
in the Margraviate of Brandenburg
Margraviate of Brandenburg
The Margraviate of Brandenburg was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806. Also known as the March of Brandenburg , it played a pivotal role in the history of Germany and Central Europe....
. With its predominantly German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
citizens, the town for centuries belonged to the Polish Poznań Voivodeship
Poznan Voivodeship (14th century–1793)
Poznań Voivodeship 14th c.-1793 ) was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland from the 14th century to the Second Partition of Poland in 1793. It was part of the Greater Polish prowincja....
, situated near the western border of the Lands of the Polish Crown with the Brandenburgian Neumark
Neumark
Neumark comprised a region of the Prussian province of Brandenburg, Germany.Neumark may also refer to:* Neumark, Thuringia* Neumark, Saxony* Neumark * Nowe Miasto Lubawskie or Neumark, a town in Poland, situated at river Drwęca...
region.
In the course of the Third Partition of Poland
Third Partition of Poland
The Third Partition of Poland or Third Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in 1795 as the third and last of three partitions that ended the existence of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.-Background:...
in 1793, Skwierzyna was annexed together with the whole region of Greater Poland
Greater Poland
Greater Poland or Great Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska is a historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief city is Poznań.The boundaries of Greater Poland have varied somewhat throughout history...
by 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...
and afterwards incorporated into the Kreis Birnbaum
Kreis Birnbaum
Kreis Birnbaum was a county in the southern administrative district of Posen, in the Prussian province of Posen. It presently lies in the Polish regions of Greater Poland Voivodeship and Lubusz Voivodeship.-Court system:...
of the Grand Duchy of Posen. From 1887 it was the administrative seat of Kreis Schwerin
Kreis Schwerin in Posen
Kreis Schwerin in Posen was a county in the southern administrative district of Posen, in the Prussian province of Posen. It presently lies in the western part of Polish region of Lubuskie Voivodeship.-Civil registry offices :...
within the Prussian Province of Posen
Province of Posen
The Province of Posen was a province of Prussia from 1848–1918 and as such part of the German Empire from 1871 to 1918. The area was about 29,000 km2....
.
In 1919, according to 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...
, this district was left in the small Posen-West Prussia
Posen-West Prussia
The border province of historical period Posen-West Prussia was a province of the Free State of Prussia. The capital was Schneidemühl . The province had an area of 7,695 km², and was located within present-day Poland....
area of mostwestern Greater Poland which did not return to the recreated Polish state
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
.
At the end 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...
the lands east of the Oder-Neisse line
Oder-Neisse line
The Oder–Neisse line is the border between Germany and Poland which was drawn in the aftermath of World War II. The line is formed primarily by the Oder and Lusatian Neisse rivers, and meets the Baltic Sea west of the seaport cities of Szczecin and Świnoujście...
fell to the Republic of Poland
People's Republic of Poland
The People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...
, the German population was expelled
Flight and expulsion of Germans from Poland during and after World War II
The flight and expulsion of Germans from Poland was the largest of a series of flights and expulsions of Germans in Europe during and after World War II...
and replaced by 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...
who had been expelled or left the territories annexed by the Soviet Union in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
and Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
.
Notable people
- Johann Gottfried PiefkeJohann Gottfried PiefkeJohann Gottfried Piefke was a German conductor, Kapellmeister and composer of military music....
(1817–1884), musician and composer (Preußens GloriaPreußens GloriaPreußens Gloria, Armeemarschsammlung II, 240, is a well-known military march of the 19th century. Its composer was Johann Gottfried Piefke ....
) - Sebastian ŚwiderskiSebastian SwiderskiSebastian Świderski is a Polish volleyball player.His first professional club was Znicz Gorzów Wlkp. and he currently plays for Lube Banca Macerata in Italy. He has also played for Mostostal-Azoty Kędzierzyn-Koźle in Poland and Perugia Volley in Italy.Świderski made his international debut for...
(born 1977), volleyball player.
Twin towns — Sister cities
Skwierzyna is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with: Bryansk
Bryansk
Bryansk is a city and the administrative center of Bryansk Oblast, Russia, located southwest of Moscow. Population: -History:The first written mention of Bryansk was in 1146, in the Hypatian Codex, as Debryansk...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
Bernau bei Berlin
Bernau bei Berlin
Bernau bei Berlin is a German town in the Barnim district. The town is located about northeast of Berlin.-History:...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...