Swiebodzin
Encyclopedia
Świebodzin ś is a town
in western Poland
with 21,757 inhabitants (2004). It is the capital of Świebodzin County
It was formerly part of the Zielona Góra Voivodeship
(1975–1998), a reconfiguration of the old German state of Prussia
, the eastern 40% of which was inherited by Poland in 1945, and led to the expulsion of its native German inhabitants and the repopulation of the city and the environment by Poles. Since the Local Government Reorganization Act of 1998, Świebodzin has been part of Lubusz Voivodeship
.
Świebodzin is an important transportation hub, lying at the crossroads of the Polish national roads 2 and 3. The A2 motorway
and S3 expressway
are planned to cross near the town. Świebodzin is located 39 km (24.2 mi) northeast of Zielona Góra
, one of the two voivodeship's capitals, 195 km (121.2 mi) northwest of Wrocław and 110 km (68.4 mi) west of Poznań
; 70 km (43.5 mi) east of the German
border and 130 km (80.8 mi) east of Berlin
. The crowned statue of Christ
in Świebodzin, completed in November 2010, is claimed to be the world's tallest statue of Jesus.
n duchy of Głogów (German Glogau). The town sprang up at the intersection of the old trade routes linking Silesia with Pomerania
and a branch of the route running from Lusatia
to Poznań
in Brandenburg
and Western Prussia. Initially, the town was probably a defensive fortification, built on the western banks of Lake Zamecko at a slight elevation. The town wall was ringed by settlements, which were much later incorporated into the city itself.
In 1319 the Brandenburg
margrave Waldemar of Ascania
had conquered Świebodzin and the town of Sulechów
to its south, but as he died in the same year the territory fell back to the Silesian Piasts
, who in 1329 became vassals of Bohemia
. When in 1476 Duke Henry XI of Głogów died without issue, fights over his succession broke out between Duke Jan II the Mad
of Żagań
and the Brandenburg Elector Albert III Achilles of Hohenzollern, who was able to acquire the northern part of the duchy with the towns of Krosno Odrzańskie
and Sulechów, which were finally incorporated into the Neumark
district of Brandenburg
in 1537. The area of Świebodzin however remained a Bohemian fief, becoming an exclave
of the Silesian crown land which in 1526 passed with the Bohemian kingdom to the Habsburg Monarchy
.
For a time the Schwiebus territory was granted by the emperor to Brandenburg-Prussia
. Representatives of well-known Silesian families, including the von Knobelsdorffs, among others, held authority and power in the town as district starosts and castle commanders on behalf of the Habsburg
s.
Because of its position near the Holy Roman Empire
's border with the Kingdom of Poland, the town most likely had a population of mixed Polish
and German
descent at this time, but Germans were the majority by the early modern period
. During the 16th and the first half of the 17th centuries, the town expanded economically, spatially, and demographically, in spite of local conflicts and the turbulent Protestant Reformation
and Counter-Reformation
.
After the victory of King Frederick II of Prussia
in the First Silesian War
(1740–1742), Schwiebus came under Prussian
administration. In 1817 its territory was merged with the southern Züllichau region to form the Züllichau-Schwiebus District in the Province of Brandenburg
. Schwiebus remained in this territorial form until 1945. Annexation by Prussia brought about a sharp economic crisis, as the tradesmen of Schwiebus were cut off from many of their traditional markets and outlets. The Prussian authorities also increased local taxes while limiting the town's autonomy. The period of revolutions and Napoleonic wars
brought about a depression in the cloth trade and limited the economic prospects of the town.
The town's extended stagnation ended with the Stein
-Hardenberg
economic reforms and the beginning of the industrial revolution
in the mid-19th century. As a medium-sized town and hub of the local market, lying at the intersection of several routes of communication, including the new Frankfurt (Oder)
-Poznań
railway line, Schwiebus became a center of local industry (textile, machinery, and agricultural food processing). The town was modernized at this time with improved traffic arteries, renovation of the town hall, reconstruction of the church of St. Michael, and the construction of several new public service buildings (law courts, high school, gas works, and post office). Schwiebus contributed to and benefited from the economic expansion of the German Empire
in the years before 1914.
. In the interwar period
, Schwiebus found itself in the eastern outskirts of Germany, twenty kilometers west of the newly imposed German-Polish border. During the 1920s, Weimar Germany
experienced two major economic crises, the hyperinflation
of the early 1920s and the Great Depression
beginning in 1929. The citizens of Schwiebus suffered severe economic hardship during this time. As was the case elsewhere in Germany, many of the town's citizens were dissatisfied with their lot and turned to political extremism.
Adolf Hitler
of the Nazi Party came to power in Germany in 1933. Hitler quickly moved to consolidate and expand his power, adopting severe repressive measures against his political opposition and the German Jewish minority. However, Hitler remained popular with the public because he oversaw the German economic recovery of the 1930s. The new government sponsored many public works programs and a massive rearmament campaign which included the construction of an extensive fortified line of bunkers, Ostwall (today known as the Międzyrzecz Fortified Region
) twenty kilometers north of Schwiebus.
The rearmament campaign was a necessary precondition for the wars Hitler planned to establish German dominance in Europe. World War II
(1939–45) brought first hardship to Schwiebus and then total disaster. In early January 1945, the Soviet
Red Army
began its final advance through Poland into eastern Germany, reaching Schwiebus before the end of the month. By this time, many of its inhabitants had already fled, fearing the Soviet revenge for the atrocities perpetrated by the German occupation forces against the civilian population of the Soviet Union. The town was largely spared from destruction during the fighting, as the bulk of the Soviet forces passed to the north and south on their way to Berlin
.
However, at the Yalta Conference
in February 1945, the leaders of the Allies
, represented by Winston Churchill
of the United Kingdom
, Franklin D. Roosevelt
of the United States
, and Joseph Stalin
of the Soviet Union quietly decided that all German territory east of the Oder River would be transferred to Poland
as compensation for eastern Polish lands annexed by the Soviet Union. Poland was also given approval to deport the native Germans and replace them with new Polish settlers. At the mid-summer Potsdam Conference
, taking place shortly after Germany's defeat, the leaders of the Allied Powers temporarily designated the Oder-Neisse line
as the new border between Germany and Poland until a final peace treaty confirming the end of the war. They also consented to the expulsion of the entire native German populations east of these two rivers. With the transfer of de-facto sovereignty from Germany to Poland, German Schwiebus became Polish Świebodzin. From 1945 to 1947, the German population of the town was expelled westward
, often by force. Thousands of Poles, including those expelled from Poland's eastern territories annexed by the Soviet Union, forced laborers liberated from Germany, and refugees from Poland's ruined cities, then settled in Świebodzin.
The early postwar years were difficult ones for the inhabitants of Świebodzin. Many of the Polish newcomers were poorly educated refugees from rural areas and lacked familiarity with the mercantile and industrial activities which had previously provided the town's economic foundation. Many of the surrounding towns and villages had been more severely damaged during the war and it took some years before the flow of trade recovered. Furthermore, the new Polish government adopted the communist economic system
and enacted disruptive, sweeping social, economic, and political reforms. Świebodzin's economic recovery was also hampered by the Soviet policy of dismantling industrial facilities in conquered areas, and shipping components back to the Soviet Union. In this way, Świebodzin lost some of its prewar industries, particularly its breweries.
The economic situation slowly improved and the new Polish settlers adapted to postwar circumstances. Świebodzin expanded in the period under communist rule, and its population doubled. New neighborhoods were built to the south of the railway line, composed largely of pre-fabricated apartment buildings
. The Communist Economic Planning Commissions chose to develop the electromechanical, furniture, and timber industries in Świebodzin. Products were exported throughout Poland and to the other states in the Soviet Bloc.
However, with the collapse of the Soviet Bloc and the revolutions of 1989
, Świebodzin once again experienced economic upheaval. With some difficulties, the local economy was adapted to the international market economy
. New industries and businesses were established, but others were unable to compete in the new environment and went bankrupt. Many more goods became available in local shops, but at prices that many inhabitants could not afford. In recent years, a few foreign-owned discount supermarkets, pizzerias, hotels, and other businesses have been established in the town, taking advantage of the proximity of Poland's main east-west motorway. With the economic changes there have also been political changes. A series of non-communist local governments have been elected since 1989.
s. The central market square
is dominated by the town hall, built around 1550 in the renaissance
style and rebuilt in the 19th century with the addition of its prominent clock tower
. The town hall still contains its original gothic
vaults
in the rooms of the Regional Museum and basement cafe. There are two large churches in the town center, the Church of St. Michael the Archangel and the Church of the Mother of God. The Church of St. Michael was first built in the second half of the 15th Century, and its neo-gothic
facade
was added in the second half of the nineteenth century. The neo-gothic Church of the Mother of God was built during the Imperial German period as a Protestant Church but was reconsecrated as a Catholic Church after World War II.
In the summer of 2008, assembly of the Christ the King Statue
, a giant statue of a crowned Jesus Christ, began on a hill on the outskirts of the town. Intended to serve as a future site of pilgrimage, the statue was completed in November 2010, and is claimed to be the world's largest statue of Jesus, although if the crown is excluded the Cristo de la Concordia
in Bolivia is still taller. Construction was funded by donations from local people and as far away as Canada
.
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 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...
with 21,757 inhabitants (2004). It is the capital of Świebodzin County
Swiebodzin County
Świebodzin 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 Świebodzin, which lies north...
It was formerly part of the Zielona Góra Voivodeship
Zielona Góra Voivodeship
Zielona Góra Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in years 1950–1998, superseded by Lubusz Voivodeship. Its capital city was Zielona Góra.-Major cities and towns :...
(1975–1998), a reconfiguration of the old German state of Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
, the eastern 40% of which was inherited by Poland in 1945, and led to the expulsion of its native German inhabitants and the repopulation of the city and the environment by Poles. Since the Local Government Reorganization Act of 1998, Świebodzin has been part 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....
.
Świebodzin is an important transportation hub, lying at the crossroads of the Polish national roads 2 and 3. The A2 motorway
Autostrada A2 (Poland)
The autostrada A2 in Poland is a motorway which, when completed, will run from west to east through central Poland, from the Polish-German border in Świecko/Frankfurt , through Poznań, Łódź and Warsaw to the Polish-Belarusian border in Terespol/Brest...
and S3 expressway
Expressway S3 (Poland)
Expressway S3 or express road S3 is major road in Poland which is planned to run from Świnoujście on the Baltic Sea through Szczecin, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Zielona Góra and Legnica, to the border with the Czech Republic, where it will connect to the D11 motorway...
are planned to cross near the town. Świebodzin is located 39 km (24.2 mi) northeast of Zielona Góra
Zielona Góra
Zielona Góra is a city in Lubusz Voivodeship, in western Poland, with 117,557 inhabitants within the city limits and 294,000 inhabitants within the metropolitan area, including three neighbouring counties ....
, one of the two voivodeship's capitals, 195 km (121.2 mi) northwest of Wrocław and 110 km (68.4 mi) west of Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
; 70 km (43.5 mi) east of the German
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...
border and 130 km (80.8 mi) east of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. The crowned statue of Christ
Christ the King (statue)
Christ the King is a statue of Jesus Christ in Świebodzin, Poland, completed on 6 November 2010. The statue is tall, the crown is tall and along with its mound, it reaches overall, making it the tallest statue of Jesus in the world. It weighs 440 tonnes...
in Świebodzin, completed in November 2010, is claimed to be the world's tallest statue of Jesus.
Middle Ages
The town's name is derived from the Polish personal name Świeboda, related to swoboda meaning "freedom." The earliest historical records mentioning Sebusianis, Sipusius Silesius, Suebosian, Soebosian, Suebusianus for today's Świebodzin, dated from the beginning of the 14th century, when the area belonged to the Lower SilesiaLower Silesia
Lower Silesia ; is the northwestern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia; Upper Silesia is to the southeast.Throughout its history Lower Silesia has been under the control of the medieval Kingdom of Poland, the Kingdom of Bohemia and the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy from 1526...
n duchy of Głogów (German Glogau). The town sprang up at the intersection of the old trade routes linking Silesia with 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...
and a branch of the route running from Lusatia
Lusatia
Lusatia is a historical region in Central Europe. It stretches from the Bóbr and Kwisa rivers in the east to the Elbe valley in the west, today located within the German states of Saxony and Brandenburg as well as in the Lower Silesian and Lubusz voivodeships of western Poland...
to Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
in Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
and Western Prussia. Initially, the town was probably a defensive fortification, built on the western banks of Lake Zamecko at a slight elevation. The town wall was ringed by settlements, which were much later incorporated into the city itself.
In 1319 the 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....
margrave Waldemar of Ascania
Waldemar, Margrave of Brandenburg-Stendal
Waldemar of Brandenburg was Margrave of Brandenburg-Stendal, the last from the Ascanian House.-Life:He was a son of Conrad, Margrave of Brandenburg-Stendal and Constance, daughter of Przemysł I of Greater Poland...
had conquered Świebodzin and the town of Sulechów
Sulechów
Sulechów is a town in Poland, in Lubusz Voivodeship, in Zielona Góra County. It is the administrative seat of the Gmina Sulechów.-History:The area by 990 had been conquered by Duke Mieszko I of Poland and from 1138 was part of the Duchy of Silesia....
to its south, but as he died in the same year the territory fell back to 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...
, who in 1329 became vassals of Bohemia
Kingdom of Bohemia
The Kingdom of Bohemia was a country located in the region of Bohemia in Central Europe, most of whose territory is currently located in the modern-day Czech Republic. The King was Elector of Holy Roman Empire until its dissolution in 1806, whereupon it became part of the Austrian Empire, and...
. When in 1476 Duke Henry XI of Głogów died without issue, fights over his succession broke out between Duke Jan II the Mad
Jan II the Mad
Jan II the Mad also known as the Bad, the Wild or the Cruel , was a Duke of Żagań-Przewóz since 1439 , from 1449 Duke of Przewóz , during 1461-1468 and briefly in 1472 Duke of Żagań and during 1476-1488 Duke of half-Głogów .He was the fourth and...
of Żagań
Duchy of Żagań
The Duchy of Żagań or Duchy of Sagan was one of the duchies of Silesia ruled by the Silesian Piasts. Its capital was Żagań in Lower Silesia, the territory stretched to the town of Nowogród Bobrzański in the north and reached the Lusatian Neisse at Przewóz in the west, including two villages...
and the Brandenburg Elector Albert III Achilles of Hohenzollern, who was able to acquire the northern part of the duchy with the towns of Krosno Odrzańskie
Krosno Odrzanskie
Krosno Odrzańskie is a city on the east bank of Oder River, at the confluence with the Bóbr. The town in Western Poland with 12,500 inhabitants is the capital of Krosno County...
and Sulechów, which were finally incorporated into the 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...
district 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....
in 1537. The area of Świebodzin however remained a Bohemian fief, becoming an exclave
Enclave and exclave
In political geography, an enclave is a territory whose geographical boundaries lie entirely within the boundaries of another territory.An exclave, on the other hand, is a territory legally or politically attached to another territory with which it is not physically contiguous.These are two...
of the Silesian crown land which in 1526 passed with the Bohemian kingdom to the Habsburg Monarchy
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
.
Early Modern Period
Because of the town's location at an important crossroads, it developed economically, particularly in the areas of commerce and craft production. In the 15th century and particularly in the 16th century, Schwiebus was known for manufacturing beer and exporting cloth. It also developed various urban handicrafts and manufactured goods for local purposes (the weekly market). The salt, wool, grain, horse, and beef trades were also important.For a time the Schwiebus territory was granted by the emperor to 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...
. Representatives of well-known Silesian families, including the von Knobelsdorffs, among others, held authority and power in the town as district starosts and castle commanders on behalf of the Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
s.
Because of its position near the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
's border with the Kingdom of Poland, the town most likely had a population of mixed Polish
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...
and 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....
descent at this time, but Germans were the majority by the early modern period
Early modern period
In history, the early modern period of modern history follows the late Middle Ages. Although the chronological limits of the period are open to debate, the timeframe spans the period after the late portion of the Middle Ages through the beginning of the Age of Revolutions...
. During the 16th and the first half of the 17th centuries, the town expanded economically, spatially, and demographically, in spite of local conflicts and the turbulent 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...
and Counter-Reformation
Counter-Reformation
The Counter-Reformation was the period of Catholic revival beginning with the Council of Trent and ending at the close of the Thirty Years' War, 1648 as a response to the Protestant Reformation.The Counter-Reformation was a comprehensive effort, composed of four major elements:#Ecclesiastical or...
.
After the victory of King 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...
in the First Silesian War
Silesian Wars
The Silesian Wars were a series of wars between Prussia and Austria for control of Silesia. They formed parts of the larger War of the Austrian Succession and Seven Years' War. They eventually ended with Silesia being incorporated into Prussia, and Austrian recognition of this...
(1740–1742), Schwiebus came under Prussian
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...
administration. In 1817 its territory was merged with the southern Züllichau region to form the Züllichau-Schwiebus District in the Province of Brandenburg
Province of Brandenburg
The Province of Brandenburg was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1815 to 1946.-History:The first people who are known to have inhabited Brandenburg were the Suevi. They were succeeded by the Slavonians, whom Henry II conquered and converted to Christianity in...
. Schwiebus remained in this territorial form until 1945. Annexation by Prussia brought about a sharp economic crisis, as the tradesmen of Schwiebus were cut off from many of their traditional markets and outlets. The Prussian authorities also increased local taxes while limiting the town's autonomy. The period of revolutions and Napoleonic wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
brought about a depression in the cloth trade and limited the economic prospects of the town.
The town's extended stagnation ended with the Stein
Heinrich Friedrich Karl Reichsfreiherr vom und zum Stein
Heinrich Friedrich Karl Reichsfreiherr vom und zum Stein , commonly known as Baron vom Stein, was a Prussian statesman who introduced the Prussian reforms that paved the way for the unification of Germany...
-Hardenberg
Karl August von Hardenberg
Karl August Fürst von Hardenberg was a Prussian statesman and Prime Minister of Prussia. While during his late career he acquiesced to reactionary policies, earlier in his career he implemented a variety of Liberal reforms...
economic reforms and the beginning of the industrial revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
in the mid-19th century. As a medium-sized town and hub of the local market, lying at the intersection of several routes of communication, including the new Frankfurt (Oder)
Frankfurt (Oder)
Frankfurt is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, located on the Oder River, on the German-Polish border directly opposite the town of Słubice which was a part of Frankfurt until 1945. At the end of the 1980s it reached a population peak with more than 87,000 inhabitants...
-Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
railway line, Schwiebus became a center of local industry (textile, machinery, and agricultural food processing). The town was modernized at this time with improved traffic arteries, renovation of the town hall, reconstruction of the church of St. Michael, and the construction of several new public service buildings (law courts, high school, gas works, and post office). Schwiebus contributed to and benefited from the economic expansion of the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
in the years before 1914.
20th century
A new period of economic stagnation began with the territorial changes in central Europe after Germany's defeat in World War IWorld 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...
. In the interwar period
Interwar period
Interwar period can refer to any period between two wars. The Interbellum is understood to be the period between the end of the Great War or First World War and the beginning of the Second World War in Europe....
, Schwiebus found itself in the eastern outskirts of Germany, twenty kilometers west of the newly imposed German-Polish border. During the 1920s, Weimar Germany
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
experienced two major economic crises, the hyperinflation
Hyperinflation
In economics, hyperinflation is inflation that is very high or out of control. While the real values of the specific economic items generally stay the same in terms of relatively stable foreign currencies, in hyperinflationary conditions the general price level within a specific economy increases...
of the early 1920s and the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
beginning in 1929. The citizens of Schwiebus suffered severe economic hardship during this time. As was the case elsewhere in Germany, many of the town's citizens were dissatisfied with their lot and turned to political extremism.
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
of the Nazi Party came to power in Germany in 1933. Hitler quickly moved to consolidate and expand his power, adopting severe repressive measures against his political opposition and the German Jewish minority. However, Hitler remained popular with the public because he oversaw the German economic recovery of the 1930s. The new government sponsored many public works programs and a massive rearmament campaign which included the construction of an extensive fortified line of bunkers, Ostwall (today known as the Międzyrzecz Fortified Region
Miedzyrzecz Fortified Region
The Międzyrzecz Fortification Region is a fortified military defence line in Western Poland, between Oder and Warta rivers.Built in 1934-1938, it was the most technologically advanced fortification system of Nazi Germany, and remains one of the largest and the most interesting systems of this type...
) twenty kilometers north of Schwiebus.
The rearmament campaign was a necessary precondition for the wars Hitler planned to establish German dominance in Europe. 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...
(1939–45) brought first hardship to Schwiebus and then total disaster. In early January 1945, 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...
began its final advance through Poland into eastern Germany, reaching Schwiebus before the end of the month. By this time, many of its inhabitants had already fled, fearing the Soviet revenge for the atrocities perpetrated by the German occupation forces against the civilian population of the Soviet Union. The town was largely spared from destruction during the fighting, as the bulk of the Soviet forces passed to the north and south on their way to Berlin
Battle of Berlin
The Battle of Berlin, designated the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, was the final major offensive of the European Theatre of World War II....
.
However, at the Yalta Conference
Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference, sometimes called the Crimea Conference and codenamed the Argonaut Conference, held February 4–11, 1945, was the wartime meeting of the heads of government of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union, represented by President Franklin D...
in February 1945, the leaders of the Allies
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
, represented by Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
of the Soviet Union quietly decided that all German territory east of the Oder River would be transferred to 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...
as compensation for eastern Polish lands annexed by the Soviet Union. Poland was also given approval to deport the native Germans and replace them with new Polish settlers. At the mid-summer Potsdam Conference
Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam Conference was held at Cecilienhof, the home of Crown Prince Wilhelm Hohenzollern, in Potsdam, occupied Germany, from 16 July to 2 August 1945. Participants were the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States...
, taking place shortly after Germany's defeat, the leaders of the Allied Powers temporarily designated 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...
as the new border between Germany and Poland until a final peace treaty confirming the end of the war. They also consented to the expulsion of the entire native German populations east of these two rivers. With the transfer of de-facto sovereignty from Germany to Poland, German Schwiebus became Polish Świebodzin. From 1945 to 1947, the German population of the town was expelled westward
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...
, often by force. Thousands of Poles, including those expelled from Poland's eastern territories annexed by the Soviet Union, forced laborers liberated from Germany, and refugees from Poland's ruined cities, then settled in Świebodzin.
The early postwar years were difficult ones for the inhabitants of Świebodzin. Many of the Polish newcomers were poorly educated refugees from rural areas and lacked familiarity with the mercantile and industrial activities which had previously provided the town's economic foundation. Many of the surrounding towns and villages had been more severely damaged during the war and it took some years before the flow of trade recovered. Furthermore, the new Polish government adopted the communist economic system
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
and enacted disruptive, sweeping social, economic, and political reforms. Świebodzin's economic recovery was also hampered by the Soviet policy of dismantling industrial facilities in conquered areas, and shipping components back to the Soviet Union. In this way, Świebodzin lost some of its prewar industries, particularly its breweries.
The economic situation slowly improved and the new Polish settlers adapted to postwar circumstances. Świebodzin expanded in the period under communist rule, and its population doubled. New neighborhoods were built to the south of the railway line, composed largely of pre-fabricated apartment buildings
Plattenbau
Plattenbau is the German word for a building whose structure is constructed of large, prefabricated concrete slabs. The word is a compound of Platte and Bau...
. The Communist Economic Planning Commissions chose to develop the electromechanical, furniture, and timber industries in Świebodzin. Products were exported throughout Poland and to the other states in the Soviet Bloc.
However, with the collapse of the Soviet Bloc and the revolutions of 1989
Revolutions of 1989
The Revolutions of 1989 were the revolutions which overthrew the communist regimes in various Central and Eastern European countries.The events began in Poland in 1989, and continued in Hungary, East Germany, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia and...
, Świebodzin once again experienced economic upheaval. With some difficulties, the local economy was adapted to the international market economy
Market economy
A market economy is an economy in which the prices of goods and services are determined in a free price system. This is often contrasted with a state-directed or planned economy. Market economies can range from hypothetically pure laissez-faire variants to an assortment of real-world mixed...
. New industries and businesses were established, but others were unable to compete in the new environment and went bankrupt. Many more goods became available in local shops, but at prices that many inhabitants could not afford. In recent years, a few foreign-owned discount supermarkets, pizzerias, hotels, and other businesses have been established in the town, taking advantage of the proximity of Poland's main east-west motorway. With the economic changes there have also been political changes. A series of non-communist local governments have been elected since 1989.
Attractions and sites of interest in Świebodzin
The center of Świebodzin still contains remnants of the town's past as a medieval walled settlement, including two nearly intact towers and fragments of the town’s defensive walls and bastionBastion
A bastion, or a bulwark, is a structure projecting outward from the main enclosure of a fortification, situated in both corners of a straight wall , facilitating active defence against assaulting troops...
s. The central market square
Market square
The market square is a feature of many European and colonial towns. It is an open area where market stalls are traditionally set out for trading, commonly on one particular day of the week known as market day....
is dominated by the town hall, built around 1550 in the renaissance
Renaissance architecture
Renaissance architecture is the architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 17th centuries in different regions of Europe, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought and material culture. Stylistically, Renaissance...
style and rebuilt in the 19th century with the addition of its prominent clock tower
Clock tower
A clock tower is a tower specifically built with one or more clock faces. Clock towers can be either freestanding or part of a church or municipal building such as a town hall. Some clock towers are not true clock towers having had their clock faces added to an already existing building...
. The town hall still contains its original 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....
vaults
Vault (architecture)
A Vault is an architectural term for an arched form used to provide a space with a ceiling or roof. The parts of a vault exert lateral thrust that require a counter resistance. When vaults are built underground, the ground gives all the resistance required...
in the rooms of the Regional Museum and basement cafe. There are two large churches in the town center, the Church of St. Michael the Archangel and the Church of the Mother of God. The Church of St. Michael was first built in the second half of the 15th Century, and its neo-gothic
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
was added in the second half of the nineteenth century. The neo-gothic Church of the Mother of God was built during the Imperial German period as a Protestant Church but was reconsecrated as a Catholic Church after World War II.
In the summer of 2008, assembly of the Christ the King Statue
Christ the King (statue)
Christ the King is a statue of Jesus Christ in Świebodzin, Poland, completed on 6 November 2010. The statue is tall, the crown is tall and along with its mound, it reaches overall, making it the tallest statue of Jesus in the world. It weighs 440 tonnes...
, a giant statue of a crowned Jesus Christ, began on a hill on the outskirts of the town. Intended to serve as a future site of pilgrimage, the statue was completed in November 2010, and is claimed to be the world's largest statue of Jesus, although if the crown is excluded the Cristo de la Concordia
Cristo de la Concordia
Cristo de la Concordia is a statue of Jesus Christ located on San Pedro hill in Cochabamba, Bolivia. The statue is tall, on a pedestal of , bringing its total height to...
in Bolivia is still taller. Construction was funded by donations from local people and as far away as Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Notable residents
- Martin AgricolaMartin AgricolaMartin Agricola was a German composer of Renaissance music and a music theorist.He was born in Schwiebus in Lower Silesia. His German name was Sohr or Sore....
(1486–1556), composer - Werner KolhörsterWerner KolhörsterWerner Heinrich Gustav Kolhörster was a German physicist and a pioneer of research into cosmic rays.Kolhörster was born in Schwiebus , Province of Brandenburg...
(1887–1946), physicist - Otto Feige, maybe identical with B. TravenB. TravenB. Traven was the pen name of a German novelist, whose real name, nationality, date and place of birth and details of biography are all subject to dispute. A rare certainty is that B...
(died 1969), writer of The Treasure of the Sierra MadreThe Treasure of the Sierra MadreThe Treasure of the Sierra Madre is a 1927 novel by the mysterious German-English bilingual author B. Traven, in which two penurious Americans of the 1920s join with an old-timer, in Mexico, to prospect for gold... - Walter WarzechaWalter WarzechaWalter Wilhelm Julius Warzecha was a German naval commander and high-ranking officer of the Kriegsmarine. Serving in the rank of General Admiral he succeeded General Admiral Hans-Georg von Friedeburg as the last Oberbefehlshaber der Kriegsmarine after the end of World War II.-Biography:Walter...
(1891–1956), admiral and last commander of the KriegsmarineKriegsmarineThe Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly... - Michael Witzel (born 1943), Wales Professor of Sanskrit at Harvard University
- Piotr RysiukiewiczPiotr RysiukiewiczPiotr Grzegorz Rysiukiewicz is a Polish sprinter who has won various medals for the Polish 4 x 400 metres relay team. He was a member of the best Polish relay 4 x 400 in the 1990s...
(born 1974), sprinter - Ruth Margarete RoelligRuth Margarete RoelligRuth Margarete Roellig was a German writer.-Life:Roellig was born in Schwiebus. Her parents were Anna and Otto Roehlig. In 1887 her parents went to Berlin. After school in Berlin, Roellig began to write works. Her first book was Geflüster im Dunkel in 1913. Roellig became newspaper contributing...
(1878–1969), writer - Zbigniew Kłosowski (1956–2004), Solidarity movement Leader
- Zdzisław Hoffmann (born 1959), first ever triple jump World Champion (1983).
External links
- Official website
- Historical artifacts from Świebodzin/Schwiebus
- Regionalny Portal Informacyjny
- Map with Schwiebus as part of the German Empire
- GAZETA Świebodzińska
- http://www.gazeta-lokalna.pl/Gazeta Lokalna. Dwutygodnik Powiatu Świebodzińskiego