Syców
Encyclopedia
Syców ' is a town in Oleśnica County
, Lower Silesian Voivodeship
, in south-western Poland
. It is the seat of the administrative district (gmina
) called Gmina Syców
.
It lies approximately 27 kilometres (17 mi) north-east of Oleśnica
, and 47 kilometres (29 mi) north-east of the regional capital Wrocław.
was first mentioned in the late 12th century deed issued by the Bishop of Wrocław. A castellan
at Wrathenberc on the trade route to Kalisz
in Greater Poland is documented about 1276. Then part of the Duchy of Legnica
, it was acquired by Duke Henry III of Głogów
in 1291 and inherited by Duke Konrad I of Oleśnica
in 1321, a vassal of King John of Bohemia from 1329. The town received Magdeburg rights
in 1369.
When the Oels
branch of the Silesian Piasts
became extinct in 1492, the Bohemian king Vladislas II seized the duchy as a reverted fief and established the state country
of Wartenberg enfeoffed to the Haugwitz
noble family. In 1734 it was acquired by Ernst Johann von Biron
, whose descendants held Wartenberg even after the Prussian
annexation of Silesia in 1742, until they were expelled
in 1945.
Wartenberg Castle was plundered and destroyed during the occupation by the Red Army
in 1945. The park and the Protestant castle church, a work by Carl Gotthard Langhans
finished in 1789, are preserved.
in Germany
Olesnica County
Oleśnica County is a unit of territorial administration and local government in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, south-western Poland. It was created on January 1, 1999 as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. The county covers an area of...
, Lower Silesian Voivodeship
Lower Silesian Voivodeship
Lower Silesian Voivodeship, or Lower Silesia Province , is one of the 16 voivodeships into which Poland is currently divided. It lies in southwestern Poland...
, in south-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...
. It is the seat of the administrative district (gmina
Gmina
The gmina is the principal unit of administrative division of Poland at its lowest uniform level. It is often translated as "commune" or "municipality." As of 2010 there were 2,479 gminas throughout the country...
) called Gmina Syców
Gmina Syców
Gmina Syców is an urban-rural gmina in Oleśnica County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. Its seat is the town of Syców, which lies approximately north-east of Oleśnica, and north-east of the regional capital Wrocław.The gmina covers an area of , and as of 2006 its total...
.
It lies approximately 27 kilometres (17 mi) north-east of Oleśnica
Olesnica
Oleśnica is a town in the Trzebnickie Hills in southwestern Poland with 36,951 inhabitants . It is situated in Lower Silesian Voivodeship...
, and 47 kilometres (29 mi) north-east of the regional capital Wrocław.
History
The settlement of Syczow or Wartinbergk in the Duchy of SilesiaDuchy of Silesia
The Duchy of Silesia with its capital at Wrocław was a medieval duchy located in the historic Silesian region of Poland. Soon after it was formed under the Piast dynasty in 1138, it fragmented into various Duchies of Silesia. In 1327 the remaining Duchy of Wrocław as well as most other duchies...
was first mentioned in the late 12th century deed issued by the Bishop of Wrocław. A 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:...
at Wrathenberc on the trade route to Kalisz
Kalisz
Kalisz is a city in central Poland with 106,857 inhabitants , the capital city of the Kalisz Region. Situated on the Prosna river in the southeastern part of the Greater Poland Voivodeship, the city forms a conurbation with the nearby towns of Ostrów Wielkopolski and Nowe Skalmierzyce...
in Greater Poland is documented about 1276. Then part of the Duchy of Legnica
Duchy of Legnica
The Duchy of Legnica or Duchy of Liegnitz was one of the Duchies of Silesia. Its capital was Legnica in Lower Silesia....
, it was acquired by Duke Henry III of Głogów
Henry III, Duke of Silesia-Glogau
Henry III of Głogów was a Duke of Głogów from 1274 to his death and also Duke of parts of Greater Poland during 1306–1309....
in 1291 and inherited by Duke Konrad I of Oleśnica
Konrad I of Olesnica
Konrad I of Oleśnica was a Duke of Żagań, Ścinawa, etc., during 1309–1312 , Duke of Oleśnica, Namysłów, Gniezno and Kalisz during 1312–1313 , Duke of Kalisz during 1313–1314 , Duke of Namysłów since 1313 and Duke of Oleśnica since 1321 until his death .He was the second son...
in 1321, a vassal of King John of Bohemia from 1329. The town received Magdeburg rights
Magdeburg rights
Magdeburg Rights or Magdeburg Law were a set of German town laws regulating the degree of internal autonomy within cities and villages granted by a local ruler. Modelled and named after the laws of the German city of Magdeburg and developed during many centuries of the Holy Roman Empire, it was...
in 1369.
When the Oels
Duchy of Oels
The Duchy of Oels or Duchy of Oleśnica was one of the duchies of Silesia, with the capital in Oleśnica, Poland.Initially part of the Piast Duchy of Wrocław, the Oleśnica area became part of the Duchy of Głogów in 1294, following an armed conflict between Duke Henry III and Henry V the Fat, Duke of...
branch of 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...
became extinct in 1492, the Bohemian king Vladislas II seized the duchy as a reverted fief and established the 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...
of Wartenberg enfeoffed to the Haugwitz
Haugwitz
Haugwitz is a Meissen-origin nobility and refers to:* Georg von Haugwitz* Johann IX. von Haugwitz* August Adolph von Haugwitz* Friedrich Wilhelm Graf von Haugwitz , Austrian statesman...
noble family. In 1734 it was acquired by Ernst Johann von Biron
Ernst Johann von Biron
Ernst Johann von Biron was a Duke of Courland and Semigallia and regent of the Russian Empire .-Biography:Born as Ernst Johann Biren in Kalnciems, Courland, he was the grandson of a groom in the service of Jacob Kettler, Duke of Courland, who bestowed upon him a small estate, which Biron's...
, whose descendants held Wartenberg even after the 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...
annexation of Silesia in 1742, until they were 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...
in 1945.
Wartenberg Castle was plundered and destroyed during the occupation by the 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...
in 1945. The park and the Protestant castle church, a work by Carl Gotthard Langhans
Carl Gotthard Langhans
Carl Gotthard Langhans was a Prussian builder and architect. His works are among the earliest buildings in the German classicism movement. His best-known work is the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.- Life :...
finished in 1789, are preserved.
Notable people
- The painter Karl Friedrich LessingKarl Friedrich LessingKarl Friedrich Lessing was a German historical and landscape painter, grandnephew of Gotthold Ephraim Lessing. He was born near Breslau, and was a pupil of Heinrich Anton Dähling at the Berlin Academy. He first devoted himself to landscape and in 1826 obtained a prize with his Cemetery in Ruins...
(1808–1880) spent his childhood at Polnisch Wartenberg. His younger brother, the botanist Christian Friedrich LessingChristian Friedrich LessingChristian Friedrich Lessing was a German botanist who was a native of Groß Wartenberg, Niederschlesien. He was a brother to painter Carl Friedrich Lessing , and a grandnephew of poet Gotthold Ephraim Lessing ....
(1809–1862) was born here. - Janina KorowickaJanina KorowickaJanina Urszula Korowicka is a former ice speed skater from Poland, who represented her native country at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria. She is the mother of the German champion speed skater Anni Friesinger....
, ice speed skater, born 1954 in Syców. - Beata KempaBeata KempaBeata Agnieszka Kempa, née Płonka is a Polish politician. She was elected to the Sejm on September 25, 2005 getting 5378 votes in 3 Wrocław district, on the Law and Justice list.-External links:...
, politician, born 1966 in Syców. - Robert GoneraRobert GoneraRobert Gonera is a Polish actor. He appeared in the television series Aby do świtu... in 1992. In 1999, he won a Polish Film Award Eagle for Best Actor for his performance as Adam Borecki in Dług. He was also a Second Unit Director or Assistant Director on Małżowina.-External links:...
, actor, born 1969 in Syców. - Ernst-Johann Biron, Prince of Courland (born 1940) was granted honorary citizenship by the Gmina Syców.
- Marta Bentley
Twin towns — Sister cities
Syców is twinned with: MalschMalsch
Malsch is a municipality in the district of Karlsruhe, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 15 km south of Karlsruhe, and 10 km east of Rastatt, at the eastern border of the Upper Rhine Plain....
in 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...