Szczytno
Encyclopedia
Szczytno ' is a town
in north-eastern Poland
with 27,970 inhabitants (2004). Previously (from 1975) part of the Olsztyn Voivodeship
, Szczytno was assigned to the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship
in 1999. It is the seat of Szczytno County
.
Szczytno-Szymany International Airport, located nearby, is the most important airport of the Masuria
n region. Szczytno, which is located on the Olsztyn
– Ełk line, used to be a railroad junction until Polish Railways
closed minor connections stemming from the town towards Czerwonka
and Wielbark.
ic tombs in Warmia-Masuria and former East Prussia
.
Between 1350 and 1360 Ortolf von Trier, a knight of the Teutonic Order and the Komtur
of Elbląg
(1349–1371), founded a fort in Galindia, probably near an Old Prussian
settlement. The first mentioning of the fort as Ortulfsburg was a document from 24 September 1360, after Ortolf invited Masovian
colonists, among whom the settlement became known as Szczytno. This settlement, which was known for its beekeeper
s, became known as Beutnerdorf. The first custodian of the settlement was Heinrich Murer. In 1370 the wooden fort was destroyed by Lithuanians
led by Kęstutis
, after which it was rebuilt using stone. The name Ortulfsburg gradually changed into Ortelsburg. The settlement grew in size owing to its location on a trade route from Warsaw
to Königsberg
(now Kaliningrad
).
The castle was occupied by Polish troops during the Thirteen Years' War. With its inclusion in the Duchy of Prussia in 1525, it lost its importance as a border fortress and began to decline. Margrave and regent George Frederick
(1577–1603), who enjoyed hunting nearby, began the redevelopment of the area. Among his projects was the rebuilding of the castle into a hunting lodge.
The increased activity near the castle led to the 1580 founding of the community of Ortelsburg by German
craftsmen, independent of Beutnerdorf. The attempt of a local leader, Andreas von Eulenburg, to secure brewing and legal rights led to battles with nearby Passenheim (Pasym)
. This year-long conflict ended with the Ortelsburg community receiving legal independence on 23 March 1616. King Władysław IV Vasa
of Poland visited the town from 1628–29 and in 1639. Ortelsburg suffered from 17th century fires and the plague in 1656. The town became part of the Kingdom of Prussia
in 1701. King Frederick William I of Prussia
granted Ortelsburg its town charter in 1723. The town had approximately 1,000 inhabitants in 1782.
King Frederick William III
and Queen Louise
arrived in Ortelsburg on 23 November 1806 while fleeing French
troops during the Fourth Coalition. The town was briefly the seat of the Prussian government, and Frederick William released his Ortelsburger Publicandum there on 1 December. The French troops plundered Ortelsburg on 23 December. The town was forced to host numerous troops of the Grande Armée in 1812, although the local deputy Ritter von Berg distinguished himself through his public service.
Ortelsburg became the seat of Landkreis Ortelsburg, one of the largest in East Prussia
, in 1818 after Prussian administrative reforms, with Ritter von Berg chosen as the first district administrator. The town became part of the German Empire
in 1871 during the unification of Germany
. The town began to quickly expand economically after the opening of a railway line in 1888. According to the German census of 1900, Masurians, the Lutheran
descendants of the Masovian colonists, constituted 74.5% of Ortelsburg's population. From 1883–84 the only Polish language newspaper printed in the region was called Mazur. In 1910 the "Bank Mazurski" was founded. Beutnerdorf was incorporated into Ortelsburg in 1913.
Ortelsburg was almost completely destroyed on 30 August 1914 at the beginning of World War I
by troops of the Russian Empire
, with 160 houses and 321 commercial buildings burning down. The town's recovery was supported by Berlin
and Vienna
.
To determine if the town would remain in Weimar Germany
or join the Second Polish Republic
, the East Prussian plebiscite
was held in the town on 11 July 1920, at the height of the Polish-Soviet War
and the prospect of a Soviet takeover of Poland. Poles were persecuted and activists were attacked and dispersed by Germans before the referendum. In the plebiscite 5,336 votes were given to remain in Germany with 15 votes for Poland. In 1925 Ortelsburg had 10,357 inhabitants.
Poles organized Samopomoc Mazurska ("Masurian Self-Help"), an organisation for the protection of Poles under German rule and year later "Zjednoczenie Mazurskie". The Polish newspaper Mazurski Przyjaciel Ludu was printed.
The Polish activist Jerzy Lanc was killed during his attempt to establish a Polish school. The town was the location of the Polish House. In this building during the interwar era, meetings of Polish journalists and activists were organised. The Polish House is connected to such names as Gustaw Leyding, Kazimierz Jaroszyk (chief editor of Mazur), Bogumił Linka, brothers Karol and Hugo Bahrke, Michał Kajka, Jan Jagiełko, and Bogumił Labusz. The Polish House was the headquarters of such organisations as "Zjednoczenie Mazurskie", "Samopomoc Mazurska" and the Union of Poles in Germany
. Today the building is dedicated to the memory of the people and institutions that were engaged in Polish movement in Masuria
.
In March 1933 the Nazi Party polled 76.6% of votes.
Most of the town's population fled before the Red Army
at the end of World War II
. The city was placed under Polish administration in 1945 according to the Potsdam Agreement
and received the name Szczytno, under which it was known to the local non-German population.
The nearby Szczytno-Szymany International Airport
, as well as Stare Kiejkuty
, a military intelligence training base, came under scrutiny in late 2005 as possible "black sites" (secret prisons or transfer stations) used in the CIA's program of so-called extraordinary rendition
of suspected terrorists. The existence of the nearby training base and the record of CIA-registered affiliated aircraft having landing at Szczyton-Szymany have been unequivocally confirmed, but the Polish government has repeatedly denied any involvement of these facilities in extraordinary renditions.
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 north-eastern 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 27,970 inhabitants (2004). Previously (from 1975) part of the Olsztyn Voivodeship
Olsztyn Voivodeship
Olsztyn Voivodeship was an administrative division and unit of local government in Poland in the years 1745-75, and a new territorial division between 1975–1998, superseded by Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship...
, Szczytno was assigned to 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 1999. It is the seat of Szczytno County
Szczytno County
Szczytno 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 Szczytno, which lies...
.
Szczytno-Szymany International Airport, located nearby, is the most important airport 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...
n region. Szczytno, which is located on the 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...
– Ełk line, used to be a railroad junction until Polish Railways
Polish State Railways
is the dominant railway operator in Poland.The company was founded when the former state-owned operator was divided into several units based on the requirements laid down by the European Union...
closed minor connections stemming from the town towards Czerwonka
Czerwonka, Olsztyn County
Czerwonka is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Biskupiec, within Olsztyn County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northern Poland...
and Wielbark.
History
The vicinity of Szczytno, contains the only known megalithMegalith
A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. Megalithic describes structures made of such large stones, utilizing an interlocking system without the use of mortar or cement.The word 'megalith' comes from the Ancient...
ic tombs in Warmia-Masuria and former 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...
.
Between 1350 and 1360 Ortolf von Trier, a knight of the Teutonic Order and the Komtur
Komtur
Komtur was a rank within military orders, especially the Teutonic Knights. In the State of the Teutonic Order, the Komtur was the commander of a basic administrative division called Kommende . A Komtur was responsible for the alimentation of the Knights by the yield from the local estates, he...
of Elbląg
Elblag
Elbląg is a city in northern Poland with 127,892 inhabitants . It is the capital of Elbląg County and has been assigned to the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship since 1999. Before then it was the capital of Elbląg Voivodeship and a county seat in Gdańsk Voivodeship...
(1349–1371), founded a fort in Galindia, probably near an Old Prussian
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...
settlement. The first mentioning of the fort as Ortulfsburg was a document from 24 September 1360, after Ortolf invited Masovian
Duchy of Masovia
The Duchy of Masovia with its capital at Płock was a medieval duchy formed when the Polish Kingdom of the Piasts fragmented in 1138. It was located in the historic Masovian region of northeastern Poland...
colonists, among whom the settlement became known as Szczytno. This settlement, which was known for its beekeeper
Beekeeper
A beekeeper is a person who keeps honey bees for the purposes of securing commodities such as honey, beeswax, pollen, royal jelly; pollinating fruits and vegetables; raising queens and bees for sale to other farmers; and/or for purposes satisfying natural scientific curiosity...
s, became known as Beutnerdorf. The first custodian of the settlement was Heinrich Murer. In 1370 the wooden fort was destroyed by Lithuanians
Lithuanians
Lithuanians are the Baltic ethnic group native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,765,600 people. Another million or more make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the United States, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Russia, United Kingdom and Ireland. Their native language...
led by Kęstutis
Kestutis
Kęstutis was monarch of medieval Lithuania. He was the Duke of Trakai and governed the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, 1342–82, together with his brother Algirdas , and with his nephew Jogaila...
, after which it was rebuilt using stone. The name Ortulfsburg gradually changed into Ortelsburg. The settlement grew in size owing to its location on a trade route from Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
to Königsberg
Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
(now Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad is a seaport and the administrative center of Kaliningrad Oblast, the Russian exclave between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea...
).
The castle was occupied by Polish troops during the Thirteen Years' War. With its inclusion in the Duchy of Prussia in 1525, it lost its importance as a border fortress and began to decline. Margrave and regent George Frederick
George Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach
George Frederick of Brandenburg-Ansbach was Margrave of Ansbach and Bayreuth, as well as Regent of Prussia. He was the son of George, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach and a member of the House of Hohenzollern...
(1577–1603), who enjoyed hunting nearby, began the redevelopment of the area. Among his projects was the rebuilding of the castle into a hunting lodge.
The increased activity near the castle led to the 1580 founding of the community of Ortelsburg by 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....
craftsmen, independent of Beutnerdorf. The attempt of a local leader, Andreas von Eulenburg, to secure brewing and legal rights led to battles with nearby Passenheim (Pasym)
Pasym
Pasym is a small town in Szczytno County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland, with 2,522 inhabitants .-History:A small settlement named Heinrichswalde was first mentioned in 1381...
. This year-long conflict ended with the Ortelsburg community receiving legal independence on 23 March 1616. King Władysław IV Vasa
Władysław 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....
of Poland visited the town from 1628–29 and in 1639. Ortelsburg suffered from 17th century fires and the plague in 1656. The town became 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 1701. King Frederick William I of Prussia
Frederick William I of Prussia
Frederick William I of the House of Hohenzollern, was the King in Prussia and Elector of Brandenburg from 1713 until his death...
granted Ortelsburg its town charter in 1723. The town had approximately 1,000 inhabitants in 1782.
King Frederick William III
Frederick William III of Prussia
Frederick William III was king of Prussia from 1797 to 1840. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel .-Early life:...
and Queen Louise
Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Duchess Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was Queen consort of Prussia as the wife of King Frederick William III...
arrived in Ortelsburg on 23 November 1806 while fleeing French
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
troops during the Fourth Coalition. The town was briefly the seat of the Prussian government, and Frederick William released his Ortelsburger Publicandum there on 1 December. The French troops plundered Ortelsburg on 23 December. The town was forced to host numerous troops of the Grande Armée in 1812, although the local deputy Ritter von Berg distinguished himself through his public service.
Ortelsburg became the seat of Landkreis Ortelsburg, one of the largest in 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...
, in 1818 after Prussian administrative reforms, with Ritter von Berg chosen as the first district administrator. The town became part 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 1871 during the unification of Germany
Unification of Germany
The formal unification of Germany into a politically and administratively integrated nation state officially occurred on 18 January 1871 at the Versailles Palace's Hall of Mirrors in France. Princes of the German states gathered there to proclaim Wilhelm of Prussia as Emperor Wilhelm of the German...
. The town began to quickly expand economically after the opening of a railway line in 1888. According to the German census of 1900, Masurians, the Lutheran
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
descendants of the Masovian colonists, constituted 74.5% of Ortelsburg's population. From 1883–84 the only Polish language newspaper printed in the region was called Mazur. In 1910 the "Bank Mazurski" was founded. Beutnerdorf was incorporated into Ortelsburg in 1913.
Ortelsburg was almost completely destroyed on 30 August 1914 at the beginning of 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...
by troops of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, with 160 houses and 321 commercial buildings burning down. The town's recovery was supported by 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...
and Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
.
To determine if the town would remain in 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...
or join the Second Polish Republic
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...
, the East Prussian plebiscite
East Prussian plebiscite
The East Prussia plebiscite , also known as the Allenstein and Marienwerder plebiscite or Warmia, Masuria and Powiśle plebiscite , was a plebiscite for self-determination of the regions Warmia , Masuria and Powiśle, which had been in parts of East Prussia and West Prussia, in accordance with...
was held in the town on 11 July 1920, at the height of the Polish-Soviet War
Polish-Soviet War
The Polish–Soviet War was an armed conflict between Soviet Russia and Soviet Ukraine and the Second Polish Republic and the Ukrainian People's Republic—four states in post–World War I Europe...
and the prospect of a Soviet takeover of Poland. Poles were persecuted and activists were attacked and dispersed by Germans before the referendum. In the plebiscite 5,336 votes were given to remain in Germany with 15 votes for Poland. In 1925 Ortelsburg had 10,357 inhabitants.
Poles organized Samopomoc Mazurska ("Masurian Self-Help"), an organisation for the protection of Poles under German rule and year later "Zjednoczenie Mazurskie". The Polish newspaper Mazurski Przyjaciel Ludu was printed.
The Polish activist Jerzy Lanc was killed during his attempt to establish a Polish school. The town was the location of the Polish House. In this building during the interwar era, meetings of Polish journalists and activists were organised. The Polish House is connected to such names as Gustaw Leyding, Kazimierz Jaroszyk (chief editor of Mazur), Bogumił Linka, brothers Karol and Hugo Bahrke, Michał Kajka, Jan Jagiełko, and Bogumił Labusz. The Polish House was the headquarters of such organisations as "Zjednoczenie Mazurskie", "Samopomoc Mazurska" and the Union of Poles in Germany
Union of Poles in Germany
Union of Poles in Germany is an organisation of the Polish minority in Germany, founded in 1922. In 1924, the union initiated collaboration between other minorities, including Sorbs, Danes, Frisians and Lithuanians, under the umbrella organization Association of National Minorities in Germany....
. Today the building is dedicated to the memory of the people and institutions that were engaged in Polish movement in 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...
.
In March 1933 the Nazi Party polled 76.6% of votes.
Most of the town's population fled before 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...
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 city was placed under Polish administration in 1945 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 received the name Szczytno, under which it was known to the local non-German population.
The nearby Szczytno-Szymany International Airport
Szczytno-Szymany International Airport
Szczytno-Szymany International Airport is a currently inoperative Polish regional airport located in the village Szymany, some 10 km from the center of the city of Szczytno in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship in the North of Poland. It is the only airport in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship...
, as well as Stare Kiejkuty
Stare Kiejkuty (base)
On the territory village of Stare Kiejkuty, Poland, is a restricted military area that is the seat of Jednostka Wojskowa 2669 , Ośrodek Szkolenia Agencji Wywiadu " Since 2005 it has attracted scrutiny as being a black site involved in the CIA's program of extraordinary...
, a military intelligence training base, came under scrutiny in late 2005 as possible "black sites" (secret prisons or transfer stations) used in the CIA's program of so-called extraordinary rendition
Extraordinary rendition
Extraordinary rendition is the abduction and illegal transfer of a person from one nation to another. "Torture by proxy" is used by some critics to describe situations in which the United States and the United Kingdom have transferred suspected terrorists to other countries in order to torture the...
of suspected terrorists. The existence of the nearby training base and the record of CIA-registered affiliated aircraft having landing at Szczyton-Szymany have been unequivocally confirmed, but the Polish government has repeatedly denied any involvement of these facilities in extraordinary renditions.
Notable residents
- Jürgen von der Wense (1894–1966), writer
- Wolfgang KoeppenWolfgang KoeppenWolfgang Arthur Reinhold Koeppen is one of the best known German authors of the post-war period.-Life:Koeppen was born out of wedlock in Greifswald to a seamstress. His father never accepted the fatherhood formally...
(1906–1996), author; his autobiographical film evoking a lost rural idyll, Es war einmal in Masuren, was set here. - Horst KopkowHorst KopkowHorst Kopkow was a Nazi Germany SS major who worked for German Security police and, after the war, was concealed by British intelligence so that they could use his knowledge in the Cold War.During World War II, Kopkow served in German national security police headquarters in Berlin...
(1910–1966), spy - Hans-Peter Reinecke (1926–2003), musicologist
- Richard AndersRichard AndersRichard Anders was a German Luftwaffe reconnaissance pilot and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II...
(born 1928), writer - Krzysztof KlenczonKrzysztof KlenczonKrzysztof Klenczon was a Polish singer and songwriter, member of Czerwone Gitary, later Trzy Korony....
(1942–1981), musician - Waldemar KobusWaldemar KobusWaldemar Kobus is a German actor.Kobus was born in Szczytno, Poland and, as an ethnic German, moved to Germany in 1970. From 1988 till 1991 he attended the school of performing arts Otto-Falckenberg-Schule in Munich, Germany. Afterwards he performed in several theatre plays in Frankfurt, Bochum,...
, (born 1966) actor