Wielbark (Warmian-Masurian Voivodship)
Encyclopedia
Wielbark ' is a village
in Szczytno County
, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship
, in northern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina
(administrative district) called Gmina Wielbark
. It lies approximately 19 kilometres (12 mi) south of Szczytno
and 52 km (32 mi) south-east of the regional capital Olsztyn
.
The German name of the settlement, “Wildhaus” ("wild game house"), is first mentioned in 1361 of the Teutonic Order at the southern border of the Teutonic Order State Willenberg (Wildenberg) consisted only of a few buildings when it was founded by komtur
Frederic von Willenberg. It remained within the Teutonic Order state after the Second Peace of Thorn (1466) and became a part of the Crown of Poland
fief of Ducal Prussia
with the adoption of the Lutheran faith by Albert of Prussia in 1525. A Protestant church was mentioned in 1557 and the settlement was called a small town in 1647. In 1656, throughout the Second Northern War
, Willenberg, like many towns in Masuria
, was destroyed by Polish Lipka Tatars
.
In the 18th century the town was a center of cloth manufacturing and benefited from its location at the main road from Warsaw
to Königsberg
(Królewiec), with the main trade focused on Russian held Poland, according to the webpage of the Wielbark gmina. The settlement was granted town rights on 21 July 1723. Fires destroyed the town in 1743 and 1763.
In January 1807 70,000 Napoleonic soldiers traversed the town and had to be supplied. Napoleon headquartered here from 21 January to 2 February prior to the Battle of Eylau
. The French troops caused a fire which damaged the town furthermore. In 1813 Tsar Alexander I of Russia
received the official message of the Prussian accession to the struggle against Napoleon by General von Kleist
at Willenberg.
The Prussian administration reform of 1818 made the town part of Landkreis Ortelsburg. On 23 September 1819 and on 9 June 1834 the town was again damaged by fire and in 1831 and 1852 the Cholera
caused many casualties.
The gmina’s webpage states that in 1823 a crisis happener when the authorities of Congress Poland
introduced high custom tariffs on imports, reaching 60% to 80%, which brought large losses to the population in the town, mainly engaged in cloths trade. Despite this, the local fairs, attracted large attendance of merchants from Mazury area and Russian controlled Poland, the Wielbark webpage claims those were the largest fairs at the time in Mazury region.
A new Protestant Church was built in 1827, based on plans of Karl Friedrich Schinkel
.
The area played a role in Polish preparations for uprising against Russian Empire
. Hoping to gain assistance from the population of Warmia
, uprising plans from 1845-1846 hoped to establish seven main camps on border between Prussia and Russia, with one of them located near Wielbark, to which two Polish units, including one from Olsztyn
(Allenstein) and one from Szczytno
(Ortelsburg), would be directed, to attack Myszniec later on; During January Uprising
Polish units operated in the area, and in January 1864 a unit of Olszański-Ostrorog numbering 300 soldiers established a camp near the town Local population itself engaged in smuggling of weapons to Polish resistance across the border
In the years 1872-1887 the cleric in charge of a parish was the priest Jan Szadowski- a religious and social activist, involved in defense of Polish language. At that time the German Empire engaged in policy of Kulturkampf
which combined anti-catholicism with anti-Polish actions in areas inhabited by Poles. Thanks to his efforts a petition was made to Prussian authorities demanding that Polish language should remain in rural schools. He also inititated the construction of local catholic church and was engaged in popularizing Polish religious singing and wrote several collections of religious songs. Szadowski complained about the teaching system imposed on the Polish population "No child can read in Polish. The new teaching system strips poverty stricken Poles of their books for prayer and their beautiful songs" He also complained about expulsions of Poles by German authorities in the so called Rugi Pruskie During this time around 60 Poles were expelled by German authorities from the area of the town
Szadowski’s work in Wielbark was continued by Walenty Barczewski, priest, notable activist in the Polish national movement, author of numerous books about Warmia, its geography, history and folk culture who arrived in Wielbark on 11 April 1889. Already in 1890 he managed to open up a Polish school in the town for young clerics
A catholic church was built in 1878 - 1880. Willenberg was attached to the railroad line Ortelsburg
- Willenberg - Neidenburg
on 1 July 1900.
The Polish name of Wielbark is mentioned in its entry in Geographical Dictionary of the Kingdom of Poland, printed out in the years 1880-1902, in volume XIII published in 1893
In the beginning of World War I
Willenberg was occupied by Russian troops in the Battle of Tannenberg (1914)
. On 30 August 1914 16,100 Russian soldiers were captured in a battle near Willenberg and General Samsonov
committed suicide in a forest just south of Willenberg.
During the Polish-Soviet war
, a plebiscite was organized to determine if the town should remain in Germany or be attached to Poland , on 11 July 1920 1,581 citizens voted to remain in Weimar Germany’s East Prussia
and 24 to join the Second Polish Republic
in the East Prussian plebiscite
. Afterwards posters were hanged out in Willenberg demanding that “traitors who voted for Poland” leave the town within three days with their belongings
Due to the Nazi Party's significant success in Masuria in the 1932 elections Hitler visited the area in April 1932 and held a speech in Willenberg.
In January 1945 Willenberg was taken over by the Red Army
from Nazi Germany. Due to the fast Soviet advance large parts of the populace remained in the town or were overrun on their flight
. After World War II
the remaining populace was expelled, the area was "restored"
to Poland and given
the Polish name of Wielbark which was known before the war.
1875 : 2,641
1880 : 2,577
1900 : 2.463
1933 : 2,506
1939 : 2,599
2008 : 2,943
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in 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...
, 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 northern Poland. It is the seat of the 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...
(administrative district) called Gmina Wielbark
Gmina Wielbark
Gmina Wielbark is a rural gmina in Szczytno County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. Its seat is the village of Wielbark, which lies approximately south of Szczytno and south-east of the regional capital Olsztyn....
. It lies approximately 19 kilometres (12 mi) south of Szczytno
Szczytno
Szczytno is a town in north-eastern Poland with 27,970 inhabitants . Previously part of the Olsztyn Voivodeship, Szczytno was assigned to the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship in 1999. It is the seat of Szczytno County....
and 52 km (32 mi) south-east of the regional capital 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...
.
History
The official site of the county of Wielbark gmina states that the first signs of human settlement date before the arrival of the Teutonic Knights, and that the first named settlement mentioned in the area is called Bartniki. This location along with the settlement located near castle-called Karczmarska Wioska, gave birth to Wielbark according to the county's site.The German name of the settlement, “Wildhaus” ("wild game house"), is first mentioned in 1361 of the Teutonic Order at the southern border of the Teutonic Order State Willenberg (Wildenberg) consisted only of a few buildings when it was founded by 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...
Frederic von Willenberg. It remained within the Teutonic Order state after the Second Peace of Thorn (1466) and became a part of the Crown of 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...
fief of Ducal Prussia
Ducal Prussia
The Duchy of Prussia or Ducal Prussia was a duchy in the eastern part of Prussia from 1525–1701. It was the first Protestant duchy with a dominant German-speaking population, as well as Polish and Lithuanian minorities...
with the adoption of the Lutheran faith by Albert of Prussia in 1525. A Protestant church was mentioned in 1557 and the settlement was called a small town in 1647. In 1656, throughout the Second Northern War
Second Northern War
The Second Northern War was fought between Sweden and its adversaries the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth , Russia , Brandenburg-Prussia , the Habsburg Monarchy and Denmark–Norway...
, Willenberg, like many towns 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...
, was destroyed by Polish Lipka Tatars
Lipka Tatars
The Lipka Tatars are a group of Tatars who originally settled in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania at the beginning of 14th century. The first settlers tried to preserve their shamanistic religion and sought asylum amongst the non-Christian Lithuanians...
.
In the 18th century the town was a center of cloth manufacturing and benefited from its location at the main road 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...
(Królewiec), with the main trade focused on Russian held Poland, according to the webpage of the Wielbark gmina. The settlement was granted town rights on 21 July 1723. Fires destroyed the town in 1743 and 1763.
In January 1807 70,000 Napoleonic soldiers traversed the town and had to be supplied. Napoleon headquartered here from 21 January to 2 February prior to the Battle of Eylau
Battle of Eylau
The Battle of Eylau or Battle of Preussisch-Eylau, 7 and 8 February 1807, was a bloody and inconclusive battle between Napoléon's Grande Armée and a Russian Empire army under Levin August, Count von Bennigsen near the town of Preußisch Eylau in East Prussia. Late in the battle, the Russians...
. The French troops caused a fire which damaged the town furthermore. In 1813 Tsar Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I of Russia , served as Emperor of Russia from 23 March 1801 to 1 December 1825 and the first Russian King of Poland from 1815 to 1825. He was also the first Russian Grand Duke of Finland and Lithuania....
received the official message of the Prussian accession to the struggle against Napoleon by General von Kleist
Friedrich Graf Kleist von Nollendorf
Friedrich Emil Ferdinand Heinrich Graf Kleist von Nollendorf , born and died in Berlin, was a Prussian field marshal and a member of the old junker family von Kleist....
at Willenberg.
The Prussian administration reform of 1818 made the town part of Landkreis Ortelsburg. On 23 September 1819 and on 9 June 1834 the town was again damaged by fire and in 1831 and 1852 the Cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
caused many casualties.
The gmina’s webpage states that in 1823 a crisis happener when the authorities of Congress Poland
Congress Poland
The Kingdom of Poland , informally known as Congress Poland , created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna, was a personal union of the Russian parcel of Poland with the Russian Empire...
introduced high custom tariffs on imports, reaching 60% to 80%, which brought large losses to the population in the town, mainly engaged in cloths trade. Despite this, the local fairs, attracted large attendance of merchants from Mazury area and Russian controlled Poland, the Wielbark webpage claims those were the largest fairs at the time in Mazury region.
A new Protestant Church was built in 1827, based on plans of Karl Friedrich Schinkel
Karl Friedrich Schinkel
Karl Friedrich Schinkel was a Prussian architect, city planner, and painter who also designed furniture and stage sets. Schinkel was one of the most prominent architects of Germany and designed both neoclassical and neogothic buildings.-Biography:Schinkel was born in Neuruppin, Margraviate of...
.
The area played a role in Polish preparations for uprising against 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...
. Hoping to gain assistance from the population of Warmia
Warmia
Warmia or Ermland is a region between Pomerelia and Masuria in northeastern Poland. Together with Masuria, it forms the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship....
, uprising plans from 1845-1846 hoped to establish seven main camps on border between Prussia and Russia, with one of them located near Wielbark, to which two Polish units, including one from 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...
(Allenstein) and one from Szczytno
Szczytno
Szczytno is a town in north-eastern Poland with 27,970 inhabitants . Previously part of the Olsztyn Voivodeship, Szczytno was assigned to the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship in 1999. It is the seat of Szczytno County....
(Ortelsburg), would be directed, to attack Myszniec later on; During January Uprising
January Uprising
The January Uprising was an uprising in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth against the Russian Empire...
Polish units operated in the area, and in January 1864 a unit of Olszański-Ostrorog numbering 300 soldiers established a camp near the town Local population itself engaged in smuggling of weapons to Polish resistance across the border
In the years 1872-1887 the cleric in charge of a parish was the priest Jan Szadowski- a religious and social activist, involved in defense of Polish language. At that time the German Empire engaged in policy of Kulturkampf
Kulturkampf
The German term refers to German policies in relation to secularity and the influence of the Roman Catholic Church, enacted from 1871 to 1878 by the Prime Minister of Prussia, Otto von Bismarck. The Kulturkampf did not extend to the other German states such as Bavaria...
which combined anti-catholicism with anti-Polish actions in areas inhabited by Poles. Thanks to his efforts a petition was made to Prussian authorities demanding that Polish language should remain in rural schools. He also inititated the construction of local catholic church and was engaged in popularizing Polish religious singing and wrote several collections of religious songs. Szadowski complained about the teaching system imposed on the Polish population "No child can read in Polish. The new teaching system strips poverty stricken Poles of their books for prayer and their beautiful songs" He also complained about expulsions of Poles by German authorities in the so called Rugi Pruskie During this time around 60 Poles were expelled by German authorities from the area of the town
Szadowski’s work in Wielbark was continued by Walenty Barczewski, priest, notable activist in the Polish national movement, author of numerous books about Warmia, its geography, history and folk culture who arrived in Wielbark on 11 April 1889. Already in 1890 he managed to open up a Polish school in the town for young clerics
A catholic church was built in 1878 - 1880. Willenberg was attached to the railroad line Ortelsburg
Szczytno
Szczytno is a town in north-eastern Poland with 27,970 inhabitants . Previously part of the Olsztyn Voivodeship, Szczytno was assigned to the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship in 1999. It is the seat of Szczytno County....
- Willenberg - Neidenburg
Nidzica
Nidzica is a town in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship in Poland, between Olsztyn and Mława. It has a population of 14,798 . It is the capital of Nidzica County.-History:...
on 1 July 1900.
The Polish name of Wielbark is mentioned in its entry in Geographical Dictionary of the Kingdom of Poland, printed out in the years 1880-1902, in volume XIII published in 1893
In 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...
Willenberg was occupied by Russian troops in the Battle of Tannenberg (1914)
Battle of Tannenberg (1914)
The Battle of Tannenberg was an engagement between the Russian Empire and the German Empire in the first days of World War I. It was fought by the Russian First and Second Armies against the German Eighth Army between 23 August and 30 August 1914. The battle resulted in the almost complete...
. On 30 August 1914 16,100 Russian soldiers were captured in a battle near Willenberg and General Samsonov
Alexander Samsonov
Aleksandr Vassilievich Samsonov was a career officer in the cavalry of the Imperial Russian Army and a general served during the Russo-Japanese War and World War I.-Biography:...
committed suicide in a forest just south of Willenberg.
During 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...
, a plebiscite was organized to determine if the town should remain in Germany or be attached to Poland , on 11 July 1920 1,581 citizens voted to remain in Weimar Germany’s 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...
and 24 to 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...
in 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...
. Afterwards posters were hanged out in Willenberg demanding that “traitors who voted for Poland” leave the town within three days with their belongings
Due to the Nazi Party's significant success in Masuria in the 1932 elections Hitler visited the area in April 1932 and held a speech in Willenberg.
In January 1945 Willenberg was taken over 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...
from Nazi Germany. Due to the fast Soviet advance large parts of the populace remained in the town or were overrun on their flight
Evacuation of East Prussia
The evacuation of East Prussia refers to the evacuation of the German civilian population and military personnel in East Prussia and the Klaipėda region between 20 January, and March 1945, as part of the evacuation of German civilians towards the end of World War II...
. After 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 remaining populace was expelled, the area was "restored"
Recovered Territories
Recovered or Regained Territories was an official term used by the People's Republic of Poland to describe those parts of pre-war Germany that became part of Poland after World War II...
to Poland and given
Commission for the Determination of Place Names
The Commission for the Determination of Place Names was a commission of the Polish Department of Public Administration, founded in January 1946...
the Polish name of Wielbark which was known before the war.
Population
1857 : 2,0441875 : 2,641
1880 : 2,577
1900 : 2.463
1933 : 2,506
1939 : 2,599
2008 : 2,943
External links
- Map of Prussia 1600s with Willenberg near Marienburg and Willenberg south of Ortelsburg
- Official website of Wielbark (in Polish)
