Kościerzyna
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Kościerzyna ( Kashubian and Pomeranian: ''Kòscérzëna''; formerly german: Berent, ) is a town in
Kashubia pl, Kaszuby , native_name_lang = csb, de, csb , settlement_type = Historical region , anthem = Zemia Rodnô , image_map = Kashubians in Poland.png , image_flag ...
in
Gdańsk Pomerania Gdańsk Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze Gdańskie), csb, Gduńsczim Pòmòrzã, german: Danziger Pommern) is a geographical region within Pomerelia in northern and northwestern Poland, covering the bulk of Pomeranian Voivodeship. It forms a part and t ...
region, northern
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
, with some 24,000 inhabitants. It has been the capital of
Kościerzyna County __NOTOC__ Kościerzyna County ( csb, Kòscérsczi kréz, pl, powiat kościerski) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Pomeranian Voivodeship, northern Poland. It came into being on 1 January 1999 as a result of ...
in
Pomeranian Voivodeship Pomeranian Voivodeship, Pomorskie Region, or Pomerania Province (Polish: ''Województwo pomorskie'' ; ( Kashubian: ''Pòmòrsczé wòjewództwò'' ), is a voivodeship, or province, in northwestern Poland. The provincial capital is Gdańsk. The ...
since 1999; previously it was in Gdańsk Voivodeship from 1975 to 1998.


Geographical location

Kościerzyna is in
Gdańsk Pomerania Gdańsk Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze Gdańskie), csb, Gduńsczim Pòmòrzã, german: Danziger Pommern) is a geographical region within Pomerelia in northern and northwestern Poland, covering the bulk of Pomeranian Voivodeship. It forms a part and t ...
, approximately south-west of
Gdańsk Gdańsk ( , also ; ; csb, Gduńsk;Stefan Ramułt, ''Słownik języka pomorskiego, czyli kaszubskiego'', Kraków 1893, Gdańsk 2003, ISBN 83-87408-64-6. , Johann Georg Theodor Grässe, ''Orbis latinus oder Verzeichniss der lateinischen Benen ...
and Tricity and south-west of
Kaliningrad Kaliningrad ( ; rus, Калининград, p=kəlʲɪnʲɪnˈɡrat, links=y), until 1946 known as Königsberg (; rus, Кёнигсберг, Kyonigsberg, ˈkʲɵnʲɪɡzbɛrk; rus, Короле́вец, Korolevets), is the largest city and ...
, at a height of
above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...
.


History

The history of the town dates back to the end of the 13th century. The oldest known mention comes from a document from 1284. In 1346 it was granted municipal rights, and in 1398 the settlement obtained the status of a town. The town's name comes from the
Old Polish The Old Polish language ( pl, język staropolski, staropolszczyzna) was a period in the history of the Polish language between the 10th and the 16th centuries. It was followed by the Middle Polish language. The sources for the study of the Old ...
word ''kościerz'', which means "
thicket A thicket is a very dense stand of trees or tall shrubs, often dominated by only one or a few species, to the exclusion of all others. They may be formed by species that shed large numbers of highly viable seeds that are able to germinate in the ...
". Kościerzyna was part of medieval
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
, until, in 1310, it was annexed by the
Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights The State of the Teutonic Order (german: Staat des Deutschen Ordens, ; la, Civitas Ordinis Theutonici; lt, Vokiečių ordino valstybė; pl, Państwo zakonu krzyżackiego), also called () or (), was a medieval Crusader state, located in Centr ...
. After the
Second Peace of Thorn (1466) The Peace of Thorn or Toruń of 1466, also known as the Second Peace of Thorn or Toruń ( pl, drugi pokój toruński; german: Zweiter Friede von Thorn), was a peace treaty signed in the Hanseatic city of Thorn (Toruń) on 19 October 1466 betwee ...
, the town became part of the
Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland ( pl, Królestwo Polskie; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a state in Central Europe. It may refer to: Historical political entities *Kingdom of Poland, a kingdom existing from 1025 to 1031 *Kingdom of Poland, a kingdom exist ...
again. Administratively it was part of the
Pomeranian Voivodeship Pomeranian Voivodeship, Pomorskie Region, or Pomerania Province (Polish: ''Województwo pomorskie'' ; ( Kashubian: ''Pòmòrsczé wòjewództwò'' ), is a voivodeship, or province, in northwestern Poland. The provincial capital is Gdańsk. The ...
, located in the provinces of
Royal Prussia Royal Prussia ( pl, Prusy Królewskie; german: Königlich-Preußen or , csb, Królewsczé Prësë) or Polish PrussiaAnton Friedrich Büsching, Patrick Murdoch. ''A New System of Geography'', London 1762p. 588/ref> (Polish: ; German: ) was a ...
and
Greater Poland Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; german: Großpolen, sv, Storpolen, la, Polonia Maior), is a Polish historical regions, historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief and largest city is Poznań followed ...
. It was the seat of local Polish
starost The starosta or starost (Cyrillic: ''старост/а'', Latin: ''capitaneus'', german: link=no, Starost, Hauptmann) is a term of Slavic origin denoting a community elder whose role was to administer the assets of a clan or family estates. Th ...
s. Kościerzyna was a small town, whose inhabitants made a living from trade, crafts and farming. The town suffered many times from fire. In 1463 it was first plundered and thereafter burned down completely by Poles during the Thirteen Years' War.
Johann Friedrich Goldbeck Johann Friedrich Goldbeck (22 September 1748 – 9 April 1812) was a German geographer and Protestantism, Protestant theologian. Goldbeck was born in Tschernjachowsk, Insterburg, East Prussia. He first visited the Latin school in his home town In ...
: ''Volständige Topographie des Königreichs Preußen''. Part II, Marienwerder 1789
pp. 66–67, no. 5.
/ref> In 1626, during the Polish–Swedish War (1626–29), it was completely burned down once more. During the years 1646, 1663 and 1669 it partly burned down, and in 1709 again, entirely. In the First Partition of Poland in 1772 the town was annexed by
Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Re ...
. It was administratively in the newly formed province of
West Prussia The Province of West Prussia (german: Provinz Westpreußen; csb, Zôpadné Prësë; pl, Prusy Zachodnie) was a province of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and 1878 to 1920. West Prussia was established as a province of the Kingdom of Prussia in 177 ...
, where it remained until 1919. The town was subjected to anti-Polish policies, including
Germanisation Germanisation, or Germanization, is the spread of the German language, German people, people and German culture, culture. It was a central idea of German conservative thought in the 19th and the 20th centuries, when conservatism and ethnic nationa ...
. During the
Kashubian diaspora The Kashubian diaspora resulted from the emigration of Kashubians mainly in two waves occurring in the second half of the 19th century. The majority of Kashubian emigrants settled in the United States; others emigrated to Canada and Brazil. An onlin ...
, many families from Kościerzyna, such as the Mrozeks, the Pellowskis and the Eichmans emigrated to the area of
Winona, Minnesota Winona is a city in and the county seat of Winona County, in the state of Minnesota. Located in bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf. The city is named after legendary figure Winona, who ...
, in the United States, beginning in 1859. Despite Germanisation policies, the town was a center of Polish activity in the 19th century. In 1863, volunteers set out from the town to fight in the Polish
January Uprising The January Uprising ( pl, powstanie styczniowe; lt, 1863 metų sukilimas; ua, Січневе повстання; russian: Польское восстание; ) was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at ...
in the
Russian Partition The Russian Partition ( pl, zabór rosyjski), sometimes called Russian Poland, constituted the former territories of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that were annexed by the Russian Empire in the course of late-18th-century Partitions of Po ...
of Poland, but few managed to cross the Prussian-Russian border, while many were imprisoned by Prussians. Around 1900, the town had one Protestant church, one Catholic church, a synagogue, a high school, an academy for school teachers, a factory for the production of
snuff Snuff may refer to: Tobacco * Snuff (tobacco), fine-ground tobacco, sniffed into the nose ** Moist snuff or dipping tobacco ** Creamy snuff, an Indian tobacco paste Media and entertainment * Snuff film, a type of film that shows a murder Literat ...
, several breweries, a refinery, various mills, agriculture and forestry.''Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon'', 6th edition, Vol. 2, Leipzig and Vienna 1906, p. 656. In the late 19th and early 20th century
Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, who share a common history, culture, the Polish language and are identified with the country of Poland in Ce ...
founded various organizations, including the "Sokół" Polish Gymnastic Society, reading rooms, ''Bank Ludowy'' ("People's Bank"), and the Kashubian newspaper ''Gryf'' began publishing. Writer and activist
Aleksander Majkowski Aleksander Majkowski ( csb, Aleksander Majkòwsczi; 17 July 1876 – 10 February 1938) was a Polish- Kashubian writer, poet, journalist, editor, activist, and physician. He was the most important figure in the Kashubian movement before World ...
was active in the town. After Poland regained independence after
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
in 1918, the Polish population made efforts to reintegrate the town with Poland. In January 1919, the Germans sent a unit of 120 soldiers to the town to prevent the outbreak of a Polish uprising. Local activist Tomasz Rogala, who co-founded a secret Polish independence organization, went to the peace conference in
Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...
, where he demanded to include the town in reborn Poland. Kościerzyna was finally reintegrated with the
Second Polish Republic The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 1918 and 1939. The state was established on 6 November 1918, before the end of ...
in January 1920. The construction of the
Polish Coal Trunk-Line The Coal Trunk-Line ( pl, Magistrala Węglowa) is one of the most important rail connections in Poland. It crosses the central part of the country, from the coal mines and steelworks of Upper Silesia in the South to the Baltic Sea port of Gdynia i ...
in the interbellum contributed to the prosperity of Kościerzyna, as the town gained a modern railway connection with
Gdynia Gdynia ( ; ; german: Gdingen (currently), (1939–1945); csb, Gdiniô, , , ) is a city in northern Poland and a seaport on the Baltic Sea coast. With a population of 243,918, it is the List of cities in Poland, 12th-largest city in Poland and ...
,
Bydgoszcz Bydgoszcz ( , , ; german: Bromberg) is a city in northern Poland, straddling the meeting of the River Vistula with its left-bank tributary, the Brda. With a city population of 339,053 as of December 2021 and an urban agglomeration with more ...
and
Upper Silesia Upper Silesia ( pl, Górny Śląsk; szl, Gůrny Ślůnsk, Gōrny Ślōnsk; cs, Horní Slezsko; german: Oberschlesien; Silesian German: ; la, Silesia Superior) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, located ...
.


World War II

After the
invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week aft ...
, which started
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, between 1939 and 1945, it was
occupied ' (Norwegian: ') is a Norwegian political thriller TV series that premiered on TV2 on 5 October 2015. Based on an original idea by Jo Nesbø, the series is co-created with Karianne Lund and Erik Skjoldbjærg. Season 2 premiered on 10 October ...
by
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
.
Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, who share a common history, culture, the Polish language and are identified with the country of Poland in Ce ...
were subjected to persecution, murders, deportations to
Nazi concentration camps From 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany operated more than a thousand concentration camps, (officially) or (more commonly). The Nazi concentration camps are distinguished from other types of Nazi camps such as forced-labor camps, as well as concen ...
, and expulsions (see ''
Nazi crimes against the Polish nation Crimes against the Polish nation committed by Nazi Germany and Axis collaborationist forces during the invasion of Poland, along with auxiliary battalions during the subsequent occupation of Poland in World War II, consisted of the murder of ...
''). In the first weeks of the occupation, in September 1939, the Germans arrested and imprisoned numerous
Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, who share a common history, culture, the Polish language and are identified with the country of Poland in Ce ...
from the town and the surrounding area. About 600 Poles were murdered in the nearby forest, and some were deported to concentration camps. Between November 6 and 22, 1939, the Germans expelled 2,000 Poles, who were first deported to the temporary concentration camp in Wysin, and then to the so-called
General Government The General Government (german: Generalgouvernement, pl, Generalne Gubernatorstwo, uk, Генеральна губернія), also referred to as the General Governorate for the Occupied Polish Region (german: Generalgouvernement für die be ...
.Maria Wardzyńska, ''Wysiedlenia ludności polskiej z okupowanych ziem polskich włączonych do III Rzeszy w latach 1939-1945'', IPN, Warszawa, 2017, p. 49 (in Polish) The expulsions continued until March 1944. Among the expellees was Tomasz Rogala, who returned to Kościerzyna after the war, and in the following decades was commemorated with a monument. Poles who refused to sign the ''
Volksliste The Deutsche Volksliste (German People's List), a Nazi Party institution, aimed to classify inhabitants of Nazi-occupied territories (1939-1945) into categories of desirability according to criteria systematised by ''Reichsführer-SS'' Heinrich H ...
'' were arrested and tortured by the ''
Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one organi ...
'', some were tortured to death, or murdered, while their families were deported to concentration camps. Despite this, the Poles managed to organize an underground resistance movement, including the
Pomeranian Griffin The Pomeranian Griffin secret military organization ( pl, Tajna Organizacja Wojskowa Gryf Pomorski) was a Polish anti-Nazi resistance group active in Pomerania and East Prussia during World War II. A major Polish resistance organization in the ...
secret military organization. After
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
the town was restored to Poland.


Number of inhabitants by year


Tourist attractions

* Skansen Parowozownia Kościerzyna (railway museum) located at Towarowa 7 Street. * Muzeum Ziemi Kościerskiej (regional museum) * ''Rynek'' (Market Square) filled with colourful historic townhouses * Lake Gałęźne * Holy Trinity church, Sanctuary of Our Lady of KościerzynaArticle on the Sanctuary
. See als
Sanctuary's website
/ref> * Church of the Lord's Resurrection


Sports

* Kaszubia Kościerzyna - football club * Manta Kościerzyna - finswimming club


Notable residents

*
Stanisław Ernest Denhoff Stanisław Michał Ernest Denhoff (; ; c. 1673 – 2 August 1728) was a Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth aristocrat, Grand Master of the Hunt of Lithuania (from 1697), Grand Chorąży of the Crown (1704–1721), voivode of Połock (1721–1728 ...
(c.1673–1728), Polish aristocrat, politician and a military commander * Hilary Jastak (1914-2000), leading priest * Abraham Lissauer (1832–1908), German physician and archaeologist * Oswald Kohts (1844–1912), German physician and pediatrician *
Gustav Flatow Gustav Felix Flatow (7 January 1875 – 29 January 1945) was a German gymnast. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens and at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris. Flatow was Jewish, and was born in Berent, West Prussia. In 1892, he m ...
(1875–1945), German gymnast, competed at the
1896 Events January–March * January 2 – The Jameson Raid comes to an end, as Jameson surrenders to the Boers. * January 4 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state. * January 5 – An Austrian newspaper reports that Wil ...
and at the
1900 Summer Olympics The 1900 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1900, link=no), today officially known as the Games of the II Olympiad () and also known as Paris 1900, were an international multi-sport event that took place in Paris, France, from 1 ...
*
Aleksander Majkowski Aleksander Majkowski ( csb, Aleksander Majkòwsczi; 17 July 1876 – 10 February 1938) was a Polish- Kashubian writer, poet, journalist, editor, activist, and physician. He was the most important figure in the Kashubian movement before World ...
(1876-1938), Kashubian writer, poet, journalist, editor, activist and physician * Hugo Neumann (1882–1962), German jurist, politician of the
Free City of Danzig The Free City of Danzig (german: Freie Stadt Danzig; pl, Wolne Miasto Gdańsk; csb, Wòlny Gard Gduńsk) was a city-state under the protection of the League of Nations between 1920 and 1939, consisting of the Baltic Sea port of Danzig (now Gda ...
and writer * Marek Kulas (born 1963), Polish former racing cyclist, won the 1986 Tour de Pologne * Marcin Rekowski (born 1978), Polish professional heavyweight boxer *
Rafał Kosznik Rafał Kosznik (born 17 December 1983) is a Polish former professional footballer who played as a left-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and pr ...
(born 1983), Polish footballer, over 200 pro games *
Seweryn Kiełpin Seweryn Kiełpin (born 18 December 1987) is a Polish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Career Club As a youth player, Kiełpin joined the youth academy of Górnik Zabrze. In the summer 2010, he was loaned to Ruch Rad ...
(born 1987), Polish footballer, over 200 pro games *
Daniel Pek Daniel Pek (born 28 November 1991) is a Paralympic athlete from Poland who competes in T20 classification middle-distance running events. Pek represented Poland at the 2012 Summer Paralympics The 2012 Summer Paralympics, branded as the L ...
(born 1991), Paralympic athlete from Poland, represented Poland at the
2012 Summer Paralympics The 2012 Summer Paralympics, branded as the London 2012 Paralympic Games, were an international multi-sport parasports event held from 29 August to 9 September 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. They were the 14th Summer Paralympic Gam ...
* Sławomir Stolc (born 1993), Polish volleyball player, a member of Poland men's national volleyball team *
Patryk Dobek Patryk Dobek (born 13 February 1994) is a Polish athlete and soldier. He is specialising in the 400 metres, 800 metres and 400 metres hurdles. He won the bronze medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in the 800 metres The 800 metres, or meters ( U ...
(born 1994), Polish athlete * Jan Gierszewski (born 1882-1951) Co founder (Code name Major Rys) of the WW2 secret military organization Kashubian Griffin.


International relations

Kościerzyna is twinned with:


See also

* Kościerzyna (PKP station)


Gallery

File:Koscierzyna, Poland - panoramio (19).jpg, City Hall File:koscierzyna steam2.jpg, Railway Museum File:retro gdynia koscierzyna.jpg, Retro train "Costerina"
Gdynia Gdynia ( ; ; german: Gdingen (currently), (1939–1945); csb, Gdiniô, , , ) is a city in northern Poland and a seaport on the Baltic Sea coast. With a population of 243,918, it is the List of cities in Poland, 12th-largest city in Poland and ...
- Kościerzyna File:Marketplace in Kościerzyna Poland.jpg, Marketplace File:724348 Kościerzyna k. Zmartwywstania Pańskiego.JPG, Church of the Lord's Resurrection


References


External links


Municipal website



Photogalleries of Kościerzyna's twin citiesSome German-language documents regarding population

{{DEFAULTSORT:Koscierzyna Cities and towns in Pomeranian Voivodeship Kościerzyna County Pomeranian Voivodeship (1919–1939) Kashubian-American history