Ostrów Wielkopolski () (often abbreviated ''Ostrów Wlkp.'', formerly called simply ''Ostrów'', german: Ostrowo, Latin: ''Ostrovia'') is a city in west-central Poland with 70,982 inhabitants (2021), situated in the

Greater Poland Voivodeship Greater Poland Voivodeship ( pl, Województwo wielkopolskie; ), also known as Wielkopolska Voivodeship, Wielkopolska Province, or Greater Poland Province, is a voivodeship, or province A province is almost always an administrative division ...

; the seat of Ostrów Wielkopolski County. It is the fifth-largest city in the voivodeship after

Poznań Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint Joh ...

Kalisz (The oldest city of Poland) , image_skyline = , image_caption = ''Top:'' Town Hall, Former "Calisia" Piano Factory''Middle:'' Courthouse, "Gołębnik" tenement''Bottom:'' Aerial view of the Kalisz Old Town , image_flag = POL Kalisz flag.svg ...

Piła Piła (german: Schneidemühl) is a city in northwestern Poland and the capital of Piła County, situated in the Greater Poland Voivodeship. Its population as of 2021 was 71,846, making it the third-largest city in the voivodeship after Poznań a ...

and

Konin Konin (german: Kunau) is a city in central Poland, on the Warta River. It is the capital of Konin County and is located within the Greater Poland Voivodeship. Prior to 1999, it was the capital of the Konin Voivodeship (1975–1998). In 2021 the ...

History

Recently, a small fortified dwelling dating from the 10th century was discovered on the north-east side of the town's limits. An archeological excavation is now in progress. It was part of Poland since the establishment of the state in the 10th century. The oldest known mention of Ostrów comes from a document from 1293. Ostrów received

town rights Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the traditio ...

in 1404 but the economic stagnation caused by fires, wars, and a weak 16th-century nobility, led to the town's officials dropping its town status in 1711. Administratively it was located in the Kalisz Voivodeship in the

Greater Poland Province of the Polish Crown , subdivision = Province , nation = Poland , year_start = , event_end = Third Partition of Poland , year_end = , image_map = Prowincje I RP.svg , image_map_capt ...

. In 1714, one of the

nobles Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteri ...

of Ostrów, , intervened at the royal court, for the status to be reinstated. To help the city grow, new settlers were exempt from taxes for six years. By the power of

Grand Crown Marshal Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and comm ...

Franciszek Bieliński, the town received its status back with greater

privileges Privilege may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Privilege'' (film), a 1967 film directed by Peter Watkins * ''Privilege'' (Ivor Cutler album), 1983 * ''Privilege'' (Television Personalities album), 1990 * ''Privilege (Abridged)'', an alb ...

. Another noble family, the

Radziwiłł family The House of Radziwiłł (; lt, Radvila; be, Радзівіл, Radzivił; german: link=no, Radziwill) is a powerful magnate family originating from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and later also prominent in the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland. ...

took patronage over the town and looked over its many investments. The care of the town's owners, work of its people, and dedication of its officials, as well as its location, favored the town's continuous growth. During the

Second Partition of Poland The 1793 Second Partition of Poland was the second of three partitions (or partial annexations) that ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth by 1795. The second partition occurred in the aftermath of the Polish–Russian ...

, in 1793, the town was annexed by

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) constituted the German state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918. Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: ...

. Back under Polish rule as part of the short-lived

Duchy of Warsaw The Duchy of Warsaw ( pl, Księstwo Warszawskie, french: Duché de Varsovie, german: Herzogtum Warschau), also known as the Grand Duchy of Warsaw and Napoleonic Poland, was a French client state established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1807, during ...

between 1807 and 1815, it was re-annexed by Prussia, to be included within the initially autonomous

Grand Duchy of Poznań The Grand Duchy of Posen (german: Großherzogtum Posen; pl, Wielkie Księstwo Poznańskie) was part of the Kingdom of Prussia, created from territories annexed by Prussia after the Partitions of Poland, and formally established following th ...

in 1815. The cloth industry prospered in Ostrów until 1825, when

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

imposed

tariff A tariff is a tax imposed by the government of a country or by a supranational union on imports or exports of goods. Besides being a source of revenue for the government, import duties can also be a form of regulation of foreign trade and p ...

s on imported cloths, as a result of which many textile manufacturers moved east to the Russian Partition of Poland. In 1828 local noble

Antoni Radziwiłł Prince Antoni Henryk Radziwiłł (; 13 June 1775 – 7 April 1833) was a Polish and Prussian noble, aristocrat, musician, and politician. Initially an hereditary Duke of Nieśwież and Ołyka, as a scion of the Radziwiłł family he also h ...

funded the construction of a new town hall. In 1845 the Royal Catholic Gymnasium was established, a significant Polish school in the

Prussian Partition The Prussian Partition ( pl, Zabór pruski), or Prussian Poland, is the former territories of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth acquired during the Partitions of Poland, in the late 18th century by the Kingdom of Prussia. The Prussian acquis ...

of Poland, which as the I Liceum Ogólnokształcące remains one of the most renowned

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

s in

Greater Poland Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; german: Großpolen, sv, Storpolen, la, Polonia Maior), is a historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief and largest city is Poznań followed by Kalisz, the oldest city ...

. Ostrów then became an important center of Polish education, press and publishing in the region. Among the local Polish elites were Antoni Bronikowski, an outstanding Hellenist who translated the works of

Plato Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institutio ...

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the '' Iliad'' and the '' Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of ...

Thucydides Thucydides (; grc, , }; BC) was an Athenian historian and general. His '' History of the Peloponnesian War'' recounts the fifth-century BC war between Sparta and Athens until the year 411 BC. Thucydides has been dubbed the father of " scient ...

and

Xenophon Xenophon of Athens (; grc, Ξενοφῶν ; – probably 355 or 354 BC) was a Greek military leader, philosopher, and historian, born in Athens. At the age of 30, Xenophon was elected commander of one of the biggest Greek mercenary armies of ...

into Polish, and poet . The establishment of a railroad hub in Ostrów was a vital turning point in its development, helping to lend the town prominent status on the local and national scene. In 1875 the first railway connections were opened, with

and

Kluczbork Kluczbork (german: Kreuzburg O.S., szl, Kluczborek) is a town in southern Poland with 23,554 inhabitants (2019), situated in the Opole Voivodeship. It is the capital of Kluczbork County and an important railroad junction. In Kluczbork the major ...

. The Primate of Poland Cardinal Mieczysław Halka-Ledóchowski was imprisoned in the local prison for two years by the Prussians, before they eventually expelled him from the country. After Poland regained independence, he was honored with a monument in the city. Józef Piłsudski w Ostrowie, 1919

Ostrów was an important center of Polish resistance and national liberation movements. One of the town's historic episodes was the so-called Republic of Ostrów (''Republika Ostrowska''), which was the citizens’ upheaval of 1918. No blood was shed at that upheaval and all political powers were taken over from the Prussian authorities. The anniversary of the upheaval, November 10, is celebrated as the official Day of the City of Ostrów Wielkopolski. The first Polish mayor of Ostrów after regaining independence was , one of the leading independence activists and publishers in Ostrów before 1918. In the

interbellum In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the World War I, First World War to the beginning of the World War II, Second World War. The in ...

, Ostrów was one of the fastest growing towns: the number of inhabitants doubled, showy houses were built, as well as new schools, stadiums and a swimming pool. Three new villa district were founded, and a modern railcar manufacturing (Fabryka Wagon) began. In 1934 the city limits were widely expanded and the villages of , , Wenecja and Krępa became new districts of Ostrów.

World War II

During the German

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 af ...

, which started World War II, the '' Einsatzgruppe III'' entered the city on September 7–9, 1939 to commit various crimes against Poles, and also the '' SS-Totenkopf-Standarte Brandenburg'' operated in the city. During the German

occupation of Poland Occupation commonly refers to: * Occupation (human activity), or job, one's role in society, often a regular activity performed for payment *Occupation (protest), political demonstration by holding public or symbolic spaces *Military occupation, t ...

, local Poles were subjected to mass arrests, imprisonment, deportations to

concentration camps Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...

, expulsions, forced labour and massacres. In late 1939 and early 1940, many Poles were arrested during the ''

Intelligenzaktion The ''Intelligenzaktion'' (), or the Intelligentsia mass shootings, was a series of mass murders which was committed against the Polish intelligentsia (teachers, priests, physicians, and other prominent members of Polish society) early in the ...

'', then imprisoned in

and murdered in large massacres in the Winiary forest near Kalisz. Among the victims were activists, school principals, former participants of the Polish Greater Poland uprising (1918–19) against Germany, and pre-war mayor Stanisław Musielak. The Germans also established a Nazi prison for Poles in Ostrów. Further mass arrests of around 400 Poles from the county were carried out in April–May 1940, and many of the victims were then imprisoned in the local prison. Teachers from Ostrów were among Polish teachers murdered in the Mauthausen concentration camp. A

Nazi German 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 ...

labor camp, Staatspolizeistelle Litzmannstadt Arbeitserziehungslager Ostrowo, operated within the town's limits, where 193 people died. The Germans carried out first expulsions of Poles in October 1939, focusing on owners of bakeries, cafes, workshops and large apartments, which were then handed over to

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

colonists as part of the ''

Lebensraum (, ''living space'') is a German concept of settler colonialism, the philosophy and policies of which were common to German politics from the 1890s to the 1940s. First popularized around 1901, '' lso in:' became a geopolitical goal of Impe ...

'' policy, while expelled Poles were held in a transit camp in nearby Nowe Skalmierzyce for several weeks, and then deported to the General Government (German-occupied central Poland). Further 160 Poles were expelled in December 1939 to the

Radom Radom is a city in east-central Poland, located approximately south of the capital, Warsaw. It is situated on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Voivodeship (since 1999), having previously been the seat of a separate Radom Voivodeship (1975–1 ...

District of the General Government.Wardzyńska (2017), p. 181 Also a transit camp for Poles expelled from nearby villages was established in the local church. Further expulsions of Poles were carried out in 1940–1941. The town was one of the major Polish conspiracy centers in the Greater Poland region. The Polish Secret Military Organization was founded in Ostrów in October 1939, and there were also structures of the

Polish Underground State The Polish Underground State ( pl, Polskie Państwo Podziemne, also known as the Polish Secret State) was a single political and military entity formed by the union of resistance organizations in occupied Poland that were loyal to the Gover ...

in the city. In 1941, after 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 or ...

's crackdown on the headquarters of the Poznań branch of the underground army

Union for Armed Struggle Związek Walki Zbrojnej ( abbreviation: ''ZWZ''; Union of Armed Struggle;Thus rendered in Norman Davies, ''God's Playground: A History of Poland'', vol. II, p. 464. also translated as ''Union for Armed Struggle'', ''Association of Armed Strugg ...

- ZWZ, the headquarters were moved to Ostrów. From here the re-structure of the Poznań region of the Union was conducted. Ostrów was liberated from German occupation on January 23, 1945. The town was restored to Poland, although with a

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

-installed communist regime, which then stayed in power until the

Fall of Communism The Revolutions of 1989, also known as the Fall of Communism, was a revolutionary wave that resulted in the end of most communist states in the world. Sometimes this revolutionary wave is also called the Fall of Nations or the Autumn of Nat ...

in the 1980s.

Recent period

After the war Ostrów Wielkopolski was part of the Poznań Voivodeship, and from 1975 to 1998 it was the second largest city of the Kalisz Voivodeship (behind

). In September 1945, the Polish resistance movement made an unsuccessful attempt to capture the local communist jail and liberate the prisoners. In July–August 1980, employees of local factories joined the nationwide anti-communist strikes, which led to the foundation of the "

Solidarity ''Solidarity'' is an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. It is based on class collaboration.''Merriam Webster'', http://www.merriam-webster.com/dicti ...

" organization. In 1979 Ostrów's city limits were widely expanded for the second time, including the former villages , Szczygliczka, Zacharzew, Piaski, Stary Staw and Nowy Staw as new districts.

Sights

Ostrów has a well-preserved city center, with such sights as: * City hall (''Ratusz'') at the Market Square (''Rynek''), housing the local museum * Ostrów Wielkopolski Co-Cathedral * Virgin Mary Queen of Poland church * '' I Liceum Ogólnokształcące'', the city's oldest high school, and one of the most renowned high schools of Greater Poland * Main Post Office * Monument of Primate of Poland Mieczysław Halka-Ledóchowski * Former synagogue Places of interest outside the city center include: * Old Cemetery (''

Stary Cmentarz Stary is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Rob Stary Robert Stary is a former Australian criminal defence lawyer and current Magistrate at the Melbourne Magistrates' Court. He is well known for defending Julian Assange, as w ...

''), the oldest active Catholic cemetery in Poland * New Cemetery (''Nowy Cmentarz''), opened in 1905, resting place of many distinguished figures of Ostrów, and Greater Poland insurgents, including the first fallen insurgent * Park 3 Maja (''3 May Park'') * Park Miejski (''Municipal Park'') * Ogród Bracki (''Bracki Garden'') File:Ostrów-wlkp,-Ratusz.jpg, City hall at the Market Square File:Ostrow Wielkopolski konkatedra 2011-05.jpg, Ostrów Wielkopolski Co-Cathedral File:Ostrów Wielkopolski, kościół MB Królowej Polski (02).jpg, Virgin Mary Queen of Poland church File:Ostrow Wielkopolski ul Gimnazjalna 9-Gimnazjum Meskie 1845-1925-700 A06.JPG, I Liceum Ogólnokształcące File:Budynek-poczty-w-Ostrowie-Wielkopolskim-z-1886r..jpg, Main Post Office File:Kasa pozyczkowa miasta ostrowa.JPG, Facades of old townhouses in the city center File:Old Cemetery in Ostrów Wielkopolski.jpg, Old Cemetery File:Ostrów Wielkopolski, kwatera grobów uczestników powstania wielkopolskiego,jpg.jpg, Graves of participants of the Greater Poland Uprising File:Kard. M. Ledóchowski.jpg, Monument of Mieczysław Halka-Ledóchowski File:Ostrow Wielkopolski ul Wroclawska 51-d.Wyzsza szkola dla Dziewczat-ob.Gimnazjum-729 A08.JPG, Elementary School No. 2 File:Ostrow Wlkp-fasada boznicy noca.jpg, Former synagogue File:Ostrów Wielkopolski, Park Miejski 2018 (2).jpg, Park Miejski

Education

* Społeczna Wyższa Szkoła Przedsiębiorczości i Zarządzania in

Łódź Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of cant ...

, branch in Ostrów Wlkp. * Technical University of Łódź, branch in Ostrów Wlkp.

Sports

Stal Ostrów Wielkopolski Stal Ostrów Wielkopolski, also known as Arged BM Slam Stal Ostrów Wielkopolski for sponsorship reasons, is a Polish basketball team, based in Ostrów Wielkopolski. They play in the Polish Basketball League (PLK) since its promotion back in 2015 ...

– men's basketball team, playing in the Polska Liga Koszykówki (top division), 2020–21 season champions, 2019 Polish Basketball Cup winners * Ostrovia 1909 Ostrów Wielkopolski – men's soccer team *

KM Ostrów Wielkopolski Klub Motorowy Ostrów Wielkopolski (''Motor Club Ostrów Wielkopolski'') was a Polish motorcycle speedway team based in Ostrów Wielkopolski who currently race in First League (2nd division). The club never won Team Polish Champion title. They ...

– speedway team From 5 July to 20 July 2013 Ostrów Wielkopolski hosted the 17th European Gliding Championships. Local pilot Łukasz Błaszczyk took a bronze medal in the

Club Class Competition classes in gliding, as in other sports, mainly exist to ensure fairness in competition. However the classes have not been targeted at fostering technological development as in other sports. Instead classes have arisen because of: * t ...

.Website of 17th European Gliding Championships
/ref>

Notable people

* Bartłomiej Jaszka (born 1983), Polish handball player *

Krzysztof Komeda Krzysztof Trzciński (27 April 1931 – 23 April 1969), known professionally as Krzysztof Komeda, was a Polish film music composer and jazz pianist. Perhaps best known for his work in film scores, Komeda wrote the scores for Roman Polanski’s f ...

(1931–1969), Polish film score composer and jazz pianist * Krzysztof Kwiatkowski (born 1971), computer scientist, researcher, software developer; former Minister of Justice * Moritz Landé (1829–1888), German architect * Krzysztof Lijewski (born 1983), Polish handball player *

Marcin Lijewski Marcin Lijewski (born 21 September 1977) is a former Polish handball player and the current coach of Poland. As a player he received a silver medal with the Polish team at the 2007 World Men's Handball Championship in Germany and a bronze medal ...

(born 1977), Polish handball player *

Władysław Marcinkowski Władysław Marcinkowski (June 16, 1858 in Mieszków, Greater Poland Voivodeship – December 10, 1947 in Poznań) was a Polish sculptor who created a monument of Adam Mickiewicz in Milosław. He was commander of Organizacja Wojskowa Zwi ...

(1858–1947), Polish sculptor *

Władysław Markiewicz Władysław Markiewicz (2 January 1920 – 18 January 2017) was a Polish sociologist; professor of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań since 1966, and Warsaw University since 1972, director of the Western Institute (Instytut Zachodni) in Pozna� ...

(1920–2017), Polish sociologist * Mateusz Ponitka (born 1993), Polish basketball player * Bernhard Rawitz (1857–1932), German anatomist *

Manfred von Richthofen Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen (; 2 May 1892 – 21 April 1918), known in English as Baron von Richthofen or the Red Baron, was a fighter pilot with the German Air Force during World War I. He is considered the ace-of-aces of t ...

(1892–1918), "

Red Baron Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a seco ...

", German fighter pilot (World War I); briefly stationed in the city's cavalry unit before being sent to the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

* Jan Żniniewicz (1872–1952), Polish physician, author of the new method of

hydrotherapy Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy and also called water cure, is a branch of alternative medicine (particularly naturopathy), occupational therapy, and physiotherapy, that involves the use of water for pain relief and treatment. The te ...

(balneological method of treatment of chronic rheumatic diseases)

International relations

Twin towns — sister cities

Ostrów Wielkopolski is

twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...

with:

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ostrow Wielkopolski Cities and towns in Greater Poland Voivodeship Poznań Voivodeship (1921–1939)