Wolin (
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
pronouciation: ; formerly german: Wollin) is a town in northwestern
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 ...
, situated on the southern tip of the
Wolin
Wolin (; formerly german: Wollin ) is the name both of a Polish island in the Baltic Sea, just off the Polish coast, and a town on that island. Administratively, the island belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. Wolin is separated from the ...
island off the
Baltic
Baltic may refer to:
Peoples and languages
* Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian
*Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originati ...
coast of the historic region of
Western Pomerania
Historical Western Pomerania, also called Cispomerania, Fore Pomerania, Front Pomerania or Hither Pomerania (german: Vorpommern), is the western extremity of the historic region of Pomerania forming the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, Weste ...
. The island lies at the edge of the
strait
A strait is an oceanic landform connecting two seas or two other large areas of water. The surface water generally flows at the same elevation on both sides and through the strait in either direction. Most commonly, it is a narrow ocean channe ...
of
Dziwna in
Kamień County,
West Pomeranian Voivodeship
The West Pomeranian Voivodeship, also known as the West Pomerania Province, is a voivodeship (province) in northwestern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Szczecin. Its area equals 22 892.48 km² (8,838.84 sq mi), and in 2021, it was i ...
.
The town, now a
fishing port
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ha ...
and gateway to the island's bathing resorts, has a population of approximately 4,900. Dating from the 9th century, it has been associated with the semi-legendary settlements of
Jomsburg
Jomsborg or Jómsborg (german: Jomsburg) was a semi-legendary Viking stronghold at the southern coast of the Baltic Sea (medieval Wendland, modern Pomerania), that existed between the 960s and 1043. Its inhabitants were known as Jomsvikings. Joms ...
, Jumne, Julin and
Vineta
Vineta (sometimes ''Wineta'') is the name of a mythical city at the southern coast of the Baltic Sea. The myth evolved around the tradition about the medieval emporium called Jumne, Jomsborg (with which Vineta is sometimes identified), Julin or s ...
.
[Johannes Hoops, ]Herbert Jankuhn
Herbert Jankuhn (8 August 1905 – 30 April 1990) was a German archaeologist of Prussian Lithuanian heritage who specialized in the archaeology of Germanic peoples. He is best known for his excavations at the Viking Age site of Hedeby, and for h ...
, Heinrich Beck, ''Reallexikon der germanischen Altertumskunde Band 16'', 2nd edition, Walter de Gruyter, 2000, pp.120-121, It played an important role in the
conversion of Pomerania
Medieval Pomerania was converted from Slavic paganism to Christianity by Otto von Bamberg in 1124 and 1128 (Duchy of Pomerania), and in 1168 by Absalon (Principality of Rügen).
Earlier attempts at Christianization, undertaken since the 10th ce ...
and in 1140 became the first see of the
Pomeranian diocese. Several ruins from the
Slavic period occupy the area. The early medieval town fell victim to the late 12th century Danish raids, and was refounded in 1260.
History
![Wolin](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/Wolin._Centrum_Slowian_i_Wikingow_%283%29.JPG)
The
ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
across the river Dziwna on which Wolin is located has been used as far back as the
Stone Age
The Stone Age was a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used to make tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years, and ended between 4,000 BC and 2,000 BC, with t ...
. Archaeological excavations of soil layers indicate that there was a settlement in the area during the
Migration period
The Migration Period was a period in European history marked by large-scale migrations that saw the fall of the Western Roman Empire and subsequent settlement of its former territories by various tribes, and the establishment of the post-Roman ...
, at the turn of the 5th and 6th centuries. The place was then abandoned for approximately hundred years. At the end of the 8th or the beginning of the 9th century the area was leveled and a new settlement constructed. The earliest evidence of fortifications dates to the first half of the 9th century. In the second half of the 9th century there was a central fortified area and two suburbs, to the north and south of the center. These became enclosed and fortified between the end of the 9th and the 10th centuries.
In the 8th century there was a
West Slavic settlement on the island. The name of the local tribe was recorded as "
Velunzani
The Wolinians ( la, Velunzani, Uelunzani, pl, Wolinianie) were a Lechitic tribe in Early Middle Age Pomerania. They were first mentioned as "Velunzani" with 70 ''civitates'' by the Bavarian Geographer, ca. 845.Johannes Hoops, Herbert Jankuhn, He ...
" (Wolinians) in the 9th century by the
Bavarian Geographer The epithet "Bavarian Geographer" ( la, Geographus Bavarus) is the conventional name for the anonymous author of a short Latin medieval text containing a list of the tribes in Central-Eastern Europe, headed ().
The name "Bavarian Geographer" was ...
, and is considered a sub-tribe of both the
Slavic Pomeranians and the
Veleti
The Veleti, also known as Wilzi, Wielzians, and Wiltzes, were a group of medieval Lechitic tribes within the territory of Hither Pomerania, related to Polabian Slavs. They had formed together the Confederation of the Veleti, a loose monarchic c ...
(later Lutizians). The Wolinians are described by Jan Maria Piskorski as the most powerful Pomeranian tribe,
[Jan M Piskorski, ''Pommern im Wandel der Zeiten'', p.30, ] due to their control of a multi-ethnic
emporium at the site of the present-day town.
[Jan M Piskorski, ''Pommern im Wandel der Zeiten'', p.31, ] Similar emporia were also set up elsewhere along the southern coastline of the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...
since the 8th century.
![Wolin X w](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/Wolin_X_w.jpg)
This emporium, by contemporary chronicles referred to as ''Jumne'' or ''Julin'', began to prosper in the 9th century. Archaeological research has revealed seaside fortifications that have been dated back to the beginning 10th century, and also remnants of older fortifications, probably pointing to an earlier
burgh
A burgh is an autonomous municipal corporation in Scotland and Northern England, usually a city, town, or toun in Scots. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burg ...
with an adjacent open settlement.
[Ole Harck, ''Christian Lübke, Zwischen Reric und Bornhöved: Die Beziehungen zwischen den Dänen und ihren slawischen Nachbarn vom 9. Bis ins 13. Jahrhundert'': Beiträge einer internationalen Konferenz, Leipzig, 4–6 December 1997, Franz Steiner Verlag, 2001, p.13, ] In the 960s, the Jewish merchant
Ibrahim ibn Jakub
Ibrahim ibn Yaqub ( ar, إبراهيم بن يعقوب ''Ibrâhîm ibn Ya'qûb al-Ṭarṭûshi'' or ''al-Ṭurṭûshî''; he, אברהם בן יעקב, ''Avraham ben Yaʿakov''; 961–62) was a tenth-century Hispano-Arabic, Sephardi Jewish tr ...
described the settlement as a town with several thousand inhabitants and twelve gates.
[ Besides the Wolinians, there were ]Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...
n, Saxons
The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic
*
*
*
*
peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...
and Rus' (people)
The Rusʹ (Old East Slavic: Рѹсь; Belarusian, Russian, Rusyn, and Ukrainian: Русь; Old Norse: '' Garðar''; Greek: Ῥῶς, ''Rhos'') were a people in early medieval eastern Europe. The scholarly consensus holds that they were origi ...
.[ Later, the town was mentioned in the chronicles of ]Adam of Bremen
Adam of Bremen ( la, Adamus Bremensis; german: Adam von Bremen) (before 1050 – 12 October 1081/1085) was a German medieval chronicler. He lived and worked in the second half of the eleventh century. Adam is most famous for his chronicle ''Gesta ...
.[ Adam mentioned a lighthouse, which he described as "the lamp of Vulcan".][ All these descriptions contributed to the ]Vineta
Vineta (sometimes ''Wineta'') is the name of a mythical city at the southern coast of the Baltic Sea. The myth evolved around the tradition about the medieval emporium called Jumne, Jomsborg (with which Vineta is sometimes identified), Julin or s ...
legend.[ Though other towns are also considered possible locations of Vineta, it is believed today to be identical with Wolin. The same is true for ]Jomsborg
Jomsborg or Jómsborg (german: Jomsburg) was a semi-legendary Viking stronghold at the southern coast of the Baltic Sea (medieval Wendland, modern Pomerania), that existed between the 960s and 1043. Its inhabitants were known as Jomsvikings. Joms ...
, a stronghold set up by Danish king Harald Bluetooth
Harald "Bluetooth" Gormsson ( non, Haraldr Blátǫnn Gormsson; da, Harald Blåtand Gormsen, died c. 985/86) was a king of Denmark and Norway.
He was the son of King Gorm the Old and of Thyra Dannebod. Harald ruled as king of Denmark from c. 95 ...
and Swedish prince Styrbjörn in the course of Harald's internal struggles with his son, Sweyn Forkbeard
Sweyn Forkbeard ( non, Sveinn Haraldsson tjúguskegg ; da, Svend Tveskæg; 17 April 963 – 3 February 1014) was King of Denmark from 986 to 1014, also at times King of the English and King of Norway. He was the father of King Harald II of D ...
, in the 970s or 980s, which housed a garrison of soldiers known as Jomsvikings
The Jomsvikings were purportedly a legendary order of Viking mercenaries or conquerors of the 10th and 11th centuries. Though reputed to be staunchly dedicated to the worship of the Old Norse gods, they would allegedly fight for any lord who ...
.
In the late 10th century, the Polish dukes Mieszko I
Mieszko I (; – 25 May 992) was the first ruler of Poland and the founder of the first independent Polish state, the Duchy of Poland. His reign stretched from 960 to his death and he was a member of the Piast dynasty, a son of Siemomysł and ...
and Bolesław I Chrobry Boleslav or Bolesław may refer to:
In people:
* Boleslaw (given name)
In geography:
* Bolesław, Dąbrowa County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland
* Bolesław, Olkusz County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland
* Bolesław, Silesian Voivodeship, ...
subdued parts of Pomerania
Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to ...
and also fought the Wolinians.[ Despite a victory of Mieszko in a 967 battle, the Polish dukes, according to Jan Maria Piskorski, did not succeed to subdue the area.][ ]Władysław Filipowiak
Władysław Filipowiak (29 April 1926 – 31 March 2014) was a Polish professor, writer, and archaeologist. He was a director of the National Museum in Szczecin.
He was the author of over 200 publications in the field of early medieval arch ...
however says that the battle "probably led to the establishment of the rule of the winner over the town." In 1982, Joachim Herrmann suggested that Boleslaw had established a Viking
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
colony under Palnatoki Palnatoke or Palnatoki, sometimes written Palna-Toki or Palna Toki (Old Norse: or ), was a legendary Danish hero and chieftain of the island of Fyn. According to the ''Jómsvíkinga saga'', Palnatoki founded the brotherhood of Jomsvikings and esta ...
there to defend his realm, a thesis that in 2000 had been revisited by Leszek Słupecki who like Władysław Duczko (2000) called for further research on resident Vikings in Jomsborg
Jomsborg or Jómsborg (german: Jomsburg) was a semi-legendary Viking stronghold at the southern coast of the Baltic Sea (medieval Wendland, modern Pomerania), that existed between the 960s and 1043. Its inhabitants were known as Jomsvikings. Joms ...
/Wolin. Filipowiak says that, based on the archaeological evidence, "there might actually have existed in Wolin a mercenary company placed by the Piast rulers in the unruly town, which in 1007 informed the German Emperor that Boleslaw the Brave had been weaving a dangerous plot," but also points out the need for further research on this subject.[ The meeting with ]Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry II (german: Heinrich II; it, Enrico II; 6 May 973 – 13 July 1024), also known as Saint Henry the Exuberant, Obl. S. B., was Holy Roman Emperor ("Romanorum Imperator") from 1014. He died without an heir in 1024, and was the last ruler ...
in Regensburg
Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the f ...
on 6 April 1007 resulted in the latter declaring war on Boleslaw, after Wolinian and other delegates had reported that Boleslaw was preparing for war and had sought their support by offering money and making promises. Oskar Eggert and Filipowiak say that suggests that the town was independent in its policies by that time. Filipowiak further says that in the 11th century, Wolin became a "save haven for Danish refugees, which in that period led to inner unrest and conflicts as well as pirate activities." Much of Wolin was destroyed in 1043 by Dano-Norwegian King Magnus the Good
Magnus Olafsson (Old Norse: ''Magnús Óláfsson''; Norwegian and Danish: ''Magnus Olavsson''; – 25 October 1047), better known as Magnus the Good (Old Norse: ''Magnús góði'', Norwegian and Danish: ''Magnus den gode''), was King of Norwa ...
, who however failed to conquer its center.[Filipowiak, Wladyslaw: Wollin - ein frühmittelalterliches Zentrum an der Ostsee, in Wieczorek, Alfried; Hinz, Hans (eds.): Europas Mitte um 1000, Stuttgart 2000, pp. 152-155; here p. 154-155.] Also in the mid-11th century, export and wealth were greatly reduced, in part due to the breakdown of the Polish market.[ Yet the Wolinians retained their independence and continued to house refugees from the Danish opposition, causing Danish king Erik I Evergood to mount another campaign in 1098.][
]
In 1121/22, the Polish duke Bolesław III Wrymouth
Bolesław III Wrymouth ( pl, Bolesław III Krzywousty; 20 August 1086 – 28 October 1138), also known as Boleslaus the Wry-mouthed, was the duke of Lesser Poland, Silesia and Sandomierz between 1102 and 1107 and over the whole of Poland between ...
conquered the area along with the Duchy of Pomerania
The Duchy of Pomerania (german: Herzogtum Pommern; pl, Księstwo Pomorskie; Latin: ''Ducatus Pomeraniae'') was a duchy in Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, ruled by dukes of the House of Pomerania (''Griffins''). The country ha ...
under Wartislaw I
Wartislaw I (''Warcisław I'') (around 1092 – August 9, 1135) was the first historical ruler of the Duchy of Pomerania and the founder of the Griffin dynasty.
Most of the information about him comes from the writings on the life of Otto of ...
.[Jan M Piskorski, ''Pommern im Wandel der Zeiten'', p.36, ] Boleslaw aimed at Christianizing the area and in 1122 sent the Spanish eremite
A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions.
Description
In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...
Bernard on a mission to Wolin.[ The inhabitants, reluctant to convert to a religion of a man who did not even wear shoes, beat him up badly and expelled him.][ With the approval of both ]Lothair III, Holy Roman Emperor
Lothair III, sometimes numbered Lothair II and also known as Lothair of Supplinburg (1075 – 4 December 1137), was Holy Roman Emperor from 1133 until his death. He was appointed Duke of Saxony in 1106 and elected King of Germany in 1125 before ...
, and Pope Callixtus II
Pope Callixtus II or Callistus II ( – 13 December 1124), born Guy of Burgundy, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1 February 1119 to his death in 1124. His pontificate was shaped by the Investiture Controversy, ...
, Boleslaw initiated another mission of Saint Otto of Bamberg
Otto of Bamberg (1060 or 1061 – 30 June 1139) was a German missionary and papal legate who converted much of medieval Pomerania to Christianity. He was the bishop of Bamberg from 1102 until his death. He was canonized in 1189.
Early life
Th ...
in 1124. When Otto, a respected and wealthy man accompanied by German and Polish clergymen and military units, arrived in Wolin, he had already successfully converted the Pyritz and Cammin areas. Yet, he was met with distrust, and the town's inhabitants finally gave in to convert to Christianity only if Otto managed to convert Szczecin
Szczecin (, , german: Stettin ; sv, Stettin ; Latin: ''Sedinum'' or ''Stetinum'') is the capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the German border, it is a major s ...
, which the Wolinians assumed was unachievable.[Jan M Piskorski, ''Pommern im Wandel der Zeiten'', 1999, p.39, ] Yet, when Otto after two months of work and threatening with another military intervention managed to convert Szczecin, he returned to Wolin and the Wolinians accepted conversion.[
Otto's second mission in 1128 was initiated by ]Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...
Lothair in 1128 after a pagan reaction.[Jan M Piskorski, ''Pommern im Wandel der Zeiten'', 1999, p.40, ] While this second mission was oriented more towards Western Pomerania
Historical Western Pomerania, also called Cispomerania, Fore Pomerania, Front Pomerania or Hither Pomerania (german: Vorpommern), is the western extremity of the historic region of Pomerania forming the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, Weste ...
, Otto also visited Wolin again.[ ]Wartislaw I, Duke of Pomerania
Wartislaw I (''Warcisław I'') (around 1092 – August 9, 1135) was the first historical ruler of the Duchy of Pomerania and the founder of the Griffin dynasty.
Most of the information about him comes from the writings on the life of Otto of Ba ...
supported and aided both missions. In 1140, Wolin was made the first episcopal see in Pomerania: Pope Innocent II
Pope Innocent II ( la, Innocentius II; died 24 September 1143), born Gregorio Papareschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 February 1130 to his death in 1143. His election as pope was controversial and the fi ...
founded the diocese by a papal bull of 14 October, and made Wolin's church of ''St. Adalbert'' its see.[Norbert Buske, ''Pommern'', Helms Schwerin 1997, p.14, ]Kyra T. Inachin
Kyra T. Inachin (19 May 1968 – 10 January 2012) was a German historian.
Biography
Kyra T. Inachin was born in New York City and grew up in Lampertheim, West Germany.
From 1987 to 1992 she studied history, anglistics and political sciences ...
, ''Die Geschichte Pommerns'', Hinstorff Rostock, 2008, p.15, However, the see was moved to Grobe Abbey
Usedom Abbey (german: Kloster Usedom) was a medieval Premonstratensian monastery on the isle of Usedom (Western Pomerania, Germany) near the town of Usedom. It was founded in Grobe and later moved to nearby Pudagla, and is thus also known as Gro ...
on the island of Usedom
Usedom (german: Usedom , pl, Uznam ) is a Baltic Sea island in Pomerania, divided between Germany and Poland. It is the second largest Pomeranian island after Rügen, and the most populous island in the Baltic Sea.
It is north of the Szczecin ...
after 1150.[Norbert Buske, ''Pommern'', Helms Schwerin 1997, p.14-15, ][
]
At the same time Wolin economically decayed and was devastated by Danish expeditions, which contributed to the move of the episkopal see to Grobe.[Jan M Piskorski, ''Pommern im Wandel der Zeiten'', 1999, p.48, ] The Danish campaigns completely wiped out the town in the late 12th century.[Jan M Piskorski, ''Pommern im Wandel der Zeiten'', 1999, p.43, ]
On the ruins of the early medieval town, a new town was founded and granted Lübeck Law
The Lübeck law (german: Lübisches (Stadt)Recht) was the family of codified municipal law developed at Lübeck, which became a free imperial city in 1226 and is located in present day Schleswig-Holstein. It was the second most prevalent form of ...
. The town remained in the Duchy of Pomerania
The Duchy of Pomerania (german: Herzogtum Pommern; pl, Księstwo Pomorskie; Latin: ''Ducatus Pomeraniae'') was a duchy in Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, ruled by dukes of the House of Pomerania (''Griffins''). The country ha ...
(which was a vassal of Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
from 1185, and afterwards was within the Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...
since 1227), passing with the duchy to the Swedish Crown
The Swedish Crown ( pl, Korona Szwedzka), also known as the "Purchased Crown" (''Zakupiona Korona''), was a part of the Polish Crown Jewels.
History
The crown was made for King Sigismund II Augustus. After Sigismund's death, it was pawned to Gi ...
following the Treaty of Stettin (1630)
The Treaty of Stettin ( sv, Traktaten or ''Fördraget i Stettin'') or Alliance of Stettin (german: Stettiner Allianz) was the legal framework for the occupation of the Duchy of Pomerania by the Swedish Empire during the Thirty Years' War. Conclu ...
, the Peace of Westphalia
The Peace of Westphalia (german: Westfälischer Friede, ) is the collective name for two peace treaties signed in October 1648 in the Westphalian cities of Osnabrück and Münster. They ended the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) and brought pea ...
(1648) and the Treaty of Stettin (1653)
The Treaty of Stettin (german: Grenzrezeß von Stettin) of 4 May 1653Heitz (1995), p.232 settled a dispute between Brandenburg and Sweden, who both claimed succession in the Duchy of Pomerania after the extinction of the local House of Pomerania ...
. Since the Treaty of Stockholm (Great Northern War)
__NOTOC__
The Treaties of Stockholm are two treaties signed in 1719 and 1720 that ended the war between Sweden and an alliance of Hanover and Prussia.
Aspects of the conflict that remained unresolved would be dealt with by two further treaties: ...
of 1720, it was incorporated into the Prussian
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...
Province of Pomerania.
The town subsequently became part of the German Empire
The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
in 1871, then its successor states the Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional federal republic for the first time in history; hence it is al ...
and the Third Reich
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 ...
. During 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 Germans operated a forced labour
Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, violence including death, or other forms of ex ...
camp for French and Belgian
Belgian may refer to:
* Something of, or related to, Belgium
* Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent
* Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German
*Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...
prisoners of war from the Stalag II-B
Stalag II-B was a German World War II prisoner-of-war camp situated west of the town of Hammerstein, Pomerania (now Czarne, Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland) on the north side of the railway line. It housed Polish, French, Belgian, Serbian, Dutch ...
POW camp
A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured by a belligerent power in time of war.
There are significant differences among POW camps, internment camps, and military prisons. P ...
. In 1945, with the conclusion of the Second World War, Wollin was conquered by the Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
and handed over to Poland and the German population was expelled in accordance to the Potsdam Agreement
The Potsdam Agreement (german: Potsdamer Abkommen) was the agreement between three of the Allies of World War II: the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Soviet Union on 1 August 1945. A product of the Potsdam Conference, it concerned th ...
. The town was once again named Wolin and resettled by Poles.
Gallery
File:Wolin Most Centrum.jpg, Dziwna strait in Wolin
File:Wolin rynek 2016-08-31 p.jpg, Town centre with the town hall
File:Wolin - biblioteka 2015-11-11 14-05-11.JPG, Library
File:Wolin poczta (2).jpg, Post office
File:Wolin - Zamkowa 16.jpg, Institute of Archeology and Ethnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences
The Polish Academy of Sciences ( pl, Polska Akademia Nauk, PAN) is a Polish state-sponsored institution of higher learning. Headquartered in Warsaw, it is responsible for spearheading the development of science across the country by a society of ...
File:Wolin, Museum (2011-07-24) by Klugschnacker in Wikipedia.jpg, Regional Museum
Notable people
* Johannes Bugenhagen
Johannes Bugenhagen (24 June 1485 – 20 April 1558), also called ''Doctor Pomeranus'' by Martin Luther, was a German theologian and Lutheran priest who introduced the Protestant Reformation in the Duchy of Pomerania and Denmark in the 16th ce ...
(1485–1558) introduced the Protestant Reformation in the Duchy of Pomerania and Denmark
* Anna Maria of Brandenburg
Anna Maria of Brandenburg (3 February 1567 in Zechlin Palace, Rheinberg – 14 November 1618 in Wolin (town), Wolin) was a Electorate of Brandenburg, Princess of Brandenburg by birth and marriage Duchess of Duchy of Pomerania, Pomerania.
Life
An ...
(1567 – 1618 in Wollin) Princess of Brandenburg by birth and marriage Duchess of Pomerania.
* Ferdinand Wittmann
Ferdinand Wittmann (September 11, 1836 – 1868) was a German sixfold poisoner who used arsenic. He was the youngest serial killer in German criminal history.
Life
After his training as a bookbinder, he opened a bookbindery in Wollin in 1859. ...
(1836 - executed 1868) a German six-fold poisoner who used arsenic, ran a bookbindery in Wollin
* Ernst Georg Ferdinand Küster
Ernst Georg Ferdinand Küster (2 November 1839 – 19 April 1930) was a German surgeon born in Wollin.
He studied medicine in Bonn, Würzburg and Berlin, and following graduation worked as an assistant to Robert Ferdinand Wilms (1824–1880) at ...
(1839–1930), A German surgeon, developed modern radical mastoidectomy for treatment of chronic ear disease
* Gertrud Meissner (1895-1985) was a German medical doctor, she worked on medical bacteriology, serology
Serology is the scientific study of Serum (blood), serum and other body fluids. In practice, the term usually refers to the medical diagnosis, diagnostic identification of Antibody, antibodies in the serum. Such antibodies are typically formed in r ...
and the chemotherapy of tuberculosis
* Robert Rozanski (born 1961) a Norwegian sprint canoer who competed 1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...
* Marzena Cieślik (born 1981), Polish model
* Ania Malinowska (born 1979), cultural theorist, poet and author
Twin towns
Notes
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolin (Town)
Cities and towns in West Pomeranian Voivodeship
Kamień County