Zawkrze, also Zawkrze Land ( pl, ziemia zawkrzańska), is a small historic region of Poland (
ziemia
Land is a historical unit of administration in Poland and Ruthenia.
In the Polish language, the term is not capitalization, capitalized (''ziemia chełmińska'', Chelmno Land; not ''Ziemia Chełmińska''). All ''ziemias'' are named after main urb ...
), located in northern
Mazovia
Mazovia or Masovia ( pl, Mazowsze) is a historical region in mid-north-eastern Poland. It spans the North European Plain, roughly between Łódź and Białystok, with Warsaw being the unofficial capital and largest city. Throughout the centurie ...
, along the border with
Masuria
Masuria (, german: Masuren, Masurian: ''Mazurÿ'') is a ethnographic and geographic region in northern and northeastern Poland, known for its 2,000 lakes. Masuria occupies much of the Masurian Lake District. Administratively, it is part of the ...
. Its approximate area is , and the population is about 114,000. Currently, Zawkrze has three towns, and more than 200 villages. Its name comes from the
Wkra river – Zawkrze means ''the land behind the Wkra'', from the perspective of
Płock
Płock (pronounced ) is a city in central Poland, on the Vistula river, in the Masovian Voivodeship. According to the data provided by GUS on 31 December 2021, there were 116,962 inhabitants in the city. Its full ceremonial name, according to th ...
, the historic capital of Mazovia. The largest town of the region is
Mława
Mława (; yi, מלאווע ''Mlave'') is a town in north-east Poland with 30,403 inhabitants in 2020. It is the capital of Mława County. It is situated in the Masovian Voivodeship.
During the invasion of Poland in 1939, the battle of Mława was ...
, while the historic capital of Zawkrze is
Szreńsk.
Zawkrze lies between the Wkra (in the south), Dzialdowka (in the west), Orzyca and
Łydynia
Łydynia is a river of north-eastern central Poland, a left tributary of the Wkra at the town of Sochocin, with an overall length of 72 kilometers.http://portalwiedzy.onet.pl/54590,,,,lydynia,haslo.html (Polish language)
The river flows past Cie ...
(in the east) rivers, and the former border with
Prussia
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 ...
in the north. The northern border was established by the
Treaty of Kalisz in 1343. From east to west, Zawkrze is some , while from north to south – some . Currently, Zawkrze is divided between five counties and two
voivodeship
A voivodeship is the area administered by a voivode (Governor) in several countries of central and eastern Europe. Voivodeships have existed since medieval times and the area of extent of voivodeship resembles that of a duchy in western medieval ...
s - Mława,
Żuromin
Żuromin is a town in north-central Poland, in Masovian Voivodeship, about northwest of Warsaw. It is the capital of Żuromin County.
History
Żuromin was founded within medieval Piast-ruled Poland. It was mentioned in documents in the 13th c ...
,
Ciechanów
Ciechanów is a city in north-central Poland. From 1975 to 1998, it was the capital of the Ciechanów Voivodeship. Since 1999, it has been situated in the Masovian Voivodeship. As of December 2021, it has a population of 43,495.
History
The ...
,
Nidzica
Nidzica (former pl, Nibork; ) (Old Prussian: Nīdaspils) is a town in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship of Poland, lying between Olsztyn and Mława, in Masuria. The capital of Nidzica County, it had a population in 2017 of 13,872.
History
Th ...
and
Działdowo
Działdowo (german: Soldau) (Old Prussian: Saldawa) is a town in northern Poland with 20,935 inhabitants as of December 2021, the capital of Działdowo County. As part of Masuria, it is situated in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship (since 1999), D ...
. It has three towns, Mława, Żuromin,
Glinojeck, as well as three former towns –
Kuczbork,
Niedzbórz and Szreńsk. There is a sports club "Zawkrze" Mława, as well as a Museum of the Zawkrze Region, also in Mława.
In the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
, Zawkrze was part of the Duchy of
Plock. From 1384 to 1399 and from 1407 to 1411, Zawkrze was
pawned to the
Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians o ...
by Duke of Mazovia,
Siemowit IV. In 1494, during the reign of King
Jan Olbracht
John I Albert ( pl, Jan I Olbracht; 27 December 1459 – 17 June 1501) was King of Poland from 1492 until his death in 1501 and Duke of Głogów (Glogau) from 1491 to 1498. He was the fourth Polish sovereign from the Jagiellonian dynasty, the ...
, Zawkrze was annexed by 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 exi ...
, in which it was part of
Plock Voivodeship. It was divided into three counties (Szreńsk, Mława and Niedzborz), and its boundaries remained unchanged until the
Partitions of Poland. Following the second partition (1793), the northern part of Zawkrze was annexed by the
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''. ...
, and in 1795, the whole Zawkrze became part of Prussia. From 1815 to 1918, Zawkrze belonged to Russian-controlled
Congress Poland.
Sources
History of Zawkrze
External links
Webpage of the Zawkrze Museum in Mlawa
{{coord, 53.116667, 20.366667, format=dms, display=title, type:landmark
Masovia
Ziemias