Trzcińsko-Zdrój (; ) is a town in Gryfino County,

West Pomeranian Voivodeship West Pomeranian Voivodeship is a Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship (province) in northwestern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Szczecin. Its area equals , and in 2021, it was inhabited by 1,682,003 people. It was established on 1 Janua ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, with 2,591 inhabitants (2005). It is also the centre of an urban-rural municipality with the same name, an area of about 170 km², and about 5700 inhabitants (2010). It is situated on the Rurzyca River and the western shore of Miejskie Lake.

History

The territory became part of the emerging Polish state under its first ruler Mieszko I in the 10th century. The town probably originated from a Pomeranian settlement at an important trading route between

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

and the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...

and has been a commercial centre ever since. In 1248 the settlement was known as ''Sconenvlete''. Shortly after, the area came under the jurisdiction of the

Margraviate of Brandenburg The Margraviate of Brandenburg () was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806 that, having electoral status although being quite poor, grew rapidly in importance after inheriting the Duchy of Prussia in 1618 and then came ...

. The merchant's house, built in the town centre in the 13th century, soon became the town hall. In 1281 the town was recorded as ''Schowenfliet'' which later changed into the High German ''Schönfliess''. In the 14th century the town gained additional rights such as the one to a free market and the exemption from customs within the New March. From 1373 the town was part of the

Lands of the Bohemian Crown The Lands of the Bohemian Crown were the states in Central Europe during the Middle Ages, medieval and early modern periods with feudalism, feudal obligations to the List of Bohemian monarchs, Bohemian kings. The crown lands primarily consisted o ...

(or ''Czech Lands''), ruled by the Luxembourg dynasty. In 1402, the Luxembourgs reached an agreement with

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

. Poland was to buy and re-incorporate the town and its surroundings, but eventually the Luxembourgs sold it to the

Teutonic Order The Teutonic Order is a religious order (Catholic), Catholic religious institution founded as a military order (religious society), military society in Acre, Israel, Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Sa ...

, whose rule lasted until 1454. It was burned down in 1433 during the

Hussite Wars The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars or the Hussite Revolution, were a series of civil wars fought between the Hussites and the combined Catholic forces of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, a ...

. Margrave John of Custrin, who took over the area in 1538, introduced the teachings of the Protestant

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

. During the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

Schönfliess suffered major damage during occupations by the Imperial army in 1627 and by the troops of

Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden Gustavus Adolphus (9 December ld Style and New Style dates, N.S 19 December15946 November ld Style and New Style dates, N.S 16 November1632), also known in English as Gustav II Adolf or Gustav II Adolph, was King of Sweden from 1611 t ...

in 1630, and was burned down by Wallenstein's troops in 1634. After the

Napoleonic wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

, economic development accelerated, and with the growth of the town, extra gates were broken into the old fortifications, parts of which were removed. Large parts of the town walls with several towers and two gates still exist to this day. Mud baths opened in Schönfliess in the late 19th century, and the town became a health resort and gained the official title ''Bad'' in 1907. Between 1871 and 1945 the town was part of Germany. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, it became again part of Poland. The town was renamed to ''Trzcińsko-Zdrój''. The spa closed in 1948 and was relocated to Połczyn-Zdrój, necessitated by the establishment of a Soviet airfield in nearby Chojna.

Notable residents

* Paul Billerbeck (1853–1932), German Lutheran minister and scholar * Max Kahlow (1894-?), German

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

flying ace

References

External links

Official town webpage
{{Authority control Cities and towns in West Pomeranian Voivodeship Gryfino County Populated lakeshore places in Poland Populated riverside places in Poland Spa towns in Poland