Miedzyrzecz
Encyclopedia
Międzyrzecz m is a town in western Poland
with 18,584 inhabitants (September 30, 2008). The capital of Międzyrzecz County
, it was part of the Gorzów Wielkopolski Voivodeship from 1975–1998. Since the Local Government Reorganization Act of 1998, Międzyrzecz has been situated in the Lubusz Voivodeship
. It is located between the town of Skwierzyna
and the town of Świebodzin
, and stands at the confluence of the rivers Obra
and Paklica.
The town is situated in a particularly green part of Poland. Extensive forests and numerous lakes can be found in the vicinity.
to Gniezno
was first mentioned in the course of the 1005 campaign of King Henry II of Germany
into the Polish lands of Duke Bolesław I Chrobry. Located close to the border with the Holy Roman Empire
, it remained a western outpost of the Duchy of Greater Poland established by the 1138 Testament of Bolesław III Krzywousty. Under King Casimir III the Great (1333-1370) German settlers moved into the area in the course of the Ostsiedlung
. Town privileges were confirmed by King Casimir IV Jagiellon
in 1485.
Until 1793 the town was part of the Polish crown lands of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. In the Second Partition of Poland
it was annexed together with the whole region of Greater Poland
by the Kingdom of Prussia
. From 1793 it belonged to Prussia and, after the Unification of Germany
, to Germany until 1945. The town at first was part of South Prussia
in 1793, was ceded to the Poznań Department
of the Napoleonic Duchy of Warsaw
in the 1807 Treaties of Tilsit
, fell back to the Prussian Grand Duchy of Posen in 1815 and from 1848-1919 belonged to the Province of Posen
.
In 1919, upon the Greater Poland Uprising
and the ruling according to the Treaty of Versailles
, the town was part of the small, mostwestern part of Greater Poland which remained part of Weimar Germany
and was located close to the border to the Second Polish Republic
. From 1922 these lands were administrated as the Prussian Province of Posen-West Prussia
with Meseritz becoming the seat of the Landeshauptmann
governor, until in 1938 the province was dissolved and Meseritz was incorporated into the Province of Brandenburg
. At that time the townspeople were predominantly Ethnic German
until the end of World War II
, when the German population was expelled
and replaced by Poles who had been expelled or left Ukraine
and Lithuania
. It was occupied by Red Army
in 31 January 1945 and left to Poland by USSR in 15 March, 1945.
with:
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
with 18,584 inhabitants (September 30, 2008). The capital of Międzyrzecz County
Miedzyrzecz County
Międzyrzecz County is a unit of territorial administration and local government in Lubusz Voivodeship, western Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its administrative seat and largest town is Międzyrzecz, which lies ...
, it was part of the Gorzów Wielkopolski Voivodeship from 1975–1998. Since the Local Government Reorganization Act of 1998, Międzyrzecz has been situated in the Lubusz Voivodeship
Lubusz Voivodeship
- Administrative division :Lubusz Voivodeship is divided into 14 counties : 2 city counties and 12 land counties. These are further divided into 83 gminas....
. It is located between the town of Skwierzyna
Skwierzyna
Skwierzyna is a town of 10,339 inhabitants in Lubusz Voivodeship in western Poland, the administrative seat of the Gmina Skwierzyna. It is located at the confluence of the Obra and Warta rivers, about north of Międzyrzecz and south-east of the regional capital Gorzów Wielkopolski. The town is...
and the town of Świebodzin
Swiebodzin
Świebodzin is a town in western Poland with 21,757 inhabitants . It is the capital of Świebodzin CountyIt was formerly part of the Zielona Góra Voivodeship , a reconfiguration of the old German state of Prussia, the eastern 40% of which was inherited by Poland in 1945, and led to the expulsion of...
, and stands at the confluence of the rivers Obra
Obra
Obra is a river in west Poland, a tributary of the Warta river , with a length of 164 kilometres and the basin area of 2,758 km2. The river is popular with canoe and kayak enthusiasts and an established canoe trail exists....
and Paklica.
The town is situated in a particularly green part of Poland. Extensive forests and numerous lakes can be found in the vicinity.
History
The settlement on the road leading from MagdeburgMagdeburg
Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
to Gniezno
Gniezno
Gniezno is a city in central-western Poland, some 50 km east of Poznań, inhabited by about 70,000 people. One of the Piasts' chief cities, it was mentioned by 10th century A.D. sources as the capital of Piast Poland however the first capital of Piast realm was most likely Giecz built around...
was first mentioned in the course of the 1005 campaign of King Henry II of Germany
Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry II , also referred to as Saint Henry, Obl.S.B., was the fifth and last Holy Roman Emperor of the Ottonian dynasty, from his coronation in Rome in 1014 until his death a decade later. He was crowned King of the Germans in 1002 and King of Italy in 1004...
into the Polish lands of Duke Bolesław I Chrobry. Located close to the border with the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
, it remained a western outpost of the Duchy of Greater Poland established by the 1138 Testament of Bolesław III Krzywousty. Under King Casimir III the Great (1333-1370) German settlers moved into the area in the course of the Ostsiedlung
Ostsiedlung
Ostsiedlung , also called German eastward expansion, was the medieval eastward migration and settlement of Germans from modern day western and central Germany into less-populated regions and countries of eastern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The affected area roughly stretched from Slovenia...
. Town privileges were confirmed by King Casimir IV Jagiellon
Casimir IV Jagiellon
Casimir IV KG of the House of Jagiellon was Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1440, and King of Poland from 1447, until his death.Casimir was the second son of King Władysław II Jagiełło , and the younger brother of Władysław III of Varna....
in 1485.
Until 1793 the town was part of the Polish crown lands of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. In the Second Partition of Poland
Second Partition of Poland
The 1793 Second Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was the second of three partitions that ended the existence of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth by 1795. The second partition occurred in the aftermath of the War in Defense of the Constitution and the Targowica Confederation of 1792...
it was annexed together with the whole region of Greater Poland
Greater Poland
Greater Poland or Great Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska is a historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief city is Poznań.The boundaries of Greater Poland have varied somewhat throughout history...
by the Kingdom of Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
. From 1793 it belonged to Prussia and, after the Unification of Germany
Unification of Germany
The formal unification of Germany into a politically and administratively integrated nation state officially occurred on 18 January 1871 at the Versailles Palace's Hall of Mirrors in France. Princes of the German states gathered there to proclaim Wilhelm of Prussia as Emperor Wilhelm of the German...
, to Germany until 1945. The town at first was part of South Prussia
South Prussia
South Prussia was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1793 to 1807. It was created out of territory annexed in the Second Partition of Poland and included in 1793*the Poznań, Kalisz and Gniezno Voivodeships of Greater Poland;...
in 1793, was ceded to the Poznań Department
Poznan Department
Poznań Department was a unit of administrative division and local government in Polish Duchy of Warsaw in years 1806-1815.Capital city: PoznańAdministrative division: 10 counties....
of the Napoleonic Duchy of Warsaw
Duchy of Warsaw
The Duchy of Warsaw was a Polish state established by Napoleon I in 1807 from the Polish lands ceded by the Kingdom of Prussia under the terms of the Treaties of Tilsit. The duchy was held in personal union by one of Napoleon's allies, King Frederick Augustus I of Saxony...
in the 1807 Treaties of Tilsit
Treaties of Tilsit
The Treaties of Tilsit were two agreements signed by Napoleon I of France in the town of Tilsit in July, 1807 in the aftermath of his victory at Friedland. The first was signed on 7 July, between Tsar Alexander I of Russia and Napoleon I of France, when they met on a raft in the middle of the Neman...
, fell back to the Prussian Grand Duchy of Posen in 1815 and from 1848-1919 belonged to the Province of Posen
Province of Posen
The Province of Posen was a province of Prussia from 1848–1918 and as such part of the German Empire from 1871 to 1918. The area was about 29,000 km2....
.
In 1919, upon the Greater Poland Uprising
Greater Poland Uprising (1918–1919)
The Greater Poland Uprising of 1918–1919, or Wielkopolska Uprising of 1918–1919 or Posnanian War was a military insurrection of Poles in the Greater Poland region against Germany...
and the ruling according to the Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...
, the town was part of the small, mostwestern part of Greater Poland which remained part of Weimar Germany
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
and was located close to the border to the Second Polish Republic
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
. From 1922 these lands were administrated as the Prussian Province of Posen-West Prussia
Posen-West Prussia
The border province of historical period Posen-West Prussia was a province of the Free State of Prussia. The capital was Schneidemühl . The province had an area of 7,695 km², and was located within present-day Poland....
with Meseritz becoming the seat of the Landeshauptmann
Landeshauptmann
Landeshauptmann is a former German gubernatorial title equivalent to that of a governor of a province or a state....
governor, until in 1938 the province was dissolved and Meseritz was incorporated into the Province of Brandenburg
Province of Brandenburg
The Province of Brandenburg was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1815 to 1946.-History:The first people who are known to have inhabited Brandenburg were the Suevi. They were succeeded by the Slavonians, whom Henry II conquered and converted to Christianity in...
. At that time the townspeople were predominantly Ethnic German
Ethnic German
Ethnic Germans historically also ), also collectively referred to as the German diaspora, refers to people who are of German ethnicity. Many are not born in Europe or in the modern-day state of Germany or hold German citizenship...
until the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, when the German population was expelled
Expulsion of Germans after World War II
The later stages of World War II, and the period after the end of that war, saw the forced migration of millions of German nationals and ethnic Germans from various European states and territories, mostly into the areas which would become post-war Germany and post-war Austria...
and replaced by Poles who had been expelled or left Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
and Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
. It was occupied by Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
in 31 January 1945 and left to Poland by USSR in 15 March, 1945.
Twin towns — Sister cities
Międzyrzecz is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with:
| Andrésy Andrésy Andrésy is a commune in the Yvelines department in north-central France.-Twin towns — Sister cities:Andrésy is twinned with: Międzyrzecz, Poland-References:*... , France (since 1997) Bad Freienwalde, Germany (since 2001) Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf is the fourth borough of Berlin, formed in the 2001 administrative reform by merging the former boroughs of Charlottenburg and Wilmersdorf.-Overview:Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf covers the western centre of the City of Berlin... , Germany (since 1993) |
Halderberge Halderberge - Population centres :*Oudenbosch *Hoeven *Oud Gastel *Bosschenhoofd *Stampersgat -Twin towns — Sister cities:Halderberge is twinned with: Międzyrzecz, Poland... , Netherlands (since 1988) Haren, Germany (since 1991) Vlagtwedde Vlagtwedde Vlagtwedde is a municipality in the very southeast of Groningen province in the northeastern Netherlands with seat of local government in the community of Sellingen... , Netherlands (since 1991) |
Sports
- MKS Orzeł Międzyrzecz (founded April 15, 1945) – men's football club (polish league level 5)
- MKS Orzeł Międzyrzecz AZS-AWF (founded 1986) – men's volleyball club (polish league level 2)
- MKT Tenis Club Poland-Orzeł Międzyrzecz (founded November 15, 1993) – men's and women's tennis club
- MSBS Międzyrzecz – men's duplicate bridgeDuplicate bridgeDuplicate bridge is the most widely used variation of contract bridge in club and tournament play. It is called duplicate because the same bridge deal is played at each table and scoring is based on relative performance...
club - UKS Kasztelan Międzyrzecz – junior's sport club
- UKS Gimnazjum 1 Międzyrzecz – junior's sport club
- UKS Orliki Międzyrzecz – junior's sport club
- UKS Trójka Międzyrzecz – junior's sport club
- UKS Dowbor Międzyrzecz – junior's sport club
Notable residents
- Peter BerlingPeter BerlingPeter Berling is a German actor and writer. He has worked on several occasions with director Werner Herzog, in his collaborations with actor Klaus Kinski....
(born 1934), actor - Christian Samuel Theodor BerndChristian Samuel Theodor BerndChristian Samuel Theodor Bernd was a German linguist and heraldist, one of the founders of scientific heraldry....
(1775–1854), scientist - Rudolf E. A. HavensteinRudolf E. A. HavensteinRudolf E. A. Havenstein was a German lawyer and president of the Reichsbank during the hyperinflation of 1921-1923....
(1857–1923), Director of the ReichsbankReichsbankThe Reichsbank was the central bank of Germany from 1876 until 1945. It was founded on 1 January 1876 . The Reichsbank was a privately owned central bank of Prussia, under close control by the Reich government. Its first president was Hermann von Dechend... - Zenon Laskowik (1945–), Kabaret TEYKabaret TEYKabaret TEY was one of the most popular Polish cabarets in 1970s and 1980s. Founded in mid-1960s Zenon Laskowik, Krzysztof Jaślar and Aleksander Gołębiowski as Klops, in 1970 it was transformed into Kabaret TEY and debuted in 1971. Popular members included Bohdan Smoleń, Rudi Schuberth and Janusz...
- Dawid MurekDawid MurekDawid Murek , is a volleyball player from Poland.-Sporting achievements:*Champion of Europe of Juniors *World Champion of Juniors *Champion of Poland , ,...
(1977–), Polish volleyball player
See also
- Międzyrzec PodlaskiMiedzyrzec PodlaskiMiędzyrzec Podlaski is a city in Biała Podlaska County, Lublin Voivodeship, Poland, with the population of 17,162 inhabitants as of 2006. The total area of the city is 20.03 km2...
- Międzyrzecz Fortification Region
- Powiat of Międzyrzecz
- MeseritzMeseritzMeseritz may refer to:* Kreis Meseritz, a historical administrative subdivision of Posen District* German name for Międzyrzec Podlaski, a city in Lublin Voivodeship, Poland* German name for Międzyrzecz, a town in Lubusz Voivodeship, Poland...