Mieszkowice
Encyclopedia
Mieszkowice m is a town in Gryfino County
, West Pomeranian Voivodeship
in northwestern Poland
, about 15 km (9.3 mi) east of the Oder
river and the border with Germany
. It is the administrative seat of the urban-rural gmina
(municipality) of Mieszkowice
.
Founded in 1298 during the Ostsiedlung
in Brandenburg
, the town was the site of death of the last Ascanian margrave
in 1319, a center of the Waldensians
movement in the 14th century, and the site of the conclusion of a Franco-Swedish alliance
during the Thirty Years' War
, which else virtually depopulated the town. After the war, the town slowly recovered, retaining a rural character. In the late 19th century, it was connected to the railroad, and Gottfried Benn
was raised in an adjacent village. In 1945, the town largely escaped destruction, and became part of Poland
. It was renamed
Barwice, then Mieskowice after Mieszko I of Poland
. Until 1998, Mieszkowice was part of Szczecin Voivodeship
.
in Pomerania (present-day Barwice), it carried the abbreviation Nm. for Neumark
. In 1945 it was renamed Mieszkowice, after the first historical Polish duke Mieszko I
, a scion of the Piast dynasty
.
Mieszko I, after winning the 972 Battle of Cedynia
against the Saxon
margrave Odo I
, had annexed to the early Polish state the territory on which later the town was founded.
had acquired the region from the Pomeranian dukes
(see Brandenburg-Pomeranian conflict
). While the town was founded during the Ostsiedlung
, remains of a nearby fortress indicate earlier Slavic
presence in the area.
The first record of Bärwalde is a 1295 deed under the name of Berenwalde. Most likely, the settlement was owned by a knight of the von Behr family. The settlement was developed following a grid of rectangular streets with a central market place. In 1297, St. Mary's Church was first mentioned, and another document gives 1298 as the year when Bärwalde was granted German town law
. In the late 13th and early 14th century the city walls were constructed, much of which still exist, while the city gates were pulled down in 1867.
In 1309, the last Ascanian margrave Waldemar
died in the town. Therefater, throughout the 14th century, Bärwalde was subordinated directly to the Holy Roman Emperor
and the regional center to 29 surrounding villages. During this period, it was strongly affected by the Waldensians (Waldenser)
movement. Since 1353 coins for Brandenburg's Neumark were struck at the Bärwalde mint.
In the course of the Polish–Teutonic War
the town was burnt down in 1433 by Hussite forces marching through. During the Thirty Years' War
, the Swedish
field marshal Gustav Horn on 23 January 1631 signed the Treaty of Bärwalde
with France
against Emperor Ferdinand II of Habsburg
, whereafter the town was devastated by Swedish and Imperial troops several times. The devastations of the war resulted in a severe population drop: only 30 inhabitants remained. From 1650-73 Elias Loccelius, also known as Elias Lockelius or Löckel, (1621–1704) was pastor in Bärwalde and from there he moved to Drossen
(today Ośno Lubuskie). He is known as a chronicler of the Neumark and was an electoral church inspector for Land Sternberg
as well. Löckel documented the wartime devastation of the area, including Bärwalde, in his Marchia Illustrata.
Over the next centuries, the town slowly recovered: in 1750, Bärwalde had about 1,500 inhabitants, and more than 3,500 in 1850, occupied primarily with agriculture. From that period, several 18th-century Fachwerk buildings and the early 19th-century town hall are preserved. When the Kingdom of Prussia
reformed her administrative organization after the Napoleonic Wars
, Bärwalde became part of the Province of Brandenburg
created from the territory of the former margraviate
. In 1853 a railroad connected Bärwalde with Kostschin
(now Kostrzyn). Twenty-three years later the town was connected with Stettin
(now Szczecin). Gottfried Benn
(1886–1956) spent his childhood in the nearby village Sellin
(now Zielin).
Bärwalde was captured in 1945 by the Red Army
during the Vistula–Oder Offensive in the final period of World War II
, and as it was east of the Oder-Neisse line
, became part of Poland
. Only 30% of the town were destroyed. The remaining inhabitants were expelled
and the town was resettled by Poles
, including settlers from Central Poland and expellees from former Eastern Poland
(Kresy
). Bärwalde was first renamed
Barwice, later Mieszkowice after Miesko I of Poland. The final name was chosen for political purposes: the Communist regime
sought to legitimize its presence at the Oder by referring to the medieval Piast dynasty
, whose territory had also extended to the Oder, and propagated the "return" to ancient Polish lands
. To that effect, a legend was popularized in Mieszkowice, linking the town's foundation to a hunting expedition of Mieszko I: Allegedly, the town was founded at a spot where Mieszko once slew two bears. In 1957, a statue of Mieszko I created by Sławomir Lewiński was unveiled on the town square. It is the only monument of this ruler in all of Poland.
Development of Mieszkowice continued in the following years, especially in the period between 1970-1992 when many new buildings were constructed. In 1997 the whole town was connected to the gas
pipeline. In 1998 a new sport centre was opened. Since 2007, a ferry service connects Mieskowice with Güstebieser Loose on the opposite bank of the Oder
.
Gryfino County
Gryfino County is a unit of territorial administration and local government in West Pomeranian Voivodeship, north-western Poland, on the German border. 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...
, West Pomeranian Voivodeship
West Pomeranian Voivodeship
West Pomeranian Voivodeship, , is a voivodeship in northwestern Poland. It borders on Pomeranian Voivodeship to the east, Greater Poland Voivodeship to the southeast, Lubusz Voivodeship to the south, the German federal-state of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania to the west, and the Baltic Sea to the north...
in northwestern Poland
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...
, about 15 km (9.3 mi) east of the Oder
Oder
The Oder is a river in Central Europe. It rises in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland, later forming of the border between Poland and Germany, part of the Oder-Neisse line...
river and the border with Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It is the administrative seat of the urban-rural gmina
Gmina
The gmina is the principal unit of administrative division of Poland at its lowest uniform level. It is often translated as "commune" or "municipality." As of 2010 there were 2,479 gminas throughout the country...
(municipality) of Mieszkowice
Gmina Mieszkowice
Gmina Mieszkowice is an urban-rural gmina in Gryfino County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland, on the German border...
.
Founded in 1298 during 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...
in Brandenburg
Margraviate of Brandenburg
The Margraviate of Brandenburg was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806. Also known as the March of Brandenburg , it played a pivotal role in the history of Germany and Central Europe....
, the town was the site of death of the last Ascanian margrave
Waldemar, Margrave of Brandenburg-Stendal
Waldemar of Brandenburg was Margrave of Brandenburg-Stendal, the last from the Ascanian House.-Life:He was a son of Conrad, Margrave of Brandenburg-Stendal and Constance, daughter of Przemysł I of Greater Poland...
in 1319, a center of the Waldensians
Waldensians
Waldensians, Waldenses or Vaudois are names for a Christian movement of the later Middle Ages, descendants of which still exist in various regions, primarily in North-Western Italy. There is considerable uncertainty about the earlier history of the Waldenses because of a lack of extant source...
movement in the 14th century, and the site of the conclusion of a Franco-Swedish alliance
Treaty of Bärwalde
The Treaty of Bärwalde of 23 January 1631 was a treaty concluding an alliance between Sweden and France during the Thirty Years' War, shortly after Sweden had invaded Northern Germany then occupied by Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor's forces...
during the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
, which else virtually depopulated the town. After the war, the town slowly recovered, retaining a rural character. In the late 19th century, it was connected to the railroad, and Gottfried Benn
Gottfried Benn
Gottfried Benn was a German essayist, novelist, and expressionist poet. A doctor of medicine, he became an early admirer, and later a critic, of the National Socialist revolution...
was raised in an adjacent village. In 1945, the town largely escaped destruction, and became part of Poland
Oder-Neisse line
The Oder–Neisse line is the border between Germany and Poland which was drawn in the aftermath of World War II. The line is formed primarily by the Oder and Lusatian Neisse rivers, and meets the Baltic Sea west of the seaport cities of Szczecin and Świnoujście...
. It was renamed
Commission for the Determination of Place Names
The Commission for the Determination of Place Names was a commission of the Polish Department of Public Administration, founded in January 1946...
Barwice, then Mieskowice after Mieszko I of Poland
Mieszko I of Poland
Mieszko I , was a Duke of the Polans from about 960 until his death. A member of the Piast dynasty, he was son of Siemomysł; grandchild of Lestek; father of Bolesław I the Brave, the first crowned King of Poland; likely father of Świętosława , a Nordic Queen; and grandfather of her son, Cnut the...
. Until 1998, Mieszkowice was part of Szczecin Voivodeship
Szczecin Voivodeship
Szczecin Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in the years 1975–1998, superseded by West Pomeranian Voivodeship.----Statistics :*Area: 10.000 km²...
.
Name
The town now called Mieszkowice was known from its foundation until 1945 under the German name of Berenwalde and later of Bärwalde. To distinguish it from the town of BärwaldeBarwice
Barwice is a town in Poland, in West Pomeranian Voivodship, in Szczecinek County.-Geographics:The town is located on the Baltic Uplands in Farther Pomerania at an altitude of about 150 to 180 meters above sea level within the upper region of the river Persante. 20 kilometers further south the...
in Pomerania (present-day Barwice), it carried the abbreviation Nm. for Neumark
Neumark
Neumark comprised a region of the Prussian province of Brandenburg, Germany.Neumark may also refer to:* Neumark, Thuringia* Neumark, Saxony* Neumark * Nowe Miasto Lubawskie or Neumark, a town in Poland, situated at river Drwęca...
. In 1945 it was renamed Mieszkowice, after the first historical Polish duke Mieszko I
Mieszko I of Poland
Mieszko I , was a Duke of the Polans from about 960 until his death. A member of the Piast dynasty, he was son of Siemomysł; grandchild of Lestek; father of Bolesław I the Brave, the first crowned King of Poland; likely father of Świętosława , a Nordic Queen; and grandfather of her son, Cnut the...
, a scion of the Piast dynasty
Piast dynasty
The Piast dynasty was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. It began with the semi-legendary Piast Kołodziej . The first historical ruler was Duke Mieszko I . The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of king Casimir the Great...
.
Mieszko I, after winning the 972 Battle of Cedynia
Battle of Cedynia
In the Battle of Cedynia or Zehden, an army of Mieszko I of Poland defeated forces of Hodo or Odo I of Lusatia on 24 June 972, near the Oder river...
against the Saxon
Duchy of Saxony
The medieval Duchy of Saxony was a late Early Middle Ages "Carolingian stem duchy" covering the greater part of Northern Germany. It covered the area of the modern German states of Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Saxony-Anhalt and most of Schleswig-Holstein...
margrave Odo I
Odo I, Margrave of the Saxon Ostmark
Odo I was the Margrave of the Saxon Ostmark from 965 until his death....
, had annexed to the early Polish state the territory on which later the town was founded.
History
The settlement was established in the 13th century, after the Ascanian margraves of BrandenburgMargraviate of Brandenburg
The Margraviate of Brandenburg was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806. Also known as the March of Brandenburg , it played a pivotal role in the history of Germany and Central Europe....
had acquired the region from the Pomeranian dukes
Duchy of Pomerania
The Duchy of Pomerania was a duchy in Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, ruled by dukes of the House of Pomerania ....
(see Brandenburg-Pomeranian conflict
Brandenburg-Pomeranian conflict
Starting in the 12th century, the Margraviate, later Electorate of Brandenburg was in conflict with the neighboring Duchy of Pomerania over frontier territories claimed by both Brandenburg and Pomerania, and over the status of the Pomeranian duchy, which Brandenburg claimed as a fief, whereas...
). While the town was founded during 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...
, remains of a nearby fortress indicate earlier Slavic
West Slavs
The West Slavs are Slavic peoples speaking West Slavic languages. They include Poles , Czechs, Slovaks, Lusatian Sorbs and the historical Polabians. The northern or Lechitic group includes, along with Polish, the extinct Polabian and Pomeranian languages...
presence in the area.
The first record of Bärwalde is a 1295 deed under the name of Berenwalde. Most likely, the settlement was owned by a knight of the von Behr family. The settlement was developed following a grid of rectangular streets with a central market place. In 1297, St. Mary's Church was first mentioned, and another document gives 1298 as the year when Bärwalde was granted German town law
German town law
German town law or German municipal concerns concerns town privileges used by many cities, towns, and villages throughout Central and Eastern Europe during the Middle Ages.- Town law in Germany :...
. In the late 13th and early 14th century the city walls were constructed, much of which still exist, while the city gates were pulled down in 1867.
In 1309, the last Ascanian margrave Waldemar
Waldemar, Margrave of Brandenburg-Stendal
Waldemar of Brandenburg was Margrave of Brandenburg-Stendal, the last from the Ascanian House.-Life:He was a son of Conrad, Margrave of Brandenburg-Stendal and Constance, daughter of Przemysł I of Greater Poland...
died in the town. Therefater, throughout the 14th century, Bärwalde was subordinated directly to the Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
and the regional center to 29 surrounding villages. During this period, it was strongly affected by the Waldensians (Waldenser)
Waldensians
Waldensians, Waldenses or Vaudois are names for a Christian movement of the later Middle Ages, descendants of which still exist in various regions, primarily in North-Western Italy. There is considerable uncertainty about the earlier history of the Waldenses because of a lack of extant source...
movement. Since 1353 coins for Brandenburg's Neumark were struck at the Bärwalde mint.
In the course of the Polish–Teutonic War
Polish–Teutonic War (1431–1435)
The Lithuanian Civil War of 1431–1435 was a conflict over the succession to the throne of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, after Vytautas the Great died in 1430 without leaving an heir. The war was fought on the one side by Švitrigaila, allied with the Teutonic Knights, and on the other by Sigismund...
the town was burnt down in 1433 by Hussite forces marching through. During the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
, the Swedish
Swedish Empire
The Swedish Empire refers to the Kingdom of Sweden between 1561 and 1721 . During this time, Sweden was one of the great European powers. In Swedish, the period is called Stormaktstiden, literally meaning "the Great Power Era"...
field marshal Gustav Horn on 23 January 1631 signed the Treaty of Bärwalde
Treaty of Bärwalde
The Treaty of Bärwalde of 23 January 1631 was a treaty concluding an alliance between Sweden and France during the Thirty Years' War, shortly after Sweden had invaded Northern Germany then occupied by Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor's forces...
with France
Early Modern France
Kingdom of France is the early modern period of French history from the end of the 15th century to the end of the 18th century...
against Emperor Ferdinand II of Habsburg
Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor
Ferdinand II , a member of the House of Habsburg, was Holy Roman Emperor , King of Bohemia , and King of Hungary . His rule coincided with the Thirty Years' War.- Life :...
, whereafter the town was devastated by Swedish and Imperial troops several times. The devastations of the war resulted in a severe population drop: only 30 inhabitants remained. From 1650-73 Elias Loccelius, also known as Elias Lockelius or Löckel, (1621–1704) was pastor in Bärwalde and from there he moved to Drossen
Osno Lubuskie
Ośno Lubuskie is a town in Lubusz Voivodeship, Poland, with 3,800 inhabitants ....
(today Ośno Lubuskie). He is known as a chronicler of the Neumark and was an electoral church inspector for Land Sternberg
Torzym
Torzym is a town in Sulęcin County, Lubusz Voivodeship, in western Poland, with 2,466 inhabitants . It is the administrative seat of the urban-rural Gmina Torzym...
as well. Löckel documented the wartime devastation of the area, including Bärwalde, in his Marchia Illustrata.
Over the next centuries, the town slowly recovered: in 1750, Bärwalde had about 1,500 inhabitants, and more than 3,500 in 1850, occupied primarily with agriculture. From that period, several 18th-century Fachwerk buildings and the early 19th-century town hall are preserved. When 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...
reformed her administrative organization after the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, Bärwalde became part of 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...
created from the territory of the former margraviate
Margraviate of Brandenburg
The Margraviate of Brandenburg was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806. Also known as the March of Brandenburg , it played a pivotal role in the history of Germany and Central Europe....
. In 1853 a railroad connected Bärwalde with Kostschin
Kostrzyn
Kostrzyn is a town in Poland, in the Greater Poland Voivodeship, with 8,398 inhabitants . Katarzyna Tomicka was born nearby in Iwno....
(now Kostrzyn). Twenty-three years later the town was connected with Stettin
Szczecin
Szczecin , is the capital city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland. It is the country's seventh-largest city and the largest seaport in Poland on the Baltic Sea. As of June 2009 the population was 406,427....
(now Szczecin). Gottfried Benn
Gottfried Benn
Gottfried Benn was a German essayist, novelist, and expressionist poet. A doctor of medicine, he became an early admirer, and later a critic, of the National Socialist revolution...
(1886–1956) spent his childhood in the nearby village Sellin
Zielin, Gryfino County
Zielin is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Mieszkowice, within Gryfino County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland, close to the German border. It lies approximately east of Mieszkowice, south of Gryfino, and south of the regional capital Szczecin.Before 1945...
(now Zielin).
Bärwalde was captured in 1945 by the 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...
during the Vistula–Oder Offensive in the final period 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...
, and as it was east of the Oder-Neisse line
Oder-Neisse line
The Oder–Neisse line is the border between Germany and Poland which was drawn in the aftermath of World War II. The line is formed primarily by the Oder and Lusatian Neisse rivers, and meets the Baltic Sea west of the seaport cities of Szczecin and Świnoujście...
, became part of Poland
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...
. Only 30% of the town were destroyed. The remaining inhabitants were expelled
Flight and expulsion of Germans from Poland during and after World War II
The flight and expulsion of Germans from Poland was the largest of a series of flights and expulsions of Germans in Europe during and after World War II...
and the town was resettled by Poles
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
, including settlers from Central Poland and expellees from former Eastern Poland
Repatriation of Poles
Repatriation of Poles can refer to:*Repatriation of Poles *Repatriation of Poles...
(Kresy
Kresy
The Polish term Kresy refers to a land considered by Poles as historical eastern provinces of their country. Today, it makes western Ukraine, western Belarus, as well as eastern Lithuania, with such major cities, as Lviv, Vilnius, and Hrodna. This territory belonged to the Polish-Lithuanian...
). Bärwalde was first renamed
Commission for the Determination of Place Names
The Commission for the Determination of Place Names was a commission of the Polish Department of Public Administration, founded in January 1946...
Barwice, later Mieszkowice after Miesko I of Poland. The final name was chosen for political purposes: the Communist regime
History of Poland (1945–1989)
The history of Poland from 1945 to 1989 spans the period of Soviet Communist dominance imposed after the end of World War II over the People's Republic of Poland...
sought to legitimize its presence at the Oder by referring to the medieval Piast dynasty
Piast dynasty
The Piast dynasty was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. It began with the semi-legendary Piast Kołodziej . The first historical ruler was Duke Mieszko I . The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of king Casimir the Great...
, whose territory had also extended to the Oder, and propagated the "return" to ancient Polish lands
Recovered Territories
Recovered or Regained Territories was an official term used by the People's Republic of Poland to describe those parts of pre-war Germany that became part of Poland after World War II...
. To that effect, a legend was popularized in Mieszkowice, linking the town's foundation to a hunting expedition of Mieszko I: Allegedly, the town was founded at a spot where Mieszko once slew two bears. In 1957, a statue of Mieszko I created by Sławomir Lewiński was unveiled on the town square. It is the only monument of this ruler in all of Poland.
Development of Mieszkowice continued in the following years, especially in the period between 1970-1992 when many new buildings were constructed. In 1997 the whole town was connected to the gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
pipeline. In 1998 a new sport centre was opened. Since 2007, a ferry service connects Mieskowice with Güstebieser Loose on the opposite bank of the Oder
Oder
The Oder is a river in Central Europe. It rises in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland, later forming of the border between Poland and Germany, part of the Oder-Neisse line...
.