Mragowo
Encyclopedia
Mrągowo m is a town
in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship
of northeastern Poland
, the capital of Mrągowo County
and the seat (though not part of) the Gmina Mrągowo
. It is located within the Masurian Lake District, about 60 km (37.3 mi) east of Olsztyn
.
senas meaning "old", therefore maybe at the site of a former Prussian
castle. The settlement that began to develop nearby was first mentioned in a 1397 deed and probably had already received Kulm town rights between 1404 and 1407, although it is verified that Grand Master Konrad von Erlichshausen
affirmed town rights in 1444. Sensburg became part of the Duchy of Prussia in 1525. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the town suffered through fires and plagues. Part of the Kingdom of Prussia
since 1701, Sensburg was incorporated into the Province of East Prussia
. It was heavily devastated during the Napoleonic Wars
.
The town itself mostly remained a small hamlet in the mostly rural area around it. Agriculture, fishing and the richness of the surrounding forests provided the sources of income for the local population. In 1871 Sensburg became part of the German Empire
during the Prussian-led unification of Germany
. In 1897 the town became connected to the railway system, which went from Bischofsburg (Biskupiec)
to Rastenburg (Kętrzyn)
. As a result of the Treaty of Versailles
on 11 July 1920 the East Prussian plebiscite
was organized under the control of the League of Nations
, which resulted 99,93 % of votes to remain in Germany (33.334 total) and 0,07 % for Poland (25 total).
At the end of World War II
the town was overrun by the Red Army
during the East Prussian Offensive
and lost almost 20% of its buildings. The German
population remaining after the evacuation
was largely expelled
after the war and replaced with Poles
. From 1945 to 1947 the stolen city was known by the Polonized name Żądzbork. The city's name was, like other
Prussian cities, changed to the current Mrągowo in 1947, in honor of Pastor Christoph Mrongovius
(1764–1855), known in Polish as Krzysztof Celestyn Mrongowiusz.
After the war Mrągowo remained a rural town with approximately 10,000 inhabitants; this number stayed almost constant until the late 1980s. In the following decade, mostly due to economic and political changes, the town gained some influence in the region and grew quickly into a regional center for economic business and tourism. Recently Mrągowo has tried to regain some of its former beauty and to represent the region. Piknik Country
is an annual country music festival held in the town.
derives from a local story of the 15th century. It claims that when a group of local farmers was being threatened by predators, the townspeople tracked down a fearsome bear. They were only able to shoot it in its paw, and it managed to flee to Rastenburg. Only upon its arrival there did the bear succumb to its injuries. The bear's paw was brought back to Sensburg and is honored in the coat of arms.
with: Grünberg, Germany
– since 1993 Limanowa
, Poland
– since 2006 Zelenogradsk
, Russia
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship
Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship
Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, or Warmia-Masuria Province , is a voivodeship in northeastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Olsztyn...
of northeastern 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...
, the capital of Mrągowo County
Mragowo County
Mrągowo County is a unit of territorial administration and local government in Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, northern 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 Mrągowo, which lies ...
and the seat (though not part of) the Gmina Mrągowo
Gmina Mragowo
Gmina Mrągowo is a rural gmina in Mrągowo County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. Its seat is the town of Mrągowo, although the town is not part of the territory of the gmina....
. It is located within the Masurian Lake District, about 60 km (37.3 mi) east of Olsztyn
Olsztyn
Olsztyn is a city in northeastern Poland, on the Łyna River. Olsztyn has been the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship since 1999. It was previously in the Olsztyn Voivodeship...
.
History
About 1348 the Teutonic Knights constructed a wooden fortress near present-day Mrągowo named Sensburg, derived from Old PrussianOld Prussian language
Prussian is an extinct Baltic language, once spoken by the inhabitants of the original territory of Prussia in an area of what later became East Prussia and eastern parts of...
senas meaning "old", therefore maybe at the site of a former Prussian
Old Prussians
The Old Prussians or Baltic Prussians were an ethnic group, autochthonous Baltic tribes that inhabited Prussia, the lands of the southeastern Baltic Sea in the area around the Vistula and Curonian Lagoons...
castle. The settlement that began to develop nearby was first mentioned in a 1397 deed and probably had already received Kulm town rights between 1404 and 1407, although it is verified that Grand Master Konrad von Erlichshausen
Konrad von Erlichshausen
Konrad von Erlichshausen was the 30th Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, serving from 1441 to 1449.Konrad came from Ellrichshausen in Swabia, now part of Satteldorf in Baden-Württemberg...
affirmed town rights in 1444. Sensburg became part of the Duchy of Prussia in 1525. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the town suffered through fires and plagues. Part of 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...
since 1701, Sensburg was incorporated into the Province of East Prussia
Province of East Prussia
The Province of East Prussia was a province of Prussia from 1773–1829 and 1878-1945. Composed of the historical region East Prussia, the province's capital was Königsberg ....
. It was heavily devastated during 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...
.
The town itself mostly remained a small hamlet in the mostly rural area around it. Agriculture, fishing and the richness of the surrounding forests provided the sources of income for the local population. In 1871 Sensburg became part of the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
during the Prussian-led 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...
. In 1897 the town became connected to the railway system, which went from Bischofsburg (Biskupiec)
Biskupiec
Biskupiec is a town in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship in Poland. It is located in Olsztyn County and has a predominantly Catholic population of approximately 11,400...
to Rastenburg (Kętrzyn)
Ketrzyn
Kętrzyn , is a town in northeastern Poland with 28,351 inhabitants . Situated in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship , Kętrzyn was previously in Olsztyn Voivodeship . It is the capital of Kętrzyn County...
. As a result of 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...
on 11 July 1920 the East Prussian plebiscite
East Prussian plebiscite
The East Prussia plebiscite , also known as the Allenstein and Marienwerder plebiscite or Warmia, Masuria and Powiśle plebiscite , was a plebiscite for self-determination of the regions Warmia , Masuria and Powiśle, which had been in parts of East Prussia and West Prussia, in accordance with...
was organized under the control of the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
, which resulted 99,93 % of votes to remain in Germany (33.334 total) and 0,07 % for Poland (25 total).
At 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...
the town was overrun 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 East Prussian Offensive
East Prussian Offensive
The East Prussian Offensive was a strategic offensive by the Red Army against the German Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front . It lasted from 13 January to 25 April 1945, though some German units did not surrender until 9 May...
and lost almost 20% of its buildings. The German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
population remaining after the evacuation
Evacuation of East Prussia
The evacuation of East Prussia refers to the evacuation of the German civilian population and military personnel in East Prussia and the Klaipėda region between 20 January, and March 1945, as part of the evacuation of German civilians towards the end of World War II...
was largely 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...
after the war and replaced with 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...
. From 1945 to 1947 the stolen city was known by the Polonized name Żądzbork. The city's name was, like other
Prussian cities, changed to the current Mrągowo in 1947, in honor of Pastor Christoph Mrongovius
Christoph Mrongovius
Christoph Coelestin Mrongovius was a Protestant pastor, writer, philosopher, distinguished linguist, and translator.-Biography:...
(1764–1855), known in Polish as Krzysztof Celestyn Mrongowiusz.
After the war Mrągowo remained a rural town with approximately 10,000 inhabitants; this number stayed almost constant until the late 1980s. In the following decade, mostly due to economic and political changes, the town gained some influence in the region and grew quickly into a regional center for economic business and tourism. Recently Mrągowo has tried to regain some of its former beauty and to represent the region. Piknik Country
Piknik Country
Piknik Country is an international country music festival, held annually since 1983 in Mrągowo, Poland, on the last weekend of July. There are performances by both Polish and foreign artists.-External links:* http://www.piknikmragowo.pl/...
is an annual country music festival held in the town.
Coat of arms
The town's coat of armsCoat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
derives from a local story of the 15th century. It claims that when a group of local farmers was being threatened by predators, the townspeople tracked down a fearsome bear. They were only able to shoot it in its paw, and it managed to flee to Rastenburg. Only upon its arrival there did the bear succumb to its injuries. The bear's paw was brought back to Sensburg and is honored in the coat of arms.
Twin towns — Sister cities
Mrągowo 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: Grünberg, 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...
– since 1993 Limanowa
Limanowa
Limanowa is a small town in southern Poland, in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. It is the capital of Limanowa County....
, 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...
– since 2006 Zelenogradsk
Zelenogradsk
Zelenogradsk, is a town and the administrative center of Zelenogradsky District of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, Located on the Sambian coastline near the Curonian Spit on the Baltic Sea...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
Notable people
- Georg RiedelGeorg Riedel (Altstadt Kantor)Georg Riedel was a German composer.In 1694 Riedel entered the University of Königsberg, to study theology. He wrote a serenade for the celebrations of the coronation of Frederick I of Prussia in 1701 as well as other occasional works for inaugurations, weddings, birthdays and funerals...
(1676–1738), composer - Joachim PhilipkowskiJoachim PhilipkowskiJoachim Philipkowski is a German football coach and a former player who is currently managing the youth team of FC St. Pauli.-External links:...
(b. 1961), soccer player