Ostrzeszów
Encyclopedia
Ostrzeszów o is a town in Poland
, in Greater Poland Voivodeship
. It is the capital of Ostrzeszów County
(powiat ostrzeszowski). The population is 14,490 (2004).
The town is situated around 80 km from Wrocław, 170 km from Katowice
and 160 km from Poznań
. Attractions in the town include the surrounding forests, an attractive town square, and The Norwegian POW Museum.
One of Ostrzeszów's honorary citizens is Krzysztof Wielicki
, who climbed all of the world's mountains of over 8000 meters in height. A young and popular guitarist, Adam Fulara
was born in Ostrzeszów.
The Swedes destroyed the castle and the town in 1656 during the Northern Wars
. The town declined as a result.
In 1939 after the Invasion of Poland (1939)
it was incorporated into the Nazi Reich
. Most of the Polish inhabitants were deported. A Prisoner-of-war camp, Stalag XXI-A was located in some of the town buildings in 1940. In 1943 the camp was changed to Oflag XXI-C
for 1130 Norwegian
officers.
In January 1945 Soviet forces
liberated the town from the Nazis.
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...
, in Greater Poland Voivodeship
Greater Poland Voivodeship
Wielkopolska Voivodeship , or Greater Poland Voivodeship, is a voivodeship, or province, in west-central Poland. It was created on 1 January 1999 out of the former Poznań, Kalisz, Konin, Piła and Leszno Voivodeships, pursuant to the Polish local government reforms adopted in 1998...
. It is the capital of Ostrzeszów County
Ostrzeszów County
Ostrzeszów County is a unit of territorial administration and local government in Greater Poland Voivodeship, west-central 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 Ostrzeszów,...
(powiat ostrzeszowski). The population is 14,490 (2004).
The town is situated around 80 km from Wrocław, 170 km from Katowice
Katowice
Katowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids and about southeast of the Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 2...
and 160 km from Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
. Attractions in the town include the surrounding forests, an attractive town square, and The Norwegian POW Museum.
One of Ostrzeszów's honorary citizens is Krzysztof Wielicki
Krzysztof Wielicki
Krzysztof Wielicki is a Polish retired alpine and high-altitude climber. He is the fifth man to climb all fourteen eight-thousanders and the first ever to climb Mount Everest, Kangchenjunga, and Lhotse in the winter. He is a member of The Explorers Club...
, who climbed all of the world's mountains of over 8000 meters in height. A young and popular guitarist, Adam Fulara
Adam Fulara
Adam Fulara is a Polish guitarist who specializes in two-handed polyphonic tapping.Fulara plays both classical and jazz pieces, the latter often with his trio "Fool-X", which has toured much of Poland and Germany...
was born in Ostrzeszów.
History
The town was settled in the early 13th century and given town privileges in 1283. In the 14th century a castle was erected and the town was surrounded with walls. During the 16th to 18th centuries it was the capital of a county and of district courts.The Swedes destroyed the castle and the town in 1656 during the Northern Wars
Northern Wars
Northern Wars is a term used for a series of wars fought in northern and northeastern Europe in the 16th and 17th century. An internationally agreed nomenclature for these wars has not yet been devised...
. The town declined as a result.
In 1939 after the Invasion of Poland (1939)
Invasion of Poland (1939)
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
it was incorporated into the Nazi Reich
Reich
Reich is a German word cognate with the English rich, but also used to designate an empire, realm, or nation. The qualitative connotation from the German is " sovereign state." It is the word traditionally used for a variety of sovereign entities, including Germany in many periods of its history...
. Most of the Polish inhabitants were deported. A Prisoner-of-war camp, Stalag XXI-A was located in some of the town buildings in 1940. In 1943 the camp was changed to Oflag XXI-C
Oflag XXI-C
Oflag XXI-C was a German Army World War II prisoner-of-war camp for officers located in Warthegau, a western province of Poland that had been incorporated into the German Reich in 1939....
for 1130 Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
officers.
In January 1945 Soviet forces
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...
liberated the town from the Nazis.