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Coordinates: 53°44′9″N 18°55′51″E / 53.73583°N 18.93083°E / 53.73583; 18.93083
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The [[Prussian Confederation]], which opposed Teutonic rule, was founded in the town on March 14, 1440.<ref>Jürgen Sarnowsky: ''Der Deutsche Orden''. Beck, Munich 2007, {{ISBN|978-3-406-53628-1}}, p. 100 ff. ([https://books.google.com/books?id=cDUhGMRfUcQC&pg=PA101 restricted preview]).</ref> The town itself joined the organization on 17 April 1440.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Górski|first=Karol|title=Związek Pruski i poddanie się Prus Polsce: zbiór tekstów źródłowych|year=1949|publisher=Instytut Zachodni|location=[[Poznań]]|language=pl|page=XXXVII}}</ref> Upon the request of the organization in 1454 Polish King [[Casimir IV Jagiellon]] incorporated the region and town to the [[Crown of the Kingdom of Poland|Kingdom of Poland]],<ref>Górski, p. 54</ref> and the [[Thirteen Years' War (1454–66)|Thirteen Years' War]] broke out. In 1466, after the defeat of the Teutonic Knights in the war, the town became part of Poland as a [[fief]] held by the Teutonic Knights.<ref>Górski, p. 96-97, 214-215</ref> In 1525, the Teutonic state was transformed into a secular and Lutheran [[Duchy of Prussia|duchy]] under the last [[Grand Master of the Teutonic Order]] [[Albert, Duke of Prussia|Albert]], a political foundation only possible with the consent of the Polish King [[Sigismund I the Old]]. The town was visited by Polish Kings [[Sigismund II Augustus]] in 1552<ref>{{Cite book|last=Moraczewski|first=Jędrzej|title=Dzieje Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z pierwszéj połowy szesnastego wieku|year=1847|location=Poznań|language=pl|page=277}}</ref> and [[Stephen Báthory]] in 1576.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Gołębiowski|first=Łukasz|title=Domy i dwory|year=1830|location=Warszawa|language=pl|page=87}}</ref> In 1618 the ducal rights were inherited by the [[Margraviate of Brandenburg|Brandenburg]] branch of the [[House of Hohenzollern]], remaining under Polish suzerainty. In 1657 the Brandenburg dukes severed ties with the Polish crown and in 1701 elevated their realm to the sovereign [[Kingdom of Prussia]].
The [[Prussian Confederation]], which opposed Teutonic rule, was founded in the town on March 14, 1440.<ref>Jürgen Sarnowsky: ''Der Deutsche Orden''. Beck, Munich 2007, {{ISBN|978-3-406-53628-1}}, p. 100 ff. ([https://books.google.com/books?id=cDUhGMRfUcQC&pg=PA101 restricted preview]).</ref> The town itself joined the organization on 17 April 1440.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Górski|first=Karol|title=Związek Pruski i poddanie się Prus Polsce: zbiór tekstów źródłowych|year=1949|publisher=Instytut Zachodni|location=[[Poznań]]|language=pl|page=XXXVII}}</ref> Upon the request of the organization in 1454 Polish King [[Casimir IV Jagiellon]] incorporated the region and town to the [[Crown of the Kingdom of Poland|Kingdom of Poland]],<ref>Górski, p. 54</ref> and the [[Thirteen Years' War (1454–66)|Thirteen Years' War]] broke out. In 1466, after the defeat of the Teutonic Knights in the war, the town became part of Poland as a [[fief]] held by the Teutonic Knights.<ref>Górski, p. 96-97, 214-215</ref> In 1525, the Teutonic state was transformed into a secular and Lutheran [[Duchy of Prussia|duchy]] under the last [[Grand Master of the Teutonic Order]] [[Albert, Duke of Prussia|Albert]], a political foundation only possible with the consent of the Polish King [[Sigismund I the Old]]. The town was visited by Polish Kings [[Sigismund II Augustus]] in 1552<ref>{{Cite book|last=Moraczewski|first=Jędrzej|title=Dzieje Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z pierwszéj połowy szesnastego wieku|year=1847|location=Poznań|language=pl|page=277}}</ref> and [[Stephen Báthory]] in 1576.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Gołębiowski|first=Łukasz|title=Domy i dwory|year=1830|location=Warszawa|language=pl|page=87}}</ref> In 1618 the ducal rights were inherited by the [[Margraviate of Brandenburg|Brandenburg]] branch of the [[House of Hohenzollern]], remaining under Polish suzerainty. In 1657 the Brandenburg dukes severed ties with the Polish crown and in 1701 elevated their realm to the sovereign [[Kingdom of Prussia]].


The town of Marienwerder meanwhile had become the capital of the [[Marienwerder (district)|District of Marienwerder]]. In 1772, the Marienwerder district was integrated into the newly established Prussian Province of [[West Prussia]], which consisted mostly of territories annexed in the [[First Partition of Poland]].
The town of Marienwerder meanwhile had become the capital of the [[Marienwerder (district)|District of Marienwerder]]. In 1772, the Marienwerder district was integrated into the newly established Prussian Province of [[West Prussia]], which consisted mostly of territories annexed in the [[First Partition of Poland]]. In November 1831, several Polish cavalry units of the [[November Uprising]] stopped in the town on the way to their internment places.<ref>{{cite book|last=Kasparek|first=Norbert|editor-last=Katafiasz|editor-first=Tomasz|year=2014|title=Na tułaczym szlaku... Powstańcy Listopadowi na Pomorzu|language=pl|location=Koszalin|publisher=Muzeum w Koszalinie, Archiwum Państwowe w Koszalinie|page=140|chapter=Żołnierze polscy w Prusach po upadku powstania listopadowego. Powroty do kraju i wyjazdy na emigrację}}</ref>


[[File:Marienwerder-1 (2).jpg|thumb|left|1920s view of the castle and cathedral]]
[[File:Marienwerder-1 (2).jpg|thumb|left|1920s view of the castle and cathedral]]
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According to the [[Geneva Conventions]], the Polish community was entitled to its own schools, and from 1934 local Poles strove to establish a Polish school.<ref name=nhi>{{cite web|url=https://nowahistoria.interia.pl/ii-rzeczpospolita/news-rzeczypospolita-kwidzynska-dzieje-polskiego-gimnazjum-w-prus,nId,1053059|title=Rzeczypospolita Kwidzyńska - dzieje Polskiego Gimnazjum w Prusach Wschodnich|website=Interia Nowa Historia|author=Justyna Liguz|access-date=20 September 2020|language=pl}}</ref> The Germans blocked the establishment of the school, and Polish organizations filed 100 complaints to the German administration before the Polish private [[Gymnasium (school)|gymnasium]] was finally established on November 10, 1937.<ref name=nhi/> Local German press incited the Germans against the Polish school,<ref>{{cite book|last=Wardzyńska|first=Maria|year=2009|title=Był rok 1939. Operacja niemieckiej policji bezpieczeństwa w Polsce. Intelligenzaktion|language=pl|location=Warszawa|publisher=[[Institute of National Remembrance|IPN]]|page=31}}</ref> and in 1938 a fourteen-year-old boy was shot at the school playground, which the German police ignored, and the shooter was not caught.<ref name=nhi/> The Germans, especially the [[Hitler Youth]], repeatedly harassed and attacked Polish students and devastated the school.<ref name=nhi/> It was forcibly closed down on August 25, 1939.<ref>Andreas Lawaty, Wiesław Mincer and Anna Domańska: ''Deutsch-polnische Beziehungen in Geschichte und Gegenwart – Bibliographie''. Vol 2: ''Religion, Buch, Presse, Wissenschaft, Bildung, Philosophie'', Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden, {{ISBN|3-447-04243-5}}, p. 879 ([https://books.google.com/books?id=gx2IFngILiAC&pg=PA880 restricted preview)]</ref> The German police surrounded the Polish school and arrested its principal Władysław Gębik, 13 teachers, other staff and 162 students, who were imprisoned in Tapiau (today [[Gvardeysk]]),<ref name=mc>{{cite journal|last=Cygański|first=Mirosław|year=1984|title=Hitlerowskie prześladowania przywódców i aktywu Związków Polaków w Niemczech w latach 1939-1945|journal=Przegląd Zachodni|language=pl|issue=4|page=41}}</ref> and then deported elsewhere. Later on, students under the age of 18 were released, older students were forcibly conscripted into the [[Wehrmacht]], while teachers and staff were deported to [[Nazi concentration camps|concentration camps]],<ref name=nhi/> where most of them were murdered.<ref>Cygański, p. 43</ref> The head of the local Polish ''Bank Ludowy'' was also arrested, and the local Polish consulate was cut off from telephone lines, nevertheless the [[Polskie Radio|state radio]] in Poland still provided information regarding the attack on the Polish school on the same day.<ref name=mc/>
According to the [[Geneva Conventions]], the Polish community was entitled to its own schools, and from 1934 local Poles strove to establish a Polish school.<ref name=nhi>{{cite web|url=https://nowahistoria.interia.pl/ii-rzeczpospolita/news-rzeczypospolita-kwidzynska-dzieje-polskiego-gimnazjum-w-prus,nId,1053059|title=Rzeczypospolita Kwidzyńska - dzieje Polskiego Gimnazjum w Prusach Wschodnich|website=Interia Nowa Historia|author=Justyna Liguz|access-date=20 September 2020|language=pl}}</ref> The Germans blocked the establishment of the school, and Polish organizations filed 100 complaints to the German administration before the Polish private [[Gymnasium (school)|gymnasium]] was finally established on November 10, 1937.<ref name=nhi/> Local German press incited the Germans against the Polish school,<ref>{{cite book|last=Wardzyńska|first=Maria|year=2009|title=Był rok 1939. Operacja niemieckiej policji bezpieczeństwa w Polsce. Intelligenzaktion|language=pl|location=Warszawa|publisher=[[Institute of National Remembrance|IPN]]|page=31}}</ref> and in 1938 a fourteen-year-old boy was shot at the school playground, which the German police ignored, and the shooter was not caught.<ref name=nhi/> The Germans, especially the [[Hitler Youth]], repeatedly harassed and attacked Polish students and devastated the school.<ref name=nhi/> It was forcibly closed down on August 25, 1939.<ref>Andreas Lawaty, Wiesław Mincer and Anna Domańska: ''Deutsch-polnische Beziehungen in Geschichte und Gegenwart – Bibliographie''. Vol 2: ''Religion, Buch, Presse, Wissenschaft, Bildung, Philosophie'', Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden, {{ISBN|3-447-04243-5}}, p. 879 ([https://books.google.com/books?id=gx2IFngILiAC&pg=PA880 restricted preview)]</ref> The German police surrounded the Polish school and arrested its principal Władysław Gębik, 13 teachers, other staff and 162 students, who were imprisoned in Tapiau (today [[Gvardeysk]]),<ref name=mc>{{cite journal|last=Cygański|first=Mirosław|year=1984|title=Hitlerowskie prześladowania przywódców i aktywu Związków Polaków w Niemczech w latach 1939-1945|journal=Przegląd Zachodni|language=pl|issue=4|page=41}}</ref> and then deported elsewhere. Later on, students under the age of 18 were released, older students were forcibly conscripted into the [[Wehrmacht]], while teachers and staff were deported to [[Nazi concentration camps|concentration camps]],<ref name=nhi/> where most of them were murdered.<ref>Cygański, p. 43</ref> The head of the local Polish ''Bank Ludowy'' was also arrested, and the local Polish consulate was cut off from telephone lines, nevertheless the [[Polskie Radio|state radio]] in Poland still provided information regarding the attack on the Polish school on the same day.<ref name=mc/>


Nazi Germany co-formed the ''[[Einsatzgruppen|Einsatzgruppe V]]'' in the town, which then entered several Polish cities and towns, including [[Grudziądz]], [[Mława]], [[Ciechanów]], [[Łomża]] and [[Siedlce]], to commit various [[Nazi crimes against the Polish nation|atrocities against Poles]] during the German [[invasion of Poland]], which started [[World War II]].<ref>Wardzyńska (2009), p. 54</ref> Many Poles [[Expulsion of Poles by Nazi Germany|expelled]] from [[Occupation of Poland (1939–1945)|German-occupied Poland]] were deported to [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|forced labour]] in the town's vicinity.<ref>{{cite book|last=Wardzyńska|first=Maria|year=2017|title=Wysiedlenia ludności polskiej z okupowanych ziem polskich włączonych do III Rzeszy w latach 1939-1945|language=pl|location=Warszawa|publisher=IPN|pages=119, 129|isbn=978-83-8098-174-4}}</ref> The Germans also operated a subcamp of the [[Stutthof concentration camp]] in the town.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tenhumbergreinhard.de/1933-1945-lager-1/1933-1945-lager-m/marienwerder.html|title=Marienwerder|access-date=20 September 2020|language=de}}</ref> On January 30, 1945 in the last months of World War II, the town was captured by the [[Soviet Red Army]]. The Red Army established a war hospital in the town for 20,000 people. The town centre was burned and pillaged by [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] soldiers.
Nazi Germany co-formed the ''[[Einsatzgruppen|Einsatzgruppe V]]'' in the town, which then entered several Polish cities, including [[Grudziądz]], [[Ciechanów]], [[Łomża]] and [[Siedlce]], to commit various [[Nazi crimes against the Polish nation|atrocities against Poles]] during the German [[invasion of Poland]], which started [[World War II]].<ref>Wardzyńska (2009), p. 54</ref> Many Poles [[Expulsion of Poles by Nazi Germany|expelled]] from [[Occupation of Poland (1939–1945)|German-occupied Poland]] were deported to [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|forced labour]] in the town's vicinity.<ref>{{cite book|last=Wardzyńska|first=Maria|year=2017|title=Wysiedlenia ludności polskiej z okupowanych ziem polskich włączonych do III Rzeszy w latach 1939-1945|language=pl|location=Warszawa|publisher=IPN|pages=119, 129|isbn=978-83-8098-174-4}}</ref> The Germans also operated a subcamp of the [[Stutthof concentration camp]] in the town.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tenhumbergreinhard.de/1933-1945-lager-1/1933-1945-lager-m/marienwerder.html|title=Marienwerder|access-date=20 September 2020|language=de}}</ref> On January 30, 1945 in the last months of World War II, the town was captured by the [[Soviet Red Army]]. The Red Army established a war hospital in the town for 20,000 people. The town centre was burned and pillaged by [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] soldiers.


After [[World War II]], the town fell within the newly redrawn borders of Poland under the terms of the [[Potsdam Agreement]]. From 1975 to 1998, it was administratively located in the [[Elbląg Voivodeship]].
After [[World War II]], the town fell within the newly redrawn borders of Poland under the terms of the [[Potsdam Agreement]]. From 1975 to 1998, it was administratively located in the [[Elbląg Voivodeship]].


In 1982, the communists brutally crushed the protest of interned anti-communist oppositionists.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pap.pl/aktualnosci/news%2C1397787%2Cpolewanie-woda-bicie-palkami-kopanie-i-szczucie-psami-40-lat-temu-krwawo|title=Polewanie woda, bicie pałkami, kopanie i szczucie psami. 40 lat temu krwaro stłumiono protest w Kwidzynie|website=Polska Agencja Prasowa|date=14 August 2022|access-date=16 October 2022}}</ref>
In 1982, the communists brutally crushed the protest of interned anti-communist oppositionists.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pap.pl/aktualnosci/news%2C1397787%2Cpolewanie-woda-bicie-palkami-kopanie-i-szczucie-psami-40-lat-temu-krwawo|title=Polewanie woda, bicie pałkami, kopanie i szczucie psami. 40 lat temu krwaro stłumiono protest w Kwidzynie|website=Polska Agencja Prasowa|date=14 August 2022|access-date=16 October 2022}}</ref>
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* [[Rudolf Heidenhain]] (1834–1897), German physiologist
* [[Rudolf Heidenhain]] (1834–1897), German physiologist
* [[Gustav Cohn]] (1840–1919), German economist, particularly re. public finance
* [[Gustav Cohn]] (1840–1919), German economist, particularly re. public finance
* [[Elard von Oldenburg-Januschau]] (1855-1937 in Marienwerder), German Junker and conservative politician.
* [[Kurt Rosenfeld]] (1877–1943), lawyer and politician
* [[Kurt Rosenfeld]] (1877–1943), lawyer and politician
* [[Józef Krasnowolski]] (1879–1939), Polish painter
* [[Józef Krasnowolski]] (1879–1939), Polish painter
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* [[Ernst Tillich]] (1910–1985), German theologian
* [[Ernst Tillich]] (1910–1985), German theologian
* Bernard Friese (1927–2010), co-founder of [[Gilbern]] cars
* Bernard Friese (1927–2010), co-founder of [[Gilbern]] cars
* [[Hardy Rodenstock]] (born 1941), music publisher and manager; dealer in old and rare wine
* [[Hardy Rodenstock]] (1941–2018), music publisher and manager; dealer in old and rare wine
* {{illm|Maciej Aksler|pl}} (1947–2006), Polish test pilot
* {{illm|Maciej Aksler|pl}} (1947–2006), Polish test pilot
* [[Wiesław Hartman]] (born 1950), Polish show jumping equestrian, silver medallist in the [[1980 Summer Olympics]]
* [[Wiesław Hartman]] (1950–2021), Polish show jumping equestrian, silver medallist in the [[1980 Summer Olympics]]
* [[Wojciech Belon]] (1952–1985), Polish poet, songwriter and folksinger
* [[Wojciech Belon]] (1952–1985), Polish poet, songwriter and folksinger
* [[Izabela Tomaszewska]] (1955–2010), Polish government official and archeologist
* [[Izabela Tomaszewska]] (1955–2010), Polish government official and archeologist
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* [[Maciej Silski]] (born 1976), Polish singer
* [[Maciej Silski]] (born 1976), Polish singer
* [[Patryk Rombel]] (born 1983), Polish handball coach, currently coaching the [[Poland national handball team|Polish national team]]
* [[Patryk Rombel]] (born 1983), Polish handball coach, currently coaching the [[Poland national handball team|Polish national team]]

==Burials==
* [[Werner von Orseln]] (c.1280–1330) the 17th Grand Master of the Teutonic Order
* [[Otto Friedrich von der Groeben]] (1657–1728) a Prussian explorer, officer and German Generalleutnant in Polish service


==Gallery==
==Gallery==

Revision as of 09:30, 8 April 2023

"Marienwerder" redirects here. For other places called Marienwerder, see Marienwerder (disambiguation).
Kwidzyn
Kwidzyn Castle
Town Hall
Post office
Clockwise from top:
Flag of Kwidzyn
Flag
Coat of arms of Kwidzyn
Coat of arms
Map
Kwidzyn is located in Pomeranian Voivodeship
Kwidzyn
Kwidzyn
Kwidzyn is located in Poland
Kwidzyn
Kwidzyn
Coordinates: 53°44′9″N 18°55′51″E / 53.73583°N 18.93083°E / 53.73583; 18.93083
Country Poland
Voivodeship Pomeranian
CountyKwidzyn County
GminaKwidzyn (urban gmina)
Established11th century
Town rights1233
Government
 • MayorAndrzej Krzysztof Krzysztofiak
Area
 • Total
21.82 km2 (8.42 sq mi)
Elevation
42 m (138 ft)
Population
 (2021)
 • Total
37,975[1]
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
82-500
Area code+48 55
Car platesGKW
National roads
Voivodeship roads
Websitehttps://www.kwidzyn.pl

Kwidzyn (Kfee-dzin [ˈkfʲid͡zɨn]; Template:Lang-de; Latin: Quedin; Old Prussian: Kwēdina) is a town in northern Poland on the Liwa River. With a population of 37,975, it is the capital of Kwidzyn County in the Pomeranian Voivodeship.[1]

Geography

Kwidzyn is located on the Liwa River, some 5 kilometres (3.1 miles)[2] east of the Vistula river, approximately 70 km (43 mi) south of Gdańsk and 145 km (90 mi) southwest of Kaliningrad. It is part of the region of Powiśle.

History

Kwidzyn Castle and Cathedral in 2010

The Pomesanian settlement called Kwedis existed in the 11th century. In 1232, the Teutonic Knights built the castle and established the town of Marienwerder (now Kwidzyn) the following year. In 1243, the Bishopric of Pomesania received both the town and castle from the Teutonic Order as fiefs, and the settlement became the seat of the Bishops of Pomesania within Prussia.[3] The town was populated by artisans and traders, originating from towns in the northern parts of the Holy Roman Empire. A Teutonic knight, Werner von Orseln, was murdered in Marienburg (Malbork) in 1330. He was among the first to be buried in the newly erected cathedral of the town.

St. Dorothea of Montau lived in Marienwerder from 1391 until her death in 1394; future pilgrims visiting her shrine would contribute to the flourishing economy.

The Prussian Confederation, which opposed Teutonic rule, was founded in the town on March 14, 1440.[4] The town itself joined the organization on 17 April 1440.[5] Upon the request of the organization in 1454 Polish King Casimir IV Jagiellon incorporated the region and town to the Kingdom of Poland,[6] and the Thirteen Years' War broke out. In 1466, after the defeat of the Teutonic Knights in the war, the town became part of Poland as a fief held by the Teutonic Knights.[7] In 1525, the Teutonic state was transformed into a secular and Lutheran duchy under the last Grand Master of the Teutonic Order Albert, a political foundation only possible with the consent of the Polish King Sigismund I the Old. The town was visited by Polish Kings Sigismund II Augustus in 1552[8] and Stephen Báthory in 1576.[9] In 1618 the ducal rights were inherited by the Brandenburg branch of the House of Hohenzollern, remaining under Polish suzerainty. In 1657 the Brandenburg dukes severed ties with the Polish crown and in 1701 elevated their realm to the sovereign Kingdom of Prussia.

The town of Marienwerder meanwhile had become the capital of the District of Marienwerder. In 1772, the Marienwerder district was integrated into the newly established Prussian Province of West Prussia, which consisted mostly of territories annexed in the First Partition of Poland. In November 1831, several Polish cavalry units of the November Uprising stopped in the town on the way to their internment places.[10]

1920s view of the castle and cathedral

By the enlargement of its administrative functions, the population of the town started to grow and in 1885, it numbered 8,079. This population was composed mostly of Lutheran inhabitants, many of whom were engaged in trades connected with the manufacturing of sugar, vinegar and brewing as well as dairy farming, fruit growing and the industrial construction of machines. In 1910, Marienwerder had a population of 12,983 of which 12,408 (95.6%) were German-speaking and 346 (2.7%) were Polish-speaking.[11]

As a result of the Treaty of Versailles after World War I, the district of Marienwerder was divided. The parts west of the Vistula were incorporated into the Polish Second Republic, which had just regained its independence. The parts east of the Vistula, to which the town of Marienwerder belonged, was to take part in the East Prussian plebiscite, which was organized under the control of the League of Nations. The Inter-Allied Commission with nearly 2,000 troops often favored the Germans, and its services towards Poles were often delayed and limited, while the administration remained under German control.[12] The town was home to the Polish Warmian Plebiscite Committee and the Committee for Polish Affairs, which, however, had to operate partly secretly.[13] On May 16, 1920, the largest Polish plebiscite demonstration in Powiśle took place in the town, and Poles had to organize defenses against attacks by German militias.[14] These conditions combined with German electoral fraud[15] resulted in 7,811 votes given to remain in East Prussia, and therefore Germany, and only 362 for Poland.[16] Afterwards, anti-Polish terror intensified.[15]

Aerial view of the town in the 1920s

According to the Geneva Conventions, the Polish community was entitled to its own schools, and from 1934 local Poles strove to establish a Polish school.[17] The Germans blocked the establishment of the school, and Polish organizations filed 100 complaints to the German administration before the Polish private gymnasium was finally established on November 10, 1937.[17] Local German press incited the Germans against the Polish school,[18] and in 1938 a fourteen-year-old boy was shot at the school playground, which the German police ignored, and the shooter was not caught.[17] The Germans, especially the Hitler Youth, repeatedly harassed and attacked Polish students and devastated the school.[17] It was forcibly closed down on August 25, 1939.[19] The German police surrounded the Polish school and arrested its principal Władysław Gębik, 13 teachers, other staff and 162 students, who were imprisoned in Tapiau (today Gvardeysk),[20] and then deported elsewhere. Later on, students under the age of 18 were released, older students were forcibly conscripted into the Wehrmacht, while teachers and staff were deported to concentration camps,[17] where most of them were murdered.[21] The head of the local Polish Bank Ludowy was also arrested, and the local Polish consulate was cut off from telephone lines, nevertheless the state radio in Poland still provided information regarding the attack on the Polish school on the same day.[20]

Nazi Germany co-formed the Einsatzgruppe V in the town, which then entered several Polish cities, including Grudziądz, Ciechanów, Łomża and Siedlce, to commit various atrocities against Poles during the German invasion of Poland, which started World War II.[22] Many Poles expelled from German-occupied Poland were deported to forced labour in the town's vicinity.[23] The Germans also operated a subcamp of the Stutthof concentration camp in the town.[24] On January 30, 1945 in the last months of World War II, the town was captured by the Soviet Red Army. The Red Army established a war hospital in the town for 20,000 people. The town centre was burned and pillaged by Soviet soldiers.

After World War II, the town fell within the newly redrawn borders of Poland under the terms of the Potsdam Agreement. From 1975 to 1998, it was administratively located in the Elbląg Voivodeship.

In 1982, the communists brutally crushed the protest of interned anti-communist oppositionists.[25]

Demographics
Year Inhabitants
1400 approx. 700
1572 approx. 700
1782 3,156
1783 3,297
1831 5,060
1875 7,580
1880 8,238
1890 8,552
1900 9,686
1905 11,819
1925 13,721
1930 13,860
1933 15,548
1939 19,723
1965 approx. 13,000
2006 37,814
The above table is based on biased primary sources from the time of Prussian Partition of Poland.[3][26][27][2][28]

Points of interest

The main landmark is the Kwidzyn Castle, a 14th century Brick Gothic Ordensburg castle and cathedral complex of the Pomesanian Cathedral Chapter, which now houses a museum. It is listed as a Historic Monument of Poland.[29] The adjacent co-cathedral of St. John the Evangelist was built between 1343 and 1384, and serves as a co-cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Elbląg. It contains the tombs of three Grand Masters of the Teutonic Knights as well as numerous bishops. A bridge connects the castle to a sewer tower which was once situated on a river that has since dried up.

Other sights include the Appellate Court for Kwidzyn County, the town hall, the Holy Trinity church, the Saint Padre Pio chapel, various government buildings and old townhouses.

Economy

A branch of International Paper is located in Kwidzyn, as is the Kwidzyn School of Management.

The second biggest employer in Kwidzyn is Jabil, a global electronics manufacturing services company.[30]

The city has lower average crime and unemployment rates when compared with the national average rates of Poland.[30] These lower rates are attributed to sports programmes for youth such as MMTS Kwidzyn (handball) and MTS Basket Kwidzyn.[30]

Sports

The town's main sports clubs are:

Transport

The intersections of Polish National roads 55 and 90, Voivodeship roads 521 and 532, and Voivodeship roads 518 and 588, are located either in Kwidzyn or just outside of the town limits. There is also a train station.

Notable people

  • Kwidzyn Cathedral
    Kwidzyn Cathedral
  • District court
    District court
  • Post office
    Post office
  • Powiślańska Szkoła Wyższa (Powiśle College)
    Powiślańska Szkoła Wyższa (Powiśle College)
  • Neo-gothic complex of barracks, 19th century
    Neo-gothic complex of barracks, 19th century
  • Saint Padre Pio chapel
    Saint Padre Pio chapel
  • Holy Trinity church
    Holy Trinity church
  • Library and a monument of Józef Piłsudski
    Library and a monument of Józef Piłsudski
  • Train station
    Train station
  • Former Saint George hospital
    Former Saint George hospital
  • Vocational school
    Vocational school
  • Former casino and cinema building
    Former casino and cinema building

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Poland

Kwidzyn is twinned with:

References

  1. ^ a b "Kwidzyn (pomorskie) w liczbach » Przystępne dane statystyczne". Polska w liczbach.
  2. ^ a b Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon. Vol. 13 (6th ed.). Leipzig and Vienna. 1908. p. 299.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. ^ a b August Eduard Preuß: Preußische Landes- und Volkskunde. Königsberg 1835, pp. 441–444.
  4. ^ Jürgen Sarnowsky: Der Deutsche Orden. Beck, Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3-406-53628-1, p. 100 ff. (restricted preview).
  5. ^ Górski, Karol (1949). Związek Pruski i poddanie się Prus Polsce: zbiór tekstów źródłowych (in Polish). Poznań: Instytut Zachodni. p. XXXVII.
  6. ^ Górski, p. 54
  7. ^ Górski, p. 96-97, 214-215
  8. ^ Moraczewski, Jędrzej (1847). Dzieje Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z pierwszéj połowy szesnastego wieku (in Polish). Poznań. p. 277.
  9. ^ Gołębiowski, Łukasz (1830). Domy i dwory (in Polish). Warszawa. p. 87.
  10. ^ Kasparek, Norbert (2014). "Żołnierze polscy w Prusach po upadku powstania listopadowego. Powroty do kraju i wyjazdy na emigrację". In Katafiasz, Tomasz (ed.). Na tułaczym szlaku... Powstańcy Listopadowi na Pomorzu (in Polish). Koszalin: Muzeum w Koszalinie, Archiwum Państwowe w Koszalinie. p. 140.
  11. ^ Landesamt, Prussia (Kingdom) Statistisches (1912). Gemeindelexikon für die regierungsbezirke Allenstein, Danzig, Marienwerder, Posen, Bromberg und Oppeln: Auf grund der ergebnisse der volkszählung vom. 1. Dezember 1910 und anderer amtlicher quellen bearbeitet vom Königlich Preussischen Statistischen Landesamte (in German). verlag des Königlichen Statistischen Landesamts.
  12. ^ Plebiscyt 1920 roku. Walka o Polskość Warmii, Mazur i Powiśla (in Polish). IPN. p. 15.
  13. ^ Plebiscyt 1920 roku. Walka o Polskość Warmii, Mazur i Powiśla, pp. 16–17
  14. ^ Plebiscyt 1920 roku. Walka o Polskość Warmii, Mazur i Powiśla, p. 17
  15. ^ a b Plebiscyt 1920 roku. Walka o Polskość Warmii, Mazur i Powiśla, p. 18
  16. ^ Marzian, Herbert; Kenez, Csaba (1970). Selbstbestimmung für Ostdeutschland – Eine Dokumentation zum 50 Jahrestag der ost- und westpreussischen Volksabstimmung am 11. Juli 1920 (in German). p. 117.
  17. ^ a b c d e Justyna Liguz. "Rzeczypospolita Kwidzyńska - dzieje Polskiego Gimnazjum w Prusach Wschodnich". Interia Nowa Historia (in Polish). Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  18. ^ Wardzyńska, Maria (2009). Był rok 1939. Operacja niemieckiej policji bezpieczeństwa w Polsce. Intelligenzaktion (in Polish). Warszawa: IPN. p. 31.
  19. ^ Andreas Lawaty, Wiesław Mincer and Anna Domańska: Deutsch-polnische Beziehungen in Geschichte und Gegenwart – Bibliographie. Vol 2: Religion, Buch, Presse, Wissenschaft, Bildung, Philosophie, Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden, ISBN 3-447-04243-5, p. 879 (restricted preview)
  20. ^ a b Cygański, Mirosław (1984). "Hitlerowskie prześladowania przywódców i aktywu Związków Polaków w Niemczech w latach 1939-1945". Przegląd Zachodni (in Polish) (4): 41.
  21. ^ Cygański, p. 43
  22. ^ Wardzyńska (2009), p. 54
  23. ^ Wardzyńska, Maria (2017). Wysiedlenia ludności polskiej z okupowanych ziem polskich włączonych do III Rzeszy w latach 1939-1945 (in Polish). Warszawa: IPN. pp. 119, 129. ISBN 978-83-8098-174-4.
  24. ^ "Marienwerder" (in German). Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  25. ^ "Polewanie woda, bicie pałkami, kopanie i szczucie psami. 40 lat temu krwaro stłumiono protest w Kwidzynie". Polska Agencja Prasowa. 14 August 2022. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  26. ^ Michael Rademacher: Deutsche Verwaltungsgeschichte Provinz Westpreußen, Kreis Marienwerder (2006)
  27. ^ Der Große Brockhaus. Vol. 12 (15th ed.). Leipzig. 1932. p. 143.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  28. ^ Johann Friedrich Goldbeck: Vollständige Topographie des Königreichs Preußen. Teil II, Marienwerder 1789, pp. 3–6.
  29. ^ Rozporządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 20 kwietnia 2018 r. w sprawie uznania za pomnik historii "Kwidzyn - zespół katedralno-zamkowy", Dz. U., 2018, No. 930
  30. ^ a b c Turystyka, historia, zabytki. Kwidzyn Moje miasto.
  31. ^ "Schmidt, Heinrich Julian" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 24 (11th ed.). 1911.
  32. ^ "Stadt Celle". www.celle.de. Retrieved 2010-01-05.

Sources

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