Braniewo

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Braniewo

	(Coat of arms)


Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Warmian-Masurian
Mayor	Henryk Mroziński
Area	12,36 km²
Population - city - urban - density	18,068 1461,8/km²
Founded	1240
City rights	1284
Municipal Website

Braniewo (until 1945 Polish: Brunsberga; German: Braunsberg (help·info)) is a town in northeastern Poland, in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, with a population of 18,068 (2004). It is the capital of Braniewo County. Located on the Pasłęka River, about five km from the Vistula Lagoon, Braniewo lies about halfway between Gdańsk and the Russian city of Kaliningrad.

[edit] History

General view. Engraving from 1684

During the conquest and Christianization of Prussia, the Teutonic Knights conquered an Old Prussian settlement named Brusebergue in 1240 and built a new town atop it on the Passarge (Pasłęka) River. The German name of this new city was Braunsberg (literally "Brown's Mountain"), although it was probably derived from a Germanization (Brus-berg and Brunsberg) of the older Prussian name or possibly named after Saint Bruno of Querfurt. In 1243 the city, together with the surrounding region of Warmia, was given by the Order to the newly created Archbishopric of Warmia, whose bishop built his cathedral in the city and made it his chief residence. In 1254 Braunsberg was granted its Lübeck law town privileges but was soon destroyed and depopulated in the second uprising of native Prussians (in 1261). It was rebuilt in a new location in 1273 and settled by newcomers from Lübeck. In 1284 given a new city charter, again based on the city charter of Lübeck. However, the next bishop, Heinrich I Fleming (1278-1300) transferred the chapter from Braunsberg to Frauenburg (Frombork) where it remained until the 20th century.

In 1296 a Franciscan abbey was built in Braunsberg, and in 1342 a "new city" (still called Neustadt or Nowe Miasto) was added. The city became a prosperous member of the Hanseatic League. It remained a part of the Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights until 1466, when as a consequence of the Second Peace of Toruń ending the Thirteen Years' War, the city passed to the Kingdom of Poland as part of the new autonomous province of Royal Prussia. In 1487 it withstood a siege by Polish troops during the War of the Priests.

During the reign of Duke Albert in neighboring Ducal Prussia, a large part of Braunsberg's populace converted to Lutheran Protestantism. Albert sought to unite Warmia with Ducal Prussia, causing the Catholics of the city to swear allegiance to the king of Poland in return for aid against Protestant Prussia. In 1526 a Polish royal commission released Braunsberg's burghers from the oath to the Polish king and handed the city back to Prince-Bishop Mauritius Ferber. Braunsberg again swore allegiance to the Prince-Bishops of Warmia, but had to denounce all Lutheran teachings and hand over Lutheran writings.

The city suffered from warfare and the church tower was not rebuilt until 1544, when Prince-Bishop Johannes Dantiscus ordered 20 zentner copper from Anton Fugger in Augsburg. It could only be paid off slowly with yearly payments of 100 marks. For many years Braunsberg was not able to directly attend Hanseatic meetings; it was not until 1557 that representatives attended session in Lübeck again.

Colegium Hosianum

Braunsberg was occupied by Sweden for several years during the Livonian War.

During Prince-Bishop Stanislaus Hosius' government, Lutheran teachings again became popular in the city. They were suppressed when Hosius brought in the Jesuits and founded the Collegium Hosianum gymnasium. The Jesuit theologian Antonius Possevinus was instrumental in enlarging the Collegium Hosianum to receive Swedes. A priest seminary was added in 1564. Pope Gregory XIII later added a papal mission seminary for northern and eastern European countries. Regina Protmann, a native of Braunsberg, founded the Saint Catherine Order of Sisters in the town, recognized by the church in 1583.

The ethnically German, politically Polish, and primarily Catholic city was annexed by the mostly Protestant Kingdom of Prussia in 1772 during the First Partition of Poland. The city obtained its first railway connection in 1852. In 1871 it became part of the newly established German Empire.

Next to Königsberg, Braunsberg was the leading academic center of Prussia. In 1912 the Jesuit college became the State Academy of Braunsberg (German: Staatliche Akademie Braunsberg).

During World War II Braunsberg was captured by the Soviet Red Army in 1945 and suffered heavy destruction due to fighting and subsequent looting. The German inhabitants of the city were either evacuated before the Soviet army arrived, killed during the fighting, or expelled to Germany after the war.

The city, previously known as Brunsberga in older Polish records, became Polish in 1945 and was given the current name Braniewo.

In 2001 the St. Catherine Church, built in 1346, destroyed in 1945, and rebuilt after 1979, was declared a Basilica Minor (Bazylika Mniejsza). This Gothic Hall church was built on a site, which held a previous wooden Church of St. Catherine since 1280. Prince-Bishop Lucas Watzenrode of Warmia added extensively to the building.