Gniew
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Gniew (Kashubian: Gniéw, German: Mewe) is a town on the left bank of the Vistula River, in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland. It is located at around .
[edit] History
The first mention of Gniew dates from the first half of 13th century, one of the documents calling the area as Terra Gymeu. The first name of the place was Gmiew, while another name used in the Middle Ages was Wońsk.
German name was Mewe, whence the presence of a seagull (in Polish mewa) in the coat of arms of the city. Since the 10th century this region belonged to country of Polans and was the part of Gdańsk Pomerania. After the division of the country by Bolesław Krzywousty, Gniew fell to castellany of Starogard Gdański. Later this land fell to princes of Świecie and in 1229 the princes Sambor and Świętopełk gave it to the Cistercian abbey in Oliwa.
In the second half of 13th century Sambor confiscated Gniew from Cistersians and in 1282 gave it to Teutonic Knights, in exchange for their help in the fight with Świętopełk. The city was the first stronghold of Teutonic Order on the left riverside of the Vistula. Due to the important strategic location, they built one in Gniew one of their most famous castles. In 1297 Teutonic Knights gave Gniew town privileges.
The city was changing owners a few times between 1410-1466; after the peace of Toruń in 1466 became a part of Poland.
[edit] Main sights
The most notable landmark of the town is the castle built by the Teutonic Order. Built at the turn of the 14th century it originally served as the seat of Teutonic knights, and later, under Polish rule, it was home to the local district governor (starost), including Jan Sobieski.
[edit] Twinnings
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