Morąg
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| Morąg | |
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| (Coat of arms) | |
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| Basic Information | |
| Country | Poland |
| Voivodeship | Warmian-Masurian |
| Population | 14,570 (2003) |
| Founded | 1302 |
| City rights | 1327 |
| Latitude Longitude |
53°55' N 19°57' E |
| Area | 6.11 km² |
| Agglomeration | none |
| Density | 2384.6/km² |
| Area code | +48 89 |
| Economy and Traffic | |
| Administration | |
| Mayor | Tadeusz Zbigniew Sobierajski |
| Municipal Website | |
Morąg (IPA: [ˈmɔrɔŋk]; former German: Mohrungen (help·info)) is a town in northern Poland in Ostróda County in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. The nearest city is Olsztyn, 44 km to the southeast.
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[edit] History
The town was founded as Mohrungen by the Teutonic Knights in 1302 in eastern Prussia and in 1327 attained Chełmno rights from Hermann von Oettingen. The original inhabitants of the town were emigrants from the southern Harz. War between the Teutonic Order and Poles saw the town incinerated completely in 1414. Mohrungen was occupied by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland from 1410-1461.
Mohrungen was on a shipping commerce line connecting Truso with harbors at the Black Sea. Agriculture and commerce had become the primary occupations in the town.
From 1525-1701 Mohrungen was part of Ducal Prussia, a fief of the Polish Crown. In 1701 the town became part of the Kingdom of Prussia and became the seat of Landkreis Mohrungen in 1752. An earthquake struck the town in 1818.
Mohrungen belonged to Germany until 1945. After World War II the town became part of Poland as Morąg.
[edit] Sights
After a fire in 1697 only the castle and the church, which was restored and rebuilt several times, survived. Following World War II in 1945 fires burnt about 45% of the town. Only the outer walls of the townhall remained.
- The old castle of the Teutonic Knights is being dug up as more of it has been recently discovered.
- The "Schlößchen" (Little Palace), which was mostly destroyed in the Second World War, was restored in 1986.
- The main body of the Catholic church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul goes back to the first half of the 14th century.
- The town hall, damaged in the Second World War, was rebuilt from 1947-1954 as it looked before.
- Some ruins of the original town walls still remain.
- Kretowiny, a popular lake and camp ground are only 9km away and are a favorite and frequent retreat for the local population.
[edit] Population
- 1740: 1,067
- 1782: 1,753
- 1820: 2,108
- 1880: 3,742
- 1885: 3,879
- 1890: 3,780
- 1900: 4,025
- 1910: 4,147
- 1925: 4,934
- 1933: 5,414
- 2003: 14,570
[edit] Famous residents
- Christoph von Dohna (1583-1637), politician
- Abraham Calovius (1612-1686), Lutheran theologian
- Johann Gottfried von Herder (1744-1803), author
- Elisabeth von Thadden (1890-1944), educator
- Reinold von Thadden-Trieglaff (1891-1976), theologian
- Gerhard Bondzin (born 1930), painter
[edit] Reference
This article incorporates text translated from the corresponding German Wikipedia article as of January 2006.
This article incorporates text translated from the corresponding Polish Wikipedia article as of September 2006.
[edit] External links
- Municipal website (Polish)
