Olsztyn
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| Olsztyn | |
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| (Flag) | (Coat of arms) |
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| Basic Information | |
| Country | Poland |
| Voivodeship | Warmian-Masurian |
| Powiat (County) | Rada Miasta Olsztyn |
| Gmina (Commune) | Olsztyn |
| Urban Information | |
| Population | 174 550 (2005) |
| Area of district | - km² |
| Founded | - |
| City rights | -31.10.1353 |
| Latitude Longitude |
53°47' N 20°30' E |
| Gmina Olsztyn | |
| Type of commune | urban commune (Gmina miejska) |
| Districts (No.) | - |
| Area | 87,89 km² |
| Agglomeration | 230 000 |
| Density | 1972/km² |
| Area code | +48 89 |
| Postal code | 10-001 to 11-041 |
| Car plates | NO |
| Twin towns | Calpe, Chateauroux, Gelsenkirchen, Kaliningrad, Lutsk, Offenburg, Richmond, Rovaniemi |
| Economy and Traffic | |
| Economy | - |
| Highway | - |
| Railway | - |
| Airport | Szczytno-Szymany International Airport |
| Administration | |
| Mayor | Czesław Jerzy Małkowski |
| Municipal Address | ul. Jana Pawła II 1 10-101 Olsztyn |
| Municipal Website | |
Olsztyn (['ɔlʃtɨn] ; German: Allenstein (help·info); Old Prussian: Alnāsteini) is a city in northeast Poland, on the Łyna river. Historically the capital of Warmia, Olsztyn is the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, previously Olsztyn Voivodeship.
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[edit] Geography
The town is beautifully situated in a lake region of forests and plains, barely touched by humans. There are 13 lakes inside the administrative bounds of the town and many more surrounding it: (Krzywe, Długie, Żbik, Redykajny and others).
[edit] Olsztyn greenery
More than a half of the forests occupying 21.2% of the city area forms a single complex of the Municipal Forest (1050 ha) used mainly for recreation and tourist purposes. Within the Municipal Forest area, two sanctuaries of the peat-land flora: Mszar and Redykajny, are situated. Municipal greenery (560 ha, 6,5 % of the city area) developed in the form of numerous parks green spots and also three over 100 years old cemeteries includes 910 monuments of the nature and groups of protected trees in the form of beech, oak, maple and lime lined avenues.
[edit] History
- 2000 - 500 B.C. (circa) Prussian people settle the area
- 1224 Pope Honorius III assigns bishop William of Modena as Papal legate to lands along the Baltic coast
- 1226 Golden Bull of Rimini, issued by Emperor Frederick II, allows the Teutonic Knights to start a crusade against the native Baltic Prussians
- 1280 Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights established after the territory was conquered
- 1346 old forests cleared and place on the Alle (Polish: Łyna) selected for a new settlement
- 1348 Allenstein first mentioned
- 1347 construction of a castle to protect German settlers from attacks by Old Prussians
- 1353 (October 31) Allenstein receives municipal rights from the Bishopric of Warmia
- 1397 completion of the castle
- 1410 captured temporarily by the Kingdom of Poland
- 1414 captured temporarily by Poland
- 1440 Allenstein joined Prussian Confederation
- 1454 Uprising against Teutonic Order, Prussian Confederation asks Polish Crown for protection
- 1455 captured by Teutonic Knights
- 1463 captured by Polish army and annexed to Poland in 1464
- 1466 2nd Peace of Toruń confirms that Allenstein is capital city of the province of Warmia
- 1516-1521 Nicolaus Copernicus lived at the Allenstein castle as administrator of Allenstein and Mehlsack, and in charge of defence of the city and Prince-Bishopric Ermeland against the Teutonic Order.
- 1655 captured by Swedish army
- 1708 burned down by Swedes
- 1710 city population nearly wiped out in an epidemic (bubonic plague, cholera)
- 1772 annexed to Kingdom of Prussia during Partitions of Poland
- 1772 Prussian census counts population of 1770 people, predominantly farmers
- 1807 visit of Napoleon
- 1867 city hospital founded
- 1871 German Empire
- 1873 railway connection to Thorn
- 1886 First Polish language newspaper "Gazeta Olsztyńska" founded
- 1890 city gas infrastructure founded
- 1892 first telephone line
- 1898 water system
- 1907 electricity
- 1914 Russian army captures the city after start of World War I
- 1920 Plebiscite, Allenstein remains in Germany in the exclave of East Prussia
- 1921 Polish activists emigrate to Poland
- 1933 Nazis in power – discrimination of Poles and Jews
- 1935 The Wehrmacht made Allenstein the Allenstein Militärische Bereich Hauptsitze. It was the home of the 11th Infanterie Division; the 11th Artillery Regiment and the 217th Infanterie Division which was organized in 1939 at Allenstein, of East Prussians of the Landwehr age group
- 1939 (October 12) German Wehrmacht established an Area Headquarters of Wehrkreis I that controlled the subareas of Allenstein, Lötzen (Giżycko) and Ciechanów
- 1939 deportation of some pro-Slavic activists of the Polish-speaking minority to concentration camps (see Union of Poles in Germany)
- 1945 (January 22) Allenstein plundered [1] and burned down by Red Army, Expulsion of Germans
- 1945 (August 2) to Poland, officially renamed to Olsztyn, expulsions of Allenstein's Germans and Masurians continued
- 1967 tyre manufacturing plant founded
- 1980-1981 Solidarity uprising
[edit] Demographics
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1772 | 1,770 |
| 1846 | 4,000 |
| 1875 | 6,000 |
| 1885 | 11, 555 |
| 1890 | 19,373 |
| 1895 | 25,000 |
| 1939 | 50,000 |
| 1941 | 54,300 |
| 1946 | 23,000 |
| 1950 | 45,000 |
| 1972 | over 100,000 |
| 1994 | 165,000 |
| 2000 | 170,000 |
| 2005 (December 31) | 174,950 |
[edit] Administrative division
Olsztyn is divided into 22 districts:
| District | Population | Area | Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brzeziny | 1 456 | 2,25 km² | 647,1/km² |
| Dajtki | 5 863 | 7,5 km² | 781,7/km² |
| Grunwaldzkie | 6 027 | 1,46 km² | 4 128,1/km² |
| Gutkowo | 2 256 | 7,2 km² | 313,3/km² |
| Jaroty | 29 046 | 4,82 km² | 6 026,1/km² |
| Kętrzyńskiego | 7 621 | 4,83 km² | 1 577,8/km² |
| Kormoran | 16 166 | 1,1 km² | 14 696,4/km² |
| Kortowo | 1 131 | 4,22 km² | 268/km² |
| Kościuszki | 6 704 | 1,18 km² | 5 681,4/km² |
| Likusy | 2 286 | 2,1 km² | 1 088,6/km² |
| Mazurskie | 4 615 | 5,98 km² | 771,7/km² |
| Nad Jeziorem Długim | 2 408 | 4,23 km² | 569,3/km² |
| Nagórki | 12 538 | 1,69 km² | 7 418,9/km² |
| Pieczewo | 10 918 | 2,24 km² | 4 874,1/km² |
| Podgrodzie | 11 080 | 1,35 km² | 8 207,4/km² |
| Podleśna | 10 414 | 9,93 km² | 1 048,7/km² |
| Pojezierze | 13 001 | 2,39 km² | 5 439,7/km² |
| Redykajny | 1 555 | 6,1 km² | 254,9/km² |
| Śródmieście | 3 448 | 0,58 km² | 5 944,8/km² |
| Wojska Polskiego | 6 759 | 5,03 km² | 1 343,7/km² |
| Zatorze | 6 988 | 0,45 km² | 15 528,9/km² |
| Zielona Górka | 1 015 | 6,44 km² | 157,6/km² |
[edit] Tourist attractions
[edit] Monuments of architecture
- The Old Town
- The gothic castle of Warmian Chapter built during the 14th century
- Cathedral of St. Jacob
- Old City Hall on the Market Square - built in mid-14th c.
- House „Gazeta Olsztyńska” on Fish Market
- The city walls and The Upper gate (since mid 19th c. known as the High Gate)
- Semi-Gothic church of the Holly Heart of Jesus - built during the years 1901–1903
- The New City Hall
- The Railway Bridge over the Łyna river gorge near Artyleryjska and Wyzwolenia streets - built during the years 1872–1873
- The Jerusalem Chapel - built in 1565.
- Church of St. Lawrence - built during the late 14th c.
[edit] Other attractions
- The Planetarium
- The Astronomical Observatory - located on St. Andrew's Hill (143m), in a former water tower built in 1897
- Olsztyn Stefan Jaracz Theater
- Municipal Forest
- Lakes (beaches, bathing facilities, sailing boats, motorboats, kayaks etc)
[edit] Culture
[edit] Theaters
- Theatre of Stefan Jaracz (est. 1925)
- Puppet Theater
[edit] Museums
The biggest Olsztyn's museum is Museum of Warmia and Mazury. In Olsztyn there are also The "Gazeta Olsztyńska" House, Museum of the Nature and Museum of the Sport.
[edit] Economy
The Tyre company Stomil is a subsidiary of Michelin. There are also other industry, food processing plants and furniture manufacturers.
[edit] Buildings
- FM- and TV-mast Olsztyn-Pieczewo, height 360 metres, since the collapse of the Warsaw radio mast the tallest structure in Poland
[edit] Education
- University of Warmia and Mazury [2]
- University of Computer Science and Economics
- Olsztyńska Szkoła Wyższa im. Józefa Rusieckiego
- Olsztyńska Wyższa Szkoła Informatyki i Zarządzania im. Tadeusza Kotarbińskiego
- Wyższe Seminarium Duchowne HOSIANUM
- Masurian Institute (est. 1943)
[edit] Sports
- PZU AZS Olsztyn - men's volleyball team playing in Polish Volleyball League (Polska Liga Siatkówki, PLS)
- OKS 1945 Olsztyn - men's football team, (8 seasons in Polish Ekstraklasa as Stomil Olsztyn)
- Warmia Traveland Olsztyn - men's handball team playing in Seria A (Polish First League)
[edit] Notable persons
- Johannes von Layß [3] near Mehlsack, Allenstein's administrator since 1353, in charge of the town development
- Nicolaus Copernicus lived at the Allenstein castle from 1516 to 1521 when he was administrator of Allenstein and Mehlsack, and in charge of defence of the city and Prince-Bishopric Ermland against the Teutonic Order
- Johannes Knolleisen, supported students from Allenstein in the early 16th century
- Lucas David (1503-1583), a historian of Allenstein who wrote a number of volumes on Prussian history
- August Trunz (1875-1963), founder of the Prussica-Sammlung Trunz [4] that also features works from Lucas David
- Erich Mendelsohn, architect
- Hans-Jürgen Wischnewski, politician
- Krzysztof Hołowczyc, race driver
- Artur Wojdat, swimmer
Olsztyn belongs to the Federation of Copernicus Towns associating towns where Copernicus lived and worked such as Bologna, Frombork, Kraków and Toruń. The headquarters of the Federation is situated in Olsztyn Planetarium and Astronomical Observatory
[edit] Politics
[edit] Olsztyn constituency
Members of (Sejm) elected from Olsztyn constituency in 2005
- Mieczysław Aszkiełowicz, Samoobrona, (Self-Defence)
- Beata Bublewicz, PO (Platforma Obywatelska, Civic Platform)
- Jerzy Gosiewski, PiS (Prawo i Sprawiedliwość, Law And Justice)
- Tadeusz Iwiński, SLD (Sojusz Lewicy Demokratycznej, The Alliance Of The Democratic Left)
- Edward Ośko, LPR (Liga Polskich Rodzin, The League Of Polish Families)
- Adam Puza, PiS (Prawo i Sprawiedliwość, Law And Justice)
- Sławomir Rybicki, PO (Platforma Obywatelska, Civic Platform)
- Lidia Staroń, PO (Platforma Obywatelska, Civic Platform)
- Aleksander Marek Szczygło, PiS (Prawo i Sprawiedliwość, Law And Justice)
- Zbigniew Włodkowski, PSL (Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe, Polish Peasant Party)
Members of the Senate (Senat) elected from Olsztyn constituency in 2005
- Ryszard Józef Górecki, PO (Platforma Obywatelska, Civic Platform)
- Jerzy Szmit, PiS (Prawo i Sprawiedliwość, Law And Justice)
[edit] Postage stamps
In 1920 a plebiscite was held to determine whether the people wished to become part of East Prussia or Poland. In order to advertise the plebiscite, special postage stamps were produced by overprinting German stamps and sold from 3 April. One kind of overprint read PLÉBISCITE / OLSZTYN / ALLENSTEIN, while the other read TRAITÉ / DE / VERSAILLES / ART. 94 et 95 inside an oval whose border gave the full name of the plebiscite commission. Each overprint was applied to 14 denominations ranging from 5 Pf to 3 M.
The plebiscite was held on 11 July, and produced 362,209 votes (97.8 percent) for Germany and 7,980 votes (2.2 percent) for Poland. The stamps became invalid 20 August. Despite the short period of use, almost all the types of these stamps are cheaply available both used and unused. The relatively large portion of southern East Prussia contained in the plebiscite area thus remained part of Germany until after World War II, when it was put under Polish administration by the victors and the German inhabitants were largely expelled.
[edit] External links
- Olsztyn Information Service
- City's History
- Statistics of inhabitants, birth, marriage, death from 1667
| Voivodeships of Poland |  |
|---|---|
| Greater Poland | Kuyavia-Pomerania | Lesser Poland | Lower Silesia | Lublin | Lubusz | Łódź | Masovia | Opole | Podlachia | Pomerania | Silesia | Subcarpathia | Świętokrzyskie | Warmia and Masuria | West Pomerania | |
| Principal cities: Warsaw | Łódź | Kraków | Wrocław | Poznań | Gdańsk | Szczecin | Bydgoszcz | Lublin | Katowice | Białystok | Częstochowa | Gdynia | Toruń | Olsztyn | Radom | Kielce | Rzeszów | Opole | Gorzów Wielkopolski | |
