Biskupiec (, ) is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in northern

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, in Warmia, in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. It is located in Olsztyn County and, as of December 2021, it has a population of 10,496. The countryside surrounding Biskupiec is a popular tourist destination, part of the

Masurian Lake District The Masurian Lake District or Masurian Lake Land () is a lake district in northeastern Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpath ...

History

The town's name derived from the Prince-Bishops of Warmia, who had a castle built in the southeastern outskirts of their realm on the ''Dymer'' creek in the late 14th century. The fortress was first mentioned in a 1389 deed, the settlement that had developed nearby received

town privileges Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the traditio ...

according to Kulm law by Bishop Henry III Sorbom in 1395. The town sided with the Prussian Confederation, at the request of which King

Casimir IV Jagiellon Casimir IV (Casimir Andrew Jagiellon; ; Lithuanian: ; 30 November 1427 – 7 June 1492) was Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1440 and King of Poland from 1447 until his death in 1492. He was one of the most active Polish-Lithuanian rulers; under ...

signed the act of incorporation of the region to Poland in 1454. The town and castle were devastated during the subsequent

Thirteen Years' War (1454–66) Thirteen Years' War may refer to: *the Thirteen Years' War (1454–1466) between the Prussian Confederation and Poland versus the Teutonic Order state *the Long Turkish War (1593–1606) between the Habsburg Monarchy and the Ottoman Empire *the Ru ...

, and with Warmia passed to the

Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland (; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a monarchy in Central Europe during the Middle Ages, medieval period from 1025 until 1385. Background The West Slavs, West Slavic tribe of Polans (western), Polans who lived in what i ...

according to the Second Peace of Thorn in 1466. Again demolished during the Polish–Teutonic War (1519–21), the Polish–Swedish War (1626–1629) and the

Second Northern War The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of ...

(1655–1660), the development of the town was often hampered not only by warfare, but also by blazes, plague and famine. With the

First Partition of Poland The First Partition of Poland took place in 1772 as the first of three partitions that eventually ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth by 1795. The growth of power in the Russian Empire threatened the Kingdom of Prussia an ...

in 1772, ''Bischofsburg'' was annexed by the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

and a year later incorporated into the newly established Province of East Prussia. The town's population was overwhelmingly Polish. According to the 1797 report of the local priest, of the 200 children attending religious education, only 20 were learning German. From 1862 until 1945, it was the seat of ''Landkreis Rößel'' (Reszel district), from 1871 part of the

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

. In 1882, in response to the

Germanisation Germanisation, or Germanization, is the spread of the German language, people, and culture. It was a central idea of German conservative thought in the 19th and the 20th centuries, when conservatism and ethnic nationalism went hand in hand. In l ...

attempts of the authorities, a Polish library was established in the town. According to the 1897 data, 75% of children in the district, as well as in the whole southern Warmia region, spoke Polish. After the German defeat in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

the 1920 East Prussian plebiscite held in the town resulted in 3461 against 52 votes cast for Germany. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the Germans operated a

forced labour Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, or violence, including death or other forms of ...

subcamp of the

Stalag I-B Stalag I-B Hohenstein was a German World War II German prisoner-of-war camps in World War II, prisoner-of-war camp located west of Hohenstein, East Prussia (now Olsztynek, Poland). The camp was partially located on the grounds of the Tannenberg M ...

prisoner-of-war camp A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured as Prisoner of war, prisoners of war by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, inte ...

in the town. The town was 50% destroyed during the East Prussian Offensive of the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

in the late days of World War II. In 1945 the town was transferred, along with all of Warmia, to Poland according to the resolutions at the Potsdam Conference. Its remaining German population was expelled and the name changed to the historic . Despite its numerous devastations, the medieval city's layout has been largely preserved. The town's landmark is its 16th century Gothic Church dedicated to Saint

John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...

(''Kościół p.w. św. Jana Chrzciciela''), erected from 1505 onwards on the behest of Prince-Bishop Lucas Watzenrode and consecrated in 1580 by Prince-Bishop Marcin Kromer.

Gallery

Biskupiec, ul. Pionierów 6 (ratusz).jpg, Former town hall Biskupiec, Plac Wolności 8 (kamienica).jpg, Old townhouse at the Freedom Square Biskupiec, Plac Wolności 6 (kamienica).jpg,

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

townhouse at the Freedom Square Kamieniczka, ul. Pionierów 22.JPG, One of the narrowest townhouses in Biskupiec Budynek I LO, ul. Chrobrego 13.JPG, High school

Notable people

* Henry Axel Bueck (1830-1916), politician * Alfred Lublin (1895–1956), German scientist * Hans-Joachim Mack (1928-2008), general, Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe * William Michaelis (1871–1948), viceadmiral * (1796–1869), Polish orientalist and translator * Ellen Tiedtke (1930–2022), German actress * Hans Woellke (1911–1943), athlete and

Waffen-SS The (; ) was the military branch, combat branch of the Nazi Party's paramilitary ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscr ...

captain * (1894–1940), Polish doctor and officer,

Katyn massacre The Katyn massacre was a series of mass killings under Communist regimes, mass executions of nearly 22,000 Polish people, Polish military officer, military and police officers, border guards, and intelligentsia prisoners of war carried out by t ...

victim

International relations

Twin towns - sister cities

Biskupiec is twinned with: * Bramsche, Germany

References

External links

Official website

Bischofsburg.de - about pre-1945 history

Statistics of inhabitants, birth, marriage, death from 1643

Jewish community of Biskupiec
on Virtual Shtetl {{Authority control 14th-century establishments in Poland Cities and towns in Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship Olsztyn County Warmia