Biskupiec (german: Bischofsburg, ) is a town in northern Poland, 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.

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 according to

Kulm law Kulm law, Culm law or Chełmno Law (german: Kulmer Recht; lat, Jus Culmense vetus; pl, Prawo chełmińskie) was a legal constitution for a municipal form of government used in several Central European cities during the Middle Ages. It was initia ...

by Bishop Henry III Sorbom in 1395. The town sided with the Prussian Confederation, at the request of which King Casimir IV Jagiellon 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) between the rebellious Prussian Confederation and the State of the Teutonic Order, and with Warmia passed to the Lands of the Polish Crown according to the Second Peace of Thorn in 1466. Kapliczka przydrożna, ul

Again demolished during the

Polish–Teutonic War (1519–21) Polish–Teutonic War may refer to: *Teutonic takeover of Danzig (Gdańsk) (1308–1309) *Polish–Teutonic War (1326–1332) over Pomerelia, concluded by the Treaty of Kalisz (1343) *the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War or ''Great War'' (1409 ...

, the

Polish–Swedish War (1626–1629) The Polish–Swedish War of 1626–1629 was the fourth stage (after 1600–1611, 1617–1618, and 1620–1625) in a series of conflicts between Sweden and Poland fought in the 17th century. It began in 1626 and ended four years later with ...

and the

Second Northern War The Second Northern War (1655–60), (also First or Little Northern War) was fought between Sweden and its adversaries the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (1655–60), the Tsardom of Russia (Russo-Swedish War (1656–1658), 1656–58), Brande ...

(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 in 1772, ''Bischofsburg'' was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia 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 (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

. In 1882, in response to the

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

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 the 1920

East Prussian plebiscite The East Prussian plebiscite (german: Abstimmung in Ostpreußen), also known as the Allenstein and Marienwerder plebiscite or Warmia, Masuria and Powiśle plebiscite ( pl, Plebiscyt na Warmii, Mazurach i Powiślu), was a plebiscite organised in a ...

held in the town resulted in 3461 against 52 votes cast for Germany. ''Bischofsburg'' was again 50% destroyed during the East Prussian Offensive of the Red Army 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 pl, Biskupiec. Despite its numerous devastations, the medieval city's layout has been largely preserved. The town's landmark is its 16th century

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

Church dedicated to Saint John the 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 (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

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 Henry Axel Bueck (12 December 1830 – 4 July 1916) was a German business executive, politician and employer and industry representative. Biography Bueck was born in Bischofsburg, East Prussia, Kingdom of Prussia (now Biskupiec, Poland), to Joha ...

(1830-1916), politician *

Alfred Lublin Alfred Lublin (4 May 1895 – 20 August 1956) was a German physician, a professor at the University of Greifswald specialised in diabetes. In 1939 Lublin emigrated to Bolivia where he died in 1956, Biography Lublin was born in Bischofsburg, East ...

(1895–1956), German scientist *

Hans-Joachim Mack Hans-Joachim Mack (30 March 1928 – 6 April 2008) was a German general of the Bundeswehr and Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe (DSACEUR) from 1984 to 1987. Biography Mack was born in Bischofsburg, East Prussia, Weimar Germany (today Bis ...

(1928-2008), general,

Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe The Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) is the commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Allied Command Operations (ACO) and head of ACO's headquarters, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE). The commander is ...

* William Michaelis (1871–1948), viceadmiral * (1796–1869), Polish orientalist and translator * Ellen Tiedtke (1930–2022), German actress *

Hans Woellke Hans-Otto Woellke (18 February 1911 – 22 March 1943) was a German shot putter, who won a gold medal at the 1936 Summer Olympics and a bronze medal at the 1938 European Championships. Woellke served with the Order Police. During World War II, ...

(1911–1943), athlete and Waffen-SS captain * (1894–1940), Polish doctor and officer, Katyn massacre 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