Ostritz (, , ; Polish: ''Ostrowiec'' ) is a town in the district

Görlitz Görlitz (; ; ; ; ; Lusatian dialects, East Lusatian: , , ) is a town in the Germany, German state of Saxony. It is on the river Lusatian Neisse and is the largest town in Upper Lusatia, the second-largest town in the region of Lusatia after ...

, in

Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...

, in eastern

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. It is situated on the border with

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 ...

, on the left bank of the

Lusatian Neisse The Lusatian Neisse (; ; ; Upper Sorbian: ''Łužiska Nysa''; Lower Sorbian: ''Łužyska Nysa''), or Western Neisse, is a river in northern Central Europe.

, 16 km south of

. It is located next to the thirteenth century Cistercian nunnery, St. Marienthal Abbey, which is still functioning.

History

In 1230, the settlement was granted to the Dohna family by the Bohemian King. In 1234, Queen consort Kunigunde of Bohemia founded the first

Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...

abbey in Upper Lusatia in the settlement. In 1319, it passed to the Duchy of Jawor, the southwesternmost duchy of fragmented

Piast The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I (–992). The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of King Casimir III the Great. Branches of ...

-ruled Poland. Duke Henry I of Jawor granted a forest and a portion of the settlement's annual income to the monastery. In 1346, the settlement became again part of the

Kingdom of Bohemia The Kingdom of Bohemia (), sometimes referenced in English literature as the Czech Kingdom, was a History of the Czech lands in the High Middle Ages, medieval and History of the Czech lands, early modern monarchy in Central Europe. It was the pr ...

. In 1346, the abbey became the sole owner of the settlement, confirmed by King

John of Bohemia John of Bohemia, also called the Blind or of Luxembourg (; ; ; 10 August 1296 – 26 August 1346), was the Count of Luxembourg from 1313 and King of Bohemia from 1310 and titular King of Poland. He is well known for having died while fighting ...

. In 1357 it was granted

town rights 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 tradition ...

. In 1373, a town hall and defensive walls were built.''Vademecum historii Górnych Łużyc'', p. 72 The Lusatian League opposed the creation of a new rival centre, and sent an expedition which destroyed the town hall and town gates that same year. During the

Hussite Wars The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars or the Hussite Revolution, were a series of civil wars fought between the Hussites and the combined Catholic forces of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, a ...

, the town was burned down in 1427. In 1469 the town passed to

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

, and in 1490 it returned to the Czech Crown, then under the rule of Vladislaus II. From 1635, it was ruled by the Electors of Saxony, from 1697 to 1763 also Kings of Poland. It was the scene of a small battle in the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

, described in a contemporary journal as follows: ''On 31st December 1756 a picket of Prince Heinrich's Regiment under the command of Major Heinrich von Blumenthal, which had been sent out from

Zittau Zittau (; ; ; ; ; Lusatian dialects, Upper Lusatian dialect: ''Sitte''; ) is the southeasternmost city in the Germany, German state of Saxony, and belongs to the Görlitz (district), district of Görlitz, Germany's easternmost Districts of Germ ...

to Ostritz, was attacked by 500 Croats who, notwithstanding their numerical superiority were thoroughly beaten off. The Croats got right into the town and set fire to some houses, but the fires were put out. The most serious loss on the Prussian side was the brave Major von Blumenthal, who fell right at the beginning of the action.'' During the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

, the Polish VIII Corps of Prince Józef Poniatowski fought in the area in 1813, and from 17 August 1813 Prince Poniatowski stayed in the town. In recent years, the town has become known for its efforts in recycling and ecological renewable energy. Due to territorial changes after the Second World War its railway station lies in the Polish village of Krzewina. It is part of the Görlitz-Zittau train line. The "Shield and Sword" festival (or "SS Festival" for short) was launched on 20 April 2018 commemorating

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

's birthday and was opposed by the Ostritz Peace Festival established by local residents. In 2019, a court in Dresden imposed a ban on the sale or possession of alcohol at the Schild and Schwert Festival. Police confiscated thousands of litres of beer and local residents bought up the entire stock from the local supermarket.

Gallery

File:Buergerhaus ostritz.jpg, Former community centre ''(Bürgerhaus)'' with statue File:Ostritz-Markt-3.jpg, Town Hall at the Market Square Kloster st marienthal ostritz DE.jpg, St. Marienthal Abbey Umgebinde Görlitzer Straße 17 Ostritz 1.JPG, Typical Upper Lusatian house

References

{{Authority control Populated places in Görlitz (district)