Reda (; csb, Réda; formerly german: Rheda) is a town on the

Reda River The Reda is a river in northern Poland in the Pomeranian Voivodship. It empties into the Bay of Puck, a part of Gdańsk Bay. The Reda is 45 km long, and drains about 485 square kilometers. It flows within the geographical region of Pobrzeże Kas ...

in northern

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...

, in the

Kashubia pl, Kaszuby , native_name_lang = csb, de, csb , settlement_type = Historical region , anthem = Zemia Rodnô , image_map = Kashubians in Poland.png , image_flag ...

region in

Pomerania Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to t ...

, with some 26,011 inhabitants. It is part of

Wejherowo County __NOTOC__ Wejherowo County ( csb, Wejrowsczi kréz, pl, powiat wejherowski) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Pomeranian Voivodeship, northern Poland, on the Baltic coast. It came into being on January 1, 19 ...

Pomeranian Voivodeship Pomeranian Voivodeship, Pomorskie Region, or Pomerania Province ( Polish: ''Województwo pomorskie'' ; (Kashubian: ''Pòmòrsczé wòjewództwò'' ), is a voivodeship, or province, in northwestern Poland. The provincial capital is Gdańsk. The ...

. It is part of the

Little Kashubian Tricity Little Kashubian Tricity ( pl, Małe Trójmiasto Kaszubskie, csb, Môłi Kaszëbsczi Trójgard) is a name used for an urban area in northern Poland comprising the three towns of Rumia, Reda and Wejherowo, located in Wejherowo County, Pomeranian V ...

urban area, along with Wejherowo (which it borders in the west), and Rumia (which it borders in the south). The urban area is adjacent to the Tricity, which along with other surrounding areas form an agglomeration home to over 1 million residents on the Baltic coast of Gdańsk Bay. Well-developed railways and highways connect Reda to the Tricity.

Population

History

Slavic Lechitic settlements were established in present-day districts of Ciechocino and Pieleszewo in the

Early Middle Ages The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the M ...

. The territory of Gdańsk Pomerania formed part of Poland since the establishment of the state in the 10th century. A wooden church existed at the site since the 12th century. In 1309 the area was annexed by the

State of the Teutonic Order The State of the Teutonic Order (german: Staat des Deutschen Ordens, ; la, Civitas Ordinis Theutonici; lt, Vokiečių ordino valstybė; pl, Państwo zakonu krzyżackiego), also called () or (), was a medieval Crusader state, located in Cent ...

. It was first mentioned in documents in 1357. The area was re-incorporated to the

Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland ( pl, Królestwo Polskie; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a state in Central Europe. It may refer to: Historical political entities * Kingdom of Poland, a kingdom existing from 1025 to 1031 * Kingdom of Poland, a kingdom exi ...

in 1454 by King

Casimir IV Jagiellon Casimir IV (in full Casimir IV Andrew Jagiellon; pl, Kazimierz IV Andrzej Jagiellończyk ; Lithuanian: ; 30 November 1427 – 7 June 1492) was Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1440 and King of Poland from 1447, until his death. He was one of the m ...

, and after the subsequent Thirteen Years' War the Teutonic Knights renounced any claims in 1466. Reda and present-day districts Ciechocino and Pieleszewo were royal villages of the Polish Crown, administratively located in the Puck County in the

in the province of Royal Prussia in the Greater Poland Province. In 1768 Ernest Konopacki obtained permission from the King of Poland

Stanisław August Poniatowski Stanisław II August (born Stanisław Antoni Poniatowski; 17 January 1732 – 12 February 1798), known also by his regnal Latin name Stanislaus II Augustus, was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1764 to 1795, and the last monarch ...

to build a brass products factory. Reda was lost to

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...

for nearly 150 years through the First Partition of Poland of 1772, and from 1871 to 1920 it was also part of

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

. In the late 19th century the local populace was still predominantly Polish, and

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

in confession. Following

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, in November 1918 Poland regained independence, and local Poles began preparations to rejoin Poland. A Polish council was established and a Polish rally took place on December 26, 1918. Germany responded with repressions of Poles,''Historia Rumi od pradziejów do 1945'', p. 121-122 however in January 1920 Reda was successfully restored to Poland. During the

invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week af ...

, which started

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the Germans captured Reda on September 9, 1939. It was annexed from Poland by

into the latter's newly established

Danzig-West Prussia Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia (german: Reichsgau Danzig-Westpreußen) was an administrative division of Nazi Germany created on 8 October 1939 from annexed territory of the Free City of Danzig, the Greater Pomeranian Voivodship (Polish Corridor), ...

province. Reda was liberated by Polish troops on March 12, 1945. After the war, the town was again returned to Poland. In 1967, when Reda was inhabited by 5,400 people, 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 traditio ...

, and after growth began to accelerate in 1982, its population had more than tripled to above 17,000 residents by 1999. It was administratively part of the Gdańsk Voivodeship from 1975 to 1998.

Transport

The Reda, Reda Pieleszewo, Reda Rekowo railway stations are located in Reda.

Sports

The local football team is . It competes in the lower leagues.

References

External links