Pyrzyce | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Pyrzyce | |
| Coordinates:53°8′N14°53′E / 53.133°N 14.883°E /53.133; 14.883 | |
| Country |  Poland |
| Voivodeship |  West Pomeranian Voivodeship |
| County | Pyrzyce |
| Gmina | Pyrzyce |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Marzena Podzińska |
| Area | |
• Total | 39 km2 (15 sq mi) |
| Population (2007) | |
• Total | 13,331 |
| • Density | 340/km2 (890/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 74-200 |
| Car plates | ZPY |
| Website | http://www.pyrzyce.um.gov.pl |
Pyrzyce[pɨˈʐɨt͡sɛ] (Kashubian:Përzëca;German:Pyritz) is a town inPomerania, north-westernPoland. As of 2007, it had 13,331 inhabitants. It is the capital of thePyrzyce County inWest Pomeranian Voivodeship.
An anonymous medieval document of about 850, calledBavarian Geographer, mentions the tribe ofPrissani having 70 strongholds (Prissani civitates LXX). The territory became part of the emerging Polish state underMieszko I around 967.[1]
The settlement was first mentioned in 1124 by bishopOtto von Bamberg, whobaptized the first Pomeranians here,[2] a task entrusted to him by Polish monarchBolesław III Wrymouth.[3] It was one of the first towns of Western Pomerania to convert to Christianity.[4] In 1140, a church was founded,[5] and a castle was first mentioned.[6] Later on, as a result of the fragmentation of Poland, it was part of theDuchy of Pomerania. In 1248, a ducal mint ofBarnim I was mentioned for the first time.[6] A new church was built in 1250, anAugustinian cloister in 1256 and a monastery of theFranciscan order in 1281.
In 1263 the town receivedMagdeburg town rights from Duke Barnim I. In 1320 DukesOtto I andBarnim III exempted the burghers from customs duties throughout their duchy, in 1322 they granted the town the village ofCzarnowo, and in 1326 they confirmed the old right to mint coins.[7] By theContract of Pyritz of March 26, 1493 theDukes of Pomerania recognized the right of succession of theHouse of Brandenburg. A large fire destroyed almost the whole town in 1496. Pyritz was the first town in Pomerania to implement theLutheranReformation in 1524.[8]
During theThirty Years' War, the town was occupied by theHoly Roman Empire since 1628, then bySweden from 1630, by the Holy Roman Empire again in 1635, and by Sweden again in 1636.[9] It was plundered repeatedly both by Imperial and Swedish troops, and in 1634, it was largely destroyed by a conflagration.[9] After the death ofthe last Pomeranian Duke in 1637, the Swedes took over the town. In 1653 the town became part of theBrandenburg-Prussianprovince of Pomerania following thePeace of Westphalia (1648) and theTreaty of Stettin (1653), along within the rest ofFarther Pomerania.
In 1818, the town became the seat of the district administration (Kreis Pyritz) and was connected to the railway system in 1882. As part ofPrussia the town was located in unifiedGermany of 1871.
At the end ofWorld War II the SovietRed Army conquered the town during thePomeranian Offensive. Bombardment of Pyritz by Soviet artillery began on February 1, 1945, and achieved maximum intensity on February 27, when attacks by heavy artillery destroyed the old town.[10] Following thepost-war boundary changes, Pyrzyce became again part of Poland; the local population was expelled[citation needed] in accordance with thePotsdam Agreement and replaced byPoles, including those displaced fromformer eastern Poland annexed by the Soviet Union.
From 1975 to 1998 Pyrzyce was administratively located in theSzczecin Voivodeship.
Since 1994 the town of Pyrzyce is home for the second oldest Geothermal Plant in Poland. The power plant is generating cleangeothermal energy thanks to use of Lower Jurassic reservoirs of thermal waters (61 degree Celsius) at approx. 1600 m b.s.l.
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| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1740 | 2,095 | — |
| 1782 | 2,122 | +1.3% |
| 1791 | 2,323 | +9.5% |
| 1794 | 2,325 | +0.1% |
| 1812 | 2,855 | +22.8% |
| 1816 | 3,126 | +9.5% |
| 1831 | 4,151 | +32.8% |
| 1843 | 4,704 | +13.3% |
| 1852 | 5,795 | +23.2% |
| 1861 | 6,501 | +12.2% |
| 1875 | 7,442 | +14.5% |
| 1880 | 8,123 | +9.2% |
| 1890 | 8,247 | +1.5% |
| 1905 | 8,600 | +4.3% |
| 1925 | 9,085 | +5.6% |
| 1933 | 10,084 | +11.0% |
| 1939 | 11,287 | +11.9% |
| 1960 | 5,515 | −51.1% |
| 1970 | 8,800 | +59.6% |
| 1980 | 11,600 | +31.8% |
| 2000 | 13,200 | +13.8% |
| 2007 | 13,331 | +1.0% |
| Source:[11][8][12][13][14][15] | ||
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{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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