Pieniężno | |
|---|---|
 Saints Peter and Paul church in Pieniężno | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Pieniężno | |
| Coordinates:54°13′N20°7′E / 54.217°N 20.117°E /54.217; 20.117 | |
| Country |  Poland |
| Voivodeship |  Warmian-Masurian |
| County | Braniewo |
| Gmina | Pieniężno |
| Area | |
• Total | 3.83 km2 (1.48 sq mi) |
| Population (2010)[1] | |
• Total | 2,801 |
| • Density | 731/km2 (1,890/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 14-520 |
| Vehicle registration | NBR |
| Website | www |
 | |
Pieniężno[pʲɛˈɲɛ̃ʐnɔ] (formerPolish:Melzak;German:Mehlsack[ˈmeːlˌzak]ⓘ)[2] is atown in northernPoland, located on theWałsza River inWarmia, in theWarmian-Masurian Voivodeship.[3] It is located inBraniewo County and had a population of 2,801 in 2010.
During the Middle Ages, anOld Prussian fort calledMalcekuke, loosely translated as "woods of the subterraneous" or "devil's ground", was located near the current site of Pieniężno. This waslinguistically corrupted byGerman settlers toMehlsack, meaning "flour sack", and then byPoles toMelzak. In the 14th century it was founded as a town west ofHeilsberg (Lidzbark) inWarmia.
The town'scoat of arms depicts three bags of flour spaced in between a golden sword and a silver key, all on a blue background. The website recalls a story that the inhabitants defied aSwedish siege in the 17th century by spilling their last sack of flour as a deception to convince them that they still had plenty of food left.
TheTeutonic Knights built anOrdensburg castle near Malcekuke in 1302. Dutchman Frederick fromPasłęk became thelokator and mayor of the town, andDutch people from Pasłęk were probably its first settlers.[4] Both the castle and the town which developed nearby were destroyed during warfare between the Teutonic Order and theKingdom of Poland in 1414. In 1440, the town joined the anti-TeutonicPrussian Confederation, upon the request of which it was incorporated to Poland by KingCasimir IV Jagiellon in 1454.[5] During the subsequentThirteen Years' War, Mehlsack surrendered to the Order, and the castle burned down during Poland's recapture of the town. In 1466, the town was recaptured by Poles led by Jan Skalski, then unsuccessfully besieged by the Teutonic Knights,[6] and with the end of the war in 1466, Melzak decisively passed to Poland.[7]
Nicolaus Copernicus was an administrator for the districts ofOlsztyn and Melzak for a few years in the early 16th century. From October 1518 to March 1519 Copernicus was based out of the castle while he settled nearby villages. In 1520, the town was captured by the Teutonic Knights during thelast Polish–Teutonic War.[6] From 1589-1599, PrinceAndrew Cardinal Báthory ofTransylvania, nephew of Polish KingStephen Báthory, was the administrator for the castle.
The town was captured bySwedish troops in 1626 during thePolish-Swedish War of 1625-29, recovered byHetmanStanisław Rewera Potocki, and then had its castle partially destroyed by Swedish troops in 1627. Thetown hall, dating from the 14th century and rebuilt in the 15th century, was destroyed during the Swedish occupation in 1626. It was rebuilt in 1666, but burnt in a fire the same year, only to be rebuilt again in 1770. The castle was restyled in 1640 withBaroquegables, and its function changed from being a fortress to being achâteau.
The town was annexed by theKingdom of Prussia during theFirst Partition of Poland in 1772, and administered in theProvince of East Prussia the following year. It became part of theGerman Empire in 1871 during the Prussian-ledunification of Germany.
During the 19th and 20th centuries the castle lost some of itsGothic and Baroque features, and in 1870 its eastern and southern wings were demolished after extensive deterioration. The remainder of the castle was used as administrative offices forPrussian officials. From 1920-31 the western wing was renovated so the castle could be used as a school and museum.
In 1945, near the end ofWorld War II, Mehlsack, including its castle, was mostly destroyed by the war and was occupied by theSovietRed Army and the youngest-ever Soviet General,Ivan Chernyakhovsky, died in the area. After German surrender, sovereignty over the town was ceremoniously transferred to Polish authorities on August 11, 1945, by the Soviets.[8]The town later fell within the newly redrawn borders of Poland under the terms of thePotsdam Agreement.
The town was renamed from Mehlsack toPieniężno afterSeweryn Pieniężny (1890-1940), an editor for the Polish-language newspaperGazeta Olsztyńska inOlsztyn, imprisoned and murdered by the Germans during World War II.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1871 | 3,734 | — |
| 1880 | 3,760 | +0.7% |
| 1890 | 3,937 | +4.7% |
| 1900 | 4,152 | +5.5% |
| 1910 | 3,913 | −5.8% |
| 1925 | 4,271 | +9.1% |
| 1950 | 944 | −77.9% |
| 1960 | 1,730 | +83.3% |
| 2010 | 2,801 | +61.9% |
| Source:[9][1] | ||
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)| Town and seat | | |
|---|---|---|
| Villages | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
