Poniec | |
|---|---|
 Town Hall (Ratusz) at the Market Square (Rynek) | |
 Coat of arms | |
  Poniec | |
| Coordinates:51°45′30″N16°49′0″E / 51.75833°N 16.81667°E /51.75833; 16.81667 | |
| Country |  Poland |
| Voivodeship |  Greater Poland Voivodeship |
| County | Gostyń |
| Gmina | Poniec |
| First mentioned | 1108 |
| Town rights | before 1309 |
| Area | |
• Total | 3.54 km2 (1.37 sq mi) |
| Population (2023)[1] | |
• Total | 2,912 |
| • Density | 820/km2 (2,100/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 64-125 |
| Vehicle registration | PGS |
| Website | http://www.poniec.pl/ |
Poniec[ˈpɔɲɛt͡s] is atown in westernPoland, situated in the southern part of theGreater Poland Voivodeship.[2] The town has 2912 inhabitants (as of 2023).[1] It is the capital ofGmina Poniec (commune) inGostyń County.
Poniec dates back to the 10th century, when it was part of the emerging Polish state. The oldest known mention comes from 1108.[3] It was grantedtown rights before 1309. It was aprivate town, administratively located in the Kościan County in thePoznań Voivodeship in theGreater Poland Province.[4] Crafts, especially clothmaking, developed and the town prospered until theSwedish invasion of Poland in 1655–1660.[3] TheBattle of Poniec occurred nearby on 28 October 1704 during theGreat Northern War.
After theSecond Partition of Poland, in 1793 it was annexed byPrussia. After the successfulGreater Poland uprising of 1806, it was regained by Poles and included within the short-livedDuchy of Warsaw. In 1815 it was re-annexed by Prussia. The local population was subjected to harshGermanisation policies, however local Poles established various organizations, including a local branch of the"Sokół" Polish Gymnastic Society.[3] Many inhabitants took part in theGreater Poland uprising (1918–19), after which Poniec was reintegrated with Poland in 1919, shortly after it regained independence.[3]
During theinvasion of Poland, which startedWorld War II, German troops entered the town on 6 September 1939.[3] The Polish population was subjected to arrests, executions andexpulsions. In the following months, many residents were imprisoned in the town hall.[3] On 21 October 1939 the Germans carried out a public execution of local Poles.[5] It was one of many massacres of Poles committed by Germany on 20–23 October 1939 across the region in attempt to pacify and terrorize the Polish population.[6] Over 300 Poles were expelled to theGeneral Government, mostly toTarnów.[3] First Polish families were expelled in December 1939.[3] Many inhabitants were taken toforced labour or murdered inconcentration camps.[3] The town was captured by theSoviets in January 1945 and afterwards restored to Poland.
From 1975 to 1998, it was administratively located in theLeszno Voivodeship.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 2,008 | — |
| 1890 | 2,004 | −0.2% |
| 1910 | 2,817 | +40.6% |
| 1921 | 2,471 | −12.3% |
| 1931 | 2,626 | +6.3% |
| 1939 | 3,246 | +23.6% |
| 1950 | 2,337 | −28.0% |
| 1960 | 2,672 | +14.3% |
| 2010 | 2,851 | +6.7% |
| 2023 | 2,912 | +2.1% |
| Source:[7][8][1] | ||
Since late 19th century there is an activevolunteer fire department calledOchotnicza Straż Pożarna Poniec as well as oldpolice station used byPolicja.
There is an active train station in Poniec with historicalPrussian station building. As well as one Bus route going through town toLeszno
Dziecięco-Młodzieżowa Orkiestra Dęta przy GCK w Poniecu,wind orchestra composed ofvolunteer (non-paid)amateurmusicians works in town as a part of Municipal Cultural Center (Gminne Centrum Kultury). The orchestra is present during most holidays, e.g.Polish Independence Day orInternational Firefighters' Day. The orchestra also organizes New Year's Concerts for thousands of people from all over the country every year, inspired by theVienna New Year's Concerts.In 2023 the orchestra won the title of Vice-Champion ofPoland inPolish Wind Band Championships in Radom.In addition to the many awards regularly won by the orchestra at national festivals, it is worth mentioning the two greatest International successes. In 2018 the band won three awards during theInternational Brass Band Festival in Giulianova,Italy: Best Youth Brass Band, Best Brass Band and Best Conductor of the Festival.Another important success was participation inRasteder Musitage inGermany. The band, although initially entered into the basic category, was moved to the advanced group at the jury's request and received very high marks from each of the jurors; out of 100 possible points, the orchestra scored 86.17, which qualified it for the gold medal.The orchestra was also awarded honorarybadge ofMerit for Polish Culture (Zasłużony dla Kultury Polskiej) in 2022.
Also since 2018 one of the largest Rally ofHistorical Reenactment Groups inGreater Poland takes place in Poniec. The annual, several-day event is organized under the name "Operacja Poniec" (Operation Poniec) consists of a parade around the market square, the camp area open to visitors, withdioramas and reenactors' camps located in the City Park, outdoor cinema and historicalbattle reenactments. Groups taking part in the event recreatesoldiers andcivilians from every point in history, from theMiddle Ages and theBattle of Grunwald, through theSwedish Invasion of Poland, theNapoleonic Wars,World War I andWorld War II,Cold War conflicts such asNorthern Ireland andVietnam, to modern troops including the GermanBundeswehr. The largest one yet was IV Operacja Poniec in 2023 with 36 groups and dozens of reenactors from all over Poland.
The town's most notable sports club is Piast Poniec withfootball,volleyball,table tennis andfutsal sections.[9]
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