Ostróda

Ostróda
Ostroda
Flag Coat of arms
Ostróda
Coordinates: 53°42′N 19°58′E / 53.7°N 19.967°E / 53.7; 19.967
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Warmian-Masurian
County	Ostróda County
Gmina	Ostróda (urban gmina)
Established	13th century
Town rights	1329
Government
– Mayor	Olgierd "Czerwony Łeb" Dąbrowski
Area
– Total	14.15 km2 (5.5 sq mi)
Highest elevation	120 m (394 ft)
Lowest elevation	110 m (361 ft)
Population (2006)
– Total	33,419
– Density	2,361.8/km2 (6,116.9/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
– Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	14-100
Area code(s)	+48 89
Car plates	NOS
Website	http://www.ostroda.pl

Ostróda [ɔsˈtruda] (German:  Osterode in Ostpreußen (help·info)) is a town in Ostróda County in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship in Poland, with 33,603 inhabitants as of January 1, 2005. It lies in the Masurian Lake District and is a growing tourist site owing to its relaxing natural surroundings.

History

At the site of an original Old Prussian settlement on an island at the river delta where the Drewenz Drwęca river flows into Drewenzsee Lake Drwęca the town of Osterode evolved. In 1270 the Teutonic Order began constructing wooden earthworks to control the original settlement as well as defend the initial settlers Mazur and German settlers. The knights named the new town Osterode after Osterode am Harz in Lower Saxony, Germany (now a sister city with Ostróda). Between 1349-1370 the Order replaced the wood-and-earth fort with a stone castle. The town, whose charter traditionally dates to 1335, quickly became a regional administrative center for the Order.

After the Battle of Grunwald in 1410, Klaus von Döhringen conquered Osterode's castle and delivered the town to the victorious Wladislaus II of Poland. The Polish king brought the body of Ulrich von Jungingen there before travelling to besiege Marienburg (Malbork); the regrouping Teutonic Knights recaptured Ostróda a few months later.

During the Thirteen Years' War (1454–1466), Osterode was repeatedly captured by both the Poles and Prussian Confederation on one side and the Teutonic Knights on the other. From 1525 until 1701 Osterode was part of Ducal Prussia, and after 1701 part of Kingdom of Prussia. The majority of inhabitants were Protestant and the Evangelical church books date back to 17th century. In 1818 it became the seat of a Kreis (district) within the Kingdom of Prussia. In 1871 Osterode was included in the newly formed German Reich.

As a result of the treaty of Versailles on 11 July 1920 the Warmia and Masuria plebiscite was organized under the control of the League of nations, which resulted 97,81 % of votes to remain in Germany and 2,19 % for Poland.

The last remains of ethnic Polish immigrant minority fled the Communists or was expelled along with all inhabitants of East-Prussia. Moreover Osterode lost its pre-war Jewish population through Nazi Germany extermination (see Holocaust).

In January 1945 Osterode was occupied by the Soviet Red Army without fighting but 70% of the town was destroyed afterwards through burnings. Most of its population tried to escape to the west throughout the evacuation of East Prussia. With the conquest by the Soviet Union and the Potsdam Conference the town came under Polish administration and its pre-war German population was replaced with Poles.

While it was previously in Olsztyn Voivodeship from 1975 to 1998, Ostróda has been situated in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship since 1999.

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Poland

Twin towns — Sister cities

Ostróda is twinned with:

• Osterode am Harz, Germany
• Neman, Russia
• Šilutė, Lithuania

Notable residents

• Christian Jakob Kraus (1753–1807), Philosopher, Economist, Linguist
• Konrad Biesalski (1868–1930), Orthopedic Pioneer
• Werner Kirsch (Tierzüchter) (1901–1975)
• Bruno Karczewski (1913–1971), Wehrmacht officer
• Hans Hellmut Kirst (1914–1989), Author
• Maria Ciunelis, actress

External links

• Kirchenbuch Evangelical church book documents (Taufen, Heiraten, Tote) of inhabitants of Osterode since 1600s.
• Municipal webpage
• Ostróda Online (Polish)
• City history (German)

Coordinates: 53°42′N 19°59′E / 53.7°N 19.983°E / 53.7; 19.983