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{{Short description|Historical region of Poland}}
'''Warmia''' (Varmia,''German, '''Ermland''''' or ]) is a region between ] and ] in todays northern ], together with Masuria it forms the ] region.
{{Redirect2|Ermland|Varmi|the steamship|SS Ermland|the village in Iran|Varmi, Iran}}
It was formerly a part of ].
{{Distinguish|Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Infobox settlement
| settlement_type = ]
| image_skyline = {{multiple image
| border = infobox
| total_width = 270
| image_style = border:1;
| perrow = 2/2/2
| image1 = Zamek Olsztyn (2).jpg{{!}}Olsztyn Old Town with Castle of Warmian Cathedral Chapter
| image2 = Lidzbark Warmiński 02.JPG{{!}}Warmian Bishops' Castle complex in Lidzbark Warmiński
| image3 = Bazylika archikatedralna.jpg{{!}}Cathedral Hill in Frombork
| image4 = 2021-07 Reszel (20).jpg{{!}}Reszel Old Town
}}
| image_caption = {{hlist|From top, left to right: ] Old Town, ], Cathedral Hill in ], ] Old Town}}
| image_map = Warmia biskupia na mapie adm. Polski.svg
| image_shield = Herby Warmii.svg
| mapsize = 250
| map_caption = Location of Warmia (shown in red) on the map of ]
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{flag|Poland}}
| subdivision_type1 = ]
| subdivision_name1 = ]
| area_total_km2 = 4500
| population_total = 350000
| population_density_km2= auto
| timezone = ]
| utc_offset = +1
| timezone_DST = ]
| utc_offset_DST = +2
| seat_type = Historic capitals
| seat = ], ]
| seat1_type = Largest city
| seat1 = ]
| population_demonym = Warmian
| blank_name_sec2 = ]
| blank_info_sec2 = ] ] ]
}}


'''Warmia''' ({{langx|pl|Warmia}} {{IPA-pl|ˈvarmja||Pl-Warmia.ogg}}; ]: ''Varmia'', ''Warmia''; {{langx|de|{{audio|De-Ermland.ogg|Ermland}}}}; ]: ''Warńija''; ]: ''Wārmi'') is both a historical and an ethnographic region in northern ], forming part of historical ]. Its historic capitals were ] and ] and the largest city is ].
Warmia (Latin name) was one of the four dioceses into which Prussia was divided in (1242) by the papal legate ]. The other dioceses, all four under the archbishop of ], were ], ] and ]. Warmia later became an exempt bishopric. One of its most notable bishops was Enea Silvio Piccolomini (long time secretary to emperor ]) and later ]. The Piccolomini family held imperial rank.


Warmia is currently the core of the ] (province). The region covers an area of around {{cvt|4,500|km2}} and has approximately 350,000 inhabitants. Important landmarks include the ] in ], the bishops' castles at ] and ], the medieval town of ] and the sanctuary in ], a site of ]. Geographically, it is an area of many lakes and lies at the upper ] and on the right bank of ], stretching in the northwest to the ]. Warmia has a number of architectural monuments ranging from ], ] and ] to ], Historicism and ].
Warmia's most famous citizens were the family members of ] or Watzelrode, who was ] of Warmia and who became legal guardian, raised and educated his nephews ] and Andreas Copernicus following their father's death.


Warmia is part of a larger historical region called ], which was inhabited by the ] and later on was populated mainly by ] and ].<ref></ref> Warmia has traditionally strong connections with neighbouring ], but it remained ] and belonged directly to Poland between 1454/1466 and 1772, whereas Masuria was a part of Poland as a ] held by the ]<ref>{{Cite book|last=Górski|first=Karol|title=Związek Pruski i poddanie się Prus Polsce: zbiór tekstów źródłowych|year=1949|publisher=Instytut Zachodni|location=Poznań|language=pl,la|pages=96–97, 214–215}}</ref> and ], which became predominantly Protestant. Warmia has been under the dominion of various states over the course of its history, most notably the ], the ], the ] and the ]. The history of the region is closely connected to that of the ] (formerly ]). The region is associated with the ] tribe, the ],<ref name="Warm names">Also called the ''Warms'', ''Varms'', ''Varmi'', ''Warmians'', ''Varmians''.</ref> who settled in an approximate area. According to ], Warmia is named after the legendary Prussian chief ], and Ermland derives from his widow Erma.
In 1755 the imperial mapmaker of ],] completed work on a beautiful map of Ermland or Warmia. It details all surrounding towns.


Warmia is bordered by ] in the west, ] in the south and east, and ] and ] in the north.
Located in a region , which is said to be marked by the frequently changing boundaries between ] and ], it is said that Warmia passed with much of western Prussia from the rule of the Teutonic Order to Polish sovereignty under the ] in ], while it actually was en exect bishopric.


==Geography==
In ], this Prussian land was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia at the time of the first under ], who named the eastern part of Prussia, East Prussia (''Ostpreussen''). East Prussia, now a province of the State of Prussia, in 1871 led the unificating of the German Reich, after the destruction of the ] by ].
]
] against the background of modern administrative borders (names in Polish)]]
Warmia occupies a 100 kilometer long strip of land along the right bank of the ], approximately 20 kilometers wide in the north and increasing to over 70 kilometers wide in the south. The ] drains the southern portion of the region, flowing to the northeast to join with the ]. The terrain is composed of gentle hills and wide plains, and has a ], with milder temperatures found at lower elevations in the north near the coast.


With the exception of the far northern and southern ends of the region, the Pasłęka constitutes its western border. That river flows into the ] just after passing the town of ]. The historically important port town of ] lies west of the Pasłęka, near the mouth of the {{ill|Bauda River|pl|Bauda}}. Further south, the Pasłęka is joined by the tributaries {{ill|Wałsza|pl|Wałsza}} and ], with the headwaters of the river located near the southern end of Warmia.
The end of World War II saw the killing of many Polish settlers (deported from Polish lands overtaken by Soviet Union) at the hands of the ''Wehrwolf'', a German paramilitary organization devoted to fighting and killing Polish civilians. The group was largely supported by original German population, especially the clergy, which resulted in the expulsion of much of the East Prussian population by Polish and Soviet troops. Wehrwolf was active in every region of the Polish "Recovered Lands", earning for itself a very bad fame, by never attacking any military targets.


The source of the Łyna river is found just south of the southern tip of the region, near the eponymous town of ]. The river flows through several lakes on the western end of the ], passing through the cities of ] and ] as it takes in numerous tributaries on its journey north. This southern portion of Warmia is more heavily forested and historically had many towns with Polish-speaking majorities, while the rest of the region was almost entirely German-speaking.
Ermland was overrun by Soviet troops and annexed to Poland in 1945.


==History==
The ethnic cleansing or "resettlements" as they were officially called by the Allies at the ], were ongoing for several months and years. These 'resettlements' were carried out by the newly installed communist Polish Government under order of the Soviet Union. In order to take over eastern and central Europe Moskow-trained communists systematically and with brutal force removed or killed millions of people. It was a pre-planned and ongoing process. Communist Poland 'resettled' Ukrainian Poles from the ] and moved them to German land east of the ]. These ruthless units included para-military as well as civilian units of Poles under Soviet orders. They expelled the German population and completely took over their land, while the Potsdam Conference called for administration. Despite greatest hardships, some of the population of Ermland managed to stay in their homeland.
=== Early times ===
]]]
By the early ] the Warmians, an ] tribe, inhabited the area.


=== Beginning of the Northern Crusades ===
After the break-up of the ], a monument memorializing the dead was erected in September 2001. This memorial inscripted in Polish and German language, is located near Olsztyn (''Ger.'' ]). The dedication was attended by Polish army honor guard, the wife of the prime minister of Poland, Jerzy Buzek, church officials and the murdered priests' family members, and former residents, now living in Germany, who had been expelled (] during and shortly after the War.
In the 13th century the area became a battleground in the ]. Having failed to gather an expedition against Palestine, ] resolved in 1207 to organize a new crusade; beginning in 1209, he called for crusades against the ], against the ] of ] (1213), and, also around that time, against the pagans of ].<ref>
{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140917025303/http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04543c.htm |date=2014-09-17 }}
</ref> The first ], ], was commissioned in 1209 to convert the Prussians, at the request of ] (duke from 1194 to 1247).


=== Teutonic Order ===
In 1226 Duke Konrad I of Masovia invited the ] to ] the pagan Prussians. He supplied the Teutonic Order and allowed the usage of ] as a base for the knights. They had the task of establishing secure borders between Masovia and the Prussians, with the assumption that conquered territories would become part of Masovia. The Order waited until they received official authorisation from the Empire, which Emperor ] granted by issuing the ] (March 1226). The papal ] from ] in 1234 confirmed the grant, although Konrad of Masovia never recognized the rights of the Order to rule Prussia. Later, the Knights were accused of forging these land grants.


By the end of the 13th century the Teutonic Order had conquered and Christianized most of the ], including Warmia. The Teutonic Order ]. The new régime reduced many of the native Prussians to the status of serfs and gradually ] them. {{citation needed|date=September 2020}}. Native Prussians were also reported as holders of estates. Over several centuries the colonists, native Prussians and immigrants gradually intermingled.{{citation needed|date=December 2013}} Until the early 13th century, also the southern parts of Warmia were German-speaking. Polish settlers arrived later, particularly after 1410, mainly to southern Warmia, so that German was replaced by Polish in this area.<ref>{{cite book|language=de|contribution=Hermann Pölking|title=Ostpreußen - Biographie einer Provinz|publisher=Weltbild|pages=50}} {{cite book|title=Europa im Hoch- und Spätmittelalter|author=Udo Arnold|publisher=Klett-Cotta|year= 1987|pages=481}}</ref>
----
'''External Links'''


]
*Memorial website, listing names of the dead: ]
In 1242 the ] ] set up four ]s, including the ]. The bishopric was exempt and was governed by a ], confirmed by Emperor ]. The ] were usually Germans or Poles, although Enea Silvio Piccolomini, the later ], served as an ] bishop of the diocese.


After the 1410 ], Bishop ] of Warmia surrendered to King ] of Poland, and later with Bishop ] paid homage to the Polish king at the Polish camp during the ]. After the Polish army moved out of Warmia, the new Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, ], accused the bishop of treachery and reconquered the region.<ref>
*External link to Endersch's map: ]
{{cite web |url=http://www.pieniezno.pl/?site=historia |title=Miasto i Gmina Pieniężno Miasto Pieniężno - oficjalny portal miejski |access-date=2006-03-16 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060614200207/http://pieniezno.pl/?site=historia |archive-date=2006-06-14 }}</ref>

=== Kingdom of Poland ===
]
In February 1440 the nobility of Warmia and the town of ] (Braunsberg) co-founded the ], which opposed Teutonic rule, and most towns of the Warmia joined the organization in May 1440.<ref>Górski, pp. XXXI, XXXVII</ref> In February 1454, the organization asked Polish King ] to incorporate the region to the Kingdom of Poland, to which the king agreed and signed the act of incorporation in ] on 6 March 1454,<ref>Górski, p. 54</ref> and the ] broke out. During the war Warmia was recaptured by the Teutonic Knights, however, in 1464 Bishop Paweł Legendorf vel Mgowski sided with Poland and the Prince-Bishopric came again under the overlordship of the Polish King.<ref>Górski, p. LXXXII</ref> In the ] the Teutonic Knights renounced any claims to Warmia, and recognized Polish sovereignty over the region, which was confirmed to be part of Poland.<ref>Górski, pp. 99, 217</ref> It was administratively remained a Prince-Bishopric with several privileges, part of the larger provinces of ] and ].

Soon after, in 1467, the Cathedral Chapter elected ] against the wish of the Polish king. The Estates of Royal Prussia did not take the side of the Cathedral Chapter. Nicholas von Tüngen allied himself with the ] and with King ]. The feud, known as the ], was a low scale affair, affecting mainly Warmia. In 1478 ] (Braunsberg) withstood a Polish siege which was ended in an agreement in which the Polish king recognized von Tüngen as bishop and the right of the Cathedral Chapter to elect future bishops, which however would have to be accepted by the king, and the bishop as well as Cathedral Chapter swore an oath to the Polish king. Later in the ] (7 December 1512), conceded to the king of Poland a limited right to determine the election of bishops by choosing four candidates from Royal Prussia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zum.de/whkmla/military/15cen/pfaffenkrieg14671479.html|title=WHKMLA : Royal Prussia : Warmia Stift Feud (Pfaffenkrieg), 1467-1479|website=zum.de|access-date=25 April 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204042926/http://www.zum.de/whkmla/military/15cen/pfaffenkrieg14671479.html|archive-date=4 February 2012}}</ref> The region retained autonomy, governing itself and maintaining its own laws, customs, rights and German language.<ref>{{cite book|title=Urban Societies in East-Central Europe, 1500–1700|author=Dr Jaroslav Miller|publisher=Ashgate Publishing|pages=179}}</ref>

], Warmian Cathedral Chapter canon and famous astronomer, with the ] in the background, on a ] by ]]]
Warmia was invaded by the Teutonic Knights during the ], however, the Poles, led by renown astronomer ], repulsed the Teutonic ] in 1521.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lerski|first1=Jerzy Jan|last2=Wróbel|first2=Piotr|last3=Kozicki|first3=Richard J.|year=1996|title=Historical dictionary of Poland, 966-1945|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|page=403}}</ref> Copernicus spent more than half of his life in Warmia, where he wrote many of his groundbreaking works and conducted astronomical observations and mathematical calculations, which became the basis for his ] model of the universe.<ref name=dzie>{{cite web|url=https://dzieje.pl/aktualnosci/sarkofag-ze-szczatkami-kopernika-w-drodze-do-fromborka|title=Sarkofag ze szczątkami Kopernika w drodze do Fromborka|website=dzieje.pl|access-date=15 April 2022|language=pl}}</ref> After the war of 1519–1521, he coordinated the reconstruction and resettlement of the devastated southern Warmia.<ref name=dzie/>

In 1565, Cardinal ] founded the ] in Braniewo, which became the leading institution of higher learning in the region.
], the capital of Warmia until the ]]]
After the ] in 1569, the Prince-Bishopric of Warmia was integrated more directly into the ] within the ]. At the same time, the territory continued to enjoy substantial autonomy, with many legal differences from neighbouring lands. For example, the bishops were by law members of ] ] and the land elected MP's to the ] of ] as well as MP's to the ] of ].
Warmia was under the Church jurisdiction of the ] until 1512, when ] ] received exempt status, placing Warmia directly under the authority of the Pope (in terms of church jurisdiction), which remained until the resolution of the ] in 1806.

=== Prussia and Germany ===
By the ] in 1772, Warmia was annexed by the ]; the properties of the ] were secularized by the Prussian state. In 1773 Warmia was merged with the surrounding areas into the newly established province of ]. ], the last ] of Warmia as well as ] Polish poet, friend of ] (whom he did not give ] as his new king), was nominated to the ] (and thus ] of Poland) in 1795. After the last partition of Poland and during his tenure as Primate of Poland and Prussian subject he was ordered by ] to teach his Catholic Poles to 'stay obedient, faithful, and loving to their new kings', ] of 1795. The Prussian census in 1772 showed a total population of 96,547, including an urban population of 24,612 in 12 towns. 17,749 houses were listed and the biggest city was ].

Between 1773 and 1945 Warmia was part of the predominantly ] province of ], with the exception that the people of Warmia remained largely ]. Most of the population of Warmia spoke ], while a small area in the north spoke ]; southern Warmia was populated by both Germans and Polish ]s.<ref>Nationale Minderheiten und staatliche Minderheitenpolitik in Deutschland im 19. Jahrhundert, Hans Henning Hahn, Peter Kunze, p. 109</ref> The Polish population was subjected to intense ] policies. Warmia was divided into four districts (''Kreise'') - ], Rössel (]), Heilsberg (]) and Braunsberg (]). The city of ] was separated from the Allenstein district in 1910 and became an independent city.

On 6 May 1863, the village of ] was the site of a massacre of Polish inhabitants. Local farmers protested the taking of the lake from the village and handing it over to a local miller.<ref name=bg>{{cite magazine|last=Groniewska|first=Barbara|year=1960|title=Rola Prus Wschodnich w powstaniu styczniowym|magazine=Komunikaty Mazursko-Warmińskie|language=pl|issue=1|pages=13–14}}</ref> Prussian troops fired on the crowd, killing more than a dozen people, including women, and wounding 30.<ref name=bg/>

In the winter of 1863–1864, Polish insurgents of the ] who fled the ] of Poland, found shelter in Warmia.<ref>Groniewska, p. 32</ref>
]

{| class="wikitable"
|+Ethnolinguistic structure of Southern Warmian districts (1825, 1910) <ref>{{Cite book|last=Belzyt|first=Leszek|url=https://opacplus.bsb-muenchen.de/search?isbn|title=Sprachliche Minderheiten im preussischen Staat: 1815 - 1914 ; die preußische Sprachenstatistik in Bearbeitung und Kommentar|date=1998|publisher=Herder-Inst.|isbn=978-3-87969-267-5|location=Marburg}}{{Dead link|date=May 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite book|last=von Haxthausen|first=August|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Gsj1FBg0gvUC&pg=RA1-PA78|title=Die ländliche verfassung in den einzelnen provinzen der Preussischen Monarchie|publisher=Gebrüder Borntraeger Verlagsbuchhandlung|year=1839|location=Königsberg|pages=81|language=de}}</ref>
! rowspan="2" |Year
! rowspan="2" |District
! rowspan="2" |Population
! colspan="2" |German
! colspan="2" |Polish / Bilingual
|-
!Number
!Percent
!Number
!Percent
|-
! rowspan="4" |1825
|Allenstein (city)
|2,637
|1,371
|'''52.0%'''
|1,266
|'''48.0%'''
|-
|Allenstein (district)
|27,820
|3,556
|'''12.8%'''
|24,264
|'''87.2%'''
|-
|Rössel
|30,705
|23,927
|'''77.9%'''
|6,778
|'''22.1%'''
|-
!'''Total'''
!'''61,162'''
!'''28,854'''
!'''47.2%'''
!'''32,308'''
!'''52.8%'''
|-
! rowspan="4" |1910
|Allenstein (city)
|33,077
|29,344
|'''88.7%'''
|3,683
|'''11.1%'''
|-
|Allenstein (district)
|57,919
|22,825
|'''39.4%'''
|35,079
|'''60.6%'''
|-
|Rössel
|50,472
|43,189
|'''85.6%'''
|7,283
|'''14.4%'''
|-
!'''Total'''
!'''141,468'''
!'''95,358'''
!'''67.4%'''
!'''46,045'''
!'''32.5%'''
|}
], destroyed by the Germans in 1939,<ref>Leon Sobociński, ''Na gruzach Smętka'', wyd. B. Kądziela, Warszawa, 1947, p. 61 (in Polish)</ref> rebuilt in 1989, now a museum]]
In 1871, along with the rest of East Prussia, Warmia became part of the ]. In 1873, according to a regulation of the Imperial German government, school lessons at public schools inside Germany had to be held in German, as a result the Polish language was forbidden in all schools in Warmia, including Polish schools already founded in the sixteenth century. In 1900 Warmia's population was 240,000. In the ] climate after ], Warmian Poles were subject to persecution by the German government. Polish children speaking their language were punished in schools and often had to wear signs with insulting names, such as "Pollack".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.domwarminski.pl/www.domwarminski.pl/content/view/294/416|title=Strona główna - Dom Warmiński|website=Dom Warmiński|access-date=25 April 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227151518/http://www.domwarminski.pl/www.domwarminski.pl/content/view/294/416|archive-date=27 February 2017}}{{dead link|date=October 2024}}</ref>

After the ], Poland regained independence, and a ] was held to determine the future of Warmia. In February 1920, Poland opened a consulate in Olsztyn in 1920,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Ceranka|first1=Paweł|last2=Szczepanik|first2=Krzysztof|year=2020|title=Urzędy konsularne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej 1918–1945. Informator archiwalny|language=pl|location=Warszawa|publisher=Naczelna Dyrekcja Archiwów Państwowych, ]|page=292|isbn=978-83-65681-93-5}}</ref> however, due to the German persecution of Poles and the advances of the ] towards Warsaw in the ], the plebiscite resulted in a German victory, and the region remained within Germany in the interbellum.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2007-06-09|title=Rocznik statystyki Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej|url=http://quellen.herder-institut.de/M01/quellen/plebiszite.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070609160009/http://quellen.herder-institut.de/M01/quellen/plebiszite.pdf|archive-date=9 June 2007|access-date=2021-06-27}}</ref>
] Monument in ]]]
Despite German hostility, the Poles founded numerous Polish organizations in Warmia in the interbellum. Persecution of Poles intensified after the ] rose to power in Germany. Due to severe persecution, from 1936 Polish organizations carried out their activities partly in conspiracy.<ref name=mc38>{{cite journal|last=Cygański|first=Mirosław|year=1984|title=Hitlerowskie prześladowania przywódców i aktywu Związków Polaków w Niemczech w latach 1939-1945|journal=Przegląd Zachodni|language=pl|issue=4|page=38}}</ref> Polish organizations were heavily invigilated by the '']'' (German security police) through its undercover agents, known as the ''Vertrauensmänner''.<ref name=mw39>{{cite magazine|last=Wardzyńska|first=Maria|year=2003|title="Intelligenzaktion" na Warmii, Mazurach i północnym Mazowszu|magazine=Biuletyn Instytutu Pamięci Narodowej|language=pl|publisher=]|issue=12-1 (35-36)|page=39|issn=1641-9561}}</ref> Based on their information, the German police compiled files and lists of Poles who were supposed to be either executed or imprisoned in ].<ref name=mw39/> Nazi militants carried out attacks on Polish schools, organizations, printshops, shops.<ref name=mw39/> The persecution of Poles further intensified in 1939.<ref name=mw39/> In early 1939, many Polish activists were expelled.<ref name=mc38/> Afterwards, in an attempt to rig the results of an upcoming census and understate the number of Poles in the region, the Germans terrorized the Polish population, attacked Polish schools and organizations, and confiscated Polish pre-census information leaflets.<ref>Cygański, p. 39</ref> In summer 1939 the German terror against the Poles even exceeded the terror from the period of the 1920 plebiscite.<ref name=mc40>Cygański, p. 40</ref> Poles were subjected to expulsions and arrests, there were terrorist attacks on Polish organizations and schools, Polish libraries were looted or destroyed, and entire volumes of Polish press were confiscated.<ref name=mw39/><ref name=mc40/> In August 1939, Germany introduced ] in the region, which allowed for even more blatant persecution of Poles.<ref name=mc40/> Germany co-formed the '']'' in Olsztyn, which then committed various ] during the German ] that began ] in September 1939.<ref>{{cite book|last=Wardzyńska|first=Maria|year=2009|title=Był rok 1939. Operacja niemieckiej policji bezpieczeństwa w Polsce. Intelligenzaktion|language=pl|location=Warszawa|publisher=IPN|page=54}}</ref> In August and September 1939, the Germans carried out mass arrests of Poles, including activists, teachers, school principals, bank employees, newspaper editors, entrepreneurs, priests, scout leaders, and the consul and employees of the Polish Consulate in Olsztyn, and shut down or seized Polish newspapers and libraries.<ref>Wardzyńska (2003), pp. 39–40</ref><ref>Cygański, pp. 41–42</ref><ref>Ceranka; Szczepanik, p. 293</ref> Arrested Poles were mostly deported to concentration camps, incl. {{ill|Hohenbruch concentration camp|lt=Hohenbruch|de|KZ Hohenbruch}}, ], ], ], ] and ].<ref>Cygański, p. 43</ref> During ], many Poles from the region were forcibly conscripted into the '']''.<ref>Cygański, p. 63</ref> The Germans operated a notable Nazi prison in the town of ] (Wartenburg) with several ] subcamps in the region.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=100000988|title=Zuchthaus Wartenburg|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=15 April 2022|language=de}}</ref> The ] was active in the region and ] was distributed.<ref>{{cite book|last=Chrzanowski|first=Bogdan|year=2022|title=Polskie Państwo Podziemne na Pomorzu w latach 1939–1945|language=pl|location=Gdańsk|publisher=IPN|page=57|isbn=978-83-8229-411-8}}</ref>

=== Polish Republic ===
Following Germany's defeat in ], and the ] and ] of 1945, Warmia became again part of Poland as part of so-called ], pending a final peace conference with Germany which eventually never took place.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Politics Today Companion to West European Politics|author=Geoffrey K. Roberts, Patricia Hogwood|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2013|page=50|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q40tDwAAQBAJ|isbn=9781847790323}}; {{cite book|title=The United States and Poland|author=Piotr Stefan Wandycz|publisher=Harvard University Press|year= 1980|page=303|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_XaFaNshCrkC|isbn=9780674926851}}; {{cite book|title=The Oder-Neisse Line: a reappraisal under international law|author=Phillip A. Bühler|series=East European Monographs|year= 1990|page=33|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=riBpAAAAMAAJ|isbn=9780880331746}}</ref> The German inhabitants either ] by Soviet and communist authorities installed in Poland and the remaining Polish inhabitants were joined by Polish settlers,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oGmTs2SceAgC&dq=Warmia+%22ethnic+cleansing%22&pg=PA107|pages = 107–117|title = Redrawing Nations: Ethnic Cleansing in East-Central Europe, 1944-1948|isbn = 9780742510944|last1 = Ther|first1 = Philipp|last2 = Siljak|first2 = Ana|year = 2001}}</ref> many of whom were displaced from ].

] is the largest city in Warmia and the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivedeship. During 1945–46, Warmia was part of the ''Okreg Mazurski'' (Masurian District). In 1946 a new voivodeship was created and named the ], which encompassed both Warmia and Masurian counties. From 1975 to 1998, Warmia was divided between the Olsztyn and ]s, and in 1999 it was entirely included with the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. The Catholic character of Warmia has been preserved in the architecture of its villages and towns, as well as in folk customs.

==Anthem==
], print from 1920]]
The unofficial anthem of Warmia is ''O Warmio moja miła'' from 1920, with music by local Polish composer ] and lyrics by Maria Paruszewska. It is also the ] of the region's largest city of ].

==Sights==
Three landmarks in Warmia are listed as ]:
* Gothic ] in ] with its fortifications and the Copernicus Tower<ref>{{Cite Polish law|title=Zarządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 8 września 1994 r. w sprawie uznania za pomnik historii.|year=1994|volume=50|number=414}}</ref>
* Gothic ] in ]<ref>{{Cite Polish law|title=Rozporządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 20 kwietnia 2018 r. w sprawie uznania za pomnik historii "Lidzbark Warmiński - zamek biskupów warmińskich".|year=2018|number=944}}</ref>
* ] Sanctuary of Saint Mary in ]<ref>{{Cite Polish law|title=Rozporządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 19 grudnia 2022 r. w sprawie uznania za pomnik historii "Stoczek Klasztorny - Sanktuarium Matki Pokoju"|year=2022|number=2764}}</ref>

] Museum in ]]]
Other sights include the old towns of ] and ] with the ] and ] castles, the Old Town of ] with the museum of Polish composer ] at his birthplace. There are also several palaces, including the Baroque Grabowski Palace in Lidzbark Warmiński and the palace in ], favorite summer residence of leading ] poet ]. The Basilica of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in ] is a popular regional pilgrimage site.

Places of stay of ] include the medieval castles in Olsztyn, Lidzbark Warmiński and ], whereas the ] contains his grave and ].

A typical feature of the Warmian landscape are the massive Gothic churches in the towns and the numerous historic wayside shrines in various towns and villages, a reminder of the region's strong Catholic traditions.

There is a small cemetery of the ] in ] at which British and Commonwealth ] from ] are buried.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/cemetery-details/5001703/lidzbark-warminski-war-cemetery/|title=Lidzbark Warminski Cemetery|website=Commonwealth War Graves Commission|access-date=6 December 2024}}</ref>

==Cuisine==
In addition to traditional nationwide ], Warmia has its own regional and local ]s and beverages, as designated by the ].

Unique local dishes include the Lord-style turkey wings (''Skrzydła indycze po pańsku'').<ref name=gov>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.pl/web/rolnictwo/skrzydla-indycze-po-pansku|title=Skrzydła indycze po pańsku|website=Ministerstwo Rolnictwa i Rozwoju Wsi - Portal Gov.pl|access-date=24 November 2023|language=pl}}</ref> ] is considered one of the pioneers of ] consumption in Warmia, as already in 1791, during a feast he organized, he ordered turkey to be served, among other dishes.<ref name=gov/>

The tradition of producing Warmian smoked beef ham (''Warmińska szynka wołowa wędzona'') is cultivated by several meat-packing plants in Warmia.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.pl/web/rolnictwo/warminska-szynka-wolowa-wedzona|title=Warmińska szynka wołowa wędzona|website=Ministerstwo Rolnictwa i Rozwoju Wsi - Portal Gov.pl|access-date=24 November 2023|language=pl}}</ref>

The officially protected traditional alcoholic beverages of Warmia are ''Okowita miodowa warmińska'', a beverage of 42% ] made from Warmian ], and the Warmian ], a local type of ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.pl/web/rolnictwo/okowita-miodowa-warminska|title=Okowita miodowa warmińska|website=Ministerstwo Rolnictwa i Rozwoju Wsi - Portal Gov.pl|access-date=24 November 2023|language=pl}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.pl/web/rolnictwo/porter-warminski|title=Porter warmiński|website=Ministerstwo Rolnictwa i Rozwoju Wsi - Portal Gov.pl|access-date=24 November 2023|language=pl}}</ref>

The traditional cuisine of German Warmiaks include ], Heilsberger Keilchen, a form of potato dumplings, and Wruken (turnip), or Klunkersuppe (flour milk soup) mit Bratschukken (fried potatoes).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ermlandgemeinschaft-heckenbach.de/html/rezepte.html|title=Typisch ermländische Rezepte|access-date=2024-10-13}}</ref>

==Sports==
The most accomplished sports team of Warmia is ], multiple times Polish volleyball champions and ] winners. The first several tournaments of the ], an international volleyball friendly competition, were held in Warmia.

==Cities and towns==
] is the largest city of Warmia and capital of the ]]]
] is the northernmost town of Warmia]]
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" width="38%"
!style="width:2%;"|
!style="width:20%;"|City
!style="width:8%;"|Population (2015)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.polskawliczbach.pl/Miasta|title=Lista miast w Polsce (spis miast, mapa miast, liczba ludności, powierzchnia, wyszukiwarka)|website=polskawliczbach.pl|access-date=25 April 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180425232401/http://www.polskawliczbach.pl/Miasta|archive-date=25 April 2018}}</ref>
!style="width:8%;"|Granted city rights
|-
|1.
|align="left"|] ]
|174,675||1353
|-
|2.
|align="left"|] ]
|17,385||1254
|-
|3.
|align="left"|] ]
|16,352||1308
|-
|4.
|align="left"|] ]
|10,626||1395
|-
|5.
|align="left"|] ]
|10,599||1329
|-
|6.
|align="left"|] ]
|9,046||1313
|-
|7.
|align="left"|] ]
|7,265||1364
|-
|8.
|align="left"|] ]
|4,817||1337
|-
|9.
|align="left"|] ]
|3,346||1338
|-
|10.
|align="left"|] ]
|2,949||1312
|-
|11.
|align="left"|] ]
|2,492||1385
|-
|12.
|align="left"|] ]
|2,475||1310
|}

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed" widths="155px" heights="135px" caption="Castles of Warmian Bishops">
Image:646546 Lidzbark Warmiński zespół zamkowy 03.JPG|]
Image:Reszel - Fara - widok z wieży na miasto, zamek i okolice 002 (cropped).jpg|]
Image:Wieza bramna braniewo.jpg|Remains of the ]
</gallery>

<gallery mode="packed" widths="155px" heights="135px" caption="Castles of Warmian Cathedral Chapter">
Image:KP, Olsztyn, zamek2.JPG|]
Image:Pieniezno castle 02.JPG|Pieniężno Castle
</gallery>

<gallery mode="packed" widths="155px" heights="135px" caption="] churches of Warmia (examples)">
Image:Frombork 019a.jpg|]
Image:Olsztyn - Katedra - panoramio.jpg|Saint James Pro-cathedral in ]
Image:Kościół parafilany pw. św. Piotra i Pawła w Lidzbarku Warmińskim.jpg|Collegiate church in ]
Image:Reszel Fara 002.jpg|Saints Peter and Paul church in ]
Image:Kolegiata Dobre Miasto 1.JPG|Collegiate church in ]
Image:Braniewo - Bazylika mniejsza pw. św. Katarzyny.JPG|Saint Catherine of Alexandria church in ]
</gallery>

==People==
] in ]]]
* ] (1473 in ] – 1543 in ]), mathematician and astronomer
* ] (1504 in ] – 1579 in ]), Polish writer and diplomat, Bishop of Warmia
* ] (1512 in ] – 1589 in ]), Polish cartographer, diplomat and historian, personal secretary of Kings of Poland, Bishop of Warmia
* ] (1552 in ] – 1613 in ]), Polish Roman Catholic, founder of the Sisters of Saint Catherine
* ] (1650 – 1711 in ]), Polish translator, prolific writer, Bishop of Warmia
* ] (1735 in ] – 1801 in ]), leading ] poet
* ] (1785 in ] – 1844 in ]), Polish painter
* ] (1863 in ] – 1919 in Berlin), German socialist politician, jurist and pacifist
* ] (1877 in ] – 1946 in ]), Polish composer, conductor, concert organist and music teacher
* ] (1880 in ] – 1947 in Frankfurt on Main), Roman Catholic Bishop of Warmia
* ] (1887 in ] – 1953 in ]), Jewish German architect, known for expressionist architecture
* ] (1922 in ] – 2005 in Cologne), German SPD politician
* ] (1924 in ] – 2006 in ]), German CDU politician
* ] (1936 in ] – 2011 in Berlin), German cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and the Archbishop of Berlin

==See also==
*]
*]
*]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
*{{in lang|pl}} Erwin Kruk, ''"Warmia i Mazury"'', Wydawnictwo Dolnośląskie, Wrocław 2003, {{ISBN|83-7384-028-1}}

==External links==
*
* {{in lang|en}} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060420080056/http://www.domwarminski.pl/content/view/369/507/ |date=20 April 2006 }}
* {{in lang|pl}}
* {{in lang|de}}
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160122215144/http://www.domwarminski.pl/images/stories/warmia_regionem/mapy_historyczne_tabula_geografica_w.jpg |date=22 January 2016 }}
* {{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Ermeland |volume=9 |page=749 |short=1}}

{{Coord|53.8|20.5|scale:3000000|display=title}}
{{Authority control}}

]
]
]
]
]

Latest revision as of 14:14, 6 December 2024

Historical region of Poland "Ermland" and "Varmi" redirect here. For the steamship, see SS Ermland. For the village in Iran, see Varmi, Iran. Not to be confused with Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship.

Historical region in Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland
Warmia
Historical region
Coat of arms of WarmiaCoat of arms
Location of Warmia (shown in red) on the map of PolandLocation of Warmia (shown in red) on the map of Poland
Country Poland
VoivodeshipWarmian-Masurian
Historic capitalsFrombork, Lidzbark
Largest cityOlsztyn
Area
 • Total4,500 km (1,700 sq mi)
Population
 • Total350,000
 • Density78/km (200/sq mi)
DemonymWarmian
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Highways

Warmia (Polish: Warmia [ˈvarmja] ; Latin: Varmia, Warmia; German: Ermland; Warmian: Warńija; Old Prussian: Wārmi) is both a historical and an ethnographic region in northern Poland, forming part of historical Prussia. Its historic capitals were Frombork and Lidzbark Warmiński and the largest city is Olsztyn.

Warmia is currently the core of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship (province). The region covers an area of around 4,500 km (1,700 sq mi) and has approximately 350,000 inhabitants. Important landmarks include the Cathedral Hill in Frombork, the bishops' castles at Olsztyn and Lidzbark, the medieval town of Reszel and the sanctuary in Gietrzwałd, a site of Marian apparitions. Geographically, it is an area of many lakes and lies at the upper Łyna river and on the right bank of Pasłęka, stretching in the northwest to the Vistula Bay. Warmia has a number of architectural monuments ranging from Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque to Classicism, Historicism and Art Nouveau.

Warmia is part of a larger historical region called Prussia, which was inhabited by the Old Prussians and later on was populated mainly by Germans and Poles. Warmia has traditionally strong connections with neighbouring Masuria, but it remained Catholic and belonged directly to Poland between 1454/1466 and 1772, whereas Masuria was a part of Poland as a fief held by the Teutonic Order and Ducal Prussia, which became predominantly Protestant. Warmia has been under the dominion of various states over the course of its history, most notably the Old Prussians, the Teutonic Knights, the Kingdom of Poland and the Kingdom of Prussia. The history of the region is closely connected to that of the Archbishopric of Warmia (formerly Prince-Bishopric of Warmia). The region is associated with the Prussian tribe, the Warmians, who settled in an approximate area. According to folk etymology, Warmia is named after the legendary Prussian chief Warmo, and Ermland derives from his widow Erma.

Warmia is bordered by Powiśle in the west, Masuria in the south and east, and Bartia and Natangia in the north.

Geography

Physical map of Warmia in the year 1905
Warmia and other historical regions of Poland against the background of modern administrative borders (names in Polish)

Warmia occupies a 100 kilometer long strip of land along the right bank of the Pasłęka River, approximately 20 kilometers wide in the north and increasing to over 70 kilometers wide in the south. The Łyna River drains the southern portion of the region, flowing to the northeast to join with the Pregolya. The terrain is composed of gentle hills and wide plains, and has a humid continental climate, with milder temperatures found at lower elevations in the north near the coast.

With the exception of the far northern and southern ends of the region, the Pasłęka constitutes its western border. That river flows into the Vistula Lagoon just after passing the town of Braniewo. The historically important port town of Frombork lies west of the Pasłęka, near the mouth of the Bauda River [pl]. Further south, the Pasłęka is joined by the tributaries Wałsza [pl] and Drwęca Warmińska, with the headwaters of the river located near the southern end of Warmia.

The source of the Łyna river is found just south of the southern tip of the region, near the eponymous town of Łyna. The river flows through several lakes on the western end of the Masurian Lake District, passing through the cities of Olsztyn and Lidzbark Warmiński as it takes in numerous tributaries on its journey north. This southern portion of Warmia is more heavily forested and historically had many towns with Polish-speaking majorities, while the rest of the region was almost entirely German-speaking.

History

Early times

Initial tribal territory of the Warmians

By the early Middle Ages the Warmians, an Old Prussian tribe, inhabited the area.

Beginning of the Northern Crusades

In the 13th century the area became a battleground in the Northern Crusades. Having failed to gather an expedition against Palestine, Pope Innocent III resolved in 1207 to organize a new crusade; beginning in 1209, he called for crusades against the Albigenses, against the Almohad dynasty of Spain (1213), and, also around that time, against the pagans of Prussia. The first Bishop of Prussia, Christian of Oliva, was commissioned in 1209 to convert the Prussians, at the request of Konrad I of Masovia (duke from 1194 to 1247).

Teutonic Order

In 1226 Duke Konrad I of Masovia invited the Teutonic Knights to Christianize the pagan Prussians. He supplied the Teutonic Order and allowed the usage of Chełmno Land as a base for the knights. They had the task of establishing secure borders between Masovia and the Prussians, with the assumption that conquered territories would become part of Masovia. The Order waited until they received official authorisation from the Empire, which Emperor Frederick II granted by issuing the Golden Bull of Rimini (March 1226). The papal Golden Bull of Rieti from Pope Gregory IX in 1234 confirmed the grant, although Konrad of Masovia never recognized the rights of the Order to rule Prussia. Later, the Knights were accused of forging these land grants.

By the end of the 13th century the Teutonic Order had conquered and Christianized most of the Prussian region, including Warmia. The Teutonic Order recruited mostly German-speaking settlers to develop the land. The new régime reduced many of the native Prussians to the status of serfs and gradually Germanized them. . Native Prussians were also reported as holders of estates. Over several centuries the colonists, native Prussians and immigrants gradually intermingled. Until the early 13th century, also the southern parts of Warmia were German-speaking. Polish settlers arrived later, particularly after 1410, mainly to southern Warmia, so that German was replaced by Polish in this area.

Administrative division of Warmia in 1346–1772

In 1242 the papal legate William of Modena set up four dioceses, including the Archbishopric of Warmia. The bishopric was exempt and was governed by a prince-bishop, confirmed by Emperor Charles IV. The Bishops of Warmia were usually Germans or Poles, although Enea Silvio Piccolomini, the later Pope Pius II, served as an Italian bishop of the diocese.

After the 1410 Battle of Grunwald, Bishop Heinrich Vogelsang of Warmia surrendered to King Władysław II Jagiełło of Poland, and later with Bishop Henry of Sambia paid homage to the Polish king at the Polish camp during the siege of Marienburg Castle (Malbork). After the Polish army moved out of Warmia, the new Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, Heinrich von Plauen the Elder, accused the bishop of treachery and reconquered the region.

Kingdom of Poland

Act of incorporation of the region into the Kingdom of Poland, 1454

In February 1440 the nobility of Warmia and the town of Braniewo (Braunsberg) co-founded the Prussian Confederation, which opposed Teutonic rule, and most towns of the Warmia joined the organization in May 1440. In February 1454, the organization asked Polish King Casimir IV Jagiellon to incorporate the region to the Kingdom of Poland, to which the king agreed and signed the act of incorporation in Kraków on 6 March 1454, and the Thirteen Years' War (1454–1466) broke out. During the war Warmia was recaptured by the Teutonic Knights, however, in 1464 Bishop Paweł Legendorf vel Mgowski sided with Poland and the Prince-Bishopric came again under the overlordship of the Polish King. In the Second Peace of Thorn (1466) the Teutonic Knights renounced any claims to Warmia, and recognized Polish sovereignty over the region, which was confirmed to be part of Poland. It was administratively remained a Prince-Bishopric with several privileges, part of the larger provinces of Royal Prussia and Greater Poland Province.

Soon after, in 1467, the Cathedral Chapter elected Nicolas von Tüngen against the wish of the Polish king. The Estates of Royal Prussia did not take the side of the Cathedral Chapter. Nicholas von Tüngen allied himself with the Teutonic Order and with King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary. The feud, known as the War of the Priests, was a low scale affair, affecting mainly Warmia. In 1478 Braniewo (Braunsberg) withstood a Polish siege which was ended in an agreement in which the Polish king recognized von Tüngen as bishop and the right of the Cathedral Chapter to elect future bishops, which however would have to be accepted by the king, and the bishop as well as Cathedral Chapter swore an oath to the Polish king. Later in the Treaty of Piotrków Trybunalski (7 December 1512), conceded to the king of Poland a limited right to determine the election of bishops by choosing four candidates from Royal Prussia. The region retained autonomy, governing itself and maintaining its own laws, customs, rights and German language.

Nicolaus Copernicus, Warmian Cathedral Chapter canon and famous astronomer, with the Frombork Cathedral in the background, on a painting by Jan Matejko

Warmia was invaded by the Teutonic Knights during the Polish–Teutonic War of 1519–1521, however, the Poles, led by renown astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, repulsed the Teutonic siege of Olsztyn in 1521. Copernicus spent more than half of his life in Warmia, where he wrote many of his groundbreaking works and conducted astronomical observations and mathematical calculations, which became the basis for his heliocentric model of the universe. After the war of 1519–1521, he coordinated the reconstruction and resettlement of the devastated southern Warmia.

In 1565, Cardinal Stanislaus Hosius founded the Collegium Hosianum in Braniewo, which became the leading institution of higher learning in the region.

The Grabowski Palace in Lidzbark Warmiński, the capital of Warmia until the Partitions of Poland

After the Union of Lublin in 1569, the Prince-Bishopric of Warmia was integrated more directly into the Polish Crown within the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. At the same time, the territory continued to enjoy substantial autonomy, with many legal differences from neighbouring lands. For example, the bishops were by law members of Polish Senat and the land elected MP's to the Sejmik of Royal Prussia as well as MP's to the Sejm of Poland. Warmia was under the Church jurisdiction of the Archbishopric of Riga until 1512, when Prince-Bishop Lucas Watzenrode received exempt status, placing Warmia directly under the authority of the Pope (in terms of church jurisdiction), which remained until the resolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806.

Prussia and Germany

By the First Partition of Poland in 1772, Warmia was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia; the properties of the Archbishopric of Warmia were secularized by the Prussian state. In 1773 Warmia was merged with the surrounding areas into the newly established province of East Prussia. Ignacy Krasicki, the last prince-bishop of Warmia as well as Enlightenment Polish poet, friend of Frederick the Great (whom he did not give homage as his new king), was nominated to the Archbishopric of Gniezno (and thus Primate of Poland) in 1795. After the last partition of Poland and during his tenure as Primate of Poland and Prussian subject he was ordered by Pope Pius VI to teach his Catholic Poles to 'stay obedient, faithful, and loving to their new kings', Papal brief of 1795. The Prussian census in 1772 showed a total population of 96,547, including an urban population of 24,612 in 12 towns. 17,749 houses were listed and the biggest city was Braunsberg (Braniewo).

Between 1773 and 1945 Warmia was part of the predominantly Lutheran province of East Prussia, with the exception that the people of Warmia remained largely Catholic. Most of the population of Warmia spoke High Prussian German, while a small area in the north spoke Low Prussian German; southern Warmia was populated by both Germans and Polish Warmiaks. The Polish population was subjected to intense Germanisation policies. Warmia was divided into four districts (Kreise) - Allenstein (Olsztyn), Rössel (Reszel), Heilsberg (Lidzbark Warmiński) and Braunsberg (Braniewo). The city of Allenstein was separated from the Allenstein district in 1910 and became an independent city.

On 6 May 1863, the village of Bredynki was the site of a massacre of Polish inhabitants. Local farmers protested the taking of the lake from the village and handing it over to a local miller. Prussian troops fired on the crowd, killing more than a dozen people, including women, and wounding 30.

In the winter of 1863–1864, Polish insurgents of the January Uprising who fled the Russian Partition of Poland, found shelter in Warmia.

Mother tongues of Warmia, according to the 1905 Census
Ethnolinguistic structure of Southern Warmian districts (1825, 1910)
Year District Population German Polish / Bilingual
Number Percent Number Percent
1825 Allenstein (city) 2,637 1,371 52.0% 1,266 48.0%
Allenstein (district) 27,820 3,556 12.8% 24,264 87.2%
Rössel 30,705 23,927 77.9% 6,778 22.1%
Total 61,162 28,854 47.2% 32,308 52.8%
1910 Allenstein (city) 33,077 29,344 88.7% 3,683 11.1%
Allenstein (district) 57,919 22,825 39.4% 35,079 60.6%
Rössel 50,472 43,189 85.6% 7,283 14.4%
Total 141,468 95,358 67.4% 46,045 32.5%
Former headquarters of the pre-war Polish newspaper Gazeta Olsztyńska in Olsztyn, destroyed by the Germans in 1939, rebuilt in 1989, now a museum

In 1871, along with the rest of East Prussia, Warmia became part of the German Empire. In 1873, according to a regulation of the Imperial German government, school lessons at public schools inside Germany had to be held in German, as a result the Polish language was forbidden in all schools in Warmia, including Polish schools already founded in the sixteenth century. In 1900 Warmia's population was 240,000. In the jingoistic climate after World War I, Warmian Poles were subject to persecution by the German government. Polish children speaking their language were punished in schools and often had to wear signs with insulting names, such as "Pollack".

After the First World War, Poland regained independence, and a plebiscite was held to determine the future of Warmia. In February 1920, Poland opened a consulate in Olsztyn in 1920, however, due to the German persecution of Poles and the advances of the Red Army towards Warsaw in the Polish–Soviet War in 1920, the plebiscite resulted in a German victory, and the region remained within Germany in the interbellum.

Home Army Monument in Olsztyn

Despite German hostility, the Poles founded numerous Polish organizations in Warmia in the interbellum. Persecution of Poles intensified after the Nazi Party rose to power in Germany. Due to severe persecution, from 1936 Polish organizations carried out their activities partly in conspiracy. Polish organizations were heavily invigilated by the Sicherheitspolizei (German security police) through its undercover agents, known as the Vertrauensmänner. Based on their information, the German police compiled files and lists of Poles who were supposed to be either executed or imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps. Nazi militants carried out attacks on Polish schools, organizations, printshops, shops. The persecution of Poles further intensified in 1939. In early 1939, many Polish activists were expelled. Afterwards, in an attempt to rig the results of an upcoming census and understate the number of Poles in the region, the Germans terrorized the Polish population, attacked Polish schools and organizations, and confiscated Polish pre-census information leaflets. In summer 1939 the German terror against the Poles even exceeded the terror from the period of the 1920 plebiscite. Poles were subjected to expulsions and arrests, there were terrorist attacks on Polish organizations and schools, Polish libraries were looted or destroyed, and entire volumes of Polish press were confiscated. In August 1939, Germany introduced martial law in the region, which allowed for even more blatant persecution of Poles. Germany co-formed the Einsatzgruppe V in Olsztyn, which then committed various atrocities against Poles during the German invasion of Poland that began World War II in September 1939. In August and September 1939, the Germans carried out mass arrests of Poles, including activists, teachers, school principals, bank employees, newspaper editors, entrepreneurs, priests, scout leaders, and the consul and employees of the Polish Consulate in Olsztyn, and shut down or seized Polish newspapers and libraries. Arrested Poles were mostly deported to concentration camps, incl. Hohenbruch [de], Soldau, Stutthof, Sachsenhausen, Gusen and Ravensbrück. During World War II, many Poles from the region were forcibly conscripted into the Wehrmacht. The Germans operated a notable Nazi prison in the town of Barczewo (Wartenburg) with several forced labour subcamps in the region. The Polish resistance movement was active in the region and Polish underground press was distributed.

Polish Republic

Following Germany's defeat in World War II, and the Yalta Conference and Potsdam Conference of 1945, Warmia became again part of Poland as part of so-called Recovered Territories, pending a final peace conference with Germany which eventually never took place. The German inhabitants either fled or were transferred to Germany by Soviet and communist authorities installed in Poland and the remaining Polish inhabitants were joined by Polish settlers, many of whom were displaced from former eastern Poland annexed by the Soviet Union.

Olsztyn is the largest city in Warmia and the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivedeship. During 1945–46, Warmia was part of the Okreg Mazurski (Masurian District). In 1946 a new voivodeship was created and named the Olsztyn Voivodeship, which encompassed both Warmia and Masurian counties. From 1975 to 1998, Warmia was divided between the Olsztyn and Elbląg Voivodeships, and in 1999 it was entirely included with the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. The Catholic character of Warmia has been preserved in the architecture of its villages and towns, as well as in folk customs.

Anthem

"Anthem of Warmia" by Feliks Nowowiejski, print from 1920

The unofficial anthem of Warmia is O Warmio moja miła from 1920, with music by local Polish composer Feliks Nowowiejski and lyrics by Maria Paruszewska. It is also the bugle call of the region's largest city of Olsztyn.

Sights

Three landmarks in Warmia are listed as Historic Monuments of Poland:

Feliks Nowowiejski Museum in Barczewo

Other sights include the old towns of Olsztyn and Reszel with the Reszel and Olsztyn castles, the Old Town of Barczewo with the museum of Polish composer Feliks Nowowiejski at his birthplace. There are also several palaces, including the Baroque Grabowski Palace in Lidzbark Warmiński and the palace in Smolajny, favorite summer residence of leading Polish Enlightenment poet Ignacy Krasicki. The Basilica of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Gietrzwałd is a popular regional pilgrimage site.

Places of stay of Nicolaus Copernicus include the medieval castles in Olsztyn, Lidzbark Warmiński and Pieniężno, whereas the Frombork Cathedral contains his grave and epitaph.

A typical feature of the Warmian landscape are the massive Gothic churches in the towns and the numerous historic wayside shrines in various towns and villages, a reminder of the region's strong Catholic traditions.

There is a small cemetery of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in Markajmy at which British and Commonwealth prisoners-of-war of Germany from World War I are buried.

Cuisine

In addition to traditional nationwide Polish cuisine, Warmia has its own regional and local traditional foods and beverages, as designated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland.

Unique local dishes include the Lord-style turkey wings (Skrzydła indycze po pańsku). Ignacy Krasicki is considered one of the pioneers of turkey meat consumption in Warmia, as already in 1791, during a feast he organized, he ordered turkey to be served, among other dishes.

The tradition of producing Warmian smoked beef ham (Warmińska szynka wołowa wędzona) is cultivated by several meat-packing plants in Warmia.

The officially protected traditional alcoholic beverages of Warmia are Okowita miodowa warmińska, a beverage of 42% alcohol by volume made from Warmian honey, and the Warmian porter, a local type of Polish beer.

The traditional cuisine of German Warmiaks include Königsberger Klopse, Heilsberger Keilchen, a form of potato dumplings, and Wruken (turnip), or Klunkersuppe (flour milk soup) mit Bratschukken (fried potatoes).

Sports

The most accomplished sports team of Warmia is AZS Olsztyn, multiple times Polish volleyball champions and Polish Cup winners. The first several tournaments of the Memorial of Hubert Jerzy Wagner, an international volleyball friendly competition, were held in Warmia.

Cities and towns

Olsztyn is the largest city of Warmia and capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship
Braniewo is the northernmost town of Warmia
City Population (2015) Granted city rights
1. Olsztyn 174,675 1353
2. Braniewo 17,385 1254
3. Lidzbark Warmiński 16,352 1308
4. Biskupiec 10,626 1395
5. Dobre Miasto 10,599 1329
6. Orneta 9,046 1313
7. Barczewo 7,265 1364
8. Reszel 4,817 1337
9. Jeziorany 3,346 1338
10. Pieniężno 2,949 1312
11. Bisztynek 2,492 1385
12. Frombork 2,475 1310

Gallery

  • Castles of Warmian Cathedral Chapter
  • Olsztyn Castle Olsztyn Castle
  • Pieniężno Castle Pieniężno Castle

People

Bust of Nicolaus Copernicus in Olsztyn

See also

References

  1. Linguistic map Poland 1912
  2. Górski, Karol (1949). Związek Pruski i poddanie się Prus Polsce: zbiór tekstów źródłowych (in Polish and Latin). Poznań: Instytut Zachodni. pp. 96–97, 214–215.
  3. Also called the Warms, Varms, Varmi, Warmians, Varmians.
  4. Catholic Encyclopedia: Crusades Archived 2014-09-17 at the Wayback Machine
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  6. "Miasto i Gmina Pieniężno Miasto Pieniężno - oficjalny portal miejski". Archived from the original on 14 June 2006. Retrieved 16 March 2006.
  7. Górski, pp. XXXI, XXXVII
  8. Górski, p. 54
  9. Górski, p. LXXXII
  10. Górski, pp. 99, 217
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  13. Lerski, Jerzy Jan; Wróbel, Piotr; Kozicki, Richard J. (1996). Historical dictionary of Poland, 966-1945. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 403.
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  20. Leon Sobociński, Na gruzach Smętka, wyd. B. Kądziela, Warszawa, 1947, p. 61 (in Polish)
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  26. Cygański, p. 39
  27. ^ Cygański, p. 40
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  29. Wardzyńska (2003), pp. 39–40
  30. Cygański, pp. 41–42
  31. Ceranka; Szczepanik, p. 293
  32. Cygański, p. 43
  33. Cygański, p. 63
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  • (in Polish) Erwin Kruk, "Warmia i Mazury", Wydawnictwo Dolnośląskie, Wrocław 2003, ISBN 83-7384-028-1

External links

53°48′N 20°30′E / 53.8°N 20.5°E / 53.8; 20.5

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