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After the first ] of Poland in ] the area came under the rule of the ]. The railway line connecting ] to ] through Frombork was opened in ]. The city remained a part of Prussia and later ] until the German defeat in ] in ]. German inhabitants were either evacuated or ] with the rest of the German population of ]. After the first ] of Poland in ] the area came under the rule of the ]. The railway line connecting ] to ] through Frombork was opened in ]. The city remained a part of Prussia and later ] until the German defeat in ] in ]. German inhabitants were either evacuated or ] with the rest of the German population of ].
With the end of war Frombork was returned to Poland after 173 years of being ruled by Prussia and Germany as a result of forced dismemberment of the country. With the end of war Frombork returned to Poland after 173 years of being ruled by Prussia and Germany, their rule being the result of forced dismemberment of the Polish state.
The city was resettled by ], many of whom had been expelled from the ] by the ]. The city was resettled by ], many of whom had been expelled from the ] by the ].


Revision as of 21:00, 11 January 2006

Cathedral of Frombork

Frombork (-Polish, Template:Lang-de) is a town in northern Poland, situated on the Vistula Lagoon in the Warmia-Masuria voivodship with a population of 2,602 inhabitants as of 2005. Frombork was meticulously recreated after its destruction during World War II and is now a well-known tourist attraction.

History

The town was founded on an Old Prussian settlement as a defensive keep. According to a local legend its inhabitants were baptised by Anselm, the first Bishop of Warmia. When the ruler of the keep died, his wife Gertruda offered the settlement to the bishop; it was then named Frauenburg in her honor (Frau meaning "wife" in German). A somewhat more historical theory attributes the name to a later German translation of the town's Latin name, Castrum Dominae Nostrae, so named after its cathedral.

Frombork was first mentioned in a document signed by Bishop Gerko Fleming in 1278. On July 8, 1310, the town, known then as Civitas Warmiensis, was granted Lübeck city rights by Bishop Eberhard of Nysa. From 1329-1388 its magnificent Gothic cathedral was built and dedicated to the Virgin Mary, or "Our Lady" ("Domina Nostra" in Latin, "Unsere Frau" in German; hence Frauenburg, Fromborg, and Frombork). Through the centuries the cathedral has been expanded and rebuilt several times. There are several other historic churches, including those dedicated to St. Nicolas, St. George, and St. Anne, all built in the 13th century.

The city was plundered and burned in 1414 during a war between the Teutonic Order and Poland. During the Thirteen Years' War, the hill with the cathedral was conquered by Jan Skalski in 1454, and successfully defended until the end of the war under his command. Since the Second Peace of Toruń in 1466 Frombork was an important city of the Bishopric of Warmia. It remained in Polish Royal Prussia for the next 300 years. In the Middle Ages, the inhabitants of Frombork were mainly merchants, farmers and fishermen. Perhaps the most famous resident of the town was the Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, who lived there from 1512-16 and from 1522-43. Copernicus, who wrote his De revolutionibus orbium cœlestium in Frombork, died there and was buried in the cathedral, where his burial place may still be seen. The Prussian historian Christoph Hartknoch of Toruń featured the city in his "Alt- und Neues Preußen" in 1679.

After the first partition of Poland in 1772 the area came under the rule of the Kingdom of Prussia. The railway line connecting Elbląg to Braniewo through Frombork was opened in 1899. The city remained a part of Prussia and later Germany until the German defeat in World War II in 1945. German inhabitants were either evacuated or expelled with the rest of the German population of East Prussia. With the end of war Frombork returned to Poland after 173 years of being ruled by Prussia and Germany, their rule being the result of forced dismemberment of the Polish state. The city was resettled by Poles, many of whom had been expelled from the parts of eastern Poland annexed by the Soviet Union.

Frombork regained its city rights in 1959. In 1966-1973 the city, heavily damaged (70%) during World War II, was rebuilt by Polish boy scouts in time for the 500th anniversary of Copernicus's birth.

Frombork's Cathedral Hill

Monuments

Frombork has several monuments dedicated to its history (see External links):

  • monument dedicated to Nicolaus Copernicus
  • monument praising soldiers of the Red Army with the inscription "Glory to the heroes of the Red Army who fell while liberating Frombork"
  • stone monument to people from East Prussia that drowned in the Vistula Lagoon during the exodus in 1945
  • a memorial honoring Boy Scouts and people who took part in Operation 1001 from 1966-73, aimed at rebuilding the town from the devastation wrought by World War II.

The Copernicus monument initially erected by Emperor Wilhelm II of Imperial Germany was destroyed during World War II and replaced in the mid-1950s. His astronomical observatory, work room, equipment, and planetarium are on display at Frombork's Nicolaus Copernicus Museum.

External links

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