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Mieszkowice
FlagCoat of arms
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	West Pomeranian
County	Gryfino
Gmina	Mieszkowice
Area
• Total	4.73 km (1.83 sq mi)
Population
• Total	3,553
• Density	750/km (1,900/sq mi)
Postal code	74-505
Website	http://www.mieszkowice.pl

Mieszkowice (Template:Lang-de) is a town in Gryfino County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland, with 3,581 inhabitants (2004). It is the seat of the urban-rural gmina Mieszkowice.

In the period between 1975 - 1998 Mieszkowice were part of the Szczecin Voivodeship.

Name

The Modern Mieszkowice were known since its foundation until 1945 under a German name of Berenwalde and later on Bärwalde. To identify it from other towns also named Bärwalde, it carried the abbreviation Nm. Since 1945 it is known under the name of Mieszkowice which derives from the name of the first historical Polish monarch - Mieszko I from the Piast dynasty. Mieszko was the ruler that, after the victorious battle of Cedynia in 972, acquired to the early Polish state the territory on which the town was founded.

History

The town was founded on the territories that were formerly part of the Kingdom of Poland and later on of the Duchy of Pomerania. They were acquired by the German Margraviate of Brandenburg during the High Middle Ages. The Slavic inhabitants of the region were in the following centuries gradually Germanized.

Modern Mieszkowice were first mentioned in 1295 under the name of Berenwalde (later also Bärwalde). The settelment was granted town rights in 1297 and in the same year the construction of the St. Mary's church begun. In the 13th and 14th century the city walls were constructed much of which still exist (the city gates were pulled down in 1867).

Waldemar of Brandenburg, last ruler of the Ascanian line of Brandenburg rulers, lived and died in Bärwalde. His nephew Heinrich II Margrave of Brandenburg (1308-1319/20) died in Bärwalde shortly after Waldemar. Since 1353 coins for Brandenburg's Neumark were struck at Bärwalde.

From 1650-73 Elias Loccelius, also known as Elias Lockelius, eigentlich Löckel, (* 1621; † 1704) was pastor in Bärwalde and from there he moved to Drossen. He was known as an excellent Brandenburg Chronicler and was an electoral church inspector for Land Sternberg as well.

In 1853 a railroad connected nowadays Mieszkowice with Kostrzyn (than known as Kostschin). Twenty-three years later the town was connected with Szczecin (than known under its German name Stettin).

The town was captured in 1945 by the Red Army in the final period of World War II. Due to the decission of the victorious powers it became part of Poland (see Yalta Conference and Potsdam Conference). The remaining German inhabitants were expelled to Germany and the town was resetteled by Poles, mostly by those who were expelled from the former Kresy Wschodnie.

In 1961 a monument of Mieszko I was unveiled on the town square. It is the only monument of this ruler in the whole of Poland.

Development of Mieszkowice continued in the following years, especially in the period between 1970-1992 when many new buildings were constructed. In 1997 the whole town was connected to the gas pipeline. In 1998 a new sport centre was opened.

External link

• Historical Map of Bärwalde in Brandenburg,N.E. near Berlin

52°47′N 14°29′E / 52.783°N 14.483°E / 52.783; 14.483

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