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90-558: Bartoszyce lies on the left shore of river Łyna River in a valley, approximately 90 kilometres (56 miles) east of Elbląg and 55 kilometres (34 miles) south of Kaliningrad , at an altitude of 3 metres (9.8 feet) above sea level . Around 1241 the Teutonic Knights (the monastic German Order) constructed a castle on the left shore of the Łyna River on the border between the Old Prussian regions of Natangia and Bartia . The castle

180-643: A Germanic tribe mentioned in Ancient Greek and Latin sources, but the etymology or language of the tribal name remains unknown. The oldest known mention of the river or town Elbląg is in the form Ylfing in the report of a sailor Wulfstan from the end of the 9th century, in The Voyages of Ohthere and Wulfstan which was written in Anglo-Saxon in King Alfred 's reign. The city was almost completely destroyed at

270-518: A wall around the town in 1353. In 1440, the town joined the anti-Teutonic Prussian Confederation , upon the request of which Polish King Casimir IV Jagiellon incorporated the region and town to the Kingdom of Poland in 1454. At the beginning of the subsequent Thirteen Years' War , the Teutonic castle was destroyed and was not rebuilt afterward. However, the residents of Bartenstein became reconciled with

360-621: A Polish victory in 1466, with the Second Peace of Thorn , in which the Teutonic Order renounced any claims to the city and recognised it as part of Poland. Within the Kingdom of Poland, the city was administratively part of the Malbork Voivodeship in the newly established autonomous province of Royal Prussia , later also within the larger Greater Poland Province . The city was known to

450-560: A Polish-language newspaper, heavily subsidised by banks from Greater Poland representing the Polish national movement in Masuria, was published in the city. It soon faced repression and discrimination from the German authorities which led to its demise; its paid circulation dropped from 357 copies in 1896 to less than 250 at the turn-of-the-century. According to German-American author, Richard Blanke,

540-544: A missionary ( Adalbert of Prague ) to the pagan Prussians, a non-Slavic people, on a crusade of conquest and conversion. The crusade encompassed much of the Baltic Sea coast east of the Polish city of Gdańsk , up to Sambia . Starting in 1209 additional crusades were called for by Konrad of Masovia , who mainly sought to conquer Prussian territory, rather than actually convert the indigenous Prussians. Despite heroic efforts, Old Prussian sovereignty would eventually collapse after

630-468: A papal Mass. In 2017, the anti-Muslim Ełk riots occurred after a fatal stabbing of a 21-year-old man by a Muslim kebab cook. Several hundred men surrounded the Prince Kebab restaurant, tossing firecrackers, stones, and Molotov cocktails at the shop. Police initially stood by and did not intervene for several hours; however, when they did intervene the crowd turned against them as well. Following

720-601: A particularly sound defeat by Prussian forces in 1223, Polish forces in Chełmno , the seat of Christian of Oliva and the Duchy of Masovia , were forced onto the defensive. In 1226 Duke Konrad I of Masovia summoned the Teutonic Knights for assistance; by 1230 they had secured Chełmno (Culm) and begun claiming conquered territories for themselves under the authority of the Holy Roman Empire , although these claims were rejected by

810-695: A printing house. After converting to Lutheranism, Malecki translated and published Martin Luther 's Small Catechism in Polish In 1546 the first school for secondary education in Masuria was founded in the city, where Polish nobles from the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth , as well as Poles and Germans from Ducal Prussia were taught in Polish; the position of a Polish teacher remained in place until 1819. Polish pastor, translator, publisher and co-creator of

900-558: A significant trading point, but its growth was eventually hindered by the Second Northern War and the Swedish Deluge . The city was transferred to Prussia after the first partition of Poland in 1772. Its trading role greatly weakened, until the era of industrialization in the 19th century. It was then that the famous Elbląg Canal was commissioned. A tourist site and important engineering monument, it has been named one of

990-578: A special military unit in Bartoszyce, to which they forcibly conscripted students of theological seminaries . The future priest Jerzy Popiełuszko did his military service there in 1966–1968. He initiated resistance, for which he was repeatedly punished, affecting his health for the rest of his life. There is a memorial to Jerzy Popiełuszko in Bartoszyce. Bartoszyce was administratively located in Olsztyn Voivodeship from 1946 to 1998. It became part of

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1080-466: A succession of wars instigated by Pope Honorius III and his frequent calls for crusade. Before the Prussians were finally brought to heel, Polish rulers and the Duchy of Masovia , both by then Christianised peoples, would be continually frustrated in their attempts at northern expansion. Aside from minor border raids, major campaigns against the Prussians would be launched in 1219, 1220, and 1222. After

1170-553: Is a city in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship , in northern Poland , located in the eastern edge of the Żuławy region with 127,390 inhabitants, as of December 2021. It is the capital of Elbląg County . Elbląg is one of the oldest cities in the province. Its history dates back to 1237, when the Teutonic Order constructed their fortified stronghold on the banks of a nearby river. The castle subsequently served as

1260-623: Is a port on the river Elbląg , which flows into the Vistula Lagoon about 10 km (6 mi) to the north, thus giving the city access to the Baltic Sea via the Russian-controlled Strait of Baltiysk . The Old Town ( Polish : Stare Miasto ) is located on the river Elbląg connecting Lake Drużno to the Vistula Lagoon , about 10 km (6 mi) from the lagoon and 60 km (37 mi) from Gdańsk. The climate of Elbląg

1350-463: Is a "vibrant city with an attractive tourist base ". It serves as an academic and financial center and among its numerous historic monuments is the Market Gate from 1309 and St. Nicholas Cathedral . Elbląg is also known for its archaeological sites, museums and the country's largest brewery , founded in 1872. Elbląg derives from the earlier German-language Elbing , which is the name by which

1440-406: Is a city in northeastern Poland with 61,677 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is the seat of Ełk County in Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship . It lies on the shore of Ełk Lake , which was formed by a glacier , and is surrounded by extensive forests. It is the largest city and unofficial capital of historical Masuria . One of the principal attractions in the area is legal hunting. The area where

1530-413: Is a tourist site. Elbląg is not a deep-water port. The draft of vessels using its waterways must be no greater than 1.5 m (4 ft 11.06 in) by law. The turning area at Elbląg is 120 m (393.70 ft) diameter and a pilot is required for large vessels. Deep water vessels cannot manoeuvre; in that sense, Elbląg has become a subsidiary port of Gdańsk . Traffic of smaller vessels at Elbląg

1620-914: Is an oceanic climate ( Köppen Cfb ) closely bordering on a humid continental climate ( Köppen Dfb ), owing to its position of the Baltic Sea , which moderates the temperatures, compared to the interior of Poland . The climate is cool throughout the year and there is a somewhat uniform precipitation throughout the year. Typical of Northern Europe, there is little sunshine during the year. [REDACTED]   Teutonic Order 1246–1454 [REDACTED] Kingdom of Poland 1454–1569 [REDACTED]   Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth 1569–1772 [REDACTED]   Kingdom of Prussia 1772–1871 [REDACTED]   German Empire 1871–1918 [REDACTED]   Weimar Germany 1918–1933 [REDACTED]   Nazi Germany 1933–1945 [REDACTED]   People's Republic of Poland 1945–1989 [REDACTED]   Republic of Poland 1989–present The settlement

1710-589: Is the center of the Catholic Diocese of Ełk with its bishop Jerzy Mazur. Ełk is twinned with: Former twin towns: In March 2022, Ełk ended its partnership with the Russian city of Ozyorsk as a reaction to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine . The current coat of arms of Ełk were adopted in 1999, after the town was visited by the Pope John Paul II . The colors have been changed (from green to yellow),

1800-641: Is within the river and very marginal, while larger vessels were unable to reach the open Baltic Sea after 1945 without crossing into Russian territory. Construction of the Vistula Spit canal was completed in September 2022, allowing vessels access to the Baltic Sea while remaining within Polish territory. The city features three quay complexes, movable cranes, and railways. Elbląg is located about 55 kilometres (34 miles) south-east of Gdańsk and 90 km (56 mi) south-west of Kaliningrad , Russia . The city

1890-572: The Preussische Fest-Lieder , a number of evangelical Prussian songs. In 1646 the city recorder Daniel Barholz noted that the city council employed Bernsteindreher , or Paternostermacher , licensed and guilded amber craftsmen who worked on prayer beads , rosaries , and many other items made of amber. Members of the Barholz family became mayors and councillors. During the Thirty Years' War ,

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1980-584: The Dominican Order was invited to build a monastery on a grant of land. Pomesania was not secured, however, and from 1240 to 1242 the order began building a brick castle on the south side of the settlement. It may be significant that Elbing's first industry was the same as Truso's had been: manufacture of amber and bone artifacts for export. In 1243 William of Modena created the Diocese of Pomesania and three others. They were at first only ideological constructs, but

2070-712: The Napoleonic Wars , Prussia and the Russian Empire signed a treaty of alliance in the town on 26 April 1807, the Treaty of Bartenstein . Administrative reform following the Napoleonic Wars placed Bartenstein within East Prussia's Landkreis Friedland in 1818. The town was subjected to Germanisation policies, and although the post of a Polish preacher still existed in 1829, the appointed preacher did not speak Polish. The Lyck -Bartenstein ( Ełk –Bartoszyce) train line ran through

2160-627: The Seven Wonders of Poland and a Historic Monument of Poland . After World War II the city again became part of Poland. The war casualties were catastrophic – especially the severe destruction of the Old Town district, one of the grandest in Prussia . The town's population hitherto was German-speaking. The people who had not fled or had returned were entirely expelled and new Polish settlers took their place. Today, Elbląg has over 120,000 inhabitants and

2250-460: The Teutonic Knights knew both the river here and the citadel they established on its banks in 1237. The purpose of the citadel was to prevent the Old Prussian settlement of Truso from being reoccupied, the German crusaders being at war with the pagan Prussians. The citadel was named after the river, itself of uncertain etymology. One traditional etymology connects it to the name of the Helveconae ,

2340-547: The Vistula Lagoon ), and spreads out on both banks, though mainly on the eastern side. To the east is the Elbląg Upland ( Wysoczyzna Elbląska ), a dome pushed up by glacial compression, 390 km in diameter and 200 m (656.17 ft) high at its greatest elevation. Views to the west show flat fields extending to the horizon; this part of the Vistula Delta ( Żuławy Wiślane ) is used mainly for agricultural purposes. To

2430-685: The War of the Polish Succession in 1734, Elbląg was placed under military occupation by Russia and Saxony . The town came again under occupation by Russia from 1758 to 1762 during the Seven Years' War . During the First Partition of Poland in 1772 Elbląg was annexed by King Frederick the Great of the Kingdom of Prussia . Elbing became part of the newly established province of West Prussia in 1773. In

2520-499: The Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship in 1999. The town is the location of a scene in Leo Tolstoy 's War and Peace . Bartoszyce is twinned with: On 25 March 2022, Bartoszyce County decided to terminate its cooperation with Russian city of Bagrationovsk as a response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine . Elbl%C4%85g Elbląg ( Polish: [ˈɛlblɔŋk] ; German : Elbing ; Prussian : Elbings )

2610-427: The plague claimed 1,300 victims. In 1831, 300 people, about 10 percent of the populace, died of the cholera , in 1837 another 80 and 333 in 1852. In 1825, Lyck was inhabited by 1,748 Germans and 1,394 Poles. At the beginning of the 19th century, a Polish-language school was organised in the city by Tymoteusz Gizewiusz In 1820, Fryderyk Tymoteusz Krieger became the superintendent of the school and actively defended

2700-601: The trade association that in 1358 would become the Hanseatic League . The Order seized on this association early and used it to establish bases throughout the Baltic. The Order's involvement in the League was somewhat contradictory. In whatever cities they founded the ultimate authority was the commander of the town, who kept office in the citadel, typically used as a prison. Lübeck law, on the other hand, provided for self-government of

2790-508: The "demise marked the end of the second major effort by Polish nationalists to establish a journalistic foothold in Masuria". In 1896, Polish and Masurian activists founded the Masurian People's Party in the city, which sought to resist efforts of German authorities at forced Germanization. The co-founder of the party was poet Michał Kajka , today honoured in Ełk with a monument in the centre of

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2880-519: The 13th century the Teutonic Knights conquered the region, built a castle, and founded Elbing on the lake, with a population mostly from Lübeck (today the lake, now much smaller, no longer reaches the city). After the uprising against the Teutonic Knights and the destruction of the castle by the inhabitants, the city successively came under the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Poland (1454), the Kingdom of Prussia (1772), and Germany (1871). Elbing

2970-802: The 1815 provincial reorganization following the Napoleonic Wars , Elbing and its hinterland were included within Regierungsbezirk Danzig in West Prussia. In October and November 1831, various Polish infantry, cavalry and artillery units, engineer corps and sappers of the November Uprising stopped in the city and its environs on the way to their internment locations, whereas the general staff with Commander-in-Chief General Maciej Rybiński and generals Józef Bem , Marcin Klemensowski , Kazimierz Małachowski , Ludwik Michał Pac and Antoni Wroniecki

3060-562: The 1920s placed Truso at Gut Hansdorf. A large burial field was also found at Elbląg. Recent Polish diggings have found burned beams and ashes and thousand-year-old artifacts in an area of about 20 hectares . Many of these artifacts are now displayed at the Muzeum w Elblągu . Attempts to conquer Prussian land began in 997, when Bolesław I the Brave , at the urging of the Pope, sent a contingent of soldiers and

3150-535: The Hanseatic League owing to its close business dealings with England. Famous inhabitants of the city at that time included native sons Hans von Bodeck and Samuel Hartlib . During the Thirty Years' War , Swedish Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna brought the Moravian Brethren refugee John Amos Comenius to Elbląg for six years (1642–1648). In 1642 Johann Stobäus , who composed with Johann Eccard , published

3240-527: The Jews circulated in 1927 at a local gathering of fascist sympathizers In 1932, the local pharmacist Leo Frankenstein was attacked; a hand grenade was thrown into his home. The wave of anti-Semitic repressions intensified after Nazis gained power in Germany in 1933 and many local merchants and intellectuals of Jewish descent were arrested. During Kristallnacht , Jewish shops and synagogue were plundered and devastated in

3330-709: The Knights rebuilt the Ordensburg out of stone from 1274–80. During the 14th and 15th centuries, the castle was managed by the Komtur (administrator) of Balga. Thereafter, a settlement developed near the castle on the right shore of the Alle River opposite the castle. First documented in 1326 under the name Rosenthal , it received town privileges from the Teutonic Grand Master Luther von Braunschweig in 1332. After that

3420-618: The MSS was estimated at ca. 1400, but it was a copy. There is no evidence concerning the provenance of the original, except that it must have been in Pomesanian. In 1246 the town was granted a constitution under Lübeck law , used in maritime circumstances, instead of Magdeburg rights common in other cities in Central Europe . This decision of the Order was in keeping with its general strategy of espousing

3510-643: The Oberländischer Kanal ( Elbląg Canal ). Elbing became part of the Prussian-led German Empire in 1871 during the unification of Germany . As Elbing became an industrial city, the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) frequently received the majority of votes; in the 1912 Reichstag elections the SPD received 51% of the vote. After World War I , as most of the province of West Prussia

3600-543: The Poles, whose ambition had been to conquer Prussia all along. The Teutonic Order's strategy was to move down the Vistula and secure the delta, establishing a barrier between the Prussians and Gdańsk. The victorious Teutonic Knights built a castle at Elbing. The Chronicon terrae Prussiae describes the conflict in the vicinity of Lake Drużno shortly before the founding of Elbing: Truso did not disappear suddenly to be replaced with

3690-481: The Polish crown by its Polish name Elbląg . With the creation of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1569, the city was brought under direct control of the Polish crown. As one of the largest and most influential cities of Poland, it enjoyed voting rights during the royal election period in Poland. Elbląg was often visited by Nicolaus Copernicus between 1504 and 1530. With the 16th century Protestant Reformation

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3780-650: The Russian Partition took refuge in the city; among others, a detachment of Colonel Józef Konstanty Ramotowski  [ pl ] passed through it. In 1885 the city, under its modern name Ełk , was named capital of Masuria by the Geographical Dictionary of the Kingdom of Poland . In the late 19th century it was the largest town of the region (according to data from 1880 and 1890), before being surpassed by Osterode (Ostróda) (according to data from 1905 and 1925). From 1896 to 1902, "Gazeta Ludowa" ,

3870-562: The Teutonic Knights in 1460. After the peace treaty signed in Toruń in 1466, the town became part of Poland as a fief held by the State of the Teutonic Order . To stabilize the Order's financial situation, the Order sold the ruined castle's farmyard and meadows to Wend von Eulenburg in 1469; the entire manor of Bartenstein was sold in 1513 to Heinrich Reuß von Plauen (not the Grand Master ). With

3960-720: The Teutonic Knights used them to clear the Vistula Lagoon ( Frisches Haff ) and the Vistula Spit of Prussians: Apparently the river was in Pomesania , which the knights had just finished clearing, but the bay was in Pogesania . The first Elbing was placed in Pogesania: Both landings were amphibious operations conducted from the ships. The Chronicon relates that they were in use for many years and then were sunk in Lake Drużno. In 1238

4050-439: The Vistula Lagoon was the main southern Baltic base of King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden , who was hailed as the protector of the Protestants. By 1660 the Vistula Lagoon had gone to Elector Frederick William of Brandenburg-Prussia , but was returned in 1700. The poet Christian Wernicke was born in 1661 in Elbląg, while Gottfried Achenwall became famous for his teachings in natural law and human rights law . In 1700–1710 it

4140-406: The area was assigned to Poland, although with a Soviet-installed communist regime which stayed in power until the Fall of Communism in the 1980s. Remaining German residents who had survived were either evacuated or later expelled in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement , and the town was repopulated with Poles . As part of the repressions against the Catholic Church , the communists created

4230-405: The beating of Poles and the devastation of their homes and property. In April 1920, the German Sicherheitswehr even battered Italian soldiers, two fatally. Voting under such conditions resulted in 8,339 votes for Germany and 8 for Poland , which just regained independence. In 1922, a Polish consular agency was opened, which was upgraded to a vice-consulate the next year. It was in Lyck that

4320-463: The behest of King Alfred the Great of England . The exact location of Truso was not known for a long time, as the seashore has significantly changed, but most historians trace the settlement inside or near to modern Elbląg on Lake Drużno . Truso was located at territory already known to the Roman Empire and earlier. It was an important seaport serving the Vistula River bay on the early medieval Baltic Sea trade routes which led from Birka in

4410-493: The burghers became Lutherans and the first Lutheran Gymnasium was established in Elbląg in 1535. From 1579 Elbląg had close trade relations with England , to which the city accorded free trade . English, Scottish , and Irish merchants settled in the city. They formed the Scottish Reformed Church of Elbląg and became Elbląg citizens, aiding Lutheran Sweden in the Thirty Years' War . The rivalry of nearby Gdańsk interrupted trading links several times. By 1618 Elbląg had left

4500-409: The citadel and churches, Elbing at the time was more of a small village by modern standards. Its area was 300 m × 500 m (984.25  ft × 1,640.42 ft). It featured a wharf, a marketplace and five streets, as well as a number of churches. The castle was completed in 1251. In 1288 fire destroyed the entire settlement except for the churches, which were of brick. A new circuit wall

4590-412: The citadel and town of Elbing during the Prussian Crusade. It had already burned down in the tenth century, with the population dispersed in the area. The Chronicon terrae Prussiae describes the founding of Elbing under the leadership of Hermann Balk . After building two ships, the Pilgerim (Pilgrim) and the Vridelant (Friedland), with the assistance of Margrave Henry III of Margraviate of Meissen ,

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4680-408: The city in February 1832. Elbing industrialized . In 1828 the first steamship was built by Ignatz Grunau. In 1837 Ferdinand Schichau started the Schichau-Werke company in Elbing as well as another shipyard in Danzig (Gdańsk) later on. Schichau constructed the Borussia , the first screw-vessel in Germany. Schichau-Werke built hydraulic machinery, ships, steam engines , and torpedoes . After

4770-405: The city rebelled against the Teutonic Knights and expelled them, while welcoming Polish troops and paying homage to Polish King Władysław II Jagiełło , who afterwards vested Elbląg with new privileges. As the castle was lightly defended by a Polish garrison, the Teutonic Knights managed to retake it, promising the Polish defenders that they will be given free passage back to Poland. After the castle

4860-481: The city. From the start, the party was subject to severe repressions and attacks by Prussian authorities. In the German federal elections, the MPL received 229 votes in 1898 and 20 in 1912 in the Lyck constituency. In 1910, Lyck had more than 13,000 inhabitants. Mateusz Siuchniński gives the percentage of Poles in 1900 as 35.7% but warns that the numbers come from lowered German estimates. Many citizens fled during World War I , when Imperial Russian troops attacked

4950-409: The city. It was heavily damaged by bombardments. The Soviet Army approached in January 1945. The city was placed under Polish administration in April 1945 and the remaining German inhabitants were expelled in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement . It was rebuilt and its modern Polish name Ełk was confirmed as official. In 1999, Ełk was visited by Pope John Paul II . About 300,000 people attended

5040-449: The end of World War II . Parts of the inner city were gradually rebuilt, and around 2000 rebuilding was begun in a style emulating the previous architecture, in many cases over the same foundations and utilizing old bricks and portions of the same walls. The western suburbs of the old city have not been reconstructed. The modern city adjoins about half the length of the river between Lake Drużno and Elbląg Bay ( Zatoka Elbląska , an arm of

5130-413: The first time Polish common law. The German-language Polish laws are based on the Sachsenspiegel and were written down to aid the judges. It is thus the oldest source for documented Polish common law and is in Polish referred to as the Księga Elbląska (Book of Elbląg ). It was written down in the second half of the 13th century. In 1410, during the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War , the inhabitants of

5220-433: The first-ever weekly newspaper in the Hebrew language, Ha-Magid ("the preacher") was founded in 1856 by Eliezer Lipmann Silbermann , a local rabbi. The paper was eventually moved to Berlin. In Weimar Germany anti-Semitism became prevalent, which led to persecution of the local Jewish population even before the Nazis took power. An anti-Semitic publication, Die jüdische Überlegenheit ( The Jewish Supremacy ) attacking

5310-408: The inauguration of the railway to Königsberg in 1853, Elbing's industry began to grow. Schichau worked together with his son-in-law Carl H. Zise, who continued the industrial complex after Schichau's death. Schichau erected large complexes for his many thousands of workers. Georg Steenke , an engineer from Königsberg, connected Elbing near the Baltic Sea with the southern part of Prussia by building

5400-507: The incorporation of the region into the Kingdom of Poland , which resulted in the town becoming part of the Polish state. The town was briefly captured by the Teutonic Knights in 1455, and later on, it was conquered alternately by the Poles and the Teutonic Knights. After 1466 it was a part of Poland as a fief . In 1537, Duke Albert of Prussia donated an estate to Jan Malecki, a Polish printer from Kraków who had either fled or moved to Ducal Prussia for material reasons, to establish

5490-399: The literary Polish language, Hieronim Malecki , was the school's first rector . In the mid-16th century Ełk was one of the most thriving centers of Polish-language printing. In 1600, the town's population was Polish, and almost all innkeepers had Polish surnames. In 1639 the King of Poland Władysław IV Vasa visited the town. It remained under Polish suzerainty until 1660. In 1709-10,

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5580-412: The longest of all Polish–Teutonic wars. The local mayor pledged allegiance to the Polish King during the incorporation in March 1454, and the burghers of Elbląg recognized Casimir IV as rightful ruler. After paying homage to the King, the city was granted great privileges, similar to those of Toruń and Gdańsk . Since 1454, the city was authorized by King Casimir IV to mint Polish coins. The war ended in

5670-504: The medieval Christianization of the region, the city's population was Roman Catholic , and after the Reformation, it was almost entirely Lutheran until World War II. After the war, the main religion in Ełk became again Roman Catholicism, although a number of Protestant churches are also represented and play an important role in the religious life of the population. These include the Methodist , Baptist , Pentecostal ( Assemblies of God - Kościół Zielonoświątkowy ) and other churches. Ełk

5760-464: The name was changed to Bartenstein and the settlement of Rosenthal below the castle on the left shore of the river was relocated, as the left side had become too endangered by warfare. Poles settled in sizeable numbers in Bartenstein from the 14th to the 17th century. The town's Polish residents used the Polish names Bartoszyce and Barsztyn . The town's Teutonic Order administrator (German: Komtur ), Henning Schindekopf of Balga, began construction of

5850-517: The north to the island of Gotland and to Visby in the Baltic Sea. From there, traders continued further south to Carnuntum along the Amber Road . The ancient Amber Road led further southwest and southeast to the Black Sea and eventually to Asia . The east–west trade route went from Truso, along the Baltic Sea to Jutland , and from there inland by river to Hedeby , a large trading center in Jutland. The main goods of Truso were amber , furs, and slaves. Archaeological finds in 1897 and diggings in

5940-426: The northern part of the region was administered by the commandery of Brandenburg , while the larger part with the later town belonged to Balga commandery. A former Old Prussian settlement, the town was first documented in 1398 around a castle built by the Teutonic Knights. The town's name has various postulated origins. Its German version Lyck is postulated to be derived from its Old Prussian name, Luks (from

6030-433: The official seat of the Teutonic Order Masters. Elbląg became part of the Hanseatic League , which contributed much to the city's wealth. Through the Hanseatic League, the city was linked to other major ports like Gdańsk , Lübeck and Amsterdam . Elbląg joined Poland in 1454 and after the defeat of the Teutonic Knights in the Thirteen Years’ War was recognized as part of Poland in 1466. It then flourished and turned into

6120-421: The organisation. In 1454, the organisation led the revolt against the rule of the Teutonic Knights, and then its delegation submitted a petition to King Casimir IV of Poland asking him to include the region within the Kingdom of Poland . The King agreed and signed the act of incorporation of the region (including Elbing) to the Kingdom of Poland in March 1454 in Kraków , which sparked the Thirteen Years' War ,

6210-453: The region, but returned after the battles of Tannenberg and the Masurian Lakes . English and Italian troops were deployed in the town after the Treaty of Versailles to supervise the East Prussian plebiscite . The plebiscite was preceded by a campaign of violence and terror by the Germans against the Poles and even against Allied soldiers. The Germans vandalized Polish information boards and held an anti-Polish rally at which they encouraged

6300-406: The rights of local Poles to use the Polish language. Kireger also prepared Polish educational programs, in opposition to attempts at Germanization by Prussian authorities. In 1840, the German-language newspaper "Lycker gemeinnütziges Unterhaltungsblatt" , later called "Lycker Zeitung" , was founded. Between 1842 and 1845, a Polish newspaper "Przyjaciel Ludu Łecki" (Łek's Friend of the People)

6390-681: The riots in Ełk, other attacks on kebab restaurants took place throughout Poland. In 2018, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Poland's independence, a monument to Józef Piłsudski was erected in front of the town hall. The Marshal of Poland was also honored with a mural on one of the townhouses in the city center. The city of Ełk is divided into 14 administrative units, known in Polish as osiedla : Local sports clubs include football club Mazur Ełk , boxing club Mazur Ełk, cycling club LUKK Ełk, judo club MKS Żak Ełk and basketball club Wilki Ełk. The Polish Cyclo-cross Championships were held in Ełk in 1998, 2005 and 2012. Since

6480-677: The secularization of the Teutonic Order's Prussian territories in 1525, the town became part of the Duchy of Prussia , established with the consent of the Polish king Sigismund I the Old , as a vassal state of the Polish Crown. The town converted to Protestantism in the same year during the Protestant Reformation . Bartenstein became part of the secular Kingdom of Prussia in 1701 and the Prussian Province of East Prussia in 1773. During

6570-528: The south are the marshes and swamps of Drużno. The Elbląg River has been left in a more natural state through the city, but elsewhere it is a controlled channel with branches. One of them, the Jagiellonski Channel ( Kanał Jagielloński ), leads to the Nogat River, along which navigation to Gdańsk is common. The Elbląg Canal ( Kanał Elbląski ) connecting Lake Drużno with Drwęca River and Lake Jeziorak

6660-643: The tides of time turned them into reality in that same century. The foundation of Elbing was perhaps not the end of the Old Prussian story in the region. In 1825 a manuscript listing a vocabulary of the Baltic Old Prussian language , commonly known in English as Elbing Vocabulary , was found among some manuscripts from a merchant's house. It contained 802 words in a dialect now termed Pomesanian with their equivalents in an early form of High German. The origin of

6750-540: The town in 1868, leading to the establishment of industries, including an iron foundry, a machine factory, and a train-car factory. It was also noted for its oak trade. A garrison town for the Prussian Army , Bartenstein was the seat of the district court. Because it had grown to become the largest town in Landkreis Friedland during the 19th century, the town was made the district capital in 1902. Landkreis Friedland

6840-515: The town of Ełk is located was originally inhabited by Jatvingians , a Baltic peoples , during the Early Middle Ages . By 1281, Skomand the last leader of the pagan Jatvingians, capitulated to the crusading Teutonic Knights , who initially were invited in 1226 by Konrad I of Masovia from the Polish Piast dynasty to put an end to the constant pagan raids into his territory. After 1323,

6930-493: The town. Membership in the Hanseatic League meant having important trading contacts with England , Flanders , France , and the Netherlands . The city received numerous merchant privileges from the rulers of England , Poland, Pomerania, and the Teutonic Order. For instance, the privilege of the Old Town was upgraded in 1343, while in 1393 it was granted an emporium privilege for grains, metals, and forest products. Except for

7020-455: The town. Facing these events, several Jews of Lyck decided to escape, some abroad, some to Berlin, others as far as Shanghai Of those Jews who remained, 80 were murdered in various Nazi concentration and death camps . The city also was the site of German prison camps for Norwegian and Soviet PoWs during World War II . The Polish resistance was active and operated one of the region's main smuggling points for Polish underground press in

7110-460: The vocabulary remains unknown. Its format is like that of modern travel dictionaries; i.e., it may have been used by German speakers to communicate with Old Prussians, but the specific circumstances are only speculative. The manuscript became the Codex Neumannianus. It disappeared after a British bombing raid destroyed the library at Elbing but before then facsimiles had been made. The date of

7200-594: The word for waterlily , luka ), while another theory holds that the name comes from Polish word "łęg" meaning meadow. Old Polish names of the town included Łek , Łęg and Łęk . It received its town rights in 1445. After the outbreak of the Thirteen Years' War in 1454, the town sided with the Prussian Confederation , at whose request the Polish King Casimir IV Jagiellon announced

7290-503: Was first mentioned as "Ilfing" in The Voyages of Ohthere and Wulfstan , an Anglo-Saxon chronicle written in King Alfred 's reign using information from a Viking who had visited the area. During the Middle Ages , the Viking settlement of Truso was located on Lake Drużno , near the current site of Elbląg in historical Pogesania ; the settlement burned down in the 10th century. Early in

7380-519: Was heavily damaged in World War II , and its remaining German citizens were expelled upon the war's end in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement . The city became again part of Poland in 1945 and was repopulated with Polish citizens. The seaport of Truso was first mentioned c.  890 by Wulfstan of Hedeby , an Anglo-Saxon sailor, travelling on the south coast of the Baltic Sea at

7470-581: Was interned in the city. On December 22, 1831, the Prussian army attempted to pacify the Polish insurgents and launched a charge on the disarmed Poles, who resisted relocation, fearing deportation to the Russian Partition of Poland. Some insurgents eventually left partitioned Poland for the Great Emigration , including Józef Bem , who was expelled by the Prussians in December 1831, and Maciej Rybiński , who left

7560-409: Was occupied by Swedish troops. In 1709 it was besieged, taken by storm on February 2, 1710, by Russian troops with support of Prussian artillery. The city was handed over to Polish King Augustus II in 1712. The Royal-Polish mathematician and cartographer Johann Friedrich Endersch completed a map of Warmia in 1755 and also made a copper etching of the galley named "The City of Elbing". During

7650-475: Was part of the district ( Komturei ) of Balga . It was first composed of stone houses, palisades , and earthworks and later built of bricks. Besieged by the native Old Prussians for four years during an uprising beginning in 1260, the castle was destroyed in 1264. The Order rebuilt it shortly afterward, but it was besieged by another Baltic group, the Sudovians , in 1273. After the Old Prussian uprisings ended,

7740-554: Was printed in the city, whose aim was to resist Germanisation and cultivate Polish folk traditions as well as educate the local rural population. In May 1845, a Polish resistance movement in the city was organized by Kazmierz Szulc, whose aim was to prepare local Polish youth for an uprising. During the January Uprising , weapons were smuggled through the city to the Russian Partition of Poland, and Polish insurgents fleeing

7830-419: Was reintegrated with the reborn Polish Republic , Elbing was joined to the German province of East Prussia , and was separated from Weimar Germany by the so-called Polish Corridor . Lyck Ełk ( Polish pronunciation: [ɛwk] ; Masurian & former Polish : Łek ; German : Lyck ; Old Prussian : Luks; Yotvingian : Lukas ), also seen absent Polish diacritics as Elk ,

7920-524: Was renamed Landkreis Bartenstein in 1927. The foundations of the old castle were used in the construction of the administrative seat; this building was destroyed in 1945. In January 1945 during World War II , the town was 50% destroyed in fighting between German forces and the Soviet Red Army . As a result of border changes promulgated at the Potsdam Conference (July–August 1945), the town and

8010-600: Was started immediately. From 1315 to 1340 Elbląg was rebuilt. A separate settlement called New Town was founded ca. 1337 and received Lübeck rights in 1347. In 1349 the Black Death struck the town, toward the end of the European plague. After the population recovered it continued building up the city and in 1364 a crane was built for the port. The German-language Elbinger Rechtsbuch , written in Elbing documented among other laws for

8100-442: Was taken, the Knights broke their promise and subsequently murdered a number of the captured defenders while imprisoning the rest. In February 1440, the city hosted a convention at which delegates from various cities (including Elbing itself) and nobility from the region decided to establish the anti-Teutonic Prussian Confederation . In April and May 1440, further meetings were held in Elbing, at which more towns and noblemen joined

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