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104-596: Olsztynek is located about 28 km (17 mi) south of Olsztyn in the western part of the Masurian Lake District , where it borders on the Prussian Uplands ( Prusy Górne ), part of the Baltic Uplands . Olsztynek station is a stop on the railway line from Olsztyn to Działdowo . The expressway S7 running from Gdańsk via Olsztynek to Warsaw and Kraków , parts of which are still under construction,

208-535: A Peer of France by the newly enthroned King Louis XVIII . Although Ney had pledged his allegiance to the restored monarchy, the Bourbon court looked down on him because he was a commoner by birth. When he heard of Napoleon's return to France, Ney, determined to keep France at peace and to show his loyalty to Louis XVIII, organized a force to stop Napoleon's march on Paris. Ney also pledged to bring Napoleon back alive in an iron cage. Aware of Ney's plans, Napoleon sent him

312-683: A watchtower was established on the Łyna River . In 1346, the forest was cleared at the location for a new settlement, mentioned in a historical document from 1348. The following year, the Teutonic Knights began the construction of an Ordensburg (castle) as a stronghold against the Baltic Prussians . Allenstein was granted municipal rights by the cathedral chapter of the Bishopric of Warmia in October 1353. The German "Allenstein" referred to

416-557: A Polish administration in the region which aroused British and American protest. The Polish rule was accepted under the preliminary provisions of the Potsdam Conference . In October 1945, the remaining German population was expelled in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement , and remaining Poles were joined by new Polish settlers, mostly those expelled from pre-war Polish regions of Vilnius , Grodno and Volhynia , annexed by

520-405: A belt of defensive walls and a moat. The south-west wing of the castle was built in the 15th century, the tower situated in the west corner of the courtyard, from the middle of the 14th century, was rebuilt in the early 16th century and had a round shape on a square base and was 40 meters high. At the same time, the castle walls were raised to a height of 12 meters and a second belt of the lower walls

624-574: A cloister. The tower was topped off in 1921 and again in 1926. In 1945, the whole castle became home to the Masurian Museum, which today is called the Museum of Warmia and Masuria . In addition, there are also popular events held within the frameworks of the Olsztyn Artistic Summer and so-called "evenings of the castle" and "Sundays in the Museum". Although Jews were permitted to trade in

728-719: A condition of the Treaty of Versailles , the League of Nations held the East Prussian plebiscite on 11 July 1920 to determine if the people in the southern districts of the East Prussian province wanted to remain within the Free State of Prussia and Germany or to join the Second Polish Republic , which just regained independence after World War I. The plebiscite resulted in 1,780 votes for Germany and 20 for Poland. In remembrance of

832-624: A letter which said, in part, "I shall receive you as I did after the Battle of the Moskowa ." On 14 March, on the main square in Lons-le-Saulnier (Jura) Ney joined Napoleon with a small army of 6,000 men. Ney’s reconciliation with Napoleon was a body blow to the monarchy’s hopes of retaining control of the army and with it, France, and the King abandoned Paris just two days after Ney’s ‘treason’ became known in

936-755: A member of the Prussian Confederation in 1444, opposing the authority of the Order's State. At the request of the organization, in 1454, King Casimir IV Jagiellon signed the act of incorporation of the region to the Kingdom of Poland , and the town recognized itself as part of the Kingdom of Poland, but returned to the Order's rule during the Thirteen Years' War in 1455. After the peace treaty signed in Toruń in 1466 it became

1040-698: A part of Poland as a fief held by the Order's State , until the conversion of Grand Master Albert von Hohenzollern to Lutheranism in 1525, whereafter the town became part of the Protestant Duchy of Prussia , also a Polish fief. During the Polish–Teutonic War (1519–21) , the town was captured by Polish troops under Hetman Mikołaj Firlej , who confirmed the town privileges. During the Polish–Swedish War of 1626–1629 , Polish troops were stationed around

1144-559: A series of rearguard actions ( Pombal , Redinha , Casal Novo , and Foz de Arouce ) through which he managed to delay the pursuing Coalition forces long enough to allow the main French force to retreat in 1811. He was ultimately removed from his command for insubordination. Ney was given command of the III Corps of the Grande Armée during the invasion of Russia in 1812. At Smolensk , Ney

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1248-486: A single complex of the Municipal Forest (1050 ha) used mainly for recreation and tourism purposes. Within the Municipal Forest area are situated two peat-land flora sanctuaries, Mszar and Redykajny . Municipal greenery (560 ha, 6.5% of the town area) developed in the form of numerous parks, green spots and three cemeteries over a century old. The greenery includes 910 monuments of nature and groups of protected trees in

1352-484: A “wandering” Jew in their home. The roots of the Jewish congregation in the town can be traced to 1820. Shortly after that date, an official prayer room was established on Richterstraße. In 1877, the congregation bought a plot of land on Liebstädterstraße and built a synagogue there. A Jewish cemetery was built on Seestraße (present-day Grunwaldzka). At its peak, the town's Jewish population reached 448 people (1933). During

1456-613: Is a city on the Łyna River in northern Poland . It is the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship , and is a city with county rights . The population of the city was estimated at 169,793 residents in 2021. Olsztyn is the largest city in Warmia , and has been the capital of the voivodeship since 1999. In the same year, the University of Warmia and Masuria was founded from the fusion of three other local universities. Today,

1560-1065: Is part of the European Route of Brick Gothic and the pro-cathedral is regarded as one of the greatest monuments of Gothic architecture in Poland. Olsztyn, for a number of years, has been ranked very highly in quality of life , income , employment and safety. It is one of the best places in Poland to live and work. It is also one of the happiest cities in the country. [REDACTED] Teutonic Order 1353–1454 [REDACTED] Kingdom of Poland 1454–1455 [REDACTED] Teutonic Order 1455–1463 [REDACTED] Kingdom of Poland 1463–1569 [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 1990–present In 1334,

1664-736: Is part of the European route E77 . A direct link to Olsztyn is provided by the expressway S51 . The intersection of the S7 and S51 highways is located just outside the town limits of Olsztynek, and the National road 58 also runs through the town. Several decades after the subjugation of the Old Prussians , Hohenstein Castle was erected from 1351 to colonize the Sasna lands at the behest of Günter von Hohenstein, commander of

1768-580: Is questionable if Ida Saint-Elme , 'Courtisane de la Grande Armée', was a lover of Michel Ney. Ney has been portrayed by (among others): Ney has been portrayed by (among others): Rumors that a school teacher in Rowan County, North Carolina was Marshal Ney in exile circulated in Carolina in 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. Records in Charleston, South Carolina indicate the arrival of one "Peter Stewart Ney"

1872-468: Is still debate as to what time Napoleon actually ordered Ney to capture the town. At Ligny, Napoleon ordered General Jean-Baptiste d'Erlon to move his corps (on Napoleon's left and Ney's right at the time) to the Prussians' rear in order to cut off their line of retreat. D'Erlon began to move into position, but suddenly stopped and began moving away, much to the surprise and horror of Napoleon. The reason for

1976-733: Is the Old Town ( Stare Miasto ), which contains various historic buildings and structures, including: Notable structures outside of the Old Town include: The city is home to the National Symphony Orchestra. The Michelin Polska tyre company (former Stomil Olsztyn) is the largest employer in the region of Warmia and Masuria. Other important industries are food processing and furniture manufacturing. A bus network with 36 bus lines exists, including 6 suburban lines and 2 night-time lines. In 1939, due to poor economic situation throughout

2080-578: The Gazeta Olsztyńska , was founded in 1886. Allenstein's infrastructure developed rapidly: gas was installed in 1890, telephones in 1892, public water supply in 1898, and electricity in 1907. The Provincial Mental Sanatorium Kortau was established in 1886 just south of Allenstein (today part of Olsztyn- Kortowo ). In 1905, the city became the capital of Regierungsbezirk Allenstein , a government administrative region in East Prussia. From 1818 to 1910,

2184-463: The Kristallnacht , the town synagogue was destroyed by Nazi Germans, only to be later used as a bomb shelter. Today, the site of the former synagogue is occupied by a local sports club. By 1939, only 135 Jews were left in the city. The remainder fled the country. Those who still lived in the town by 1940 were deported to Nazi concentration camps . In June 1946, 16 Holocaust survivors settled in

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2288-570: The Battle of Allenstein took place. The French Army clashed with the Imperial Russian army. On that day, Allenstein was visited by Napoleon Bonaparte . Napoleon gathered enormous forces in the city and planned to engage the Russians and Prussians in a decisive battle. The Russian army was stationed in Jonkowo , but retreated after the French attack. Thanks to the victory at Allenstein, Napoleon's army

2392-690: The Castle of Warmian Cathedral Chapter houses a museum and is a venue for concerts , art exhibitions, film shows and other cultural events, which make Olsztyn a popular tourist destination. The city is the seat of the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Warmia . The most important sights of the city include the medieval Old Town and the St. James Pro-cathedral (former St. James Parish Church), which dates back more than 600 years. The market square

2496-496: The Chamber of Peers . In order to save Ney's life, his lawyer André Dupin declared that Ney was now Prussian and could not be judged by a French court for treason as Ney's hometown of Sarrelouis had been annexed by Prussia according to the Treaty of Paris of 1815 . Ney ruined his lawyer's effort by interrupting him and stating: "Je suis Français et je resterai Français!" ("I am French and I will remain French!"). On 4 December, when

2600-588: The Teutonic Knights at Osterode commandry. A parish church was mentioned for 1348. Grand Master Winrich von Kniprode granted the surrounding settlement town privileges according to Kulm law in 1359. Olsztynek became the seat of the local administration within the State of the Teutonic Order . During the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War , the 1410 Battle of Grunwald took place in the vicinity of

2704-477: The bubonic plague and cholera . The town became part of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1772 after the First Partition of Poland and its economy initially collapsed. Poles became subject to extensive Germanisation policies. A Prussian census recorded a population of 1,770 people, predominantly farmers, and Allenstein was administered within the newly created Province of East Prussia . On February 3, 1807,

2808-465: The detachment and wounded who could not go on. The river, 110 m wide and of a depth that could reach up to 2 m, was only frozen for a couple of days, leaving it fragile, and the ice broke in several places. When Ney and his men reached the other bank, they had to climb a twelve feet (3.7 m), very steep slope: . The elements and the Cossacks reduced Ney's contingent to only 800 (900, 2,000?) diehards. In

2912-417: The firing holes ) while they were under French control (during the cavalry attack, the crews of the cannon retreated into the squares for protection, and then re-manned their pieces as the cavalry withdrew). Ney's cavalry carried the equipment needed to spike cannons, and spiking the cannons would probably have made them useless for the rest of the battle. The loss of a large number of cannon would have weakened

3016-555: The interwar period and the city's growing population, a trolleybus line began operation, partially replacing the original tram network. During the Second World War the cars were mainly driven by women. The trolleybus network consisting of 4 lines was decommissioned on 31 July 1971. Olsztyn has train connections to various major cities in Poland, including Warsaw , Kraków , Gdańsk , Szczecin , Poznań , Bydgoszcz , Białystok , Wrocław , Łódź , Toruń , and various towns in

3120-531: The monastic state of the Teutonic Knights after hostilities ended. The city joined the Prussian Confederation in 1440, and rebelled against the Teutonic Knights in 1454 upon the outbreak of the Thirteen Years' War to join the Kingdom of Poland under King Casimir IV Jagiellon . In 1454, upon the request of the Confederation, King Casimir IV signed the act of incorporation of the region to Poland, and

3224-801: The non-commissioned officer ranks. Following the French Revolution, Ney continued to serve in what was now the French Revolutionary Army , in the Army of the North . In September 1792 he saw action at the Battle of Valmy and in October was commissioned as an officer under the Republic. As an officer he participated in the Battle of Neerwinden in 1793 and was wounded at the Siege of Mainz , also in 1793. in June 1794, he

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3328-610: The 1914 battle a large Tannenberg Memorial was inaugurated here on 18 September 1927, and made the place of the burial of Reich President Paul von Hindenburg on 7 August 1934. In World War II parts of the premises were used for the Stalag I-B prisoner-of-war camp . The memorial was partly demolished by the German forces withdrawing from the Soviet advance in 1945, after Hindenburg's coffin (and his wife's) were removed, and completely demolished by

3432-721: The Allenstein Militärischer Bereich . It was then home of the 11th and 217th infantry divisions and 11th Artillery Regiment. At the same time, the football club SV Hindenburg Allenstein played in Allenstein from 1921 to 1945. Beginning in 1936, members of the Polish minority were increasingly persecuted, especially members of the Union of Poles in Germany . In early 1939, many local Polish activists were expelled. In an attempt to rig

3536-461: The German invasion of Poland that began World War II in 1939. German troops invaded Poland also from Olsztyn (then called Allenstein). After the German invasion of Poland, local Poles were also subjected to mass executions and deportations to occupied Poland . Arrested Poles were held in a local prison and then forced to remove Polish signs and inscriptions in the city, while the German population gathered and insulted them. The Gazeta Olsztyńska

3640-650: The Peers were called to give their verdict, 137 voted for the death penalty and 17 for deportation; five abstained. Only a single vote, that of the Duc de Broglie , was for acquittal. On 6 December 1815, Ney was condemned, and on 7 December 1815 he was executed by firing squad in Paris near the Luxembourg Gardens . He refused to wear a blindfold and was allowed the right to give the order to fire, reportedly saying: Soldiers, when I give

3744-648: The Polish government in 1949. A surviving lion is displayed in front of the Olsztynek town hall. In January 1945 it was occupied by the Red Army throughout the East Prussian Offensive . Later it was handed over to the Republic of Poland ; the German population was expelled in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement and the region was resettled with Poles, especially those expelled from territories of Poland annexed by

3848-538: The Polish-Teutonic wars by then. After the Battle of Grunwald in 1410, the Poles took it after a few days siege. In the Thirteen Years' War (1454–66) it was jumping from rule to rule. The Knights threatened the castle and the town in 1521, but the defense was very effective. They contained one failed assault. There is a connection between the history of the castle, the city of Olsztyn, and Nicolaus Copernicus . He prepared

3952-563: The Russian at Mankovo, following the brook Losvinka for two hours, about 13 km north. At midnight he was informed that the enemy was approaching. In the middle of the night Ney decided to cross the Dnieper , supposedly near the remote hamlet Alekseyevka at a spot which could be used in summer to cross the river but with an almost vertical slope. Ney literally got down on all fours. One by one, but not without heavy losses, leaving guns, horses, part of

4056-441: The Soviet Union . In 1960 a memorial for the 1410 Battle of Grunwald was erected by Polish authorities. The local football club is Olimpia Olsztynek  [ pl ] . It competes in the lower leagues. Olsztyn Olsztyn ( UK : / ˈ ɒ l ʃ t ɪ n / OL -shtin , Polish: [ˈɔlʂtɨn] ; German : Allenstein [ˈʔalənʃtaɪn] ; Old Prussian : Alnāsteini )

4160-492: The Soviet Union, as well as settlers from Warsaw , which had been destroyed by German forces during World War II. Reconstruction and removal of damage lasted until the 1950s. In December 1945, a match factory was launched in Olsztyn, as the city's first post-war industrial plant of national importance. A tyre factory was founded in Olsztyn in 1967. Its subsequent names included OZOS, Stomil and Michelin . City limits were greatly expanded in 1966 and 1987. In 1956, Olsztyn

4264-409: The VI Corps of the Grande Armée and was praised for his conduct at Elchingen . In November 1805, Ney invaded Tyrol, capturing Innsbruck from Archduke John . In the 1806 campaign, Ney fought at Jena and then occupied Erfurt. Later in the campaign, Ney successfully besieged Magdeburg . In the 1807 campaign, Ney arrived with reinforcements in time to save Napoleon from defeat at Eylau . Later in

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4368-408: The army and could have caused the Anglo-Allied Army to withdraw from the battle. Ney was seen during one of the charges beating his sword against the side of a British cannon in furious frustration. During the battle, he had five horses killed under him, and at the end of the day, Ney led one of the last infantry charges, shouting to his men: "Come and see how a marshal of France meets his death!" It

4472-444: The authorities carried out mass arrests of local Poles, including the chairman of the local Polish bank and his assistant, the chief of the "Rolnik" Cooperative, and the principal of the local Polish school. Nazi Germany co-formed the Einsatzgruppe V in the city, which then entered several Polish cities and towns, including Grudziądz , Mława , Ciechanów , Łomża and Siedlce , to commit various atrocities against Poles during

4576-406: The campaign, Ney fought at Güttstadt and commanded the right wing at Friedland . On 6   June 1808, Ney was made Duke of Elchingen . In August 1808, he was sent to Spain in command of the VI Corps and saw action in a number of minor engagements. In 1809, he skirmished with an Anglo-Portuguese force under Sir Robert Wilson at Puerto de Baños . In 1810, Ney joined Marshal André Masséna in

4680-446: The capital. On 15 June 1815, Napoleon appointed Ney as commander of the left wing of the Army of the North. On 16 June, Napoleon's forces split up into two wings to fight two separate battles simultaneously. Ney attacked the Duke of Wellington at Quatre Bras (and received criticism for attacking slowly ) while Napoleon attacked Marshal Blücher 's Prussians at Ligny . Although Ney was criticized for not capturing Quatre Bras early, there

4784-399: The chapel of St. Anna, which was built in the south-west wing of the castle. In the course of time, both wings of the castle lost military importance, which for residential purposes has become very convenient. In 1779, Prince-Bishop Ignacy Krasicki stopped here as well. After the Prussian annexation of Warmia during the First Partition of Poland in 1772, the castle became the property of

4888-399: The city and in 1948, the congregation had 190 worshipers. Most of them emigrated to Israel throughout the next few decades. There is no trace of the Jewish cemetery. The city was the birthplace of world-famous Jewish architect Erich Mendelsohn . In town, Mendelsohn planned the mourners' chapel (called the Mendelsohn house ) next to the cemetery. The building is restored. In addition, it

4992-443: The city itself and its fairs during the medieval times, they were restricted from trading freely in the villages surrounding the town. In 1718, Bishop Teodor Andrzej Potocki imposed a ban on Jewish trade in the city as well. The ban, even if continued by successive bishops, proved not to be particularly successful in the light of repeated complains by the local merchants about Jewish dealing in animal leather and similar products as

5096-405: The city was administered within the East Prussian Allenstein District, after which it became an independent city . Shortly after the outbreak of World War I in 1914, Russian troops captured Allenstein, but it was recovered by the Imperial German Army in the Battle of Tannenberg . After the defeat of Germany in World War I, the East Prussian plebiscite was held in 1920 to determine whether

5200-441: The city's High Gate in 1863 for smuggling weapons for the Polish January Uprising in the Russian Partition of Poland. The town hospital was founded in 1867. In 1871, with the unification of Germany , Allenstein became part of the German Empire . Two years later, the city was connected by railway to Thorn (Toruń). Despite Germanisation attempts the city remained an important Polish centre. Its first Polish language newspaper,

5304-432: The city's location on the Warsaw- Königsberg trade route . During this period, the city was still visited several times by Copernicus, as well as leading figures of the Polish Renaissance , writers, royal secretaries and diplomats: Johannes Dantiscus , called the "father of Polish diplomacy", and Marcin Kromer , who was also a historian and music theorist. St. James' Pro-Cathedral, one of the most distinctive landmarks of

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5408-404: The city, including the Polish Scouting and Guiding Association , Union of Poles in Germany , a People's Bank ( Bank Ludowy ), local Poles organised a school, library, puppet theatre. The Polish Consulate also operated. After the January 1933 Nazi seizure of power in Germany, Poles and Jews in Allenstein were increasingly persecuted. In 1935, the German Wehrmacht made the city the seat of

5512-433: The cityscape, was completed at that time. Prosperity was halted in the 1620s, when the town suffered a fire and an epidemic. In 1626, during the Swedish invasion , clerics from Frauenburg (Frombork) took refuge in the town, which the Swedes did not reach. The city was sacked by Swedish troops later, in 1655 and 1708, during the next Polish-Swedish wars , and its population was nearly wiped out in 1710 by epidemics of

5616-551: The command to fire, fire straight at my heart. Wait for the order. It will be my last to you. I protest against my condemnation. I have fought a hundred battles for France, and not one against her ... Soldiers, fire! Ney was buried in Paris at Père Lachaise Cemetery . Ney married Aglaé Auguié (Paris, 24 March 1782 – Paris, 1 July 1854), daughter of Pierre César Auguié (1738–1815) and Adélaïde Henriette Genet (1758–1794, sister of Henriette Campan and Citizen Genêt ), at Thiverval-Grignon on 5 August 1802. they had four sons: It

5720-413: The consulate staff, was imprisoned in the Hohenbruch and Soldau concentration camps, and then murdered. Polish teachers were deported to the Dachau concentration camp . During the war five forced labour camps were established in the city. On 12 October 1939, the Wehrmacht established an area headquarters for one of its military districts, Wehrkreis I (headquartered at Königsberg), that controlled

5824-417: The court-martial comprised the marshals Jourdan, Masséna , Augereau , and Mortier , and the generals Gazan de La Peyriere (instead of Maison who refused), Claparède and Villatte . After long deliberation, the court-martial voted 5-2 to declare itself "non-competent". After the court-martial decided on 11 and 12 November that it did not have jurisdiction, Ney was tried on 16 November for treason by

5928-410: The defense of Olsztyn against the invasion of the Teutonic Knights in 1520. In the sixteenth century, there were two prince-bishops of Warmia that stayed there: Johannes Dantiscus – the first Sarmatian poet, endowed with the imperial laurel wreath for "Latin Songs" (1538, 1541) and Marcin Kromer , who wrote with equal ease in Latin and Polish scientific and literary works (1580). Kromer consecrated

6032-421: The enemy cannons but found the infantry formed in cavalry-proof square formations which – without infantry or artillery support – he failed to break. The action earned Ney criticism, and some argue that it led to Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo. Debate continues as to the responsibility for the cavalry charge and why it went unsupported. Ney's cavalry also failed to spike the enemy cannons (driving iron spikes into

6136-509: The environs of Allenstein, including Lötzen (now Giżycko), and Ciechanów in occupied Poland. As part of the Aktion T4 , Nazi Germany conducted medical experiments on the patients of the psychiatric hospital in the present-day district of Kortowo , in which at least 5,000 people were killed. On 22 January 1945, near the end of the war, the city was plundered and burned by the conquering Soviet Red Army , and much of its German population fled . The remaining, mostly Polish population,

6240-411: The form of beech , oak , maple and lime -lined avenues. The city is situated in a lake region of forests and plains. There are 15 lakes inside the administrative bounds of the city (13 with areas greater than 1 ha ). The overall area of lakes in Olsztyn is about 725 ha, which constitutes 8.25% of the total city area. Olszytn has an oceanic climate ( Köppen climate classification : Cfb ) using

6344-408: The full name of the plebiscite commission. Each overprint was applied to 14 denominations ranging from 5 Pfennigs to 3 Marks . The Polish community faced discrimination, Polish rallies were dispersed, the participants were threatened and beaten. In March, Polish activist Bogumił Linka died in Allenstein, a few weeks after being attacked by the German militia in nearby Szczytno in Masuria . He

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6448-518: The invasion of Portugal, where he captured Ciudad Rodrigo and Almeida , and saw further action on the River Côa , and a defeat at the Bussaco . The French army followed the retreating allies to the Lines of Torres Vedras , a scorched earth trap prepared by Wellington in absolute secrecy. After losing 21,000 men of 61,000 in several months of hunger, Masséna and Ney were forced to retreat due to lack of food and supplies, see also attrition warfare against Napoleon . Ney engaged Wellington 's forces in

6552-452: The last of the invaders to cross the bridge and exit Russia. On 25 March 1813, Ney was given the title of Prince de la Moskowa . During the 1813 campaign, Ney fought at Weissenfels , was wounded at Lützen , and commanded the left wing at Bautzen . Ney later fought at Dennewitz and Leipzig , where he was again wounded. In the 1814 campaign in France , Ney fought various battles and commanded various units. At Fontainebleau , Ney became

6656-412: The late 19th century Poles still formed the majority of the local Lutheran parish (majority of the town's population was Lutheran), with 3,344 people in comparison to 1,966 Germans. In 1898, a local branch of the anti-Polish German Eastern Marches Society was founded, the organization's busiest branch in Masuria. From 1903 to 1933 the Tuberculosis sanatorium Hohenstein for male patients operated in

6760-422: The municipal forest about 4 km north of the town center. In the beginning of World War I in August 1914, Imperial Russian Army troops occupied the region but were defeated by German Army forces under General Paul von Hindenburg and Chief of Staff Erich Ludendorff in the Battle of Tannenberg . The battle actually was fought from 27 to 29 August in and around Hohenstein, whereby 115 buildings including

6864-438: The one recorded in 1742. Permanent Jewish settlement can be dated to 1780 when the Jews were finally permitted to settle in the city albeit outside the immediate city walls. In 1814, the Simonson brothers opened the first Jewish store. Yet the growth of the Jewish community worried city authorities, who tried to curb it with restrictions and punitive measures. In 1850, a new law imposed fines and imprisonment on anyone who harboured

6968-467: The populace of the region, including Allenstein, wished to remain in German East Prussia or become part of Poland , which had just regained independence. In order to advertise the plebiscite, special postage stamps were produced by overprinting German stamps and sold on 3 April of that year. One kind of overprint read PLÉBISCITE / OLSZTYN / ALLENSTEIN , while the other read TRAITÉ / DE / VERSAILLES / ART. 94 et 95 inside an oval whose border gave

7072-501: The previous 24 hours, 3,000 armed men and 4,000 stragglers had either died or strayed from its ranks. Armand de Briqueville increased the number of abandoned cannons to 6 and increases the number of people who cross to 5–6000. Ney ordered everyone to move to the Dnieper in the hope of crossing to the opposite bank on the ice. Everyone, from soldiers to officers, was amazed by this decision. To surprised and incredulous stares, Ney declared that if no one supported him, he would go alone. And

7176-447: The ranks and, by the Battle of Hohenlinden (1800), he had been promoted to divisional general . On Napoleon 's proclamation of the French Empire , Ney was named one of the original 18 Marshals of the Empire. He played an instrumental role during Napoleon's subsequent campaigns, seeing action at Elchingen (1805), Jena (1806) and Eylau (1807). Ney commanded the French rearguard during the disastrous invasion of Russia , for which he

7280-574: The region, including Elbląg , Iława , Działdowo and Ełk . Olsztyn Główny is the main railway station in the city. Plans exist to demolish the building and replace it with new infrastructure, contrary to previous information about the current building being renovated. Historically, the city's first tram line was built in 1907 and gradually expanded over the years. It ceased operation in 1965. Michel Ney Michel Ney, 1st Prince de la Moskowa, 1st Duke of Elchingen ( pronounced [miʃɛl nɛ] ; 10 January 1769 – 7 December 1815),

7384-418: The results of an upcoming census and understate the number of Poles in the city and region, the Germans terrorized the Polish population and, in May 1939, the Gestapo confiscated 10,000 Polish information leaflets in the headquarters of the Gazeta Olsztyńska . In August 1939, Germany introduced martial law in the region, which allowed for even more blatant persecution of Poles. In August and September 1939,

7488-532: The river's Baltic Prussian name Alna , which meant a hind . Local Poles, having arrived along with German settlers, called it Holstin and Olsztyn , which are Polonizations of the German name. The castle was completed in 1397. The town was captured by the Kingdom of Poland during the Polish-Lithuanian-Teutonic War in 1410, and again in 1414 during the Hunger War , but it was returned to

7592-508: The soldiers knew very well that this was not posturing. When, finally, the lucky ones reached the opposite shore and already considered themselves saved. To get to the shore, they had to climb another steep icy slope. Many fell back on the ice. Of the three thousand soldiers who accompanied Ney, 2,200 drowned during the crossing. Ney fought at the Berezina and helped hold the vital bridge at Kovno (modern-day Kaunas ), where legend portrays Ney as

7696-469: The spokesperson for the marshals' revolt on 4 April 1814, demanding Napoleon's abdication. Ney informed Napoleon that the army would not march on Paris; Napoleon responded, "the army will obey me!" to which Ney answered, "the army will obey its chiefs". When Paris fell and the Bourbons reclaimed the throne , Ney, who had pressured Napoleon to accept his first abdication and exile, was promoted, lauded, and made

7800-462: The state board of estates ( Kriegs- und Domänenkammer  — War and Domain Chamber). In 1845, the bridge over the moat was replaced by a causeway better connecting the castle with the city. In 1901–1911 a general renovation of the castle was performed, however, several sections of the building were violated at the same time where they changed the original look of the castle e.g. putting on window frames in

7904-487: The sudden change in movement is that Ney had ordered d'Erlon to come to his aid at Quatre Bras. Without d'Erlon's corps blocking the Prussians' line of retreat, the French victory at Ligny was not complete, and the Prussians were not routed. At Waterloo on 18 June, Ney again commanded the left wing of the army. At around 3:30 p.m., Ney ordered a mass cavalry charge against the Anglo-Allied lines. Ney's cavalry overran

8008-636: The thigh and wrist. After recovering he fought at Hohenlinden under General Jean Victor Marie Moreau in December 1800. From September 1802, Ney commanded French troops in Switzerland and performed diplomatic duties. On 19 May 1804, Ney received his marshal's baton , emblematic of his status as a Marshal of the Empire , the Napoleonic era's equivalent of Marshal of France . In the 1805 campaign, Ney took command of

8112-567: The town castle as an administrator and then in Mehlsack (Melzak, now Pieniężno ). Copernicus was in charge of the Polish defences in the Siege of Allenstein during the Polish-Teutonic War of 1519–21 . He also started and managed the repopulation of the region, inviting a new wave of Polish settlers from Mazovia . The town along with Warmia then entered what is considered the region's golden age, when crafts and trade developed, thanks also to

8216-400: The town hall were demolished. However, Hindenburg urged to name it after Tannenberg to counter the myth of the "German" defeat in the 1410 Battle of Grunwald, which was known as the (First) Battle of Tannenberg in German sources. The town's reconstruction started during World War I with financial aid from Leipzig and was largely completed by 1920. The townhall was finalized in 1922/23. As

8320-589: The town in 1626. During the Second Northern War it was plundered by Swedish troops in 1656. Since 1618 ruled in personal union with the Imperial Margraviate of Brandenburg as Brandenburg-Prussia , although the Prussian part remained under Polish suzerainty until 1657. Hohenstein/Olsztynek with Ducal Prussia was incorporated into the Kingdom of Prussia in 1701. In 1804 a fire destroyed 108 houses and

8424-458: The town, whereby the Poles and Lithuanians defeated the Teutonic Knights. In the succeeding fights, Olsztynek was seized and burnt down to the grounds, in order not to let it pass into Polish hands. Quickly rebuilt afterwards, the citizens however had to face high taxes imposed by the Knights who had to refinance their contributions paid according to the 1411 Peace of Thorn . In turn the town became

8528-534: The townhall. During the Napoleonic Wars in 1807 the French stayed in Olsztynek, including Marshals of France Michel Ney and Pierre Augereau . After the 1871 unification of Germany the town lay inside the German Empire . Administratively, the town was part of Landkreis (district) Osterode ( Ostróda ) in the province of East Prussia . Although Olsztynek was outside the authority of Poland after 1657, in

8632-530: The townspeople took the castle and recognized the Polish king as the rightful ruler. Although the Teutonic Knights recaptured the city the following year, it was retaken by Polish troops in 1463. The Second Peace of Thorn in 1466 confirmed Allenstein as part of the Kingdom of Poland. Administratively it was located in the Prince-Bishopric of Warmia within the provinces of Royal Prussia and Greater Poland . From 1516 to 1521, Nicolaus Copernicus lived in

8736-507: The vicinity of the municipality of Dierdorf ; on 8 May he was exchanged for an Austrian general. Following the capture of Mannheim , Ney was promoted to général de division on 28 March 1799 and was given brief command over the Army of the Rhine from 25 September to 23 October. Later in 1799, Ney commanded cavalry in the armies of Switzerland and the Danube. At Winterthur , Ney received wounds in

8840-554: The year following Michel Ney's execution (Michel Ney's father was named Peter, and his mother's maiden name was Stewart). Peter Ney served as a school teacher in Rowan County until his death on 15 November 1846. According to legend, Peter Ney slashed his throat and almost died upon hearing of the death of Napoleon in 1821. His last words upon his death were reportedly "I am Ney of France", and he supposedly claimed to be Marshal Ney when drunk, although denying it when sober. However, there

8944-560: The −3 °C (27 °F) isotherm or a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification: Dfb ) using the 0 °C (32 °F) isotherm. Olsztyn is divided into 23 districts: There are many smaller districts: Jakubowo , Karolin , Kolonia Jaroty , Kortowo II , Łupstych , Niedźwiedź , Piękna Góra , Podlesie , Pozorty , Skarbówka Poszmanówka , Słoneczny Stok , Stare Kieźliny , Stare Miasto , Stare Zalbki , Stary Dwór , Track . These do not have council representative assemblies. The historic central district of Olsztyn

9048-580: Was a French military commander and Marshal of the Empire who fought in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars . The son of a cooper from Saarlouis , Ney worked as a civil servant until 1787 when he enlisted in a cavalry regiment, right before the outbreak of French Revolution . Distinguishing himself as a cavalry officer in the War of the First Coalition , he quickly rose through

9152-447: Was able to move north and a few days later the general Battle of Eylau took place. The growth of the city started again after it became a district seat in 1818, a significant influx of German settlers began and by 1825, the town was inhabited by 1,341 Germans and 1,266 Poles. In the early 1830s the city suffered from a cholera epidemic and a hunger crisis, however afterwards it flourished again, when despite Germanisation policies it

9256-575: Was abolished by the German authorities, the newspaper's headquarters was demolished and the editor-in-chief Seweryn Pieniężny was arrested and executed in the Hohenbruch concentration camp  [ de ] along with co-publisher Wojciech Gałęziewski and the "Rolnik" Cooperative chief Leon Włodarczyk, while Pieniężny's wife was deported to the Ravensbrück concentration camp . The last pre-war Polish consul in Allenstein, Bohdan Jałowiecki, along with

9360-594: Was administered by Polish mayor Jakub Rarkowski from 1836 to 1865. Under Rarkowski the city was expanded and modernized, and the mayor also hid Polish insurgents in the city during the January Uprising . The first German-language newspaper, the Allensteiner Zeitung , began publishing in 1841. Polish historian Wojciech Kętrzyński was arrested in Jomendorf (the present-day district of Jaroty), and imprisoned in

9464-496: Was as though Ney was seeking death, but death did not want him, as many observers reported. When Napoleon was defeated, dethroned, and exiled for the second time in the summer of 1815, Ney was arrested on 3 August 1815. Marshal Moncey was ordered to assume the presidency of a court-martial convened to try Ney but the marshal declined and was for a time imprisoned for it. The King's government then appointed Marshal Jourdan as president and when it finally convened on 9 November 1815,

9568-542: Was born in the town of Sarrelouis , in the French province of Lorraine , along the French–German border. He was the second son of Pierre Ney (1738–1826), a master cooper and veteran of the Seven Years' War , and his wife Marguerite Greiveldinger. His hometown at the time of his birth comprised a French enclave in the predominantly German region of Saarland , and Ney grew up bilingual, due to his German roots. He

9672-455: Was built. The castle walls were partly combined with city walls, which made the castle look as if it had been a powerful bastion defending access to the city. The castle was owned by Warmia Chapter, which until 1454, together with the Prince-Bishopric of Warmia , was under the military protection of the Teutonic Knights and their Monastic State in Prussia . The castle had played a huge role in

9776-441: Was buried in Allenstein, however, his grave was soon devastated by local German nationalists. A monument to Linka was unveiled after Poland regained control of the city after World War II. The presence of a Royal Irish battalion ensured a relative peace in Allenstein. The plebiscite, held on 11 July, produced 16,742 votes for Germany and 342 votes for Poland. In the interwar period , numerous Polish organisations operated in

9880-736: Was educated at the Collège des Augustins in Sarrelouis until 1782, when he began working as a clerk in a local notary's office, and in 1784 was employed in mines and forges. Life as a civil servant did not suit Ney, and he enlisted in the Colonel-General Hussar Regiment in 1787. Under the Bourbon monarchy, entry to the officer corps of the French Army was restricted to those with four quarterings of nobility ( i.e. , two generations of aristocratic birth). However, Ney rapidly rose through

9984-484: Was established, which is now one of the largest universities in northeastern Poland. Olsztyn became the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship in 1999. It was previously in the Olsztyn Voivodeship . The Olsztyn Castle was built between 1346–1353 and by then it had one wing on the north-east side of the rectangular courtyard. Access to the castle leads from the drawbridge over the river Łyna, surrounded by

10088-510: Was evidence contradicting this legend, the main being that the execution of Michel Ney is well documented and verified. And Marshal Ney, though fluent in German, is not known to have spoken English. One researcher claims evidence exists that Peter Stewart Ney was one Peter McNee, born in 1788 in Stirlingshire , Scotland. Peter Stewart Ney's body was exhumed twice, in 1887 and 1936, but both times no conclusive proof emerged. A new investigation

10192-507: Was given the nickname "the bravest of the brave" by the emperor. Ney lost more than half his strength; almost all the cavalry and all the artillery, with the exception of two guns, had disappeared. The terrible defeat of the III Corps was thorough enough to induce the chivalrous Miloradovich to extend another honorable surrender to Ney. In the early evening during a heavy fog Ney decided to draw back with 3,000 men. Ney escaped passing around

10296-528: Was lauded "the bravest of the brave" by the emperor. After Napoleon's defeat by the Sixth Coalition in 1814, Ney pressured the emperor to abdicate and pledged his allegiance to the restored Bourbon monarchy . He rejoined Napoleon during the Hundred Days but met defeat at the Battle of Waterloo (1815), after which he was charged with treason by the restored monarchy and executed by firing squad . Ney

10400-459: Was subjected to various crimes, including murder, rape and looting. The Soviets also murdered the remaining patients and staff of the psychiatric hospital, who were either burned alive or shot. Remains of three Roman Catholic nuns who served as nurses at Olsztyn's St. Mary's Hospital and were killed by Soviet soldiers in 1945 were excavated in October 2020. On 23 May 1945, the Soviets established

10504-409: Was the birthplace of German Socialist and SPD leader Hugo Haase . Frieda Strohmberg  [ pl ] , an Impressionist , lived and worked in the city from 1910 to 1927. Documentation of the Jewish owned shops in town exists. Olsztyn is located in the north-east part of Poland in the region known as the "Thousand Lakes". More than half of the forests occupying 21.2% of the city area form

10608-517: Was the site of the largest Polish demonstration of support for the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 . On the 500th anniversary of the birth of Nicolaus Copernicus, in 1973, a planetarium was opened in Olsztyn. In 1989 the former Gazeta Olsztyńska headquarters was rebuilt and re-opened as a museum. In 1991 Pope John Paul II visited the city. In 1999 the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn

10712-478: Was transferred to Army of Sambre-et-Meuse . Ney was promoted to brigadier general in August 1796, and commanded cavalry on the German fronts. On 17 April 1797, during the Battle of Neuwied , Ney led a cavalry charge against Austrian lancers trying to seize French cannons. The lancers were beaten back, but Ney's cavalry were counter-attacked by heavy cavalry. During the mêlée, Ney was thrown from his horse and captured in

10816-647: Was wounded in the neck but recovered enough to later fight in the central sector at Borodino . During the retreat from Moscow, Ney commanded the rearguard (and was known as "the last Frenchman on Russian soil" when he passed the Niemen on 14 December). After being cut off from the main army during the Battle of Krasnoi , Ney managed to escape in a heavy fog over the Dnieper River , but not without heavy losses, and to rejoin it in Orsha , which delighted Napoleon. For this action Ney

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