Reszel
Reszel (; before 1946: German: Rößel; Prussian: Resel or Resl) is a city in Poland in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. The population is about 5,700.
Reszel was originally a settlement built by the Bartian tribe of Old Prussians and conquered by the Teutonic Knights in 1241. The native Prussians later recaptured the settlement and held it for five years, but were eventually defeated by the German crusaders. Reszel received its town privileges in 1337 under Magdeburg law.
As a result of the treaty of Versailles on 11 july 1920 the Warmia and Masuria plebiscite was organized under the control of the League of nations, which resulted 97,90 % of votes to remain in Germany and 2,10 % for Poland.
The town was transferred from Germany after WWII to Poland following the Potsdam Conference of 1945.
The main tourist attraction is the Gothic Episcopal castle. It was built 1350−1401 on a steep hill side above the right bank of the river Sajna by the Teutonic Order.
The Gothic St Peter’s Church dating back to the 14th century boasts the painting of the church’s patron dating back to the end of the 18th century. Other worthy of note buildings are the Jesuit monastery complex, St John’s Church and the church and the monastery of the nuns of the Order of St Catherine − all from the 15th and the 16th century. Large fragments of preserved defensive walls and the Classicist town hall in the market square dating back to the 19th century are also worth visiting.
Near Reszel is the local Masurian Catholic shrine of Święta Lipka (German: Heiligelinde), Poland’s magnificent baroque church, a Late Medieval shrine augmented in the 17th century. Since its beginning it has attracted German pilgrims from Warmia, as well as Polish and Lithuanian pilgrims.
External links
