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Olecko

Coordinates: 54°02′N 22°30′E / 54.033°N 22.500°E / 54.033; 22.500
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Olecko
  • From top, left to right: Freedom Square
  • Technical school
  • Bird's eye view of Olecko
  • Pier and the Great Olecko Lake
  • Exaltation of the Holy Cross church
Flag of Olecko
Flag
Coat of arms of Olecko
Coat of arms
Olecko is located in Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship
Olecko
Olecko
Olecko is located in Poland
Olecko
Olecko
Coordinates: 54°2′N 22°30′E / 54.033°N 22.500°E / 54.033; 22.500
Country Poland
Voivodeship Warmian-Masurian
CountyOlecko County
GminaGmina Olecko
Established16th century
Town rights1560
Government
 • MayorKarol Sobczak
Area
 • Total11.6 km2 (4.5 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total22,384
 • Density1,900/km2 (5,000/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
19-400 to 19-402
Area code+48 87
Car platesNOE, NOG
Websitehttp://www.olecko.pl

Olecko [ɔˈlɛt͡skɔ] (former Template:Audio-de since 1560, colloquially also Oletzkoⓘ, Treuburgⓘ since 1928, Template:Lang-lt) is a town in northeastern Poland, in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, located in Masuria near Ełk and Suwałki. It is situated at the mouth of the Lega river which flows into the Great Olecko Lake (Jezioro Oleckie Wielkie) on its south-western shore. Olecko is the seat of Olecko County.

History

Historic houses in the town center

Marggrabowa was founded as a town by Albert, Duke of Prussia, a vassal of Poland, on January 1, 1560. The town's Polish-sounding name is derived from the word Margrabia (Polish for Margrave), the duke's title as the margraviate of Brandenburg-Ansbach's prince, by adding the suffix "-owa", which is typical in Poland for place names derived from personal names and titles. The town's coat of arms still reflects the Brandenburg red eagle and the Hohenzollern black and white which go back to Duke Albert. The populace became Lutheran-Protestant within the Duchy of Prussia, a vassal state of Poland, in 1525. The almost entirely Polish population of the town used the Polish name Olecko.[1]

At the same location as the present location of the town there has been a hunting lodge called Olecko since 1544. At a peninsula towards the lake, across the Lega river, in 1619 the Castle of Olecko (Schloss Oletzko) was established as a regional administrative seat for the Dukes of Prussia.

The town remained under Polish suzerainty until 1657. In 1701 it became part of the Kingdom of Prussia and, subsequently, in 1871, it became part of Germany. Between 1818 and 1945, Marggrabowa was the seat of Oletzko County (Kreis Oletzko) in the province of East Prussia, created in 1773.

20th century

After Poland regained its independence (1918), in 1920 a plebiscite was to be held in the area by the League of Nations according to the Treaty of Versailles, to determine the future of the region and the town. The plebiscite resulted in 3,903 votes for Germany and none for Poland.[2] As a result, the town was renamed Treuburg (lit.: loyal town) in 1928.

After World War II the town again became part of Poland, under territorial changes demanded by the Soviet Union at the Potsdam Conference.

Sights

Great Olecko Lake

In the northern part of the town's market square, a Catholic church is situated on a tree-covered hill.

Transport

The Train Station in the western part of town is a regional railway junction: there were main lines to Gołdap, Ełk and Suwałki. The local railway connections to Mieruniszki, Kruklanki and Sulejki are out of service or dismantled. Currently only bus service runs from the train station.

Education

Notable residents

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Poland

Twin towns — sister cities

Olecko is twinned with:

References

  1. ^ Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich, Tom VI, Warsaw, 1885, p. 114, 116 (in Polish)
  2. ^ Marzian, Herbert; Kenez, Csaba (1970). Selbstbestimmung für Ostdeutschland – Eine Dokumentation zum 50 Jahrestag der ost- und westpreussischen Volksabstimmung am 11. Juli 1920 (in German). p. 65.
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54°02′N 22°30′E / 54.033°N 22.500°E / 54.033; 22.500

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