Bartoszyce (<small>pronounced</small> ; , ) is a town on the Łyna River in northern Poland, with 22,597 inhabitants as of December 2021. The castle 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, the Knights rebuilt the Ordensburg out of stone from 1274–80. 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. At the beginning of the subsequent Thirteen Years' War, the Teutonic castle was destroyed and was not rebuilt afterward. The town's seal was attached to the documents of the peace treaty. 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). 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.

thumb|Bartenstein in the early 20th century.

The Lyck-Bartenstein (Ełk–Bartoszyce) train line ran through 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 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. The town was 50% destroyed in fighting between German forces and the Soviet Red Army. After German surrender, the Soviets ceremoniously transferred sovereignty over the town to Polish authorities on June 15, 1945. The already established Polish rule was accepted at the Potsdam Conference, however, on preliminary terms. 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. The transfer was confirmed by the German–Polish Border Treaty.

As part of the repressions against the Catholic Church, the communists created 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.

thumb|[[General education liceum|Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Stefana Żeromskiego (a high school).]]

The town is the location of a scene in Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace.

International relations

Bartoszyce is a member of Cittaslow.

Twin towns – sister cities

Bartoszyce is twinned with:

  • Berezne, Ukraine
  • Emmaboda, Sweden
  • Mława, Poland
  • Nienburg, Germany
  • Varėna, Lithuania

Former twin towns

  • Bagrationovsk, Russia

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.

Notable residents

  • Matthäus Waissel (1540–1602), German theologian, lutist, author
  • Max Baginski (1864–1943), German–American anarchist
  • Hans Koch (1893–1945), German anti–Nazi resistance fighter
  • Erwin Geschonneck (1906–2008), German actor
  • Günther Schack (1917–2003), German fighter pilot
  • Hans-Joachim Reske (born 1940), German athlete
  • Zbigniew Lubiejewski (born 1949), Polish volleyball player
  • Marek Daćko (born 1991), Polish handball player
  • Mateusz Czunkiewicz (born 1996), Polish volleyball player

References

  • Official website
  • History of Bartoszyce
  • Geschichte der Stadt Bartoszyce - Bartenstein