Brzeg (; Latin: Alta Ripa; German: Brieg; Silesian German: Brigg; ; ) is a town in southwestern Poland with 34,778 inhabitants (December 2021) In 1248, Silesian Duke Henry III the White granted the settlement Magdeburg town rights and by the late 13th century the city became fortified. Sometimes referred to as "the garden town", the town's size greatly expanded after the construction of dwellings which were located on the city outskirts. From the early 14th to late 17th centuries, the town was ruled by the Piast dynasty as fiefs of the Bohemian Crown within the Holy Roman Empire. Due to the result of the Silesian Wars, the town passed to Prussia and later was part of Germany between 1871 and 1945, before becaming once again part of Poland.

Etymology

In older documents, Brzeg was referred to as Civitas Altae Ripae, meaning 'city on the high banks' of the Oder River; its name is derived from Polish brzeg 'shore'.

(1841–1895), in his book of the etymology of Silesian localities, states that in a Latin document from 1234 the settlement's name was Visoke breg (, ; literally 'high bank').

A native or resident of Brzeg is known as a brzeżan, brzeżanin (male), brzeżanka (female), brzeżanie and brzeżaninie (plural).

History

Prehistory

thumb|left|Agricultural fields to the north of Brzeg

The locality in and around present-day Brzeg has been settled by people since the Mesolithic era, with the earliest signs of settlement between 8000 and 4200 BC, as concluded from archaeological findings in Myślibórz, Kościerzyce, Lubsza and Lipki. The early human populace left behind traces of lithic flakes, flint flakes and other flint related tools. The earliest signs of agriculture come around during the Neolithic Era (4200–1700 BC). The Neolithic culture developed agriculture and domesticated farm animals; this lifestyle led Nomadic cultures to settle in the locality. The era saw the development of weaving, pottery and mining in the Brzeg Plain, with archaeological finds in Brzeg, Buszyce, Prędocin, Lewin Brzeski, Małujowice, Lipki, Myśliborze, Mąkoszyce and Obórki.

The time period of 1300–700 BC bears the existence of the Lusatian culture of the late Bronze Age and the early Iron Age. The culture settled in the region and in large continued to develop agriculture and the domestication of farm animals. The natural economy of the culture was based on weaving, pottery and metal works. The Lusatian culture's populace that inhabited the Brzeg Lands was identified by archaeological excavations, revealing 17 individual localities, including 3 hamlets and 8 burial sites, namely a fortified wooden settlement in Rybna and an open-pit crematory in Pisarzowice (with 30 discovered burial sites).

To follow the Lusatian culture, which witnessed its decline around 500 BC, were the Celts, around 400–300 BC in Silesia, as identified with archaeological findings in Lubsza and Pawłów (located in the eastern vicinity of Brzeg). Around 100 BC, the peoples of Silesia (Celtic and Germanic tribes) began trading with the Roman Empire, as evidenced through the findings of Roman currency in the locality. In the 7th century Slavic peoples started settling in the region. At the same time Iron tools and blacksmith-based hamlets found in Kantorowice and Pępice are evidenced for the first time in this region.

Early Middle Ages

The period of AD 500–1000 saw the establishment of the early feudal system in Silesia. The era was characteristic of the establishment of gord settlements, towns and the continued development of trade and crafts. It is believed the permanent populace around modern-day Brzeg was set up by Silesian tribes. The first mention of the Silesian tribes is made in the mid-ninth-century document known as the Bavarian Geographer (), which included the Silesian gord of Ryczyn, located north-west of Brzeg, in the eastern Oława County. The Ryczyn gords became the main line of defence for the Silesians, namely to protect the river trade routes along the Oder river and the land trade route between Ryczyn (the locality's administrative centre, home to a castellan) and Brzeg (being some in length). The importance of the Ryczyn gords is demonstrated by Henry V of the Holy Roman Empire's army halting their advancement before the gords in 1109.

Between the ninth and early-tenth century, the Brzeg Lands, together with all of Silesia, were part of Great Moravia until its demise in AD 906, after which, until 990 the region was under the rule of the Premyslids.

Medieval Poland

Around 990, Silesia was incorporated into Mieszko I's Poland. During the Fragmentation of Poland (1138 – ), the area of the Brzeg Lands, along with the rest of Silesia, came under the control of King of Poland, Bolesław III Wrymouth's oldest son, Władysław II the Exile.

thumb|View towards the present-day ul. Rybacka with [[Brzeg water tower|the town's water tower]]

The most favourable area for the settlement of Brzeg is located between the Castle Square (Plac Zamkowy), with elevated ground extending south-east towards the Square of the American Polonia (Plac Polonii Amerykańskiej). Before the town's foundation, three separate settlements existed in its modern-day territory, with "Wysoki Brzeg" (Alta ripa) bearing the main administrative role in the region. Between the late-twelfth and early-thirteen century, the Dukes of Wrocław set up a curia, led by a claviger. In 1235, Henry the Bearded occupied the area around Oława, by which Walloons had to turn over a tribute of 1 scale of grain and of oat to the settlement of Brzeg, suggesting the existence of a granary and other outbuildings in the curia's established headquarters.

thumb|Brzeg town plan, c. 1400

The town received German town law in 1250 from the Wrocław Duke Henry III the White. The foundation was carried out by the three lokators, Gerkinus of Złotoryja, Ortlif and Heinrich of Reichenbach (Dzierżoniów). From the emblem of Heinrich of Reichenbach the town also got its coat of arms. While in power, Henry III, granted the town (by a singular payment) the forest around the locality of Lubsza. His successor, Henryk IV the Righteous regulated the town's church affairs, as well as renouncing his patronage over St. Mary's Church (Kościół Św. Marii Panny), located west of the town's western boundary. The church was granted to the Order of Saint John, subsequently founding the Church of St. Nicholas in 1292. The town was fortified in 1297.

From 1311 to 1675 Brzeg was the capital of a Lower Silesian duchy (Duchy of Brzeg) ruled by a local line of the Polish Piast dynasty, one of whom built a castle in 1341. The Duchy became a fief of the Kingdom of Bohemia in 1329. The town was burned by the Hussites in 1428 and soon afterwards rebuilt.

Early modern period

thumb|Renaissance facade of the [[Brzeg Castle, depicting members of the Piast dynasty, from the semi-legendary founder Piast the Wheelwright to Duke Frederick II of Legnica]]

At the beginning of the 16th century there were two schools in Brzeg, a collegiate and a municipal school, both influenced by the scientific, cultural and literary currents of the University of Kraków. In 1529 Duke Frederick II of Legnica, in attempt to establish the town as a significant learning center, merged the two schools, but the town council, wanting to maintain control over the municipal school, led to the two being split again in 1534.

The town continued to flourish under the reign of Duke George II. George II maintained close contacts with the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and its nobility, and rebuilt the Ducal Castle in Renaissance style, built the Renaissance town hall, established a new mausoleum of the Piast dukes and built a new gymnasium, opened in 1569. The libraries of the old schools were merged into the newly named Piast Library. The gymnasium became popular among Polish nobility, whose children were often educated there. Among the graduates were Polish Royal secretary and poet and reformer Samuel Hartlib, co-founder of the Royal Society of London.

In 1595 Brieg was again fortified by Joachim Frederick of Brieg and Liegnitz. In the Thirty Years' War it suffered greatly; in the War of the Austrian Succession it was heavily bombarded by the Prussian forces. When Bohemia fell to the Habsburg monarchy of Austria in 1526, the town fell under the overlordship of the Habsburgs in their roles of Kings of Bohemia, although it was still ruled locally by the Silesian Piasts. Upon the extinction of the last duke George William of Legnica in 1675, Brieg came under the direct rule of the Habsburgs.

In 1537 Duke Frederick II of Legnica concluded a treaty with Elector Joachim II of Brandenburg, whereby the Hohenzollerns of Brandenburg would inherit the duchy upon the extinction of the Silesian Piasts. On the death of George William the last duke in 1675, however, Austria refused to acknowledge the validity of the treaty and annexed the duchies and Frederick the Great of the Kingdom of Prussia used this treaty to justify his claim at the invasion of Silesia during the War of the Austrian Succession in 1740. Brieg and most of Silesia were annexed by Prussia in 1741 during the First Silesian War. The Siege of Brieg (11 April – 4 May 1741) resulted in the surrender of the 2,000-man Austrian garrison led by Ottavio Piccolomini to 6,000 Prussians commanded by Frederick the Great. The 1,800 surviving Austrians were allowed free passage to the fortress of Nysa (Neisse).

Late modern and contemporary

During the Napoleonic Wars, in 1807, it was captured by French forces. In 1807 the town's fortifications were pulled down by Napoleon's army. In early 1945, some prisoners were sent on a death march to Kłodzko. 202 Polish citizens were murdered by Nazi Germany in the town during the war. During the war, 60% of Brieg was destroyed and many of the town's inhabitants died during the severe winter of 1944–5 as they fled from the advancing Red Army. The war had brought the most severe destruction to the town in its entire history. Some of the town's population was evacuated by the German Army who moved its population further west inside Germany for safety and declared Brieg a fortress. After the fall of the town to the Soviets the remaining German population was expelled. The town, under the historic Polish name Brzeg became once again part of Poland and was repopulated by Poles whom Soviets expelled from the eastern part of interwar Poland.

Garrison history

thumb|Market Square in Brzeg

From the late 19th century the then German town of Brieg had expanded into a traditional military garrison town, from 1897 until 1919 it was the home town base to Infantry Regiment No. 157 designated from 1902 the 4th Silesian Infantry Regiment No. 157 (4. Schlesisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 157) of the Royal Prussian Army and respectively the Imperial German Army. In 1914 under the regiment's last peacetime commander Lieutenant General Paul Tiede the regiment began mobilizing for the Western Front at the outbreak of World War I as part of VI Army Corps (VI. Armee-Korps), 12th Division (12. Division), 78th Infantry Brigade (78. Infanterie-Brigade). The community was not reestablished after the Holocaust.

Geography

Status

The shape of the town, including its neighbouring osiedla, is comparable to that of a deformed rectangle, elongated north-south and west-east. The area of the town, including the village of Rataje, which was incorporated into Brzeg on January 1, 1973, is some . In comparison to Opole, with a total area of ; Nysa's and Kędzierzyn-Koźle's ; Brzeg is ranked fourth in the Opole Voivodeship by both population and area.

Topography

thumb|right|The [[Oder and the old town]]

Brzeg, as the regional capital of Brzeg County (Powiat Brzeski), is located in the west of the Opole Voivodeship, in the south-east of Poland. The settlement is located in the valley of the Oder, located between Opole 38.5 km to its east and Wrocław, to its north-west. The town has a predominantly flat relief (in comparison to the river scarp on the eastern bank of the river). The River Oder, at low water levels (predominantly between June and early September) forms eyots north of Jerzynowa, Kępa and Srebrna Islands. The locality is located in the Brzeg Plain (Rownina Brzeska), part of the Silesian Lowlands. The Brzeg Plain's boundaries are outlined by the Oder river to its north, the Nysa Kłodzka Valley to its south-east, the hillocks of Grodków Hills and the Wawrzyszów Hills to its south. The western boundary of the Brzeg Plain is marked by the Oława Valley, along the Oder's mid-course.

The Brzeg Plain was formed by the Riss glaciation period (347,000 to 128,000 years ago), leaving behind remnants of a ground moraine from the last glacial period. The ground moraines have left two equally small hills, bearing characteristics of kames. The kames form the Łosiów Range (Wał Łosiowski), between the confluence of the River Nysa Kłodzka and the Oława Valley. Small streams, having their sources around the range, are fed directly into the Oder in the region of Nysa Kłodzka and Oława.

Climate

Settlement and trade

The settlement of Brzeg, historically located in the regional unit of Lower Silesia as opposed to Upper Silesia, is due to the formation of a "przesieka" ("clearing"). The "clearing" was a lateral formation, extending northerly from the former Sudetes Wildland to the southern foothills of the Sudetes Mountains. The clearing's characteristics set it as a point for defence in the Lower Silesia region, lined with barrages made out of cut down woodland. The Brzeg Plain was settled due to its fertile soil, allowing for the earliest forms of agriculture to develop in the locality. The locality was first settled by Silesian tribes and in later history, until 1675, by the Piast duchies of Duchy of Brzeg, Legnica and Wołów, united under the Duchy of Legnica-Wołów-Brzeg. Presently, the region is spotted with numerous towns, including Brzeg, Grodków and Strzelin, as well as villages, with agriculture providing the major source of income. The development of agriculture is met with a lack of forested areas, apart from the Stobrawa Landscape Park, located 7.2 km to the north of Brzeg and the Oder river. The Stobrawa woodland, agriculture and the Oder (as a form of transport) provided Brzeg the necessary diversity to remain the regional trade capital in Silesia.

The largest parkland in Brzeg, located in the south-west of the town is the Park of Juliusz Peppel (Park im. Juliusza Peppela) and formerly Liberty Park (Park Wolności) having a total area of 68.8 ha. The parkland was established after donations from the owners of Skarbimierz and the landed-elite family von Lobbecke donated the area to the town's authorities, to make way for a landscape park in the area. The smallest of the five public parks in Brzeg is the Park Ptasi, located in the south of the town, west of the osiedle of Westerplatte. The park has a total area of 1 ha.

Demography

History

According to the Prussian census of 1905, the city of Brieg had a population of 27,486, of which 93% spoke German, 6% spoke Polish, and 1% were bilingual. After World War II, the town of Brzeg was part of the population transfers of the Soviet and Polish People's Republic's campaign to resettle Poles from Kresy (annexed by the USSR) to the newly regained territories by Poland from the defeated Germany, as part of the Potsdam Agreement. Per the agreement, the German population of Brzeg was expelled to either West or East Germany. The newly arrived population in Brzeg predominantly came from the countryside, being former peasants. The integration of the residents came in phases: education, communal work, marriages and the provision of material goods and items left behind by the former populace. By 1975, 37.9% of the population of Brzeg had settled in the town after 1960.

thumb|right|Central Park of J. Czajkowski (Park Centralny im. J. Czajkowskiego)

thumb|right|[[St. Jadwiga's Church, Brzeg|St. Jadwiga's Church, part of Brzeg Castle]]

thumb|right|Piastowski Bridge

Breakdown of population origin of Brzeg in 1950:

{| class=wikitable

!Population origin

!Population no.

!Percentage (%)

|-

|Total population

|12,771

|100.0

|-

|Local population

|824

|6.5

|-

|Migrant population

|11,947

|93.5

|}

Breakdown of migrant population origin of Brzeg in 1950:

{| class=wikitable

!Population origin

!Population no.

!Percentage (%)

|-

|Warsaw

|469

|3.9

|-

|Warsaw Voivodeship

|365

|3.0

|-

|Bydgoszcz Voivodeship

|289

|2.4

|-

|Poznań Voivodeship

|533

|4.5

|-

|Łódź

|75

|0.6

|-

|Łódź Voivodeship

|529

|4.4

|-

|Kielce Voivodeship

|749

|6.3

|-

|Lublin Voivodeship

|387

|3.2

|-

|Białystok Voivodeship

|144

|1.2

|-

|Katowice Voivodeship

|747

|6.3

|-

|Kraków Voivodeship

|911

|7.6

|-

|Soviet Union

|5,144

|43.1

|-

|Other countries

|200

|1.7

|-

|Remaining

|1,405

|11.8

|}

Population change:

The largest concentration of industry in Brzeg is located in the town's eastern quarter, south of the Oder, with numerous manufacturers, including: the German Bartling GmbH (plastic packaging company); "BESEL" (Polish electric engine company, founded in the town in 1950), and CIK car accessories plant. All three industries are located between Ciepłownicza Street (ul. Ciepłownicza) and Składowa Street (ul. Składowa).

Brzeg is also home to one of the largest confectionery companies in Poland, PWC Odra S.A. (founded in 1946). Presently, the firm is part of the joint-stock company Otmuchów Group. The production plant is located by Starobrzeska Street (ul. Starobrzeska).

Tourism

, Brzeg had the lowest number of foreign tourists in the Opole Voivodeship, with some 95% being national tourists. Per 1000 of the population, there are 1.60–3.89 available accommodations, which is behind nine of the eleven regional capitals (being at level with Kędzierzyn-Koźle) in the Opole Voivodeship, including Opole, with 3.90–5.89 tourist accommodations per 1000 of the population.

Education

thumb|Jan Kochanowski Primary School No. 3 by Kamienna Street.

Brzeg has a total of 7,826 citizens in the potential education age group (3-24 year of age). The number of city dwellers in Brzeg that have completed higher education is at 14.4% of the population, which is similar to the statistical average of the number of people obtaining higher education in the Opole Voivodeship, being at 15.1%. Data from 2015 indicates that 2.5% of the population of Brzeg have completed post-lyceum (policealne) education, with Brzeg having two post-lyceum schools (szkoły policealne): Medyczne Studium Zawodowe by Ofiar Katynia Street (medical practice institution); Policealne Studium Zawodowe – Zespół Szkół Ekonomicznych by Jan Paweł II Street (higher school of economics). The population of Brzeg that is in the age of potential further education (aged 19–24) is 26.8%, out of which 27.1% are women and 26.6% are men.

Some 22.4% of the population of the town of Brzeg () has some sort of work-related further education (i.e. scholarship or college course). In 2015, 5.3% of the town's population participated in secondary education, while some 19.6% have attended primary education in that same year. The city council of Brzeg spends 33.3% of its annual budget on education, amounting to 35.2 million zlotys annually.

Post-secondary education institutions:

{| class=wikitable

!Name

!Address

!Faculty no.

!Student no.

!Teacher no.

!Website

|-

|Technikum No. 1 in Brzeg

|Słowiańska 18

|21

|466

|–

|–

|-

|Technikum No. 2 in Brzeg

|Jana Pawła II 28

|14

|370

|–

|–

|-

|I Liceum ogólnokształcące (Bolesław Chrobry)

|Armii Krajowej 7

|10

|320

|31

|Official Website

|-

|II Liceum ogólnokształcące (Zbigniew Herbert)

| 1 Maja 7

|13

|341

|36

|Official Website

|-

|Zasadnicza Szkoła Zawodowa No. 3 (Książę Jerzy II Piast)

|Kamienna 3

|9

|261

|–

|Official Website

|-

|Technikum No. 3 (Książę Jerzy II Piast)

|Kamienna 3

|8

|207

|–

|Official Website

|-

|Państwowa Szkoła Muzyczna Level 1 (Józef Elsner)

|Piastowska 18

|–

|161

|20

|Official Website

|}

Public gymnasium (secondary school) institutions:

{| class=wikitable

!Name

!Address

!Faculty no.

!Student no.

!Teacher no.

!Website

|-

|Gymnasium No. 3 (Orlęta Lwowskie)

|Bohaterów Monte Cassino 14

|12

|343

|35

|Official Website

|-

|Gymnasium No. 2

|Poprzeczna 16

|12

|317

|—

|—

|-

|Gymnasium No. 1 (Józef Piłsudski)

|Oławska 2

|9

|225

|26

|Official Website

|-

|Gymnasium No. 4

|Lompy 1

|6

|142

|—

|—

|}

Transport

thumb|right|[[Brzeg railway station]]

Brzeg is located at the crossroads of the National Road 30px|National road 39 (Poland) (northbound to Namysłów and Kępno; southbound to Wiązów and Strzelin) and the National Road 30px (westbound to Oława, Wrocław, Bolesławiec and Zgorzelec; eastbound to Opole, Strzelce Opolskie, Bytom, Kraków, Tarnów, Jarosław and Korczowa. The interchange to the 30px|A4 autostrada (Poland) Motorway (Węzeł Przylesie) is located 14 km south of Brzeg.

Brzeg has well developed railway and bus transportation services. The PKP Brzeg railway station is operated by PKP Intercity and Przewozy Regionalne. The town has direct connections to Opole, Wrocław, Kraków, Warsaw, Katowice, Poznań, Szczecin, Zielona Góra, Lublin, Kielce, Przemyśl, Zamość, Nysa, and other cities. The Brzeg bus service is operated by PKS Brzeg, with ten bus lines around the town and Gmina Brzeg. The important routes are to Wrocław, Opole, Grodków, Namysłów, Nysa, Karpacz, Strzelin, Wiązów, and others. On Sunday, there is a special route to Szklarska Poręba.

In 2013, a hospital helipad was opened by Mossora Street (ul. Mossora).

Sports

  • KS Cukierki Odra Brzeg – women's basketball team, 8th place in Sharp Torell Basket Liga in 2003/2004 season

Notable people

  • C. de Bridia (born 1247), Minorite friar, wrote the Tartar Relation (de Bridia meaning "of Brzeg")
  • Melchior Adam (ca.1575 in Grottkau – 1622), a German Calvinist literary historian.
  • Johann Heermann (1585–1647), German poet and hymnodist
  • Georg Gebel the younger (1709–1753), Prussian general
  • Leopold Wilhelm von Dobschütz (1763–1836), Prussian general
  • Karl Otfried Müller (1797–1840), a professor, scholar of classical Greek studies and philodorian.
  • Julius Müller (1801–1878), a German Protestant theologian.
  • Wilhelm Schuppe (1836–1913), German positivist philosopher
  • Max Friedlaender (1852–1934), German musician and composer
  • Oskar Moll (1875-1947), German painter
  • Max Obal (1881–1949), German actor, screenwriter and film director
  • Alfred Kurella (1895–1975), German SED functionary
  • Johannes Brockt (1901–1980), German-Austrian musicologist and conductor
  • Franciszek Gajowniczek (1901–1995), Polish Auschwitz survivor
  • Otto Thorbeck (1912–1976), German lawyer
  • Kurt Masur (1927–2015), German musician and conductor
  • Mieczysław Domaradzki (1949–1998), Polish archaeologist and thracologist
  • Adrian Tekliński (born 1989), Polish road and track cyclist
  • Kamil Bednarek (born 1991), Polish reggae and dancehall musician and composer.
  • Bartosz Białek (born 2001), Polish football player
  • Paweł Salacz (born 1997), Polish handball player

Twin towns – sister cities

Brzeg is twinned with:

  • Beroun, Czech Republic
  • Bourg-en-Bresse, France
  • Goslar, Germany

<gallery class="center" widths="180" heights="120">

File:Brzeg Op.JPG|Most characteristic building of Brzeg, Silesian Piasts Castle

File:Brzeg Castle 06.jpg|Northern side of the castle's courtyard

File:Brzeg Op zamek 02.JPG|Southern side of the castle

File:Fragment stawu w Parku Wolności w Brzegu..jpg|Juliusz Peppel Park, the largest public park in town

File:Brzeg, Poland - panoramio (20).jpg|Long Street, main high street

File:Brzeg Marina viewed from Piastowski Bridge.jpg|Marina by the River Oder

File:Brzeg, Poland - panoramio (45).jpg|Town square and tower

File:Brzeg_town_hall.jpg|Town Hall

File:Brzeg, Kościół św. Mikołaja - fotopolska.eu (261406).jpg|St. Nicholas Church and Brzeski Dom Kultury cultural centre

File:Brzeg kosciol sw Mikolaja 04.jpg|Interior of the church

File:1225m Brzeg, kościół św. Krzyża. Foto Barbara Maliszewska.jpg|Interior of the Holy Cross Church

File:Poland Brzeg - Johann Kuben art in Feast of the Cross church.jpg|Church ceiling

</gallery>

References

Bibliography of Jewish Encyclopedia

  • Brann, Geschichte der Juden in Schlesien;
  • Jahrbuch des Deutsch-Israelitischen Gemeindebundes

:

  • Forum Brzeg
  • Dziennik Brzeski
  • Foto Brzeg
  • Jewish Community in Brzeg on Virtual Shtetl