Olecko

Olecko [ɔˈlɛt͡skɔ] (former German: Marggrabowa  since 1560, colloquially also Oletzko , Treuburg  since 1928, Lithuanian: Alėcka) 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.

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 Coat of arms
Olecko Show map of Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship Olecko Show map of Poland
Coordinates: 54°2′N 22°30′E
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Warmian-Masurian
County	Olecko County
Gmina	Gmina Olecko
Established	16th century
Town rights	1560
Government
• Mayor	Karol Sobczak
Area
• Total	11.6 km^2 (4.5 sq mi)
Population  (2011)
• Total	22,384
• Density	1,900/km^2 (5,000/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	19-400 to 19-402
Area code(s)	+48 87
Car plates	NOE, NOG
Website	http://www.olecko.pl

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

• Wszechnica Mazurska
• Liceum Ogolnoksztalcace im. Jana Kochanowskiego

Notable residents

• Gustav Bergenroth (1813-1869), German historian
• Kurt Blumenfeld (1884–1963), Zionist
• Arthur Zimmermann (1864–1940), diplomat, author of the Zimmermann Telegram
• Bartosz Romańczuk (born 1983), Polish footballer

International relations

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

Twin towns — sister cities

Olecko is twinned with:

• Jõhvi, Estonia

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.

External links

• Municipal website of Olecko (en)(pl)
• Website of Olecko (pl)
• iOlecko - news, events, history, photos from Olecko (pl)