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Barczewo commune (Poland)

Olsztyn county, Warmińsko-mazurskie vojvodship

Last modified: 2009-08-22 by jarig bakker
Keywords: barczewo |
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[Barczewo commune flag] image by Chrystian Kretowicz, 13 Jun 2009
adopted 1 May 1994 See also:

Barczewo commune

Barczewo - urban-rural commune, Olsztyn County, Warmińsko-Mazurskie Voivodship - former German name: Wartenburg in Ostpreußen; Lithuanian name: Vartënai; older Polish names (1945-46): Wartembork, then Nowowiejsk
Gmina Barczewo is an urban-rural commune in Olsztyn County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northern Poland.
Its seat is the town of Barczewo, which lies approximately 14 kilometres (9 mi) north-east of the regional capital Olsztyn.
Area: 319.85 sq.km (123.5 sq.mi); Population:16,525 (2006). Land under cultivation - 52%; forests - 31%.

Established in 1325, destroyed by the Lithuanians and reestablished as a town in 1364. Visited by Nicolaus Copernicus in 1538.
It has been part of Poland again since 1945. The Polish municipality first translated its name to Wartembork, when that still sounded 'too German', it was re-christened 'Nowowiejsk' on September15, 1946, then 'Barczewo' on December 4, 1946 in honor of the priest, Father Walenty Barczewski (1856-1928), a Warmian, fighter for rights of Poles in East Prussia.
In Barczewo Prison was kept the war criminal, gauleiter of Ostpreußen - Erich Koch. He died in prison in 1986. With him the communists kept there the Solidarity and anti-communist leaders: Adam Michnik, Władysław Frasyniuk and Leszek Moczulski in the early 1980s.

Arms of Barczewo present two white angels with the golden wings on the green hill and holding the golden Bishop's mitre.
The flag, in use again in the postwar history, was consecrated on May 1, 1994 in the St.Anne Church and displayed first time on May 3, 1994 in front of the City Hall.
It is blue over white horizontal bicolor related to the historical flag of the city (presumably German). In its center the Arms are placed.

The description of the flag was obtained from the part of Barczewo's website dealing with the history of the city.
It was the only description available anywhere on the net.
Chrystian Kretowicz, 13 Jun 2009


Barczewo Coat of Arms

[Barczewo coat of arms] image by Chrystian Kretowicz, 13 Jun 2009
adopted 1 May 1994