Country Poland Gmina Gmina Olecko Town rights 1560 Area 11.6 km² Local time Friday 1:28 AM | County Olecko County Established 16th century Time zone CET (UTC+1) Population 22,384 (2011) | |
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Weather 4°C, Wind N at 6 km/h, 76% Humidity Voivodeship Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship | ||
Olecko [ɔˈlɛt͡skɔ] (former German: Marggrabowa since 1560, colloquially also Oletzko , Treuburg since 1928, Lithuanian: Alėcka) is a city in Masuria, in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship of Poland, 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.
Contents
- Map of Olecko Poland
- History
- Sights
- Transport
- Education
- Notable residents
- Twin towns sister cities
- References
Map of Olecko, Poland
History
Marggrabowa was founded as a town by Albert of Brandenburg-Ansbach, Duke of the Duchy of Prussia, on January 1, 1560. The town's Masurian Slavic-sounding name is derived from the German word Markgraf, the duke's title as the margraviate of Brandenburg's prince. The city's coat of arms still reflects the Brandenburg red eagle and the Hohenzollern black and white which go back to Albert of Brandenburg Prussia. The populace became Lutheran-Protestant within the Duchy of Prussia in 1525.
At the same location as the present location of the town there has been a hunting lodge called Oletzko since 1544. At a peninsula towards the lake, across the Lega river, in 1619 the Castle of Oletzko (Schloss Oletzko) was established as a regional administrative seat for the Dukes of Prussia.
Between 1818 and 1945, Marggrabowa was the seat of Oletzko County (Kreis Oletzko) in the province of East Prussia.
In 1920, the East Prussian plebiscite was held in the area by the League of Nations according to the Treaty of Versailles. As the vote was largely boycotted by ethnic Poles, the town voted to remain in Germany.
After World War II the region was placed under Polish administration by the Potsdam Agreement under territorial changes demanded by the Soviet Union. Most Germans fled or were expelled and replaced with Poles expelled from the Polish areas annexed by the Soviet Union or Ukrainians forced to settle in the area through Operation Vistula in 1947.
Sights
In the northern part of the town's market square, a Catholic (formerly Lutheran) 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
Twin towns — sister cities
Olecko is twinned with: