Osieczna [ɔˈɕɛt͡ʂna] is a town in Leszno County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, Poland, with 2,131 inhabitants (2010).[1] It is located on the northern shore of the Łoniewskie Lake.

Osieczna
Osieczna Castle
Coat of arms of Osieczna
Osieczna is located in Poland
Osieczna
Osieczna
Coordinates: 51°54′21″N 16°40′35″E / 51.90583°N 16.67639°E / 51.90583; 16.67639
Country Poland
VoivodeshipGreater Poland
CountyLeszno
GminaOsieczna
Area
 • Total4.84 km2 (1.87 sq mi)
Population
 (2010)[1]
 • Total2,131
 • Density440/km2 (1,100/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
64-113
Vehicle registrationPLE
Voivodeship roads
Websitehttp://www.osieczna.pl/

History

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Old post mills in the interbellum

As part of the region of Greater Poland, i.e. the cradle of the Polish state, the area formed part of Poland since its establishment in the 10th century. It was a private town, administratively located in the Kościan County in the Poznań Voivodeship in the Greater Poland Province of the Kingdom of Poland.[2] In the Second Partition of Poland, in 1793, it was annexed by Prussia. Following the successful Greater Poland uprising of 1806, it was included within the short-lived Polish Duchy of Warsaw. After the duchy's dissolution in 1815, it was reannexed by Prussia, and from 1871 it was also part of Germany. The populace was subjected to Germanisation policies.

On January 11, 1919, Osieczna was the site of a victorious battle of the Polish insurgents against the Germans during the Greater Poland uprising,[3] and it was soon reintegrated with Poland, which just regained independence.

During the German occupation of Poland (World War II), on October 21, 1939, the Germans carried out a public execution of a group of local Poles (see Nazi crimes against the Polish nation).[4] It was one of many massacres of Poles committed by Germany on October 20–23 across the region in attempt to pacify and terrorize the Polish population.[5]

Demographics

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Historical population
YearPop.±%
18801,720—    
18901,665−3.2%
19101,570−5.7%
19211,559−0.7%
19311,597+2.4%
19391,730+8.3%
19501,433−17.2%
19601,590+11.0%
20102,131+34.0%
Source: [6][7][1]

Sights

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  • Osieczna Castle
  • Gothic-Baroque Holy Trinity church
  • Baroque Reformati monastery and Saint Valentine church
  • Old post mills
  • Rynek (Market Square) filled with historic townhouses
  • Monument to the Battle of Osieczna of 1919[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Stan i struktura ludności oraz ruch naturalny w przekroju terytorialnym w 2010 r. (PDF) (in Polish). Warszawa: Główny Urząd Statystyczny. 2011. p. 104. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2011.
  2. ^ Atlas historyczny Polski. Wielkopolska w drugiej połowie XVI wieku. Część I. Mapy, plany (in Polish). Warszawa: Instytut Historii Polskiej Akademii Nauk. 2017. p. 1a.
  3. ^ a b "OSIECZNA (miasto w powiecie leszczyńskim)". Instytut Pamięci Narodowej (in Polish). Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  4. ^ Wardzyńska, Maria (2009). Był rok 1939. Operacja niemieckiej policji bezpieczeństwa w Polsce. Intelligenzaktion (in Polish). Warszawa: IPN. p. 198.
  5. ^ Grochowina, Sylwia (2017). Cultural policy of the Nazi occupying forces in the Reich district Gdańsk–West Prussia, the Reich district Wartheland, and the Reich district of Katowice in the years 1939–1945. Toruń. p. 87. ISBN 978-83-88693-73-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  6. ^ Wiadomości Statystyczne Głównego Urzędu Statystycznego (in Polish). Vol. X. Warszawa: Główny Urząd Statystyczny. 1932. p. 202.
  7. ^ Dokumentacja Geograficzna (in Polish). Vol. 3/4. Warszawa: Instytut Geografii Polskiej Akademii Nauk. 1967. p. 35.