Świecie County

Świecie County (Polish: powiat świecki) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, north-central Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its administrative seat and largest town is Świecie, which lies 45 km (28 mi) north of Toruń and 45 km (28 mi) north-east of Bydgoszcz. The only other town in the county is Nowe, lying 33 km (21 mi) north-east of Świecie.

The county covers an area of 1,472.78 square kilometres (568.6 sq mi). As of 2006 its total population is 96,941, out of which the population of Świecie is 25,614, that of Nowe is 6,252, and the rural population is 65,075.

Neighbouring counties

Świecie County is bordered by Starogard County and Tczew County to the north, Kwidzyn County to the north-east, the city of Grudziądz and Grudziądz County to the east, Chełmno County to the south, Bydgoszcz County to the south-west, and Tuchola County to the west.

Świecie

Świecie [ˈɕfjɛt͡ɕɛ] (German: Schwetz) is a town in northern Poland with 25,968 inhabitants (2006), situated in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship (since 1999); it was in Bydgoszcz Voivodeship from 1975 to 1998. It is the capital of Świecie County.

Location

Świecie is located on the west bank of river Vistula at the mouth of river Wda, approximately 40 kilometers north-east of Bydgoszcz, 105 kilometers south of Gdańsk and 190 kilometers south-west of Kaliningrad.

History

In Świecie was, when in 1198 St. Mary's church was opened here, the residence of the Pomeranian Duke Grimislaw. His sphere of control included also the towns of Starogard Gdański and Lubiszewo Tczewskie, and the region around Skarszewy. In 1310, when the Teutonic Order bought Pomeralia from the Margraves of Brandenburg, the settlement had already the status of a Civitas, just as Gdańsk and Tczew did. When it was granted Kulm law by the Teutonic Order, it was still located on the high west bank of the Vistula. Probably because of destruction by fire, during the time period 1338–75 it was translocated down into the valley at the Vistula. After the Thirteen Years' War (1454–66) the town became part of the autonomous province of Royal Prussia incorporated into the Kingdom of Poland. In 1772 the town was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia, and Schwetz was integrated into the newly formed Province of West Prussia. In 1905 the town had a Protestant church, two Catholic churches and a synagogue. After World War I Świecie became part of the Second Republic of Poland.

Świecie (disambiguation)

Świecie is a town in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, north-central Poland.

Świecie may also refer to: